August 9, 2002

Setting Priorities at Flagship Universities

To the Editor:

I read "The Fall of the Flagships" (July 5) with some amusement. The article is presented as a report on an impending crisis in undergraduate education.

What do Division I football programs have to do with undergraduate education? What does attracting world-class nanoscientists who require customized, multimillion-dollar labs have to do with undergraduate education?

The stewards of these great flagship institutions should reflect on the multiple missions