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Charles Vest gave the first of three Clark Kerr Lectures on the Role of Higher Education in Society on April 19, 2005 on the Berkeley campus. This essay argues that research-intensive public and private universities increasingly have far more similarities than differences in missions, structures, and even financial support. For both, the federal government, despite numerous tensions, remains our indispensable partner. At the same time, the role of state governments toward their public universities has evolved from that of patron to that of partner-sometimes a minor partner financially. Yet at every level-federal, state, and local- governments and universities each consider themselves to be the protagonist having the central role, moral authority, and last word in setting the objective and the course. Despite its complexities and tensions, out of this stew (with philanthropists and the private sector thrown in for good measure), we have forged the greatest system of higher education in the world and we must work hard and effectively to sustain and continuously improve it. We must strive for innovation and excellence, but also nurture broad access to this system and stay true to our fundamental mission of creating opportunity. (Contains 7 notes.)

This paper examines the relationship between the study of management and the study of higher education (HE) management in the United Kingdom, focusing on the nature of the discourse between academics in the two fields. The paper has three parts. The first part defines the nature of discourse and a context for the discussion, looking at recent changes in HE and its management in the United Kingdom. This is followed by an analogous overview of British research into HE management and a review of the complex issues facing business and management research and the discord that exists in defining its rigor and relevance. The second part of the paper considers the nature of academic discourses; how disciplines, fields, faculties, and cultures are developed; and how they interact or not interact with each other. The third part explores the relationship between theory and practice in HE management and the extent to which management academics engage with the study of management in their own work context. A model is developed to express the inter-relationship between management research, HE management research, and HE management practice. The paper concludes by questioning how far the divisions articulated between the two fields are simply part of an inevitable language game between the disciplines. (Contains 104 references.) (MDM)

The British experience of nationwide research quality assessments and new measures to improve accountability are described. Consequences for the higher education system and for individual institutions are examined. Three national assessments of the quality of research in the United Kingdom (U.K.) in 1986, 1989, and 1992 have provided a standard rating of research programs in order to increase selectivity in allocating funds. In each assessment institutions prepared information for assessment by central panels, which judged the usefulness of certain statistics as indicators of research quality. Comprehensive peer review of research quality has demonstrated the usefulness of certain performance indicators. Information which is collected about faculty researchers is identified, including number of publications produced and number of research assistants. Issues related to quality ratings of departments are addressed. Efforts of the University of Glasgow (Scotland) to maintain and enhance its research quality ratings are discussed. Comparisons are made of U.K. research assessment approaches and U.S. research doctorate program assessment using measures of the National Academy of Sciences. Implications of U.K. approaches to assessment for U.S. institutional researchers are addressed. Generally, the British results give support to the use of some quantitative measures of research outputs and inputs as indicators of overall research quality; however the system would be unlikely to transfer successfully into a new setting if the underlying purpose diverges in any way from the British experience. (Contains 16 references.) (SW)

This briefing document provides background information regarding critical statewide (Missouri) issues in higher education. Following a general discussion of Missouri's educational needs and some possible goals for the system of higher education, the paper focuses on three themes: (1) institutional missions; (2) funding policies; and (3) governance. Each general topic is divided into sections that discuss specific issues, followed, at the end of each section, by several focus questions which need to be answered in order to facilitate the subsequent formulation of appropriate public policies necessary to achieve state objectives. The discussion on institutional mission examines teacher education, graduate education and research, fiscal efficiency, and public accountability. The discussion of funding policies considers tuition and fees and state appropriations. The discussion of governance focuses on the legal structure of higher education in Missouri, effective statewide coordination, and financial constraints. A summary list of the focus questions for each section is provided in the last of seven appendices. Other appendices provide: a list of the National Education Goals; Guidelines for a Statewide Core High School Curriculum Requirement; the National Collegiate Athletic Association 1990-91 NCAA Manual; Recommendations on the Recruitment of Missouri's Future Teachers Coordinating Board for Higher Education, April 26, 1991; and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education Statewide Higher Education Performance Indicators, June 30, 1989. (Contains 21 references.) (GLR)

The paper argues that a gap exists between institutional policy and practice as it pertains to the relative emphasis placed on teaching and research by university and college professors, and that the teaching-research debate will not be settled until administrators and trustees bring official policies and operating practice into line. Evidence is presented from national surveys showing that many, perhaps most, higher institution faculty do little or no research and publication. Faculty frustration is fostered when they accept the conventional view that all faculty are supposed to be scholars and publishers, but they know they are not. In view of the evidence, it should be possible to persuade institutions of higher education that they can improve teaching performance while simultaneously relieving the feelings of guilt and frustration experienced by many faculty because of the pressure to conduct research and to publish, by establishing policies that recognize that some faculty are productive researchers and some are not. Information is provided about how such a policy would be designed and implemented, with particular attention to the model offered by the land-grant universities and a specific example of such a policy in action, namely, the policy developed by the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, is presented. Finally, a brief analysis summarizes the reasons why universities should implement such policy changes regarding teaching and research requirements. Contains 7 references. (GLR)

