NOT the Majority Opinion

It is significant that a Professor (and a former chancellor) of a public University becomes the leader of the American Universities. This is an excerpt of his views. Is this an indication of a turn back to basic research? (as opposed to market-needs research).

"Our country's global leadership depends on our capacity to innovate – to stay on the cutting edge of science and scholarship. We cannot sustain that innovative capacity unless we continue to attract exceptionally talented people from the U.S. and abroad into our university education and research programs, develop them into the next generation of leading scientists, engineers, and scholars, and give them the opportunity to conduct groundbreaking research.

"To accomplish these goals, we need to revive the nation's commitment to basic University research and to the development of new talent, particularly young American scientists and engineers."

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/01/05_berdahl.shtml, http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2003/10/01_rmb.shtml, http://www.aau.edu/