REMEBERING THE 'ONES NOT THERE'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92T00277R000200110088-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 6, 2011
• Sequence Number: 88
• Publication Date: July 31, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 1984
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/12/06: CIA-RDP92T00277R000200110088-7
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
INNOVATIONS/19 EDUCATION / 19
Staaloni assistant provost Cecffa Burciaga
Remembering the
`ones not there'
By Lout Coif
S?ecW Z The Christian Science Monitor
Stamfomt, Calf.
Cecilia Burciaga frequently finds herself
worrying about the people who aren't there.
At her college graduation in 1972 she was
one of four Hispanics in a class of nearly 1,000.
"Where are all the others?" she asked herself.
At a high school graduation this year she found
herself looking at the audience and recalling
that only 4 of every 10 Hispanic teen-agers
graduate from high school.
"I say to myself, `Four of you made it. Six of
you didn't.' I have to
see the faces to remem-
EDUCATION her the ones not
there .11
It is, in fact, one of Ms. Burciaga's official
tasks at Stanford University to remember the
people who aren't there and try her best to get
them there. As an assistant provost she handles
Stanford's faculty affirmative-action program.
It is her job to keep alive the university's efforts
to diversify its faculty at a time interest in such
goals is dying.
"There is a yawn now on those issues," she
said. "The civil rights era is over." But the
struggle is not over, according to Ms. Burciaga,
either at the university or elsewhere. And so
she keeps working, looking for new ways to get
the outsiders in.
Her job at Stanford has made her one of the
top-ranking Hispanic women in higher educa-
tion, and that distinction, in turn, has extended
her influence beyond the red-tiled roofs of
Stanford.
The position is "a burden and a blessing,"
Ms. Burciaga said. The prestige of Stanford
gets her invitations to speak and to serve on
committees and boards to represent the His-
panic community and to talk about the con-
cerns of women and minorities.
All of those opportunities, however, come at
a personal cost. They take her away from her
job at Stanford and from her family more than
she would like. They make her a public figure.
"It is never easy to be the one and only any-
thing," she said. "It's exhausting." But as in-
terest in equal access and opportunity fades
with the years, Ms. Burciaga is taking advan-
tage of every opportunity she can fit on her
crowded calendar.
She has worked with the Educational Test-
ing Service, been a consultant to the federal
government and several major foundations,
and served as a presidential appointee to the
19
Innovation behind the Iron Curtain: the
problems and promise of Soviet R&D
While continuity of research is a plus
for soviets, applied technology lags
By Scott Amtstrong
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
By almost any estimate, the Soviet Union is a Siberia-
size scientific power. It maintains the largest scientific estab-
lishment in the world. It has outpaced the United States in
R&D spending (as measured by a share of GNP) for several
decades. Moscow probably bristles with more top-notch
mathematicians than any other city in the world.
But numbers are no measure of know-how: Whether it be
Nobel Prizes, scientific breakthroughs, or turning ideas into
products, US researchers generally outstrip their Soviet
counterparts.
Why the discrepancy?
Many of the barriers to innovation and scientific produc-
tivity behind the Iron Curtain - a fossilized bureacracy and
poor equipment - are well known. But Soviet-watchers
over the past two decades have only begun to understand
some of the strengths and shortcomings of Russian science
and technology.
Two recent studies, based on information gleaned from
Sow scientists and engineers who have emigrated to the
West, are filling in some details. By themselves, the reports
- one a survey of some 200 emigres conducted out of Hai
INNOVATIONS
yard University and the other a
Fbrd Foundation-sponsored
project based on a series of
seminars with Soviet and US
scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) - don't necessarily yield any startling new informa-
tion. But they do offer some insights into Soviet science
from an unusual viewpoint - participants themselves - at
a time when technological innovation is becoming central to
economic growth and military might.
Some of the emigres think Soviet education is superior to
that in the US at the elementary and high school levels. In a
few areas, particularly math and physics, that may hold true
at the university level as well. In general, the Soviets are
considered strong in theoretical research areas that require
few tools other than books and chalk. In applied areas, or
where sophisticated instruments and close
ties with industry are involved, they lag
behind.
More recently, however, emigres and
Western experts point to a general decline in
Soviet technical education. This is attributed
to the freezing out of some minorities (par-
ticularly Jews) from the system, the in-
creased politicization of scientific research,
and a general decline in academic standards.
Enhancing Soviet science and technology
is the stress on continuity of research. Unlike
in the US, Russian scientists don't always
viet Union. though. These,
several things:
according to emigres, stem from
? Lack of incentives. The often-cited one here is eco-
nomic. There is little financial incentive for researchers to
turn ideas into widgets, only bureaucratic push. Little
thought is given to potential industrial applications of scien-
tific work. Hence weighty reports, instead of handy pro-
ducts, often result.
