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ISSUES FOR THE 1990S & BEYOND 23 What should be the research and education role of U.S. 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 U.S. 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 re-examination? The unique feature of the U.S. academic enterprise has long been its commitment to
