Research universitiesKey to U.S. future prosperity: world-class research universities
American research universities are essential for U.S. prosperity and security, but the institutions are in danger of serious decline unless the federal government, states, and industry take action to ensure adequate, stable funding in the next decade, says a new report by the National Research Council; “The talent, innovative ideas, and new technologies produced by U.S. research universities have led to some of our finest national achievements, from the modern agricultural revolution to the accessibility of the World Wide Web,” says the chairman of the committee that wrote the report
American research universities are essential for U.S. prosperity and security, but the institutions are in danger of serious decline unless the federal government, states, and industry take action to ensure adequate, stable funding in the next decade, says a new report by the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. As trusted stewards of public funds, universities must also meet “bold goals” to contain costs, enhance productivity, and improve educational pathways to careers both within and beyond academia, the report says.
A National Academy of Engineering release reports that Congress requested the study, which was written by a committee that includes industry CEOs, university presidents, a former U.S. senator, and a Nobel laureate. It recommends ten strategic actions that the United States should take in the next five to ten years to maintain top-quality U.S. research institutions. The report builds upon Rising Above the Gathering Storm, a landmark Academies’ study on U.S. competitiveness.
“The talent, innovative ideas, and new technologies produced by U.S. research universities have led to some of our finest national achievements, from the modern agricultural revolution to the accessibility of the World Wide Web,” said Charles O. Holliday Jr., chair of the committee that wrote the report, chairman of the board of Bank of America, and former chair and CEO of DuPont.
“Especially in these tough economic times, the nation cannot afford to defer investment in our best asset for building prosperity and success in the future.”
Beginning with the Morrill Act, which established land-grant public universities 150 years ago, and strengthened after the Second World War, the partnership between government, industry, and U.S. universities has positioned these institutions to be the best in the world. By most measures, U.S. universities still maintain that status, the report says, and thirty-five to forty of them consistently rank among the top fifty globally. Universities are facing critical challenges, however, magnified by the financial crisis, which threaten to erode the quality of research and education these institutions can provide.
Federal funding for research has flattened or declined, the committee found, and state funding for research institutions has dropped by 25 percent to as much as 50 percent in some cases. U.S. colleges have had to raise tuition, threatening to put a college education out of reach for many.
At the same time, other countries have increased R&D funding and are
