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<p>Then how can you assert so definitively that Berkeley is losing superstars? I said I doubted it, but I honestly don’t know for sure.</p>
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<p>I think the point of contention lies more in the public vs. private debate. The “exodus” of faculty (which really isn’t very significant) cuts right through the issue of the competition between the public and private sector in the twenty-first century. Berkeley is at the forefront. Clearly the Hewlett foundation sees this too, which is why their immense donation is their “vote of confidence.” Of course, they donated much more to Stanford, but the symbolic action is there.</p>
<p>Notice, also, that top privates lose faculty to one another every year, but it isn’t made out to be such a big deal. This isn’t the first article I’ve read on the controversy regarding Berkeley’s faculty retention, nor will it be the last–and I daresay we won’t see any article on it without a comparison to top privates.</p>