Word: merit
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...military is deeply divided in its allegiance. Officers loyal to Ver have been given promotions, plum assignments and extended tours of duty beyond retirement age. Critics of Ver, finding their advancement blocked by aging generals and a system that rewards political connections rather than merit, have taken their grievances to the press. They accuse their senior officers of encouraging graft and corruption, of human rights violations, interference in elections and a general lack of professionalism. They almost unanimously point to Ver as the man responsible for the military's lack of cohesion and poor morale...
...grant was made without informing university officials, one might suspect that Cornell refused the money for purely bureaucratic reasons. It is clear, however, that the university is concerned with the way Congress is distributing funds and is determined not to "accept a funding award if it circumvented traditional merit-review procedures...
Although Cornell can afford to carry on the supercomputer project without the federal money, giving up $10 million is a bitter pill to swallow. Thus the decision is both bold and praiseworthy. Other universities should also demand that the merit-review process be maintained. Indeed, some have already begun to do so--witness Harvard Vice President for Government and Public Affairs John Shattuck, who pledged that Harvard "will refuse all money not received by the peer review process...
THERE IS ANOTHER side of the coin, so to speak, as those institutions which do not fare well in the merit review process naturally prefer Congress' direct grant scheme. Charles Coffin, director of government relations at Northeastern University, voices the complaint: "Frankly, for too long peer review has been a pipeline for the haves to continue to have and the have-nots to be shunted aside." Northeastern received a grant in the same bill as Cornell...
Cornell's action is only the first step. Other universities must stand firmly behind the peer-review process if quality scientific research and the merit basis of the funding system is to be preserved...