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Fateful Choices The Future of the U.S. Academic Research Enterprise (1992) / Chapter Skim
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Part Three: Charting a New Course
Pages 51-58

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From page 51...
... PART THREE Charting a New Course
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From page 53...
... To achieve that purpose, the principal federal role in the academic research enterprise was to provide financial support for the conduct of research and the expanding array of institutions and research fields. The relationship of federal research sponsors and the academic research community evolved in the form of scientific advisory committees and informal interactions.
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From page 54...
... As ~s causing a reexamination ot many traditional features of research careers, including the concept of"mentoring," promotion and tenure policies, and other institutional arrangements. At the national level, the changing composition of the research community, particularly the addition of more women and minorities, means the research enterprise will have to work to create research opportunities for these new entrants and allow them to participate more in decisionm~kin~ .
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From page 55...
... research community, oris sufficientlypowerfi~1 to make decisions forthe whole enterprise. SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES The working group believes the choices facing the enterprise- both near-term decisions and strategic options will best be made if the broad array of participants in the enterprise investigators, university administrators, research sponsors, and the political and economic sectors are involved.
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From page 56...
... academic research enterprise should be undertaken only through a more deliberate, consensus-building process. This will require a degree of open communication amonginstitutions, agencyleaders, and academic faculty that does not now exist.
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From page 57...
... The challenges facing the research enterprise will at times require immediate, bold, or experimental approaches. LEADERSHIP Facing up to the difficult choices ahead through active interdependence while avoiding the risks inherent in pluralistic, consensus-based approaches-requires strong, visionary, and dynamic leadership within each sector of the enterprise.
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From page 58...
... If the U.S. academic research enterprise is to enter the 21st century in a position of strength, the increasingly diverse groups and institutions that comprise it must set aside their special interests andjoin together in common purpose.
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Key Terms

  • research sponsors
  • joint planning
  • research capacity
  • common purpose
  • political decisions

  • economic competitiveness
  • competing objectives
  • objectives include
  • changing composition
  • qualified investigators

  • facilitate communication
  • set aside
  • university administrators
  • expanded nationally
  • increasingly diverse

  • sufficiently powerful
  • quantum jump
  • defense science
  • institute advisory
  • policy choices

  • help solve
  • challenges ahead
  • research roundtable
  • increased public
  • existing mechanisms

  • times require
  • graduate universities
  • national political
  • various sectors
  • explicitly spell


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