Local News With universities threatened, can Boston still be Boston? “Universities and teaching hospitals are to Boston what cars are to Detroit, what energy is to Houston or finance is to New York.” Harvard University campus in Cambridge. Sophie Park/The New York Times BOSTON — For generations, students and researchers from around the world have flocked to Boston, drawn not just to a college or university but to a region where high-minded intellectual life was part of its brand. The Boston area has thrived from their presence, its many schools and top-ranked research hospitals keeping its economy strong and its...