I’m sure many of your saw the piece in the New York Times by Janet Rae-Dupree. Such one-sided articles have appeared before, speaking unfavorably of our profession and our influence on our university’s research priorities. After much discussion among the Board of Trustees and meetings with AAU and NASULGC, the Board decided not to get into a tit for tat with these publications or their writers. Rather, it is interesting to note that on the same day that the New York Times article ran, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page carried a piece written by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (“Don’t Believe the Doomsayers”, Wall Street Journal, 9/6/08) that highlights the diversification of the state economy brought about by spin-offs of research generated by their academic institutions. We are also heartened that some knowledgeable observers have weighed into the discussion. As always, we want AUTM to be your resource to provide both sides of the argument and encourage debate. To that end, here is a list of recent articles on the Bayh-Dole act, patents, economic development and the like. I encourage us as professionals to engage in a discussion via this blog and others on the issues which have been raised. See, for example, Edward Hejlek’s letter to the editor (New York Times, Sept. 27 ), “New Attack on Patenting in the New York Times” on Patent Docs blog, Universities Turn Research into Revenue in the September 12, 2008 issue of Forbes.com, and “When Newspapers Put Controversy and Misinformation Ahead of Facts” on Technology Transfer Tactics blog. You can view BIO's reponse to McGill's recent study by clicking here.