.~ IL Page Six THE MICHIGAN DAILY -SESOUICENTENNIAL SUPPLEMENT Tuesday. March 7. 1967 Tuesday, March 7, 1967 THE !MICHIGAN DAILY - SESQUICENTENNIAL SUPPLEMENT ,,, - ._.. ,.. .. .. ... .. ..R. ..4 . .. ..., .r..r , ...... ...,... . ...., ... ...,.. I ,., ..... ,l v . Research at the University By WALLACE IMMEN Research activities have become a vital part of the University's program in a relatively short por- tion of its 150 year history. Although early grants date to the turn of the century, funded research did not become a con- tinuing activity until the 1930's These early programs, however, were mainly based on gifts and endowments and thus, expend- itures did not exceed $200,000 be- fore 1940. It was not until the emergency impetus of World War II that teams of engineers and scientists IINU were specifically assempled at the University, supported by fed- erally sponsored war research and development projects. Recognizing the interconnect- ion between research and a pro- gressive academic stance, the Un- iversity kept these research groups together after the war as the fed- eral government provided contin- uing support for defense-oriented projects. Steady Growth A steady growth in research which has followed in the last 20 years was stimulated by stead- ily increasing amounts of federal money for research support. Pro- grams branched out to include al- most all of the physical and soc- ial sciences, while expenditures for research multiplied. Last year, the University re- ceived the second largest amount of federal funds allotted to any educational institution. However, the vast commitment which the University has developed for re- search may be seen not only from the sheer volume of this research expenditure, which reached $52 million last year, but also from the many special research facil- ities on campus and the number of researchers involved. The role of research in the educational progress continues to be emphasized. The large number of students at both the under- graduate and graduate level in- volved in various programs at- tests to this. Whether they work in their own sponsored grants with supervision or assist a faculty member or researcher, research touches about one out of every nine students at all times. The Best Teachers The best teachers are also at- tracted " where the research is." And a "teacher-scholar" orient- ation is maintained in hiring new faculty. The professor is expected to give his prime attention to teaching, but in many depart- ments, interest in research activ- ities is a major prerequisite for a. position. The professor is ex- pected to bring the latest from his field to his students through research. Currently about 1300 graduate I students at the University are in- volved in a research project in their field of study, which is pointed to as a prime reason be- hind the fact that an American Council on Education Study last year ranked ten of the Univer- sity's graduate departments among the top ten in the country. The emphasis which the Univer- sity places on reasearch 'begins at the administrative level. Anew vice-presidential p o s i t i o n in charge of research was establish- ed in 1958 with the appointment of Ralph A. Sawyer, who had been involved in research at the Uni- versity since the war. Consolidate and Strengthen Today's vice-president, A. Geof- much time away from department staffs. The Office of Research Admin- istration was established to fill this need and become a sort of research liason organization. It was designed to work through the office of the Vice President for Re- search to administer programs, mediate staff. problems and pro- mulgate the information as re- sults are released. Another administrative organi- zation, created later, is the Spon- sored Research Business Office, which handles the fiscal and bus- iness aspects of the $52 million re- search budget. Working through the controller's office, its major responsibility is dealing with ac- counts and contracts, but it also handles a number of administra- tive problems. Current Overlap These two organizations in con- trol did not begin in the -same way and are often necessarily overlapping in their operations. The administrators feel, how- ever, that the current overlap has been reduced to a level 'which is useful, since it gives two points of view to problems of research. Even with conflicting purposes, the current setup has proven far more effecient than individual administration through the de- partments. Another factor behind this type of administration plan has been the advent of the centers and in- stitutes of the University, which have become focal points of re- search interest. Specifically de- signed to handle specialized work on a complex level, their work is also often interdepartmental. The largest 'operation under the ORA resulted from an early at- tempt to bring many research projects under a unified admin- istration, and was named, natur- (Continued on next page) CONGCRATULATIO ON 150, YEARS C GREAT TRDTO MICH IGAN'S Wolverines - THE NEW INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH BUILDING frey Norman, is continuing to con- solidate and strengthen the Uni- versity's reaserch stance. He fun- ctions as the University's agent in consultation with major re- search sponsors. But he does not work alone. With over 1700 ongoing research programs to administer, an army of supervisory staff, auditors and record keepers are required to keep track of the projects whose combined total expenditures ex- ceed a million dollars a week. Unfortunately growth has not kept pace with the phenomenal growth in funded research work. Large programs often quickly bring in a great deal of special equipment. Many studies require special adaptation of facilities and entploy a large, number of support personnel. The adminis- tration often finds at the end of such programs that it must contend with vast administrative chains and physical facilities which are no longer necessary. Logistics and Planning At first, problems of logistics and program planning were hand- led by the academic departments in which they were conducted. It was up to the department to clear out dead wood and unify the planning, making sure the funds were being well used. But this scheme soon became unmanageable as research activ- ities multiplied and special admin- istration of research took too [ r I famous Marching- Band-Th State Street - The League -all are great traditions University. GREENE'S CLEANERS is a tradit forty-five years GREENE'S CLEAN E the best in dry cleaning and shirt 1 thousands of Michigan students. I, alumni around the country still se to us for special cleaning services. In Ann Arbor, GREENE'S have fot locations and six routes to servic rangles, dormitories, sororities, apartments, and rooming houses. mation desks in all quads and dorm! a GREENE'S card to fill out and a garments. You will also find a pl garments for GREENE'S daily pick-t PICK-UP AND DELIVERY SERV cleaning and shirt laundering usual days. For same-day service take yc to any of GREENE'S cleaning plant ly, no extra charge for driver servic THE THE ITRTRIT Y CONI PANHEILENIC ASSOCIATION 2 Years of ti Continuous Service FRATERNITIES AND to the University Community SORORITIES AT MICHIGAN I Ir 0 '' m - - * e - ..: :3 i ......... .,:..-. I west side 1940 W. Stadium NO 2-2543 campus 1213 S. University NO 3-3016 main plant 516 E. Liberty NO 2-3231 I ' I