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An examination of the findings of three national surveys reveals that several statistical academic science resource indicators reflected a period of growth during the mid-seventies. While this trend is expected to continue through the end of the seventies, the 9 percent increase in federal research and development (R&D) funding to universities proposed in the President's 1981 budget is seen to permit little if any real growth in the early eighties. These highlights are presented: in dollars, one-tenth of the R&D was spent by universities in 1979, as well as one-half of the basic research. Although annual growth in R&D expenditures averaged 9 percent between 1972 and 1977, real growth was only 1 to 2 percent. During this period the life science dominated academic science and engineering (S/E) resource increased. Graduate institutions increased their employment of S/E personnel by 3 to 6 percent. Overall in academe, part-time S/E personnel increased 35 percent, and full-time personnel increased 11 percent. S/E employees in R&D increased at a full-time-equivalent rate of 22 percent; those in teaching increased 14 percent. In addition, the mid-seventies was a period of increased participation by women in acdemic science programs. Despite an overall decrease in graduate level enrollments in 1974-77, graduate enrollment in S/E rose, with part-time enrollment rising faster than full-time, and with women's and foreign student enrollment rising faster than the average. Data are presented in narrative and tabular form, with survey forms and instructions for fiscal year 1977 appended. (MSE)