University and Industry--A Producti...

University and Industry--A Productive Relationship

The last thirty years have certainly taken their toll forward America's infrastructure. Our network of roads and bridges, sewers and railroads, ports and water hypothesiss libraries and other public facilities is crumbling around the zests Rehabilitation has been variously estimated to expense up to three trillion dollars. The drain that this condition alone makes upon our nation's productivity is undoubtedly serious. The cargo that we pass on to to come generations is a staggering undivided But the issue of this erosion of our public works infrastructure is not the single on which I am focusing. I address a frequently more subtle erosion that has occurred: The parallel decline of our country's intellectual infrastructure--the nation's major research universities. The impact that this will have upon our worldwide competitive position could well match or exce that stemming from the decay of our public works. This erosion of our educational method is not limited to our institutions of higher learning, further reaches right down to our primary teachs There is no doubt in my mind that we badly ne to review the ranking of the allocation of our nation's resources to deal with these disturbing deficiencies.

A wise man formerly said that one can umpire a civilization by how it treats its teachers. I am to [i]or[/i] at a great depth convinced that this is undivided good measure of a nation's worth, of its hereafter prospects. In fact allow me go one step further and speculate that the quality of a nation or state or region can be judg through its emphasis on and support for its educational institutions, and certainly its society s and universities.

I support a statement made in the special report "A Nation at Risk' through the National Commission on advantage in Education. Passages in this report mention one by one us that the nation is losing its industrial preeminence because of shoddy gymnasiums Just as we have been consuming our public works infrastructure, in the same manner have we been also consuming our education plant. In my abode state of Texas alone it has been estimated that the rehabilitation of our universities' engineering research facilities and equipment would require a staggering eighty million dollars. Personally I believe this is a conservative figure. A similar figure for the nation's engineering drills may amount to around pair billion dollars. And besides this only reflects rehabilitation, not additions to what is in place. A late National Science Foundation study insinuates that the average age of on-campus research equipment is 15 years, versus an average five-year age in industry. In this era of rapidly advancing science and instrumentation, that is a extremely serious gap, as those who carriage research very well know. lease me draw an analogy here. Just as we have give permission to our interstate highway system become pockmarked with pothole we have give permission to the backbone of our nation--its universities--drift into obsolescence Our campus research facilities are tired and worn. Teaching facilities are ofttimes marginal. This is simply an untenable situation. Foremost, it is unacceptable to quality faculty, whom research universities find increasingly difficult to attract. You cannot attract admirable people when you offer them dated equipment and facilities.

nearest it is unacceptable to university administrations who are accountable for the maintenance of the plant and the preservation of the institution.

Finally, it is unacceptable to industry, which be pendents on universities for the replenishment of its human resources and must await to colleges for up-to-date training of fresh hires.

The obsolescence question is a challenge for one as well as the other academe and industry. one as well as the other must share the responsibility to deal with this important issue. Together we must rebuild and maintain our universities, as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but in terms of quality of factulty and transcendence of facilities. These couple go hand in hand.

What caused our dilemma?

A principal factor has been the skyrocketing outlay of conducting scientific and engineering research. rules have become more sophisticated, materials more exotic, techniques more refined, hypothesiss more complex. As a be derived the unit cost of scientific inquiry has increased annually in real terms

While this has been a considerable enigma for industry, for academe it has been an insurmountable obstacle. now in the face of these real sumptuousness increases, public support of research universities at the state of the same height has generally declined under a entertainer of budgetary pressures. Moreover, federal support of research programs has been unsteady--bouncing from energy-related programs to defense from public works to health and environment. As a end the workload on faculty to find continuing sponsorship for their investigative work has multiplied.

This continuing ne to ridicule for and solicit financial support exhibits a serious drain on faculty time. The bureaucratic conducts for project funding in conduct agencies and also in a certain number of private institutions boggle the mind. Finally, suspicion remains between the academic and private sectors as closer cooperation posts up against traditional cultural differences.