Relation of the Federal Government to Research 



different places and by different agencies to promote 

 research and to make it more effective. 



Action by the Universities 



Reduced Teaching Loads. — University teaching 

 schedules have been reduced to give time for research. 

 While the regional standardizing agencies recognize 

 15 or 16 class hours a week as a reasonable teaching 

 load for a professor in a college, a number of our 

 imiversities regard 8 hours and many others 10 or 12 

 hours as the normal teaching load in view of the re- 

 search they expect their professors to carry on. It is 

 of interest that a number of the best colleges have 

 reduced the normal teaching load to 10 or 12 hours for 

 the same reason. 



Improved Library Facilities. — Greatly improved 

 library facilities have been provided by the universities 

 and colleges. Eight of the great universities have 

 libraries adequate in all fields, and staffs competent 

 to give the best service. They are each spending 

 $300,000 to $600,000 a year on their libraries. Ten 

 more, each spending from $100,000 to $200,000 have 

 libraries excellent in certain fields and fidly competent 

 staffs and are building tine library services. About 10 

 others, while at present less well served, are spending 

 as much and are well on the way toward libraries ade- 

 quate to their needs. A few score colleges have li- 

 braries fully adequate for their needs as undergrad- 

 uate colleges. Beyond this it can scarcely be said that 

 libraries approach what is desirable in view of the 

 work attempted by the various institutions. 



It is clearly evident that (he majority of college 

 and university presidents and boards of trustees have 

 no adequate conception of what a library should be in 

 books, periodicals, and service in a modern educational 

 institution. It is the heart of its scholarly life and 

 no institution of distinguished scholarship can be 

 built around a poor library. A poor library never 

 attracts distinguished scholars. Many faculties would 

 do well to educate their president and trustees in the 

 vital necessity of a good library and esjjecially in the 

 importance of the best library staff and sei'vice. 



It has been rather carefully estimated that a 

 thorough study of a problem in a good library prior 

 to and during the prosecution of research on it will 

 save on the average 10 percent of the total cost in 

 time and money. It seems certain that many institu- 

 tions committed to a research progi-am could save 

 money by spending more generously on their libraries. 

 Fluid Research Funds. — In recent years a few insti- 

 tutions have recognized the advantage of having a 

 fluid research fund available throughout the year to 

 give assistance to research projects as needs arise any- 

 where in the institution. In 1935-36, 30 privately 



179 



supported institutions and 68 publicly supported in- 

 litutions reported funds specifically budgeted for re- 

 search. However, only a relatively small number had 

 a fluid fund available for any purpose. Most budgeted 

 funds were for specific research, as agricultural ex- 

 periment stations, medical research, social science re- 

 search institutes, etc. Certainly relatively small 

 grants fi'om a fluid researcli fund to individuals who 

 need help is a great and much appreciated encourage- 

 ment. 



Committees on Research. — Recently a variety of 

 types of committees have been formed to aid research 

 in the universities and they are reported to be very 

 helpful. At Harvard University a Steering Com- 

 mittee on Research in the Physical and Biological 

 Sciences, consisting of representatives of the fields in- 

 volved, has been appointed by the President. Its busi- 

 ness is to learn the needs of the faculty in these fields 

 and to satisfy these needs so far as possible. This 

 committee has proved valuable. 



At Cornell University a Committee on Research 

 made up of three professors, three administrative offi- 

 cers, and three trustees is rendering valuable service. 



At the University of Wisconsin the dean of the 

 graduate school is chairman of a committee on research 

 consisting of nine professors. Their chief duty is to 

 make grants from a fluid research fund which totals 

 over $100,000 annually. Grants are made to individu- 

 als and they requisition the funds directly. Small 

 grants are made to young and unti-ied staff members 

 who have problems of promise, and larger grants to 

 proven men on work in established lines. 



Committees on Interdepartmental Resea7-ch.—Th& 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology has formed a 

 series of committees on joint projects made up of 

 representatives of the several departments concerned 

 in the study. Committees are now established on cor- 

 rosion, acoustics, heat transfer, air conditioning, and 

 housing. Harvard University has a Committee on 

 Geophysics with six departments represented. More 

 and more institutions are recognizing the fact that 

 problems do not fit within departmental lines and that 

 no successful attack on them can be made by a single 

 department. Methods of readily crossing departmental 

 lines in research are of great importance. 



Research Institutes. — For 50 years the agricultural 

 experiment stations have been organized within their 

 respective institutions as separate research units de- 

 signed for research in agriculture. In recent yeare a 

 variety of similar research units are bemg organized 

 in other fields. Social science research institutes, engi- 

 neering experiment stations, cancer research organiza- 

 tions, institutes of business research, and organizations 

 in other fields are proving valuable. Each of these 



