In an essay in this week's Chronicle, John V. Lombardi criticizes universities that have been scaling back graduate programs to reflect projections about the academic job market. Those universities and departments say that it is wrong to admit students if it is unlikely that they will be able to find good academic jobs after they get their Ph.D.'s. Mr. Lombardi, president of the University of Florida, calls that approach arrogant and argues that universities should not turn away people who are qualified to do the work and are passionate about it. He questions the ability of universities to predict the academic labor market seven years ahead, and he says that it's not a bad thing if some graduates of these programs end up working at community colleges, in high schools, or outside education. Should universities limit the size of their graduate programs based on projections about the academic job market? What are the obligations of a graduate program to a prospective student with regard to job prospects? For further information, see this essay:
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