? Poor commtmication. Soviet scientists are often iso-
lated from Western scientific developments. Russian jour-
The Soviets"mission
oriented' path can
lead to ... incre-
mental advances in a
field. But the
freewheeling US style
is more conducive to
innovation.
have to look over their shoulders to see if money will be
there for a long-term project. Once set up, Soviet research
institutions and projects aren't likely to be shut down. "It is
easier to discover a new chemical element than to close down
a chemical laboratory in the Soviet Union," says Harley
Balzer a Georgetown University historian who co-dEgEERI
th -e e t b a c T ^ ' n g f ro m N a t r o n a our it
or Soviet ast European Studies in Washington.
US researchers, on the other hand, often pursue areas
that are "hot" and may be financial winners. There are pros
and cons to both approaches: The Soviets' "mission ori-
ented" path can lead to the necessary incremental advances
needed in a field. But the freewheeling US style is more con-
ducive to innovation.
The Soviets also have a penchant for pinpointing certain
high-priority areas and funneling large quantities of rubles
and researchers into them. One other Soviet strength: a rev-
erence for science. Scientists are virtually held up as cultural
heroes. Full members of the Academy of Sciences are
among the most prestigious members of society. In the US,
by contrast, a degree of skepticism - or worse - usually
exists about scientists' actions and motives.
There are plenty.of impediment.%to innovation in the So? .
nals are slow to pick up Western discoveries.
Some reports are censored. Communication
problems extend to within the country, too: A
Soviet scientist toiling in one area may not be
aware of a countryman doing similar work
elsewhere.
? Dearth of supplies. This includes a lack
of sophisticated equipment and scientific in-
struments - as well as shortages of simple
supplies like nuts, bolts, and photographic
plates. Trivial though this may seem, Dr.
Loren Graham, an MIT expert on Soviet sci-
termed the supply and distribution pro em one o e
most significant drawbacks in Soviet science and technol-
ogy" in a recent paper.
? "Spiritual exhaustion." During the Marxistiindustrial-
ization days of the 1930s, science and technology flourished.
But, says _D& Mark Kuchment, a Soviet emigre and co-di-
rector 9f both ,studies there is nothing to stir such enn?hii-
asm now. "They [Soviet scientists] still take high pride in
their professional abilities, and there is an enormous drive to
excel," he said in an interview in his office at Harvard. "But
there is no idealism or revolutionary feerrvor.
None of this is'to say that the Soviet Union should be un-
derestimated as a technological power. Soviets have proved
to have the ability to catch up in the past, particularly in
weapons systems. They are focusing heavily on such areas
as superconductivity, fusion research, and biotechnology
(including its use in weapons systems). They are also push-
ing computers. But here, according to Dr. Graham, the US
continues to have at least one leg up: Computer use seems to
flourish best in a culture of entrepreneurship, free informa-
tion flow and private ownership. The Soviets, for obvious
political reasons, cannot permit unrestrainted development
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/12/06: CIA-RDP92T00277R000200110088-7
 20
BURCIAGA from preceding page
National Advisory Committee on Women. And she is on
boards from Bronx Community College to the Palo Alto
Red Cross.
"You can do it as long as you have realistic and flexi-
ble expectations of what it means to be a professional
person, a mother, and a wife," she said.
Although she questions the effect of her work at times
and worries about the effect on her own two children, she
doesn't quit. The work is too important, and there's so
much of it to do. She can rattle off statistics to demon-
strate just how much.
At Stanford, for example, there are just under 1,200
faculty members. One huirdred of them are women. And
this year the university lost one of its minority faculty
members, bringing their number to 50. "And that took a
decade," said Ms. Burciaga, throwing her hands up in a
gesture that combined both amazement and frustration.
Getting more women, blacks, Hispanics, and Ameri-
can Indians into the faculty at Stanford means doing
more than distributing resumes and saying please. It is
restaurant guide
colorado
missouri
DELICIOUS ROAST BEEF SANDWICHES
WE` !.~
ion's U~4DtCP?
409 Manchester, Ballwin ? 12010 Olive Blvd., Creve Coeur
11239 St. Charles Rock Rd., Bridgeton
3807 1-70, St. Peters ? 6106 S. Lindbergh, St. Louis
Connecticut
Les Hors d'Oeuvres
Les Escargots de Bourgogne $5.75
ChampignonsalaGrecque $2.75
BisquedeHomard $2.85
Le Pate Forgetter $3.25
14.95 complet
LE FILET MIGNON NAPOLEAN
tomato colorise, Ewmalse
LE FILET MIGNON JOSEPHINE
soweream, broom uuc.
LE FILET MIGNON MARSEILLAISE
mudname. htommoss, de prrora ce
LE FILET MIGNON FLAMANDE
t-??n papp?r?, mushmown
F ree Parking 3 doors down at A. G. Parking
ACROSS CONN AVE. FROM THE
SHOREHAM & SHERATON WASHINGTON
HOTELS
Prices subject to change
Other Dinners complet
GRILLED FILET OF FRESH SALMON
SAUCE HOLLANDAISE $14.25
CARRE D'AGNEAU ROTI
JARDIN DE PROVENCE $18.75
LES MEDAILLONS DE VEAU PRINCE
ORLOFF $14.75
sauteed vial, duxa8e musivoema,
mornay bordelahe
LA POITRINE DE POULET SOUFFLE SALLE
DU BOIS $14.25
bonalm breast, mousse pistachs,
cream wild rice
LES COQUILLES ST. JACQUES GLACEES
JACOULET$14.p5
bay scallops, per, p1mento, Mushroom,
Salado au Rocquetort
or
Fresh fruit salad with sherbet
Desserts and Cheeses, such as ...
