The Committee on Research Universities, sponsored by the National Academies and funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has created a new study group to look into reforming the American university. According to the National Academies:
An ad hoc committee will author a consensus report with findings and recommendations that answers the question: “What are the top ten actions that Congress, the federal government, state governments, research universities, and others could take to assure the ability of the American research university to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the United States compete, prosper, and achieve national goals for health, energy, the environment, and security in the global community of the 21st century?”
This comes at the same time that many critics charge that American colleges and universities are in danger of waning without momentous changes.
The committee includes corporate CEOs, university administrators, nonprofit leaders, and former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. The committee will release its findings in May, 2011.
