Not later than this winter, the National Research Council plans to release its assessments of American doctoral programs. Due to its inability to wait for the results, Ohio State University took steps last year to review its doctoral programs. Of its 90 doctoral programs, the university found five programs tagged as "candidates for disinvestment or elimination." Another 29 programs were instructed to reassess or restructure themselves. Many faculty members say the assessments provided a long-overdue chance for Ohio State to think strategically, identifying some fields to focus on and others that are marginal. The process has also had its share of bumps. Some people have complained that the assessments relied too heavily on "input" variables, such as students' graduate record examinations (GRE) scores.