BASIC RESEARCH AND THE STATE UNIVERSITY 



Freedom and Research 



The matter of freedom is also one that looms large in the 

 eyes of many of our scientists, and by freedom I mean two 

 kinds of freedom, freedom to investigate and freedom to publish. 

 Both, of course, will always be restricted in a competitive enter- 

 prise, and for this reason universities will always attract the 

 kind of people who are interested more in fundamentals than 

 applications. While I am discussing the matter of freedom, I 

 would also like to worry the old bone comfortably named 

 disparity in freedom between state and privately endowed 

 institutions. There is, in my own experience, extremely little 

 curtailment of freedom in the state universities, and I often 

 wonder if the entire issue is not meaningless. Both state and 

 privately endowed universities are organized and administered 

 along the same general lines and according to the same general 

 rules. Both are governed bv a board of individuals, named 

 regents, trustees, or governors, who in all essential respects are 

 greatly similar. The schools are staffed by facultv members who 

 are reasonably zealous and admirably articulate when defending 

 the issues of academic freedom. In fact, we at Wisconsin have 

 a history of which we are particularlv proud. At the close of 

 one particular chapter in the defense of academic freedom at 

 Wisconsin, the details of which would not interest you now, 

 the regents asked to have these words set in bronze and affixed 

 to the entrance of our Bascom Hall : 



Whatever mav be the limitations which trammel inquiry else- 

 where, we believe that the oreat State University of Wisconsin 

 should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and win- 

 nowing bv which alone the truth can be found. 



We have taken strength and renewed determination from 

 this plaque more than once since it was cast in 1910, and it 

 has served well on many occasions as an affirmation of the 



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