DepartmentGeology July AUSTIN, Editors: Samuel P. Ellison,Jr. of NewsletterNo. 10, 1961 TEXAS and Stephen E. Clabaugh The Coming Shortage of Geologists Most geologists are employed to search the earth for useful ablelength of time, evenat the lowest ebb of geologic employ- mineralproducts. The demand for raw materials is increasing ment, and by the spring of 1961, every candidate for an ad- throughout the worldin response to industrialization of un- vanced geology degree here had several offers of employment developed countries and phenomenal population growth. inindustry, colleges,and governmentsurveys. Therefore the demand for geologists should also increase Thependulum has swung too far.As shown dramatically on steadily, but the opposite trend has been conspicuous in the the accompanying graphfrom GeoTimes, thenumber of grad- United States for four years. uating seniorsmajoring ingeology There are several reasonsfor the will soon fall below the number drastically sagging demand for working on either Master's or Doc- graduating geologists, and there tor's degrees. At UT this situation will undoubtedly be serious conse- will be true next fall. Yet only a quences to be faced. Among the fraction of the graduating seniors reasons for thedecline of new jobs willqualify for graduateschool.Be- in geology, two are obvious. One is ginning next year, there will be a the world oversupply of petroleum, conspicuous national shortage of which has led to restriction of do- graduate students in geology, and mesticproduction. (Anditis Amer- thenumber receivingpost-graduate ican oil companies who hire more degrees will decline for at least 5 geologists than any other business to 8 years, simply because it takes in the world.) A second reasonfor thatlong to train aman fromfresh- the decline is simple oversupply of man to MA and Ph.D. levels. We geologists, resulting from the post- are faced with a declining number World War II shortage and the of well trained geologists emerging rapid replenishment of the profes- from colleges and universities for sionthrough college training,paid nearly a decade. for in large part by federal aid to And during the next decade a veterans. The temporary glut of surprising number of American geologists became apparent to the geologists willreachretirementage. oil industry as it entered the pro- Prior to 1930 only afew geologists longedrecession followingthe Suez were trained at Texas,butbetween crisis Graph showing trends in U.S.enrollment of geology- 1940, boom of sellingAmerican oil geophysicsstudents, 1930 and nearly 300 gradu- to Europe, and a gloomy pictureof ated here,and before 1971 atleast the future of geology waspresented 1956—61 that manyUT geologists will retire on every side to college freshmen. from industry. During the next 5 Simultaneously Sputnik painted a years we are not likely to graduate glowing picture of the future of half enough UT geologists to re- space exploration,nuclearphysics, and electronics place retiringUTgeologists! For four years bright college students have turned away The Master'sdegree is now the minimumtraining for a ge- from geology. In1958 almost no young scientistsbegan their ologist entering professional work in many American indus- training ingeology, therefore in 1962 almost none will grad- tries and most government positions. If he is to teach or to uate withBachelors degrees.Nor in1963, 1964,and1965. compete for foreign employment at a high level,an American All the while,the demand for geologists with advanced de- geologist should have a Ph.D. degree,because this is the level greeshas been reasonably firm, and suddenly it is booming. of new geology graduates from most universities in Western No University of Texas-trained geologist with the Master's or Europe. Wehope that,as thedemand for geologistsnowbegins Ph.D.degree failed tofind professional work within a reason- to rise,employers willrefrain from hiring a man who is in- 2 July, 1961 terested in doing graduate work and qualified for it. Let the Texasa centerof excellent geologic teaching andresearch. We student obtain atleast aMaster'sdegreebefore offeringhim a willcontinue to give the best undergraduate training we can handsome salary. devise while seeking to attract to Texas the best graduate stu- The abrupt decline inundergraduatemajors ingeologyhas dents from other schools. brought hardships in some colleges, both large and small. Teachers have been released for lack of students, and small Geology Faculty News departments arebeingeliminated just when their services are distinguishedprofessor apt tobeneeded again. Thedecline of enrollment is greatestin A from the University of Washing- ton, Mackin, oilproducingregions,where thetemporaryoversupplyof both J.Hoover will join our staff for most