Can power engineering education be reenergized?: Enrollments are down, leading some educators to cry `crisis,¿ while the industry itself skims the cream of a smaller crop

The decline in power engineering education, as evidenced by shrinking funds for power education, a drying up of basic research at many schools, and warning student interest in the field, is examined. It is argued that this could lead to a critical shortage when the utility industry in the US emerges from its downturn, even though there is no serious shortage of power engineers at this time. Cooperative ventures in education by the industrial and academic sectors are described.