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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	oOctober 22, 1975




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Robert B. Textor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓School of Education
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Stanford University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Textor:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Thank␈α∀you␈α∀for␈α∀your␈α∀note␈α∀and␈α∪telephone␈α∀call␈α∀concerning␈α∀my␈α∀response␈α∀to␈α∀the␈α∪AAUP
␈↓ ↓H␈↓questionnaire.␈α
 As␈αyou␈α
recall,␈αI␈α
was␈αuninterested␈α
in␈αthe␈α
issues␈αraised␈α
in␈αquestionnaire␈α
 but␈αtold␈α
you
␈↓ ↓H␈↓my conclusion that Stanford was spending far too much money on administration.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∞have␈α∞considered␈α∞your␈α∞request␈α∞that␈α∞I␈α
attend␈α∞your␈α∞November␈α∞6␈α∞meeting␈α∞with␈α∞the␈α
Provost
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α⊂ raise␈α⊃the␈α⊂issue␈α⊃from␈α⊂the␈α⊂∨oor␈α⊃with␈α⊂a␈α⊃fact␈α⊂sheet,␈α⊂the␈α⊃idea␈α⊂being␈α⊃that␈α⊂if␈α⊃the␈α⊂presentation
␈↓ ↓H␈↓aroused␈αinterest,␈αthen␈αmaybe␈αsome␈αpeople␈αwould␈αhelp␈αprepare␈αa␈αresolution␈αfor␈αthe␈αAAUP␈αSpring
␈↓ ↓H␈↓meeting.␈α∞ I␈α∞have␈α∞concluded␈α∞that␈α∞I␈α∞don't␈α∞want␈α∞to␈α∞raise␈α∞the␈α∞issue␈α∞under␈α∞such␈α∂circumstances.␈α∞ The
␈↓ ↓H␈↓reason␈α
is␈α
that␈α
the␈α
expense␈α
issue␈α
is␈α
qualitatively␈α
di≥erent␈α
from␈α
the␈α
other␈α
issues␈α
you␈α
plan␈α
to␈α
raise
␈↓ ↓H␈↓which␈αare␈αmainly␈αissues␈αof␈α
fairness.␈α In␈αmy␈αopinion,␈αStanford␈αis,␈α
on␈αthe␈αwhole␈αfairly␈αrun,␈αand␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓large␈αimprovements␈αin␈α
the␈αlife␈αof␈α
the␈αfaculty␈αor␈αin␈α
the␈αquality␈αof␈α
education␈αand␈αresearch␈α
are␈αnot
␈↓ ↓H␈↓going␈α
to␈α
come␈α
from␈α
procedural␈α
changes␈α
of␈α
the␈αkind␈α
you␈α
hint␈α
at␈α
within␈α
the␈α
present␈α
budget.␈α In␈α
fact,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α∃the␈α∃extent␈α∀that␈α∃your␈α∃e≥orts␈α∃merely␈α∀mobilize␈α∃some␈α∃∨oating␈α∀suspicion␈α∃or␈α∃hostility␈α∃to␈α∀the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Administration,␈α∀the␈α∀response␈α∀is␈α∀likely␈α∀to␈α∀be␈α∀addition␈α∀of␈α∀sta≥␈α∀to␈α∀meet␈α∀even␈α∀more␈α∀stringent
␈↓ ↓H␈↓procedural␈αstandards␈α
of␈αfairness␈α-␈α
probably␈αwith␈αthe␈α
e≥ect␈αof␈αeliminating␈α
one␈αor␈αtwo␈α
opportunities
␈↓ ↓H␈↓for younger faculty to achieve tenure by increasing costs.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Before␈α∞coming␈α∞to␈α∞this␈α∞conclusion,␈α∞I␈α∞discussed␈α∞with␈α∞Professor␈α∞Massy␈α∞and␈α∂Professor␈α∞Linvill
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α⊃forthcoming␈α⊃report␈α⊃of␈α⊂the␈α⊃faculty␈α⊃committee␈α⊃on␈α⊂administrative␈α⊃expenses.␈α⊃ The␈α⊃report␈α⊂will
␈↓ ↓H␈↓conclude␈α
that␈αwhile␈α
some␈αchanges␈α
should␈αbe␈α
made␈αto␈α
force␈αinternal␈α
Stanford␈αservices␈α
to␈αcompete
␈↓ ↓H␈↓with␈α
outside␈α
services␈α∞where␈α
this␈α
is␈α∞feasible,␈α
on␈α
the␈α∞whole␈α
Stanford␈α
is␈α∞economically␈α
administered.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓In␈α
my␈α
opinion,␈α
this␈α
conclusion␈α
is␈α
not␈αwarranted␈α
by␈α
the␈α
evidence␈α
the␈α
committee␈α
examined␈α
and␈αis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓probably␈α⊂incorrect.␈α∂ The␈α⊂study␈α∂included␈α⊂no␈α⊂comparisons␈α∂of␈α⊂the␈α∂cost␈α⊂in␈α∂money␈α⊂or␈α⊂personnel␈α∂of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Stanford␈α⊂functions␈α∂(.e.g.␈α⊂the␈α∂personnel␈α⊂department␈α∂or␈α⊂registration␈α∂or␈α⊂administrative␈α∂computing)
␈↓ ↓H␈↓with␈αcorresponding␈αfunctions␈αat␈αother␈αuniversities.␈α In␈αparticular,␈αthe␈αCaltech␈αstatement␈αthat␈αtheir
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ratio␈α
of␈αacademic␈α
ccsts␈α
went␈αfrom␈α
3.3␈α
to␈α3.8␈α
