Interview with Thomas Malone, April 23, 1985

Segment Synopsis: This is an interview with Thomas Malone: Director Emeritus of the Holcomb Research Institute at Butler University, and also President of the Institute of Ecology. It takes place on April 23, 1985.

Keywords: Butler University; Holcomb Research Institute; Institute of Ecology; TIE

Partial Transcript: In the late 1960s, the Ecological Society of America was conducting a study on the advisability of establishing

Segment Synopsis: Malone compares and contrasts the differences between the processes leading to the development of TIE vs. those leading to the development of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Keywords: ESA; Ecological Society of America; NCAR; National Center for Atmospheric Research; TIE; The Institute of Ecology

Partial Transcript: Concerns were expressed early that the proposed institute would compete with research efforts at universities

Segment Synopsis: Malone believes there is competition between TIE and universities. He recalls what happened in the case of NCAR, and the results of that. He later compares these results to what TIE should have done.
Malone doesn't recall the original Green Book objectives of TIE, but he states that he believes they were sound from a scientific perspective.

Keywords: NCAR; National Center for Atmospheric Research; PhD programs; TIE; The Institute of Ecology; competition; research enterprise; universities

Partial Transcript: the membership of TIE was envisioned as consisting of two groups

Segment Synopsis: Malone discusses the membership of TIE and how it haunted the organization throughout its existence by the lack of balance between groups.
Later, Malone states how TIE took advantage of its valuable network of scientists in the earlier days however the structure had not developed in the latter days.

Keywords: TIE; The Institute of Ecology; Trustees; assembly; field of ecology; founders; sponsors

Partial Transcript: TIE never obtained a permanent source of funds, its existence was almost completely based on soft money

Segment Synopsis: Malone talks about the factors leading to TIE's financial issues. It was a fatal flaw in his opinion. He follows with a discussion on TIE's problem of having non-ecologists in higher order staffing positions.

Keywords: PMM; Pete, Marwick, & Mitchell; TIE; The Institute of Ecology; calling the shots; devastating; fatal flaw; financial problems; funding; non-ecologists; source; staffing

Partial Transcript: The new institute undertook many studies in its early period

Segment Synopsis: Malone talks about some of TIE's research projects and how they related back to the original objectives. He later states that the non-ecologists on the Board of Trustees led to a dilution of TIE's efforts. In terms of not developing more interdisciplinary research programs, Malone discusses that there wasn't a centralized research group to attract other disciplines to, and that interdisciplinary efforts are difficult in any case, especially without a nucleus.

Keywords: Board of Trustees; ESA; Ecological Society of America; NSF; National Science Foundation; TIE; The Institute of Ecology; academic position; coastal zoning problems; interdisciplinary efforts; man in the living environment; nucleus; research group; reward structure; salary; tropical ecology; urban ecosystems

Partial Transcript: At one point in the mid '70s, you were president of the Institute of Ecology

Segment Synopsis: Malone discusses the situation TIE was in leading up to the reason he became president, and what he contributed during that position. He follows with his opinion of the original ideal behind TIE. He gives two primary reasons besides funding as to why the Institute began to fail. Malone later states that the idea overall was great as it established an appropriate linkage between ecologists and other fields of science to contribute to biological productivity; this was the principal contribution of the Holcomb Institute/TIE era.

Keywords: Butler University; Holcomb Research Institute; NSF; National Science Foundation; TIE; The Institute of Ecology; Washington; funding; president; private grants