ABSTRACT
With the maturation of research universities early in the twentieth century, the problem of specific support for university research increasingly came to the fore. The universities responded to the pressures with a variety of innovations, just as the creation of endowed research institutes outside the universities was also a response to a rapidly evolving research system. The inevitable mixture of teaching and research at all American universities meant that a certain portion of the needed resources was simply embedded in the makeup of the institution. With respect to faculty time, the portion available for research was inversely related to the teaching load. Research capital was not confined to buildings, but also included endowments for professorships, laboratories, departmental expenses, and the purchase of books. It was inevitable that the need for research capital would eventually be crowded by the other needs of the university. The projects of individuals throughout the university, however, at times encountered extraordinary needs.
