Jon C. Pevehouse had not even finished his first year as a tenure-track professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2001 when other universities began trying to lure him away. By last year, Mr. Pevehouse decided it was time to consider the offers seriously. He quickly ended up more than doubling his salary, with a move to the University of Chicago.
Mr. Pevehouse was considered an up-and-comer, and his departure last spring was a blow to Madison’s political-science department. But he wasn’t alone: In all, nine political scientists, more than a fifth of the department, left Madison last year.
“It was a body blow,” says Donald A. Downs, a longtime professor of political science there. “People worry about holding down the fort.”