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OCR for page 24
ISSUES FOR THE 1990s & BEYOND
The trends of the past decade converge to pose three major challenges to the academic
research enterprise. As stated at the outset of this report, the challenges are: To maintain
the over-all quality of the nation's universities and their academic research in an
increasingly diversified, financially constrained environment; to ensure sufficient
scientific and technical human resources to meet the nation's research mission; and to
enhance the nation's ability to address new scientific and technological opportunities and
concomitant societal demands.
To meet these challenges, it will be necessary to confront and resolve a number of
complex, often inter-connected issues that affect the current status of the academic
research enterprise. To begin that process, the Working Group here sets out what it
believes to be the most critical issues confronting the enterprise. They are organized in
five categories: Role of universities, the organization and management of universities,
conduct of research and transfer of knowledge, education of scientists and engineers, and
funding of academic research. The Working Group believes all are relevant to each
stakeholder in the enterprise.
Role of Universities
What is the optimal role of universities within the natior''s orer-ai! research system?
Research opportunities are increasing in size and complexity, often requiring large scale
organizational settings for their performance. In addition, advances in fundamental
knowledge are increasingly relevant to technology development.
What types of research will best be conducted by university-based scientists and
engineers? What should be the roles of other research organizations, such as industrial,
non-profit, and governmental laboratories? Should universities re-focus or narrow their
priorities in research and education? Does the country need new types of research
institutions to address scientific and technological opportunities and needs?
What is the appropriate role for universities in addressing national and regional priorities?
Concern for improving the nation's international competitiveness has generated
expectations that universities, in partnership with industry, will provide scientific and
technological breakthroughs in key commercial areas. State and local officials
increasingly urge their public universities to contribute to regional development through
applied research and cooperation with resident industries.
What should be the relationship between national research-support policies and
national, regional, state, and local economic-development policies? To what degree should
universities respond to public expectations for them to address specific national or
regional social, political, and economic priorities? How can universities maintain their
independence while increasing their involvement in extramural research activities?
1-22
OCR for page 25
What should be the research and education role of US universities within an increasingly
international research environment? As more nations develop research capacity, U.S. research
scientists and engineers will adjust their research priorities and programs to reflect
dynamic worldwide changes in scientific fields. Furthermore, international cooperation is
intensifying in many scientific and engineering fields. The growing research capabilities
of other nations provide new opportunities for collaboration.
What is the appropriate balance between the global flow of scientific information and
collaboration in research to advance scientific fields, on the one hand, and national
policies to capture the economic and military benefits of scientific discoveries, on the
other? With a shifting balance of international economic and scientific strength, should
the U.S. target research areas with strategic importance or comparative advantage, and
import from abroad the frontier scientific or technological knowledge developed within
remaining fields?
Is there an optimal size, scope, and diversity of the U5 academic research enterprise?
Pressures of restricted funding, increased institutional competition, and steady-state
enrollments generate concerns for maintaining excellence within the current academic
research enterprise.
Should there be increased differentiation in research and education roles among
institutions of higher education? How should the demands for maintaining research
excellence be balanced with the exigencies for broadening participation? What are the
trade-offs between concentrating research funding among the few, who have demonstrated
success and quality, and allocating it more broadly among institutions in geographic
regions?
Organization and Management of Universities
What are the implications of a changing research environment for university management
and governance? As the environment outside the university is shifting and the nature of
science and engineering research within the university is changing, university leadership
will be increasingly challenged in its endeavor to maintain the pre-eminence of the
enterprise.
Do the administrative, management, and governance structures of universities need to
be modified to meet this challenge? What are pertinent models for future university
administrative, management, and governance structures? As research on the scientific
frontier evolves, crossing and extending disciplinary boundaries, how will the traditional
departments adapt and how will their relationships with research centers, institutes, and
other collaborative forms of organization develop? Should universities become involved in
independent research efforts that require non-instructional personnel and depend on large-
scale, sophisticated equipment and facilities? If so, how should such efforts be managed?
Does the current balance between scientific research and education require reexamination?
The unique feature of the U.S. academic enterprise has long been its commitment to
1-23
OCR for page 26
training scholars in research environments. There are increasing indications, however, that
the link between teaching and research may be eroding, particularly as competition for
research and development funds increases and research success becomes more closely
associated with economic development. Other factors also challenge the teaching-research
relationship, including declining graduate education support, changing faculty reward
systems, and increasing use of ~soft" money for faculty salaries.
How will the changing research climate affect teaching responsibilities and the quality
of intellectual life at institutions of higher education? What are the implications of the
evolving research environment at the classroom and laboratory level? Can the link between
academic research and teaching be strengthened without compromising the missions of
either? What core values and programs should not be neglected? What is the optimal
balance between the sciences and engineering and the arts and humanities?
How should universities respond to the evolution of academic disciplines? During the past
decade, many universities have begun to establish capacity for multi-disciplinary or inter-
disciplinary research to meet emerging societal needs. In addition, new disciplines are
emerging from older fields of inquiry. This development, however, has not been without
problems--most notably, the faculty reward system that favors single-disciplinary research
in established fields.
