Complex sentence: After graduating from Oberlin College, Commons earned his PhD at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under Richard T. Ely and, after appointments at Oberlin and Indiana University, began teaching at Syracuse University in 1895.
Split into simpler sentences: After graduating from Oberlin College, Commons earned his PhD at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under Richard T. Ely. After appointments at Oberlin and Indiana University, Commons began teaching at Syracuse University in 1895.