Admittedly I know very little about UCSD but my research indicates it’s a heavily research oriented school in the life sciences. At the undergraduate level, most kids are science majors and the social sciences are weak by comparison. Given the focus on graduate scientific research, UCSD has received major NIH funding relative to USC. UCSD’s vulnerability, in fact, is based upon its lopsided focus on scientific research and over-reliance on federal grants, reflected by its small endowment. Aside from taxpayer funding, UCSD has little demonstrated interest in private fundraising.
It comes as no surprise, given its dependency on federal grants, that USC is seen as such a threat in San Diego. Indeed, UCSD is trying hard to prevent USC from gaining any threshold in the area. UCSD just entered into another collaboration with a local research institute that USC had been courting. It appears UCSD is doing its best to monopolize life and biological sciences in San Diego County and overtly prevent USC from establishing any academic foothold in the area. Unfortunately, this predatory and exclusionary behavior is very bad for scientific research. In short, USC is threatening UCSD’s monopoly on federal research in the area. No wonder UCSD sued USC, and it all does come down to federal research dollars.
Fortunately for USC, Dr. Aisen and several of his fellow ex-UCSD researchers will help establish USC’s new institute in San Diego. From a business perspective, I’m certain large pharmaceutical companies will support USC’s efforts in the long run, if only to spread their risks and diversify their investments in Southern California. Companies would be nuts not to invest in USC in addition to UCSD.
USC’s focus on San Diego is a prudent, brilliant and sound long term investment as well.
What we are witnessing is nothing more than a predictable but futile effort to monopolize an industry in San Diego.