California College Woes

Your Nov. 26 editorial, “Putting the UC System Under the Microscope,” raises an issue central to the mission of the university. Amid program cuts, the elimination of faculty and staff positions, increasing class sizes and continued student fee hikes, UC President Jack Peltason and the regents must again assess the balance between teaching and research. Original research does have a direct impact on teaching by generating new perspectives and invigorating academic disciplines. Research, however, should not serve as an end in itself. Funding the construction of new campuses to add research capacity and emphasizing rigid “publish or perish” policies at this time will seriously threaten the quality of undergraduate teaching. A public university has many functions, but above all it must educate its students.

MICHAEL E. LATHAM

Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant

UCLA