Research Institutions Are Vital to the Success of Texas, Say Leaders in Academia and Industry
Controversy continues in Texas regarding the importance of research in our public universities. I believe that it is essential that legislators and the public understand the critical importance of scientific research in our public universities and its immediate impact on education and teaching excellence. I also think that continuously looking for ways to make our universities more efficient and affordable should always be a priority. This process will always require actions that will be applauded or denounced depending upon the audience. I’m clearly on the side of the argument that believes that separating research and teaching undermines a proven model with demonstrated success and well-known societal benefits.
At the recent Forum on The Research Mission of Universities, held by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST), top leaders in academia and industry explored the significance of scientific research in our public universities and the wide-ranging impact it has on industry, the economy and our society. Speakers at the forum underscored the importance of scientific research at public universities and its impact on the state economy, as a source of technical talent for industry and for attracting the nation’s best and brightest students and faculty.
Dr. David E. Daniel, president of UT Dallas and former TAMEST president, highlighted the importance of research universities to the Texas economy by asserting that, “Texas’ research universities are the single most important set of institutions that will determine our future economic prosperity.” Another important factor is that 11% of all jobs in the U.S. are at venture capital backed companies. Daniel maintains that the Association of American Universities (AAU) institutions attract venture capital to the cities in which they are located. As proof, he pointed to 17 top venture capital backed companies such as Amazon, Dell, Starbucks and Whole Foods, and the fact that they were all founded and headquartered in cities with AAU universities. Currently, Texas has three AAU universities, Rice University, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. According to Daniel, “Creativity, innovation, and the kind of discovery that produces new businesses and great jobs will develop in great cities with great research universities.” It is imperative that we increase the number of these prestigious universities in Texas if we are to become a top-tier research leader, and therefore, gain the economic benefits of new businesses and great jobs.
Dr. Ray Bowen, Chairman of the National Science Board and Former President of Texas A&M University, also supported the idea that research has a direct impact on our economy. He said, “Robert Curl and Richard Smalley won a Nobel prize in 1996 for their development of a third form of carbon, the so-called Buckyball. Nanotechnology in 2009 was a 90 billion dollar investment incorporating those nanoproducts – nanoelectronics, nanomagnetics, nanostructional crystals and photonic nanomaterials. Our nation started an initiative to try to organize and support in an interdisciplinary way across 25 federal agencies, a so-called Nanotechnology Initiative. It was funded at $500 million dollars then, this year it is about 1.8 billion dollars. The industrial investments in nanotechnology grow 20-35 % a year. In 2009 the estimate is a worldwide market of 250 billion dollars. They estimate by 2020 it will be 3 trillion dollars. That is a lot of activity to come from a small university conducted by two great chemists, graduate students and a few small grants from NSF and others. That is a product of what you might call transformative research.” This is just one specific example of how research done at the university level has far reaching consequences.
Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, shared the importance of research when it comes to attracting industry. “As a private-sector international global company, we’re going to go where we can find the solution. We have to.” ExxonMobil employs 1,200 people with doctorates, and they rely on university research to push energy technology ahead. If Texas or the U.S. cannot produce, they will turn elsewhere. Tillerson further highlighted the importance of research by saying, “In my view, the priorities of the nation and the priorities of this state have to be on education and technology advancement—advancement in those areas will solve and address those three daunting challenges that we are confronted with today, creating the solutions, restoring our competitiveness, and that will create the economic growth necessary to address many of our fiscal challenges.”
Dr. Michael S. Brown, Nobel Laureate and Regental Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, shared the importance of research universities in attracting the best students to Texas. Research universities give students the unique opportunity to get hands on lab experience as well as to learn about science and technology research before it is even written into new textbooks. It is perhaps for this reason that 63% of all National Merit Scholars attend AAU institutions. Brown argued that although not every student wishes to attend a research university, we do them a disservice if we take away that choice. “I think we have a perfect situation as far undergraduates are concerned because they can choose to come to a very research intense university where the faculty is going to be heavily involved in research, or they can go to a smaller college. I really believe that different students benefit best from that difference in experience… Students are like weeds, they can grow anywhere, but what’s great is that we offer them the different opportunities, so if we dismantle our research universities and take that opportunity away from them, then we’re going to hurt a lot of students.” As highly publicized as the debate over research funding has been, Texas Universities may find themselves missing out as top students migrate to states that stand behind research funding. Our state cannot afford to let this happen.
According to Dr. Daniel, there has been a gradual shift in our nation towards considering higher education as an individual benefit rather than a public good. As these leaders have shown, this line of thinking is faulty. Premier higher education and public research universities are vital to the economic success of Texas and essential for attracting major industries and outstanding faculty and students to the state.
A webcast of the TAMEST Forum on The Research Mission of Universities is available here.
