Education never stops [President's Column]

Abstract

It is noted that in recent years, the pressure on faculty to generate research funding and maintain their institutions' research reputation has often led to education being shortchanged, at least in in my view. This is especially the case at the pre- or undergraduate level, where, in its worst form, teaching and learning are assigned to junior staff on temporary and insecure contracts, while 'star' academics are shielded from any significant engagement with students. This trend disturbs the author because, in the long run, a university is a community that thrives when both its education and research arms flourish together. One characteristic of the fields of interest in the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) is continuous and rapid technology change; a professional in our field can never stop learning throughout his or her career. Often, this occurs through self-education - reading an article, attending a conference session, viewing a webinar, taking an online course, and so on. The MTT-S provides many resources and wide-ranging support to help in this process.