86 SEA GRANT COLLEGES 



William J. Hargis, Jr., Ph.D. .Florida State University, 1954. He has 

 been Director, Virginia Institute of Marine Science since 1959; Dean, 

 School of Marine Science and Professor of Marine Science, College 

 of William and Mary since 1961; and Chairman, Department of 

 Marine Science and Professor of Marine Science, University of Vir- 

 ginia since 1963. 



Mr, Moderator, ladies and gentlemen, I early registered objections to the 

 sea-grant college-university concept. My objections were primarily directed 

 against: (1) the possible establishment of new systems of colleges; and, (2) the 

 dilution of legislative, executive and public support, and limited funds for ocean- 

 ography. These objections were partially based upon two surveys, by Dr. L. E. 

 Cronin, my counterpart at Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Mary- 

 land, and me, of interest and capability in marine science in the states along 

 the Atlantic Coast, which have a sizeable number of marine research institutions. 

 (I'm sure that like numbers exist on the other coasts). These surveys indi- 

 cated that a great deal of inadequately supported but potentially strong marine 

 capability exists. As a result, I came to the definite conclusion that what is 

 needed is not more institutions but more support for extant institutions. It is 

 also clear that more integrated large-scale efforts, and more cooperative ef- 

 forts between basic and applied aspects of marine science are necessary to 

 solve problems of marine resource uses. 



It is now apparent that my original objections have been eliminated as the 

 concept of the sea- grant university has evolved. I wish to point out that the con- 

 cept of sea- grant colleges or universities has changed since first advanced by 

 Dean Spilhaus. It is still changing under the pressures of activities of groups 

 like this one, and through exchanges of opinions in the forum conducted at the 

 ASLO-MTS meeting in Washington (at which time I was stepped on quite vigor- 

 ously by the moderator). I'm encouraged, of course, that the idea has changed. 



As Dean Spilhaus and Senator Pell have been careful to point out here, 

 they are not talking about the establishment of new colleges and universities, 

 but are interested in: (1) utilizing existing programs where possible and en- 

 couraging greater interaction between basic and applied aspects of marine 

 science; (2) encouraging more ocean engineering; and, (3) encouraging what is 

 especially important- -more money for these aspects of marine science. Per- 

 sonally, I believe, along with them and with Virginia's own Lt. Maury, that marine 

 science should serve society and that marine scientists have a strong obligation 

 to assist the users of the marine environment. To this end, we in our own pro- 

 gram at VIMS are attempting such projects as development of a managed estuary 

 in which we hope to bring the tidal Rappahannock under experimental control. 

 We have built a hydraulic model of the tidal James for applied as well as basic 

 studies of the structure and dynanaics of that estuary, and we are attempting to 

 establish a demonstration unit, so I'm fully in accord with the applied aspects 

 of this sea-grant college notion with the effort at integrating basic and applied 

 research and marine engineering and marine science. With these things as a 

 background, I must say that I am now a strong supporter of the sea-grant college 

 program. It is a good concept as it has developed and should be strongly sup- 

 ported. 



Now I wish to mention several points around which controversy is certain 

 to develop. There are practical problems involved in this program, some of 

 which have been mentioned by Dean Castle and other panelists. One of the 

 problems is going to be the practical matter of selection of those institutions to 

 become part of the sea-grant system. Greater difficulties will be involved in 

 selecting regional centers of excellence from among the sea- grant colleges. It 

 is obvious that all interested institutions cannot become sea-grant colleges or 

 universities. It is also obvious that still fewer can become the regional centers 

 of excellence envisioned by the program. Selection can be simplified and made 



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