U.S. May Need to Prune Number of Research Universities, Lobby Group Says

By Paul Basken

The United States, at a time of tighter budgets and stronger international competition, may not be able to afford its current crop of research universities, the head of their chief lobby group said Thursday.

The nation may need “fewer but better” when it comes to top research universities, Robert M. Berdahl, president of the Association of American Universities, said in an interview with The Chronicle. “It’s a very serious question that the nation needs to ask