To envision the future of academic culture, we consider the epistemic, administrative, and social dimensions of the American research university. Given the existential cultural, economic, political, social, and environmental dilemmas that confront society, constituents and stakeholders alike would be justified in contemplating the academy three or four generations hence with a degree of apprehension. Leaving aside the most dystopian prospects, we summon historical perspective and speculate about the future of academic culture to critique the contemporary research university in an effort to propose new models going forward. We also consider the institutional contexts of knowledge production and examine the imperative to recognize the plurality of academic culture. We argue that if constituents assume that the venerable genealogies that support academic cultures guarantee their perpetuation, they will fail to act with the sense of urgency that is required to meet the entangled challenges ahead.

Marcia McNutt and Michael M. Crow talk about the role of science in nation-building, why uncertainty can be as damaging as budget cuts, and how the scientific enterprise can become more efficient and effective.

The theory and practice of academic entrepreneurship, like many domains of public management, requires active recognition that context affects individual behavior. In this Viewpoint essay, the authors contend that the operational logic of a university affects the values and activities of actors within that university in ways that shape the broader entrepreneurial activities of the university. The authors describe a new entrepreneurial organizational logic, termed the "academic enterprise," and situate it in relation to the more established academy, bureaucratic, and market logics. The academic enterprise is inherently entrepreneurial in terms of the management of the university and its reliance on faculty and student entrepreneurship as a tool for broad-scale social and economic transformation.

Colleges and universities are critical components of the U.S. innovation ecosystem. These institutions are called upon to play ever-evolving roles in building talent for a changing workforce; achieving scientific breakthroughs; creating new technologies, products, and companies; and contributing to local economic development. Yet, as the pace of change accelerates across our economy, federal and state budget constraints have made meeting these expectations increasingly challenging. The federal commitment to research and development stands at a multidecadal low as a percentage of GDP (1). Now, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of higher education, including the ability to keep laboratories open, conduct research in a timely manner, collect and process data, and collaborate with colleagues and students.