This is significant for a couple of reasons. It shows how far Kentucky must go to reach its goal. UK would have to more than double its federal research grants to crack the top 20 public universities in this measure. Also, higher-quality, more competitive research is likelier to spin off the kind of economic development that Kentucky lacks and that university research has generated elsewhere. The first sentence of Kentucky's higher education reform act refers to the integral link between the quality of higher education and the quality of life.
Great universities enrich both individuals and economies, creating greater opportunity for all.
As Todd has said over and over in recent months, UK can spend hundreds of millions of new dollars on research, but unless it improves the lives of Kentuckians, it won't mean a thing. His challenge, and the challenge facing UK and Kentucky's elected leaders, is how to push the university and state ahead in tandem. E-mail this story to a friend. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the expressed written consent of the Lexington Herald-Leader is prohibited.