Proceedings of the Board of Regents (1963-1966)

NOVEMBER MEETING, 1964

605

In the next year, the Vice-President said, there would be continued
growth although probably not as great a growth as in the year just
passed. This was true because the disposable time of the faculty and the
space were pretty well taken up. He expected federal funds for research
to come to 46 million dollars in the next year. The emphasis, he said,
would continue to be on interdisciplinary fields. Attention would be
mobilized on new combinations. The Institute of Science and Technology and the Institute for Social Research, he said, would be carrying
the burden of innovation, would foster new programs. They would also
emphasize the role and the responsibility of the University in the state.
The open house planned at the Institute of Science and Technology for
December 12 would underline the community leadership which the University had given industry throughout the state.
Continuing, the Vice-President said in addition to providing a meshing between research and instructional activities, federal funds also provide needed equipment for research programs. The University was
beneficiary to the amount of 2.5 million dollars for equipment last year.
Finally, the help from the federal government provided a "reserve
cadre," a kind of reservoir from which to draw additional teachers for
the faculty. At this moment it was obvious that the reservoir was constantly being drawn upon. Research personnel, to the number of 1,500,
a majority with Ph.D. degrees, had been used in this connection in the
past year.
The Vice-President for Research was also pleased to state that The
University of Michigan had been chosen by the U. S. Public Health
Service as one of the seven institutions to participate in a pilot study
relating to the management of research projects supported by Public
Health Service funds. At present, he said, the Public Health Service
requires that certain categories of expenditures for research projects
supported by Public Health Service grants be referred to headquarters
at Bethesda, Maryland, for approval prior to committing project funds.
Under the pilot study, the University would establish an administrative
procedure for review and approval or disapproval within the several
schools, colleges, and units of the University having such grants.
Last year, 1963-64, the volume of research supported by the National Institutes of Health of the U. S. Public Health Service was 7.8
million dollars. In its acceptance of the invitation to participate, the
University expressed satisfaction at this manifestation of the desire of
the Public Health Service to continue to search for improvement in the
management of its programs.
Regent Matthaei asked whether there was not a real danger for the
University in accepting such large funds from the federal government.
Would not the University be seriously hurt if the sum from the federal
government should be seriously curtailed?
The Vice-President for Research said, "We are not rigid in our position. These research programs do not all begin and end on the same date.
They have a revolving aspect. They vary in length. We always have a
time cushion."
Regent Power believed that as long as the University assimilated the
funds properly there was no fear of being suddenly left without money.