Between 1980 and 1985 representatives of academic science changed their policy
positions, moving from veneration of basic or fundamental research to promotion of
entrepreneurial science. This change is examined through research university presidents'
testimony before the U.S. Congress. The presidents' move from "fruits of research"
narratives that emphasize the benefits of basic science to narratives that celebrate
technology based on fundamental research in "orders of magnitude more production
from the efforts of orders of magnitude less workers. " This change reflects presidents'
endorsement of conservative policy initiatives that depend on privatization, deregulation, and commercialization of science. These policies will probably result in major
realignments within research universities, with institutional managers, scientists, and
graduate students in the physical sciences involved in entrepreneurial activity receiving
privileges and rewards that other faculty and students do not.
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