EDITOR:

Professor Welch is right, in his recent statements to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, to be disturbed about the just published NRC rating of graduate schools. We did not fare well. However, Professor Welch is quite wrong when he calls the results "a terrible indictment of the academic leadership of the university of the last couple of years." That is, unless his definition of academic leadership includes all of us. That the graduate school has been downsized, devolved and devalued was not the responsibility of one or two individuals-we all actively and enthusiastically participated in the process.

Our challenge now is not to follow the All-American tradition of pointing the finger and hiring a lawyer, but rather creating and restoring high quality graduate programs. This will inevitably mean, in general, fewer, larger, broader, regional and better programs. If we fail to achieve the latter objective then the graduate programs will be viewed as the luxury that we should not have.

In the next few weeks I will submit to the university community an initial analysis of new ideas for the graduate school and graduate programs. I look forward to working with you as we make the qualitative and quantitative changes in graduate education and organization that will be necessary as we face the new realities.

Yours sincerely,

DAVID J. TRIGGLE

Vice Provost for Graduate Education (designate)