How can the universities restructure themselves to meet emerging societal expectations?
With the current faculty reward system, can they devise methods to reward those who
perform and publish in the multi-disciplinary arena? How can inter-disciplinary
collaboration be enhanced? Will enhancing inter-disciplinary collaboration compromise
freedom of inquiry?
Conduct of Research and Transfer of Knowledge
How will the scholarly agenda be set in the 1990s and by whom? The academic research
agenda is guided by an increasingly complex array of influences. At a minimum, these
include the precepts of the field of inquiry, the emergence of new technologies, and the
social, political, and economic priorities of the country.
How can the research agenda be managed to preserve a balance between internal
academic priorities and research opportunities, and external influences and needs? What is
the best method for establishing priorities to allocate resources among disciplines,
programs, and projects? How can appropriate output measures of academic research be
developed to evaluate research productivity and efficiency? How can academic scientists
and engineers participate in setting future research funding priorities?
As the research agenda evolves, how will it affect the role of investigators? Pressures for
addressing political and socioeconomic priorities and for participating in larger scale
research projects will increase. Future priorities among the modes of research--single
investigator' small groups, multi-disciplinary centers--will be subject to intense debate.
1-24
OCR for page 27
How is the distribution of research support among these modes best determined and
who should determine it? How can investigators respond best to changes in the way
research problems are selected? To changes in the processes for carrying out research? To
changes in the interactions among departments and disciplines, and with entities outside
academia? To new and untried approaches to obtaining research support?
What are the ethical questions investigators should confront in the changing research
environment? How should academic investigators with entrepreneurial activities balance
those activities with their professorial and public service roles?
How should investigators respond to increased public concerns regarding toxic
substances, release of genetically engineered material, and experiments involving animals
or human subjects?
With steady-states in enrollments, faculty positions, and production of new doctoral
researchers, can productivity per investigator be increased with more sophisticated
electronic information networks, scientific instrumentation, and new forms of research
organization?
Scientific and Technological Education
How can an adequate supply of students be attracted to careers in science and technology to
meet the nation's personnel needs during the next century? Demographic declines in the
college-age population and inadequate pre-college preparation in mathematics and sciences
raise concerns not only among educators, but also among industrial leaders and others who
depend on the availability of technical human resources.
Is the decline in numbers of students pursuing science and technological careers a
problem systemic to the entire U.S. education system? If so, how can the kindergarten
through high school system better motivate and educate creative and gifted young people?
How can the educational system interest sufficient numbers of U.S. students in scientific
and engineering careers to meet the future needs of industry, government, and
universities?
How can an adequate supply of qualified scholars be attracted to academic research?
Although the decline in the number of U.S. baccalaureate students who pursue advanced
degrees appears to ~
have turned around, the distribution of these students among the
sciences may not provide sufficient numbers of qualified academic instructors and
investigators in all disciplines.
What should be done to induce young talent, especially among women and minorities, to
pursue careers in academic research? What incentives are necessary to encourage U.S.
citizens to pursue careers in academic science and engineering?
1-25
OCR for page 28
How can the scientific literacy of U.S. citizens be advanced, Ultimately, national research
priorities are greatly influenced by the concerns and perceived needs of citizens and their
elected officials. The quality of those decisions depends, in large part, on an awareness of
current scientific knowledge, an understanding of scientific methods, and an appreciation
for the fiscal and organizational requirements of research.
What improvements can be made to the nation's education system to increase scientific
and technical literacy among the citizenry? Are other methods available to increase
effective and informed judgments on new scientific and engineering opportunities and
their public policy implications? What role should educated lay audiences play in academic
research? How can tensions be abated between those who perform research and those who
influence public policy and, hence, research funding?
Funding Academic Research
Ilow can sufficient resources for academic research be assured? The federal budget
deficit and national reluctance to raise taxes indicate that all institutions that rely on
substantial infusions of federal moneys for program funding will face increased
difficulties in the l990s. Coupled with the rising costs of research, the situation looms
particularly arduous for research universities.
Should growth in funding for academic research be proportionate to growth in the
nation's economy? How long can the past decade's high growth rate in academic research
funds be sustained? What are the proper funding roles and responsibilities for the various
sponsors of academic research--federal, state, and local agencies, industry, philanthropy,
and the universities themselves? With multi-sponsor funding, how can meeting all
enterprise needs--salaries, equipment, and facilities--be ensured? What is the appropriate
balance between federal and non-federal funding levels. What is the appropriate balance
between direct funding mechanisms and indirect mechanisms such as tax policy?
How should resources be allocated among competing national research objectives? New
opportunities and demands for academic research occur with increasing frequency and
intensity. This circumstance, coupled with growth of the number of institutions with basic
research capacity, will pose difficult problems for allocating the finite research dollars
that are available.
What methods should be used for setting funding priorities in research? How should the
nation allocate resources between continuing investment in traditional research programs
and underwriting new scientific approaches and combinations?
1-26
Representative terms from entire chapter:
research environment
