NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 



NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD 



WASHINGTON, D.C. 20550 



LETTER TO 

 UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS 



Currently the National Science Board is preparing its Eighth Annual 

 Report to the President and to the Congress. The report will concen- 

 trate on the circumstances which might affect the capacity of the 

 Nation to continue a strong position in science and technology. It 

 will attempt to identify and to study prospectively selected critical 



problems developing in the operating research sectors namely, 



university, industry, Government laboratories and independent research 

 institutes. The report is not as much concerned with dollar support 

 as with circumstances in the institutional, managerial or policy 

 environment which will influence the productivity of working scientists 

 and engineers. In order to identify critical problems arising from 

 university research activities, the Committee on Eighth NSB Report 

 is seeking input from selected university presidents who can speak to 

 such issues on a university-wide basis. 



The Committee would very much appreciate learning about the two most 

 critical issues/problems facing fundamental (long term, basic) research, 

 as you see it, in the near term future. "Near term future" means issues 

 currently emerging or seen-to-be-emerging in the next decade or so. 

 For example, as you look ahead, in your capacity as 



what problems do you anticipate? What critical issues/problems will 

 condition scientific and technological research in your university and 

 will decrease its effectiveness unless properly addressed? Would you 

 please order your issues/problems "one" and "two" and then provide a 

 brief descriptive paragraph or so for each? Feel free to propose 

 resolutions or solutions. 



In addition to your views from the chief executive level, the Committee 

 expects to obtain perceptions from your chief administrative officer 

 for research in a separate letter. 



98 APPENDIX B 



