Creating a virtual physics department.

The number of students graduating from the majority of physics programs thr oughout the nation is on the order of three students per year per departmen t. This low number represents a problem for those programs that are located at schools which measure success by how many graduates a program creates. This was the problem faced by the physics departments located in three scho ols in the Texas A&M University System. A solution which alleviated our imm ediate concerns, and how it is evolving into a "virtual" department, is des cribed. (C) 1999 American Association of Physics Teachers.