The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 6, 1993- Page 7
'U' leads university
research spending
by Nate Hurley
Daily Administration Reporter
The University ranks first in the
country for the amount of money
spent on research and development
among public universities and col-
leges - and second among all uni-
versities and colleges, according to
a recently-released National
Science Foundation study.
University Vice President for
Research William Kelly presented
the results of the survey in his an-
nual report to the University Board
of Regents on iDec. 17.
"The University's Fiscal Year
1992 was still another financially
sound year in research, one that saw
our total research volume climb to
levels that set both a record for this
institution and a leading pace for
the nation's major research univer-
sities," Kelly said.
"Total expenditures increased by
6.9 percent in Fiscal Year 1992,
reaching a record-setting level of
$346 million," he said.
The University retained the top
position in research money spent
among public universities, and
ousted the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology from second place in
the ranking of all U.S. colleges and
universities.
"This is in part a vision that was
set out many years ago. The fact is
that we are now in an age in which
our civilization is dependent on
knowledge more thanr ever before,"
University President James
Duderstadt said at the meeting.
Regent Neal Nielsen (R-
Brighton) also commended the
University. "If you start looking at
the benefits to our civilization and
our country, the benefit is thousand-
fold," Neilsen said.
The report credited the large ex-
penditures of the federal Applied
Physics Laboratory as the reason
Johns Hopkins University remains
in first place.
Kelly credited much of the rise
in research and development fund-
ing to faculty competitiveness.
"Faculty competitiveness would
clearly be the best measure of re-
search quality rather than just quan-
tity, but. then this variable is very
difficult to sort out from the oth-
ers," Kelly said.
toward the end of his report,
Kelly put the numbers into perspec-
tive to demonstrate to the commlu-
nity the benefits of increased re-
search and development funding.
"In today's economic climate,
when some might mistakenly come
to regard academic research as a
frivolous enterprise bearing little re-
lationship to societal needs, I be-
lieve it is timely to pause and to
consider some of the practical
benefits that accrue to the Michigan
* 4 -I ~ .' t i~ III~
The University finished
second in total Research
and Development
spending in 1991. Listed
below are the top 20
schools in terms of R&D
expenditures.
1. Johns Hopkins
2. Michigan
3. Minnesota
4. Wisconsin - Madison
5. MIT
6. Stanford
7. Cornell
8. Texas A&M
9. Washington
10. UC - San Francisco
11. Penn State
12. UC - San Diego
13. UC - BerkeleyI
14. UCLA
15. Illinois
16. Texas - Austin
17. Harvard
18. Arizona
19. Maryland - College Park
20. UC - Davis
community as a result of the
University's sponsored research,"
Kelly said.
Kelly noted that University re-
search benefits the local economy
because:
Most research funds come
from the federal government and
other external sources, thus repre-
senting additions to Michigan's
economy.
0 Research at the University
leads to the development of local
high-technology firms.
by Christine Young
Daily City Reporter
By an 8-1 margin, the Ann Arbor
City Council voted Monday to allo-
cate $5,000 from the council's fund
balance to the Shelter Association of
Ann Arbor to staff a weekend Drop-
In Day Shelter.
Jean Summerfield, executive di-
rector of the association, said that as
a result of recent. budget and funding
cuts, the shelter has reduced the
number of its staff.
"With the $5,000, the shelter will
be able to hire two part time staff
members that would work on the
weekends from 9 to 5,"
Summerfield said.
Mayor Liz Brater said, "This is
an urgent matter that homeless peo-
ple will have a place to go on week-
ends as well as weekdays."
While most councilmembers
supported taking the money from
the fund balance, a fund designed
for urgent and unanticipated
situations, Councilmnember Peter
Fink (R-2nd Ward) protested.
"We can probably find the
money in the existing budget. We
should not need to go into the fund
balance," Fink said.
"The point is that we made a
budget and we should do everything
we can to stay within the budget,"
Fink added.
Councilmnember Larry IHlunter
(D-1st Ward) said, "The fund
balance is used for pressing needs.
We can not get a larger pressing
need than this."
Councilmember Bob Grady (D-
3rd Ward) agreed.
"This is what the fund balance is
for," he said. "This is clearly a legit-
imate purpose."
Fink suggested that City
Administrator Alfred Gatta propose
an alternative way that the $5,000
could be taken out of the city budget
City Council votes to fund
weekend drop-rn day shelter
without entering the fund balance.
Hunter argued, "I find it hard to
believe that we can not get $5,000
out of a $4.6 million fund balance.
"A vote against this means that
keeping people warm on the week-
ends is not important at this time.
We have an obligation and duty,"
Hunter added.
"If we fail to appropriate funds
then this sends out two messages -
first to the Shelter Association that
they cannot count on us and second
to the Board of Commissioners that
we fail to share the responsibility,"
Councilmember Nelson Meade (D-
3rd Ward) said.
Hunter emphasized that there is a
misunderstanding of the fund
balance.
"Every dime we do not spend
will go back into the fund balance.
Taking $5,000 will not affect it -
especially when the money is going
to keep people warm," lie said.
Smith, Nielsen fiish terms as regents
by Jennifer Silverberg
Daily Administration Reporter
Most students are aware of the
changing of the guard taking place in
Washington, D.C. as President-elect
Clinton prepares to take office, but
many are unaware of the university's
own transfer of authority.
At the University Board of
Regents December meeting,
Veronica Smith (R-Grosse Ile) and
Neal Nielsen (R-Brighton) were
made Regents Emeritus and pre-
sented with Regent medals of honor
for their service to the university
during their eight-year terms.
At the meeting, Smith - a 1948
University graduate - was thanked
for her service to the institution.
Smith has been a member of numer-
ous organizations including the
University of Michigan Alumni
Association and the President's
Club.
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