during␈αa␈α
period␈α
in␈αwhich␈α
Stanford's␈α
went␈αfrom␈α
.8␈αto␈α
.6
␈↓ ↓H␈↓was␈α
not␈α
examined␈α
to␈α
see␈α
if␈α
we␈α
had␈α
anything␈α
to␈α
learn␈α
from␈α
a␈α
school␈α
that␈α
has␈α
been␈α
pursuing␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓issue␈α⊂for␈α⊂so␈α⊂long␈α⊃a␈α⊂time␈α⊂and␈α⊂claims␈α⊃such␈α⊂success␈α⊂was␈α⊂not␈α⊃examined.␈α⊂ I␈α⊂sent␈α⊂this␈α⊃statement␈α⊂to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Provost␈αMiller␈α
in␈αMarch␈α
and␈αhe␈α
referred␈αit␈α
to␈αthe␈α
committee␈αchairman␈α
-␈αapparently␈α
as␈αa␈αcurio.␈α
 In
␈↓ ↓H␈↓support␈αof␈αmy␈αbelief␈αthat␈αa␈αdetailed␈αcomparison␈αwould␈αshow␈αvery␈αlarge␈αsavings␈αis␈αa␈αcomparison␈αI
␈↓ ↓H␈↓made␈α_in␈α_1971␈α_comparing␈α_Stanford's␈α_administrative␈α_computing␈α_costs␈α_with␈α_those␈α_of␈α_other
␈↓ ↓H␈↓universities.␈α
 It␈α
showed␈α
that␈α
whether␈α
the␈α
comparison␈α
was␈α
on␈α
the␈α
basis␈α
of␈α
number␈α
of␈α
students␈α
or
␈↓ ↓H␈↓dollar␈αof␈αoperating␈αbudget,␈αStanford's␈αexpenses␈αwere␈αway␈αout␈αof␈αline␈αwith␈αall␈αthe␈αothers.␈α A␈αletter
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α∃President␈α∃Lyman␈α⊗produced␈α∃not␈α∃even␈α∃an␈α⊗acknowledgement␈α∃and␈α∃no␈α∃willingness␈α⊗to␈α∃make
␈↓ ↓H␈↓comparisons.␈α⊂ In␈α⊃fact,␈α⊂both␈α⊃Massy␈α⊂and␈α⊂Linvill␈α⊃explicitly␈α⊂said␈α⊃that␈α⊂comparisons␈α⊃were␈α⊂pointless,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αProfessor Robert B. Textor␈↓ ¬]October 22, 1975␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓because␈α∞Stanford␈α∞is␈α∞so␈α∞di≥erent.␈α∞ Therefore,␈α∞they␈α∞won't␈α∞make␈α∞such␈α∞comparisons,␈α∞in␈α∞my␈α∞opinion,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓unless someone else makes such comparisons and persistently publicizes them.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Although␈αI␈αam␈αconvinced␈αthat␈αtheir␈αmethodology␈αof␈αself-criticism␈αis␈αfaulty,␈αand␈αI␈αthink␈αthey
␈↓ ↓H␈↓are␈αprobably␈αwasting␈αseveral␈αmillion␈αdollars␈αa␈αyear,␈αI␈αagree␈αwith␈αthem␈αon␈αmany␈αissues,␈αand␈αsee␈αno
␈↓ ↓H␈↓advantage␈α⊂in␈α⊃simply␈α⊂contributing␈α⊂to␈α⊃unfocussed␈α⊂suspicion␈α⊃and␈α⊂hostility,␈α⊂that␈α⊃is␈α⊂more␈α⊃likely␈α⊂to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓become focussed on issues in which I think they are more right than their critics.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        However,␈α
if␈α
the␈α
AAUP␈α
executive␈α
committee␈α
is␈α
interested␈α
in␈α
determining␈α
whether␈α∞it␈α
might
␈↓ ↓H␈↓improve␈αStanford␈αby␈αinvestigating␈αexcessive␈αadminstrative␈αcosts␈αand␈αcampaigning␈αto␈αreduce␈αthem,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓then␈α∂I␈α⊂would␈α∂be␈α⊂glad␈α∂to␈α⊂meet␈α∂with␈α∂it␈α⊂and␈α∂suggest␈α⊂how␈α∂approximately␈α⊂40␈α∂man␈α⊂hours␈α∂invested
␈↓ ↓H␈↓would determine (with high probability) whether there are large savings to be made.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∞may␈α∞have␈α
more␈α∞to␈α∞say␈α
after␈α∞the␈α∞committee␈α
report␈α∞appears␈α∞in␈α
Campus␈α∞Report␈α∞as␈α∞I␈α
have
␈↓ ↓H␈↓been␈α⊃refused␈α⊃access␈α∩to␈α⊃an␈α⊃advance␈α⊃copy.␈α∩ It␈α⊃seems␈α⊃likely␈α⊃that␈α∩it␈α⊃will␈α⊃contain␈α⊃a␈α∩suggestion␈α⊃to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓improve␈α∂administration␈α∂better␈α∂by␈α∞paying␈α∂more␈α∂for␈α∂better␈α∞people␈α∂as␈α∂Stanford␈α∂does␈α∂with␈α∞faculty.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Unfortunately,␈α⊃in␈α⊂the␈α⊃absence␈α⊃of␈α⊂a␈α⊃willingness␈α⊂to␈α⊃make␈α⊃comparisons␈α⊂of␈α⊃operations␈α⊃with␈α⊂other
␈↓ ↓H␈↓schools, this is likely to result in paying more money for the same performance.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I apologize for not having the time to revise this letter and make it more concise.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science
␈↓ ↓H␈↓cc. Lyman, Miller, Massy, Linvill