of one se- mester next year to a course in oil andpetroleum geologists casts a pall overthegeologic pro- teach special geomorphology fession.Miningschools andNortheastern collegeshave hardly and to complete a researchmanuscript withEarlIngerson on felt the downward trend. the IronSprings district inUtah. Three other outstanding vis- At TheUniversity ofTexas we feellucky andmoreoptimistic itors will spend a few weeks giving short courses. These are George Tunnell, than some of our colleagues elsewhere. We now have a com- Universityof California at Los Angeles,Sie- fortable number of undergraduate majors, whereas our class- mon W. Muller,Stanford University, and Preston E. Cloud, Jr., rooms were literally bursting at the seams 4 years ago. Now University of Minnesota and U. S. Geological Survey. Flawn, Director for the first time we can give adequate personal supervision Peter T. as the new of theBureauof Economic Geology, Virgil Barnes,Geologist Bureau, to individual students and improve our undergraduate teach- and E. for the have ing. We have revised the undergraduate curriculum and been designatedProfessors of Geology, and they will take an active in directing graduate strengthened the requirements in mathematics. It is true that part research. Jim Davis has re- signed position employ- geologyis not attractingas manytop-notchstudents asphysics his as Assistant Professor to accept in with Jersey and chemistry,and the wholeprofession should try to counter- ment Missouri the New Zinc Company. The faculty next year as : act this situation.We arecooperatingwiththe School of Engi- willbe follows neering in devising a program for a Bachelor of Science de- Professors geology major. degree gree in Engineering with a This will Virgil E. Barnes, Geologist,Research Scientist, Bureau of probably include 36 hoursof geologyplus considerablemathe- Economic Geology matics, thermodynamics, strength of materials, hydraulics, W. Charles Bell and electronics. It will prepare a mansuperbly for graduate Fred M.Bullard study ingeologyand at the same timepermit himtoqualify as StephenE.Clabaugh,AssistantChairman a registeredengineer. Ronald K.DeFord, Graduate Advisor The freshman geology course continues to be a popular SamuelP.Ellison,Jr.,Chairman choice as a science elective for non-geologists at Texas, and Peter T. Flawn,Director,Bureau of Economic Geology enrollment was the heaviest last year that it has ever been. F. Earl Ingerson Nearly one-tenth of all the students in the University register John A. Wilson in an elementary geology course each semester. We are very Keith P. Young happy to have this opportunity to acquaint so many laymen with geology in a region where the science has such an im- Associate Professors portantrole indiscoveryanddevelopmentof natural resources. Robert L. Folk Graduate teaching ingeology has remained at avery high Edward C. Jonas level at Texasduring the decline of undergraduateenrollment, William R.Muehlberger and inmany ways the Department is suffering moreacutely Assistant Professors fromlack of spacenowthan everbefore. Nearlyhalf of our80 Robert E. Boyer graduate studentsare candidates for thePh.D. degree,andall Ernest L.Lundelius,Jr. of them have cramped study and laboratory space or none at Earle F.Mcßride all in the Geology Building. The geology library stacks have William L.Mclntire beenexpanded torelieve overcrowding,but it was done at the Alan J.Scott expenseof a paleontologylaboratory. Thegeology museumin John L. Snyder of an adjacent building has also been the basement sacrificed John E. Stone by conversion of the space to laboratory and lecture rooms. But there is still no space insight for expansionof geochem- Special Lecturer (donatinghis services) istry, for modernization of sedimentation laboratories,for an Edgar W. Owen maproom, or for initial development in adequate of teaching Visiting (Fall Semester) geophysics, a conspicuously neglected field at Texas. Professor J.Hoover Mackin,University of Washington Let us assure you that the chronic shortage of space and temporarydecline of undergraduate students willnot deter our Special Lecturers for Short Courses faculty in its mission of maintaining at The University of PrestonE.Cloud,University ofMinnesota (Spring) July, 1961 3 Siemon W. Muller,Stanford (Spring) book Origin and Activity of Volcanoes now beingprintedby George Tunnell,University of California,Los Angeles The Universityof TexasPress. (Fall) Fred was a member of the National Science Foundation panelwhichmetinDenverinOctober toreviewsummer train- Faculty Activity ingprograms in science, and he gave a series of lectures in February at the Universityof SouthDakota as an AGIVisit- ing Scientist. InApril,helectured to the Lafayette Geological Society in Louisiana. Fred is serving