There are about 150 colleges and 

 universities in the United States that 

 have organized research programs in 

 the natural sciences and engineering. 

 We have estimated that research ex- 

 penditures in these institutions 

 amounted to $26,000,000 in 1939-40. 

 Estimates of postwar projects call for 

 annual expenditures of $57,000,000. 

 Although this must be regarded as a 

 verv rough approximation, internal 

 evidence from the returns, and am- 

 plifving statements accompanying 

 manv of them, suggest that if ade- 

 quate funds and personnel were 

 available the universities would be 

 able to carry out projects of this mag- 

 nitude. Many of the universities, for 

 example, have prepared careful lists 

 of important projects that their staffs 

 wish to undertake after the war. 



Postwar estimates for capital facili- 

 ties were aggregated. They total 

 $130,000,000, but most of them in- 

 clude facilities used jointly for teach- 

 ing and research. 



Some of the comments which ac- 

 companied replies to the question- 

 naires are given below: 



The great discrepancy between the fi- 

 nancial figures for 1939 and for our ideal 

 after the war is easily explainable — and 

 not on the basis that we are hoping to get 

 some money from the Government. There 

 is just one way that scientific research can 

 prosper and grow apace here, and that is 

 for promising young men to have the time 

 to do it. Therefore, we are certain that if 

 funds became available either from outside 

 or some gift to the college about which we 

 know nothing at the present time, we 

 should like to use them for a considerable 

 enlargement of our staffs, which would 

 mean that the men promising in research 

 might carry only a half-time teaching load. 

 This we should hope in its totality would 

 amount to the full time of two or three 

 extra men in each department. 

 * » » 



The estimates which we have made for 

 the future represent somewhat large in- 

 creases over our pre-war expenditures, but 



they are quite in line with the funds 

 which we have been expending for re- 

 search in the war years. 

 » » * 



Our estimate of postwar needs for re- 

 search are based upon definite information 

 concerning the research which our depart- 

 ments in the sciences feel they are capable 

 of undertaking and which they want very 

 much to undertake as soon as funds are 



available. 



* * » 



Although the administration and faculty 

 are giving greater recognition to the needs 

 of such research, it is apparent that the 

 state will hardly rise to the occasion with 

 adequate appropriations. The university 

 is, therefore, in need of considerable sup- 

 port for its research program in the post- 

 war period. 



Research in Small Colleges 



Quite interesting reports were re- 

 ceived from small colleges on their 

 attitudes toward scientific research 

 and their desire to encourage it. One 

 small but well-endowed college in 

 the East stated that its primary ob- 

 jective is a high quality of under- 

 graduate teaching, and that it con- 

 siders continued scholarly interest in 

 research essential in order to obtain 

 this objective. It has done so, in gen- 

 eral, by four different means: (1) 

 Grants-in-aid from a special fund. 

 (2) Leaves of absence to permit fac- 

 ulty members to work at other insti- 

 tutions. (3) The maintenance of a 

 well-equipped machine shop and car- 

 penter shop with expert assistance for 

 the sole use of the science depart- 

 ments. (4) A liberal purchase policy 

 for instruments that can be used for 

 both instruction and research. This 

 resulted in a well-equipped electron- 

 ics laboratory at the beginning of the 

 war, which was put to valuable use 

 at once when war broke out. 



The type of policy outlined is 

 much more liberal in its encourage- 

 ment of research than was found in 



123 



