In the past few years alone, America’s colleges and universities have invested billions of dollars in science and technology research. Numerous prominent schools have announced unprecedented expansions in these departments, and this revised allocation of resources indicates a new strategic role among academic institutions. The nation’s colleges and universities, by providing this type of research, are expanding their work beyond the ivory tower to address business and economic needs. While it may seem that these developments are thrusting research universities into positions of global leadership, the reality is more complex. Though these institutions are globally influential, it is the students they empower who will take on international challenges.

Adapting to Business
The role colleges and universities play is currently under dispute. In a study funded by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 95 percent of employers believed America’s colleges and universities played a fundamental role in “ensuring the United States’ role to compete in the global economy.” However, 87 percent of those employers also responded that America’s colleges and universities must raise standards for the economy to thrive. Among those skills most advocated, employers believed colleges and universities were most responsible for educating students in science and technology, with an overwhelming 82 percent in favor. John V. Lombardi, current President of the Louisiana State University system and co-editor of The Center for Measuring University Performance, told the HPR that such a demand could be expected. “Given the demand for trained people, and especially for people who have learned how to learn (and are thus adaptable to rapid change in a highly technological world), it is no surprise to find every country in the world seeking to establish high powered, science-driven research universities.” But while employers envision colleges and universities as equipping global leaders in specific fields, like science and technology, academic institutions are less enthusiastic.

Research universities are resisting market demands by stretching their boundaries and offering an education that integrates various subjects to create liberal arts trained, “360-degree students.” Ursula Gross, Spokesperson for the Association of American Colleges and Universities, explained that though universities’ roles are changing due to business needs, their missions are not. “College is more than the sum of classes; it is about fostering the entire experience. The undergraduate years are not only supposed to teach students, but to teach them how to learn.” Training students solely in science and technology, for example, does not embody the university’s educational goal. Nevertheless, though university missions may be relatively static, their recent expenditures on science and technology are not.

New Investments
Columbia University recently announced a $7 billion campus expansion, a project that includes much funding for science and research. In May, Stanford University announced an unprecedented $225 million partnership with global corporations like ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, Toyota and General Electric for environmental research. Harvard too has committed to a controversial, off-again, on-again multi-billion dollar project in neighboring Allston that will largely, but not entirely, focus on science and research. “[Through the Allston development,] Harvard can rethink interdisciplinary research and discover what can happen when, for instance, scientists from many different fields share space and interact with each other in new and innovative ways,” said Harvard spokesman Joshua Poupore. He continued, “Science and the need for facilities to accommodate new ways of approaching scientific research and exploration have been and continue to be a university priority.” Such expenditures are representative of the tremendous pressure on universities to supply individuals who are prepared to enter a rapidly changing global workforce. And although this makes universities tremendously important for the global economy, it is the students who remain of the utmost importance.

Guiding Leaders
Research universities are not by themselves global leaders. Instead, the programs they offer empower students to attain leadership positions and provide direction for the world. It is crucial that those programs adapt, but even more crucial that they have talented students. As Lombardi explained, “universities provide the talent, and they also are the agents of discovery. So while anyone with money can fund research, only research-talented people…can provide the results, the discoveries [and] the innovations that make science a valuable product rather than only an intellectual triumph.” He concluded, “the university is not the leader, but the provider of leadership and the creator of the knowledge that effective leaders translate into progress, prosperity [and] economic benefit.” ]]>