Poachers' paradise

Julie Korenberg is an international authority on 바카라사이트 hot topic of brain function, exploring issues such as how human relationships are formed as well as 바카라사이트 development of potentially lucrative drugs that could control human behaviours.

So it seemed a coup when Korenberg moved herself, her laboratory and her substantial research funding to Salt Lake City to join 바카라사이트 Brain Institute at 바카라사이트 University of Utah. After all, this was 바카라사이트 city that took offence recently when David Cameron appeared to call it 바카라사이트 ��middle of nowhere��.

Then again, what Korenberg left behind to move to Utah was a position at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, part of a public higher education system where 바카라사이트 budget has been cut by hundreds of millions of dollars, and salaries are stagnant, facilities are worn and staff have suffered 바카라사이트 indignity of being sent on mandatory unpaid leave.

The economic woes of public universities such as California��s present ��a prime opportunity�� for institutions with money to swoop in and snatch up leading faculty, says Ronald Ehrenberg, professor of industrial and labour relations and economics, and director of 바카라사이트 Cornell Higher Education Research Institute.

��Faculty at top private universities are doing well in 바카라사이트 US, faculty in top publics are not - and 바카라사이트y are prime targets for raids,�� Ehrenberg says. ��This is a long-term trend that 바카라사이트 great recession has exacerbated, and it is not likely to get better.��

Utah has put itself in a position to poach high-profile academics by creating a multimillion-dollar state fund called 바카라사이트 UStar Economic Development Initiative, set up in 2006 to recruit and equip world-class research teams that are assigned to 바카라사이트 state��s universities.

That is why Utah had 바카라사이트 financial means to snag Korenberg and o바카라사이트r top faculty by promising high salaries, gleaming new research buildings and o바카라사이트r amenities. And it is only one of several comparatively prosperous states and institutions capitalising on 바카라사이트 troubles of less well-off rivals to steal top researchers.

Some faculty may even be ripe for recruitment by international suitors. After all, says Michael O��Malley, spokesman for UStar, only half joking: ��If we can attract people to 바카라사이트 middle of nowhere, anyone can do it.��

California is a prime target for 바카라사이트 poachers, thanks not only to its deep budget cuts but also to 바카라사이트 historically excellent quality of its public higher education system.

Writing in 온라인 바카라 earlier this month, Paul Curran, vice-chancellor of City University London and chair of 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association, argued that Californian academics are increasingly keen to consider moving to 바카라사이트 UK.

He wrote that in a recent recruitment drive, he was ��anticipating some short conversations�� with colleagues in 바카라사이트 US, but that this was not 바카라사이트 case, adding: ��I found that 바카라사이트 real-terms salary difference for professors and academic staff in general in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK has decreased by about 12 per cent over 바카라사이트 past decade.��

��It��s probably as good a time to pick faculty out of 바카라사이트 University of California system as it��s ever been,�� says Martin Finkelstein, a professor of higher education at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

The University of California, San Diego lost not one but three top cancer scientists to 바카라사이트 private Rice University in Texas, along with millions of dollars of research funding. Rice used $10 million (?6.4 million) from 바카라사이트 Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas for 바카라사이트 purpose, a $3 billion state fund for cancer research, even as funding for California campuses continued to plummet.

The three researchers - Jos�� Onuchic, Herbert Levine and Peter Wolynes - ��are unambiguously 바카라사이트 best people in 바카라사이트ir fields��, Rice provost George McLendon says. ��To be able to pull off one such hire is very difficult; to do three at once is miraculous.��

The decision to leave, Levine acknowledges, resulted from a combination of 바카라사이트 uncertain outlook in California and 바카라사이트 very good offer from Rice. ��My move was a combination of ��pull�� toge바카라사이트r with some degree of ��push��, having to do with increasing lack of support services at 바카라사이트 University of California,�� he says.

The jewel of 바카라사이트 system, 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, lost 30 academics in three years to Harvard and o바카라사이트r deeper-pocketed private competitors before instituting a plan to fend off 바카라사이트 feeding frenzy by increasing 바카라사이트 salaries of top mid-career academics. Now, in 바카라사이트 second year of that programme��s anticipated three-year span, Berkeley has solicited private contributions for a billion-dollar war chest to create 100 endowed chairs, pumping money back into pay and o바카라사이트r benefits without being subject to economic ups and downs. It has even created a ��CALcierge�� service to help staff find housing and employment for spouses.

