Hennessy warns of a 'coming collision point' on federal research spending

The speakers at Thursday's meeting included Emeritus Political Science Professor David Abernethy, who presented the annual report of the Emeriti Council, and President John Hennessy, who talked about challenges for higher education.

L.A. Cicero John Hennessy speaks to Faculty Senate

John Hennessy gave a presentation entitled, "Ten Challenges for Research Universities" at the final meeting of the Faculty Senate.

In an era of constrained federal budgets, the U.S. government and research universities are "coming to a collision point" over the issue of research funding, President John Hennessy told the Faculty Senate on Thursday.

"Higher education in this country has been fortunate since the end of the Second World War to get a great deal of support for its research mission from the federal government," Hennessy said at the start of his 30-minute presentation.

"It's been a mission, I think, that has shown a particularly enlightened and largely bi-partisan support from both sides of the aisle over the years. And obviously the U.S. leads in many fields of research directly because of this support."

However, Hennessy said he is worried about what will happen in coming years, "particularly with the seeming inability to control the federal deficit and the growth of the federal deficit, and the cost growth of federal entitlement programs."

"While there remains very strong support, both in the White House and on the Hill, we are coming to a collision point," he said. "I think there will be more pressure on higher education than ever, as the amount of discretionary funding in the budget gets shrunk continuously, to protect that piece of it."

Hennessy said he had prepared a list of 10 challenges for research universities, based, for the most part, on a series of discussions he's had with other university leaders around the country – in the various forums in which they meet.

However, that presentation would take two hours, he said, and no one would be able to attend the end-of-the year reception for members of the 42nd and 43rd (incoming) senates, the chairs of the Academic Council committees, members of the university's Board of Trustees and members of the Emeriti Council.

L.A. Cicero Andrea Goldsmith was celebrated by Jeff Koseff during the Faculty Senate as she served in her final meeting as chair.

Andrea Goldsmith was celebrated by Jeff Koseff during the Faculty Senate as she served in her final meeting as chair.

Instead, Hennessy spoke briefly – and quickly – about the first five challenges on his list: federal support and regulation; cost containment and efficiency; internationalization and globalization; science and mathematics education; and the plight of public universities.

When Professor Sheri Sheppard, mechanical engineering, asked Hennessy when they could hear him talk about the other five challenges – faculty diversity; information technology in teaching; economic forces affecting conventional academic publishing models; multidisciplinary research; divergence of big athletics and academics – he  said he could discuss them at a senate meeting next year.

Regarding the plight of public universities, Hennessy said that the budget reductions they have endured in recent years are not a one-time phenomenon, but will continue for years to come, particularly in states like California and New York.

"That's a very difficult situation," he said. "The U.S. will be poorer, California will be poorer, the Bay Area will be poorer, and institutions like Stanford will be poorer, if  the long-term health of a great public system like the UC System continues to be assailed and the quality of that institution goes down. It will hurt all of us in the long term."

Hennessy said Stanford doesn't have a lot of power over that situation.

"We have the power of commiserating with our colleagues and perhaps trying to remind people in power in Washington of the importance of these great public institutions," he said. "It's critical to remember that the vast majority of people who get a college degree in this country get it in a public institution. We need to ensure they remain as vibrant and as great as they are."

It was the last meeting as senate chair for Andrea Goldsmith, a professor of electrical engineering. Jeff Koseff, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, co-director of the Woods Institute for the Environment and a member of the senate's Steering Committee, thanked Goldsmith for her service and presented her with the traditional parting gift: a ceremonial gavel.

The full minutes of the June 10 meeting, including the question-and-answer session that followed President Hennessy's presentation, will be available on the Faculty Senate website next week.