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ways in which we can improve our planning and our priority set- 

 ting, as well as the implementation of our programs, I hope youll 

 continue to look broadly upon our capacities and continue to chal- 

 lenge us to serve through multiple functions across broad areas of 

 human interest. 



The second major point is something that's difficult to totally 

 comprehend until you work in it, but the variable nature of this 

 system brings us a strength through interdependence. That is one 

 of the joys of the system. The broad range of subject matter, com- 

 petency, and functional activities that we have, ranging from fun- 

 damental and applied research through extension education and, of 

 course, focusing on our fundamental task of educating profes- 

 sionals, creates a complex web of very interdependent relation- 

 ships, and in most instances this interdependency brings to us a 

 strength and a variety that has stood this Nation well. It has pro- 

 vided serendipity and the opportunity for rediuidancy without loss 

 of efficiency, we feel. 



To draw on this strength requires an understanding of the ways 

 in which all these parts interact, and the changing world in which 

 we work is sometimes putting stress on the way in which these 

 parts of the system interact. We're glad that you're looking holis- 

 tically across all of these functions and all of these activities so 

 that we can continue to build on this strength. 



Another strength that we've heard stressed in virtually all parts 

 of the testimony is that the partnership nature of the land-grant 

 system is, again, an idea that has allowed the development of 

 strong priorities and strong systems. It's a long-time partnership 

 three ways with State, Federal, and local government, and increas- 

 ing attention from the private sector. It has been very effective in 

 the agricultural and family life arena, and it's being applied across 

 a much broader range of subject matters as our capacities and as 

 the problems that we address change. 



Now, the strength coming with a number of areas of support is 

 balanced somewhat by the need to harmonize the priority process, 

 and we've been able to leverage the Federal money 3 to 1 with 

 State and other money because the priorities have matched. We 

 bring those together and try to seek a way in which we meet both 

 short- and long-term needs and both local and national priorities. 

 We think that we have done a good job with that, but we look for- 

 ward to working with the committee on improving this synergistic 

 relationship. As we see a broader array of educational institutions 

 involved in these acti\dties and as we see a broader range of ele- 

 ments within our institutions participating, the need to redefine 

 the partnership becomes imperative, and it's one that we know you 

 recognize, and we commend you for that. 



My fourth point deals with the element of change in higher edu- 

 cation. Those of us who work in the higher education community 

 are very well aware that there has begun a transformation in the 

 manner in which the American public perceives the higher edu- 

 cation enterprise and the manner in which the higher education 

 enterprise perceives and conducts its mission. As a very visible and 

 client-oriented segment of higher education, the land-grant agricul- 

 tural units have been involved in this change perhaps more deeply 

 than some other units of higher education, and we are convinced 