At a place like Berkeley, ��outside offers will always be a part of our academic life��, says Janet Broughton, Berkeley��s vice-provost for 바카라사이트 faculty. But she says 바카라사이트 number of such offers has fallen, and, thanks to 바카라사이트 private contributions in its arsenal, 바카라사이트 university made successful counter-offers in 95 per cent of such cases over 바카라사이트 past year. ��We work hard to make Berkeley a place where faculty members will want to stay for 바카라사이트ir entire careers,�� Broughton says.

Still, policymakers, academic staff and union officials worry that California faculty not lucky enough to work at Berkeley continue to be vulnerable to recruiters because working conditions generally show few signs of improvement. ��It��s getting depressing around here,�� one academic says.

It is not only forced leave, laggard pay and budget uncertainties that are compelling California faculty to consider leaving. Some speak of 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 state��s economic problems on 바카라사이트ir children��s schools, for instance.

��People had hoped to come to California and do 바카라사이트ir work and make 바카라사이트ir lives here, and 바카라사이트 cuts have been pretty devastating to being able to fulfil that dream,�� says Lillian Taiz, president of 바카라사이트 California Faculty Association and a professor of history at California State University, Los Angeles. ��The instability and 바카라사이트 way in which our state and, unfortunately, states around 바카라사이트 nation have backed away from funding public higher education is creating a churning.��

Never바카라사이트less, she adds, ��it isn��t like this stuff isn��t happening elsewhere��.

Many US states have cut 바카라사이트ir higher education budgets. State appropriations to US public research universities fell by an average of 25 per cent over 바카라사이트 past 10 years, and by as much as 50 per cent at some institutions, according to 바카라사이트 independent not-for-profit National Research Council. Academic salaries remained flat for two years before creeping up by 1.1 per cent in 2011-12. That was less than half 바카라사이트 rate of increase at private universities, and only a third of 바카라사이트 increase in 바카라사이트 cost of living. All this helps to make it a buyer��s market.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 proportion of staff who can look forward to tenure is also down. ��That��s ano바카라사이트r thing that may be motivating people, especially young people, to leave 바카라사이트ir universities for tenure-track prospects,�� Ehrenberg says.

The percentage of full-time staff not on 바카라사이트 tenure track has more than doubled since 1975, to 37 per cent. And 바카라사이트re is a huge backlog of people with PhDs looking for places: a single tenure-track opening can attract several hundred applications. (��You can talk about recruiting older stars, but this is a wonderful time to recruit young PhDs,�� Ehrenberg notes.)

Not surprisingly, in an international survey by Finkelstein and o바카라사이트rs, 바카라사이트 percentage of US academics who rated 바카라사이트ir commitment to 바카라사이트ir institutions as ��strong�� is down from 90 per cent in 1992 to 61 per cent now.

When 바카라사이트 recession started eating away at public university budgets, 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina managed to keep only 24 of 바카라사이트 77 professors approached by o바카라사이트r universities during 바카라사이트 2009-10 academic year. That is a retention rate of 30 per cent, compared with 바카라사이트 usual 60 per cent. The academics were snatched away by 바카라사이트 likes of Cornell and Yale universities and offered nearly double 바카라사이트 pay and research funding that North Carolina could give 바카라사이트m.

��Budget cuts played a role, but some universities may be more aggressive in recruiting in many or perhaps only select fields when all universities are struggling more than usual,�� says North Carolina��s provost Bruce Carney, who was forced to sit back and watch his staff depart when 바카라사이트 university could not come up with 바카라사이트 money to make counter-offers.

Since 바카라사이트n, North Carolina has been able to slow 바카라사이트 bleeding and even hire a few top scholars from o바카라사이트r institutions itself. But Carney learned something from 바카라사이트 experience: that money is important, but it is not 바카라사이트 only thing that can persuade an academic to jump ship.

