I must take exception to much of Fred LeBrun's column "This divorce was long overdue," Aug. 11, and am appalled at the proposed split of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering from the University at Albany.
Before retiring from UAlbany's Physics Department, I was present when Alain Kaloyeros was hired and certainly agree that he has done an incredible job of building up CNSE to world-class status and to have secured billions of dollars in funding, leading to Sematech moving to Albany and probably GlobalFoundries to Malta. UAlbany may be "third-tier" (Ivy League and several state universities are first and second), but the label does not recognize several excellent departments and the many UAlbany distinguished professors. How does the UAlbany faculty feel about a split; was it consulted?
The split may be detrimental to both sides: What of CNSE providing a well-rounded university education and experience, and what of the prestige and technological contributions that Dr. Kaloyeros was hired to help provide UAlbany and did extraordinarily well?
Why can CNSE not continue as part of UAlbany? Clearly, money and power are involved. Although propriety research may be involved (often anathema to science and universities), could it not continue with proper safeguards? There are at least 30 areas proposed for nanotechnology that could well be part of UAlbany's research mission if the split does not occur.
Raymond E. Benenson
Niskayuna
Professor emeritus, UAlbany