NSF Denies Request

The National Science Foundation has turned down Harvard's request for an increase in its 1969 allotment of NSF funds, which was cut sharply as a part of President Johnson's $6 billion budget reduction.

Harvard had asked NSF to increase immediately its $5.4 million allotment by about $440,000, so that the University could maintain "a liveable level of project research." Harvard had received $5.7 million from NSF in 1968, and had anticipated a 14 per cent increase--instead of the 18 per cent decrease--this year.

Refusal

The refusal to increase the allotment came this month in a letter from NSF director Dr. Leland J. Hayword to L. Gard Wiggins, Administrative Vice-President of the university. Though the NSF "indicated that an upward revision of Harvard's expenditure ceiling was not possible at this time," Wiggins said, "they did say that they would consider a later appeal based on new projects."

New Projects

He explained that Harvard has more new NSF projects for 1969 than many universities, and that the new projects still have to compete with older ones under the University's expenditure ceiling. Harvard will file such an appeal, Wiggins said.

The cuts in 1969 NSF money "have to be handled within the individual faculties," Wiggins said. He added that most faculties were holding down expenditures on non-essential equipment so that more money can be spent on actual project research.

Big Hunk

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences receives about 80 per cent of the NSF funds given to Harvard. The Medical School gets about 10 per cent, with the remainder divided among the Business School, the Ed School, and the School of Public Health.