Research universities, both public and private alike, are the leading producers of science and engineering (S&E) bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. They are contributors to economic development at the local, state, and national levels, performing over half of the Nation's total basic research in 2009, and they educate and train our Nation's next generation of scientists and engineers. The S&E talent and knowledge produced by academic research form crucial building blocks to innovation that improve the quality of life for our Nation's citizens, create jobs and in some cases even new industries, and are vital to maintaining U.S. global leadership in S&E. The focus of this companion report to "Science and Engineering Indicators 2012" ("Indicators") is public research universities, which are subject to greater financial and legislative pressure than private counterparts. The purpose of this companion is two-fold: (1) to highlight the importance of these universities to states and the Nation and describe the challenges posed by recent trends in student population growth and university revenue and costs, and (2) to preface the Board's intent to gather and synthesize trend data on higher education institutions, particularly public research universities, by presenting consistent and well-defined data in future editions of "Indicators" that will facilitate comparisons over time. The Board seeks to provide a factual basis for sound policy deliberations and support existing and future national initiatives. (Contains 8 figures, 1 table, and 132 endnotes.)