Reindustrialization problems in the United States (U.S.) include unemployment, low productivity, inflation, and inadequate economic growth. To determine how to improve economic performance, a careful, rational evaluation must be made of such factors as tax policy, spirit of risk, managerial effectiveness, rates of innovation, research and development, and human resource training and education as they apply to industry. Unlike Japan and countries in Western Europe, the U.S. does not understand the need to invest in major training and education efforts to service the skill needs of private and public sectors. Neither is there evidence of an awareness of the key relationship between the inadequate investment in human resources and problems of inflation and productivity. The Japanese human resource investment approach--life-long employment with continuous retraining of all employees--has major implications for some U.S. labor force problems. To move toward a really modern labor force, the U.S. should rethink the decision to change the definition of acceptable levels of unemployment and consider the experiences of other major industrial countries. Vocational education researchers should evaluate the human resources-capital investment programs in Japan and West Germany and determine how such approaches can be adapted in U.S. industry. (YLB)

Research that occurs in universities under conditions of patronage is distinguished from research that occurs under less distorted market conditions. It is claimed that academic research is shifting from an area of patronage consumption to one of economic development investment. In addition to considering the markets for academic research and research and development funding under conditions of patronage, implications for economic development policy are considered. Markets for research in universities under conditions of patronage have special features: patronage commonly occurs under conditions of oligopsony, where research is sponsored by a relatively small number of federal agencies, the largest foundations, and top industrial supporters; patronage implies unequal bargaining power; the patron gains indirect consumption benefits, some of which are based on exclusion; and consumption as opposed to investment is a key element of patronage. Some universities wish to decrease their dependence on federal support and are attempting to broaden their revenue base by a move toward state or regional economic development. The life sciences are used as an example of the problem of "misspecialization" of research that can create "blockages" as it flows into the economy, generating low economic growth. (SW)

American higher education has isolated the enterprise of basic research and relegated it to the university, while simultaneously insulating the craft of teaching from the scholarship that nourishes it by identifying certain colleges, community colleges in particular, as "teaching" institutions. From the start, community colleges have not required that their faculty conduct research or publish in subject-matter areas. In fact, the heavy teaching loads required in community colleges leave teachers without the time or perhaps even the incentive to conduct scholarly research. Few community college faculty members have been able to keep abreast of their disciplines, and they enjoy fewer opportunities than their four-year college counterparts to participate in professional activities. Consequently, faculty burnout is becoming the new academic disease, as faculty members teach from year to year without significant professional development. While there are currently many faculty development programs, most place emphasis on how to teach rather than on what to teach, affording little support for scholarly activities. Community colleges need to define a middle ground, blending subject-matter research with pedagogical scholarship, in order to promote intellectual revitalization, to engage the community as a resource, and to provide field experience for students. Such a program has been developed at Montgomery College (MC) in Maryland, where faculty receive support for activities such as writing for publication, participating in performing arts, creating an artistic work, or holding a major office in a professional organization. In this way, MC is assured of having expert teachers, who are also experts in their fields. (EJV)

This policy statement looks at America's basic research enterprise and lays out the processes and systematic reforms needed to meet emerging risks to the outcomes from investments in basic research. The Committee for Economic Development (CED) undertook this project in the belief that significant progress with many of society's problems and new discoveries will primarily depend upon fundamental scientific insights derived from basic research. Fourteen recommendations include: (1) Policymakers in Congress and the Administration should set broad national priorities for basic research that reflect the needs of society at large; (2) Federal support for basic research should continue to be diverse in its sources and objectives; (3) Within broad priorities established by policymakers, the primary mechanisms for allocating federal basic research funds in all agencies and to all institutions should be based on scientific merit determined through peer review; (4) Basic research should be a high priority in the federal budget in the decades to come; (5) Leadership and productivity of the nation's research universities should continue to guide other institutions receiving federal support; (6) Mechanisms should be devised to allow researchers to compete for longer-term funding, and administrative burdens from granting agencies should be reduced; (7) Development of simplified system for determining indirect costs; (8) Clear definition of the missions of the Department of Energy's national laboratories and realignment of missions and functions; (9) Government should not be in the business of directly funding the development and commercialization of technologies; (10) The federal government should continue to play a major role in funding large-scale infrastructure projects that are used extensively by many; (11) Raising of academic achievement in math and science in grades K-12 through adoption of nationals, policies to increase teacher knowledge and skills, and upgrades in classroom curricula, facilities, and teaching materials; (12) Higher prioritization of graduate training and increased federal funding of scholarships and training grants; (13) Industry-university relations and university patenting and licensing should be directed towards maximizing benefits for society at large; and (14) Expansion of U.S. efforts to benefit from international collaboration and the globalization of basic research. Two appendixes are included: (1) Overview of Resources for Basic Research; and (2) University Patenting Guidelines. (Contains 81 notes and 21 figures.)