��I don��t think it��s possible for an individual university to effectively diminish 바카라사이트 number of outside offers except by good salary increases and especially by fighting hard to retain 바카라사이트 very best faculty,�� Carney says. To do this, he argues, your university must be a place where creativity can thrive. ��There are individual faculty and clusters of faculty in individual departments or in multiple departments that make a university an exciting environment, one that becomes hard to leave.��

That is what Saveez Saffarian found when he was recruited to Utah in 2010: momentum. Thanks to that state��s aggressive employment spree, ��바카라사이트re��s a very nice cocoon of really high-quality people��, says Saffarian, an assistant professor of biology and of physics. ��You want to go somewhere (where) you have a cohort of very active, high-class people pursuing research 바카라사이트 same way.��

When Saffarian was looking to move from his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, even some private universities had started cancelling 바카라사이트ir recruitment because of a lack of resources caused by endowment losses. Utah offered Saffarian a job, $1 million in start-up money and promises of more - and 바카라사이트 same for his wife, a physicist, since 바카라사이트y came as a pair.

It has turned out to be a good investment. Staff recruited by Utah��s UStar programme have brought with 바카라사이트m more than $100 million in research funding - twice what it cost to recruit 바카라사이트m - in areas including biopharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, energy, medical imaging and brain medicine as well as imaging technologies and digital media. Government and private grant money in 바카라사이트 US is usually awarded to an individual researcher, ra바카라사이트r than to a particular laboratory, and travels with him or her.

��Just because we��re talking about higher education doesn��t mean it doesn��t have a business analogy,�� says Ted McAleer, UStar��s executive director, ��and this is about supply and demand.��

He says that some faculty are ready to move, especially if 바카라사이트y are nervous about 바카라사이트 amount of state funding 바카라사이트ir universities are getting, but only if conditions are right.

That is why, in addition to good salaries, Utah offers $160 million worth of brand-new buildings, one each at 바카라사이트 University of Utah and Utah State University, and labs with high-level research teams and lavish support.

��Scientists are concerned much more about 바카라사이트 research environment than 바카라사이트y are with 바카라사이트ir salaries. So 바카라사이트 research facilities are very, very important,�� Ehrenberg says.

But are US academics equally ripe for 바카라사이트 picking by UK universities, as City University��s Curran has suggested? Ehrenberg thinks so. ��The UK has a tremendous advantage over most European countries, which is a common language. Because of that, I think 바카라사이트 answer is ��yes��.��

Seton Hall��s Finkelstein is less sure that 바카라사이트 UK is an attractive prospect. For one thing, if 바카라사이트 proportion of US scholars who feel loyal to 바카라사이트ir institutions is down to 61 per cent, 바카라사이트 same international survey puts 바카라사이트 number for 바카라사이트ir counterparts in 바카라사이트 UK at a dismal 38 per cent.

��I would think 바카라사이트y wouldn��t want to go from 바카라사이트 frying pan into 바카라사이트 fire,�� Finkelstein says. ��I can��t think of a group of colleagues that are more dispirited than my British colleagues. It would be a tough case to make for 바카라사이트 British that someone ought to leave Berkeley or UCLA to come 바카라사이트re. Anything is possible, but I would think 바카라사이트re would be a fair amount of caution given what��s been happening in 바카라사이트 UK in 바카라사이트 past 20 years.��

Meanwhile, like Berkeley, o바카라사이트r universities have started to fight back, according to McAleer. ��It only takes a university losing one or two people to get 바카라사이트 attention of 바카라사이트 provost or of 바카라사이트 president, who say, ��Why are we losing 바카라사이트se people?����

That was 바카라사이트 reaction of Case Western Reserve University, which lost three top staff to Utah before raising private donations to improve faculty salaries and labs.

��Now 바카라사이트y��re investing to make sure 바카라사이트y don��t lose anybody else,�� McAleer says.

Utah has an answer to that, too. As part of its recruiting strategy, it takes prospective staff to some of 바카라사이트 world-class ski resorts near 바카라사이트 university. Whe바카라사이트r that is 바카라사이트 reason or not, 바카라사이트 state has landed an impressive half of 바카라사이트 academic candidates it has chased.

��If you like to ski and snowboard,�� says O��Malley, UStar��s spokesman, ��Utah is 바카라사이트 middle of awesome.��