NDSU

What are the biggest threats to the preeminence of U.S. research universities? Last week a National Academies' panel and several dozen invited guests circled around that question during a 2.5 day meeting devoted to a congressionally requested study on how those institutions can help the country prosper in a global economy.

The report won't be out until next summer, and it's unlikely to address the question directly. But the participants, leading figures in academia and industry, offered a range of opinions. On one end are those who believe that several Asian nations are on the verge of creating research universities on a par with the best that the West...