We don't have to wait for Engineering departments to under cut the physics dep
artments with younger, hungrier physics profs. At least at the University of A
kron, it's universal thanks to ERIP, a retirement incentive plan. For every 2
people who retire in our department, we get 1 back (usually) at about 75% of th
e lowest salary.
Also, on the other side of the coin, our Engineering & Science Technology Depar
tment (at the commmunity & technical college of the U of Akron) has 2 degreed
physicists in the electronic engineering technology area and 1 transplanted h.s
.. physics teacher (with degree in EE) teaching ee tech. So I guess it goes
both ways sometimes:-)