Mousse uChocolat
Fresh Strawberry Tart
La Peche Melba
Coconut Snowfall
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/12/06: CIA-RDP92T00277R000200110088-7
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
IDEAS
ins our t might
the faculty that hire faculty," she said. "They know best
how to find their own animals. That means faculty mem-
bers have got to want it."
Although there is no open resistance to affirmative ac-
tion among the Stanford faculty, there is apathy, she
said. And there is often an attitude that there are no
qualified candidates.
"You begin by talking," she said.
When she talks she encourages departments to find
out who the talented people in their fields are early in
their careers and to cultivate a relationship with those po-
tential candidates by bringing them to Stanford for
postdoctoral work or for the summer.
Ms. Burciaga also talks to departments about the
ways they might take advantage of Stanford's Affirma-
tive Action Fund. The $100,000 fund helps departments
create positions for women and minority members. If, for
example, a department finds an American Indian who
would be perfect for a part-time opening, but who can't
afford to work part time, the fund can be used to make
that position full time.
And she talks about Stanford's obligation to help edu-
MILMOM
WWAW"w
luly 27-'
Aug? 11
WIN-
ces of the Year:
Lowest Pri SoL~S
P~ 5
LS~RIE
~HO Available
Custom Labor
10440 German Btvd. 993-1388
Frontenac-Ladue (314)
Open Mon.-Sat . 9:30 to 5 p m
V
0
I
E N
A F
G 0
L R
S vvv software you can affords " ,a
E M T (Integrated GL, A/R, A/ P).
T E CUSTOMIZED TO YOUR APPLICATION
I
0
s COMPUTERS - SOFTWARE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
M Most major operating systems and
formats supported. DEMOS AVAILABLE.
S Ask for Clay Helms at
(817) 965-DATA
439 S. Graham, Stephenville, TX 76401
Ms .# Tiest!
Home Made Ice Cream
Delicious Candies
Baked Goods
from
qizeterl6
2145 Rmodlnp Rd.
,.~ W. Y# Cared, Ewry wh.r.
cINCIN1ll1ATh0Ht 45g
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/12/06: CIA-RDP92T00277R000200110088-7
TUESDAY, JULY 31,198,
Cate the ever-increasing Hispanic population of Califoi
nia. "Stanford is an institution in California and it has :
responsibility to educate the people who live here," sht
said. "It will continue to be in the state of California, ant:
by 1990, 25 percent of the population of California will IN
Hispanic. The connection between the university and flit
community goes beyond Palo Alto."
A Stanford education is a valuable asset, she said, es
pecially for minorities who don't have access to othe
routes to success. "I am not convinced you get a bette
education," said Ms. Burciaga, who attended the Univer
sity of California. "I am sure you have been anointed
given a network that gives you, for right or wrong, some
special access."
Perhaps one of Ms. Burciaga's most important point:
concerns the need for diversity - how Stanford benefit:
from adding women and minority members to its faculty.
A mix of different kinds of people brings different per
spectives to scholarship and teaching, Ms. Burciag
said. It is not just the female and minority students wht
benefit from seeing people like themselves in roles of au
thority and competence, she said. "It is as important foi
the men in industrial engineering courses to be answering
to Prof. Mary Somebody," she said. "With minority fac.
ulty, oftentimes the statement is more profound for the
white population."
She said her goal is to decentralize the school's effort.
to add diversity, to make it a faculty, not an administra-
tive, function. When faculty members say they want to
do something about the lack of diversity, the affirmative
action program will be over, she said.
"The question now is how do you get this process
rooted," Ms. Burciaga said.
According to Provost Hastorf, Burciaga is effective
and he credits her hard work and her ability to negotiate
? She brings to it assiduous attention to keeping people',
attention focused on [the affirmative-action program],'
he said. "She has made herself a central person. Peoplt
know about her."
???
O X F O R DB U T T O ND O W N S
$19.99 each
tI
Dale Dawursk. President
(203) 762-2 334
Rt. 7. Gateway Shopping Center. Wilton, CT 06897
LET US
PUT A FLAG
IN
YOUR PICTURE
FLAGS
U.S. -all sizes& materials in stock
STATE
CONFEDERATE
FOREIGN
CUSTOM - corporate logo etc.
FLAG POLES
ALUMINUM/ FIBERGLASS
Priesmeyer
C O R P O R A T I O N
','w9 qre Flyg headquarters,',, ??
2379GU1s?aDRAG' t3t'4){7{2 566
?st.~i;o ,
ILLUMINATED
SIGNS
SILENT SERVANTS OF THE
ECONOMY . . . SERVE SHOPPER
AND MERCHANT EQUALLY WELL.
WILLIAMSBURG, OHIO 45176
PHONE [phone]