To strengthen relations between higher education institutions and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Director Robert S. Muller, III announced Friday the formation of the National Security Higher Education Board, an advisory board to the FBI, according to FBI spokesperson William Carter.
The Board is headed by Pennsylvania State University President Graham Spanier and consists of the presidents and chancellors of 15 other universities around the country, including Johns Hopkins University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The University currently is not included on the Board.
The purpose of the Board is to advise the FBI on the culture of education, including the traditions of openness, academic freedom and international collaboration, Carter said.
"It's an opportunity for both the FBI and the academic world," Carter said. "We certainly think it's a good idea in that we can open up a line of communication" with educational institutions.
Spanier said academia also will benefit from this relationship.
"I also think there is a great opportunity for universities here in areas ranging from internships to new degrees to new research funding," Spanier said in an e-mail. "Ultimately, better understanding could very well be the most important goal."
According to Spanier, there is a justifiable distrust of the FBI by academe, but in recent years, especially in light of Sept. 11, there has been a strong desire in U.S. government to make higher education part of the solution to national challenges. This is a concept supported by many within the academic community, Spanier said.
"It's incumbent on both sides to make sure that we understand each other's concerns, and this is the kind of process that will lead us in the right direction," said Dennis O'Shea, the executive director of communications and public affairs for Johns Hopkins University.
The concerns shared by the FBI and the academe are intellectual property, the integrity of the computer and information networks used by universities, terrorism and counterintelligence, Spanier said.
A great deal of the nation's intellectual property is produced in universities, and academe must work with the FBI to protect the discoveries and advanced cybernetic networks of universities while maintaining their spirit of academic freedom and openness, Spanier said.
Through the increased cooperation, the FBI will be better able to prevent the sensitive research and classified programs developed at universities from being leaked, Carter said.
According to the FBI's press release, the Board also will serve to establish educational initiatives between universities and national security organizations, including research, degree programs, internships and consulting opportunities for faculty.
The creation of the Board was the result of multiple discussions over the past year between Spanier and representatives of the FBI, and the concept was discussed further in June at meetings he hosted with the presidents of leading research universities in Washington, D.C., Spanier said.
The members of the Board were chosen largely on the basis of which universities received the largest research grants from the federal government and on the recommendations made by Spanier, Carter said.
The Board will meet three times a year, and will meet for the first time this fall, he said.
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