SSTI Digest

James Roberson, president of the Research Triangle Foundation for the past 16 years, is retiring at the end of May.

George Swift is the first executive director for the new Southwest Louisiana Partnership for Economic Development.

The University of Vermont announced that Janice St. Onge has joined the Vermont Business Center as the director of business education.

Kay Wade is the new president of the Oklahoma Professional Economic Development Council. Ms. Wade retains her position as director of the Center for Business Development at the Meridian Technology Center.

The Wright Center for Innovation for Advanced Data Management and Analysis named Charles Walsh as its first president.

The lack of encouraging news in the culminating report from the National Science Board’s (NSB) three-year study of America’s science and engineering (S&E) workforce is offset only by the urgent call to recognize and counter increased global competition and disturbing demographic trends and projections. The Science and Engineering Workforce: Realizing America’s Potential concludes: "Global competition for S&E talent is intensifying, such that the United States may not be able to rely on the international S&E labor market to fulfill unmet skill needs; and, The number of native-born S&E graduates entering the workforce is likely to decline unless the Nation intervenes to improve success in educating S&E students from all demographic groups, especially those that have been underrepresented in S&E careers.” The challenges are daunting, as the facts lay bare. Science and technology are widely recognized to provide the cornerstone of economic growth in the U.S and will continue to do so. The long-term projected growth rate for S&E occupations is…

A $100 million initiative announced last week by the Lilly Endowment Inc. will help Indiana's colleges and universities attract and retain more faculty and students. The Lilly Endowment, a private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis, supports community, educational and religious causes. A total of 37 institutions among Indiana's two- and four-year public and private schools will be encouraged to submit proposals for funding under the initiative. Purdue University and Ivy Tech State College are eligible for a combined $30 million of the $100 million pot. Another $26 million is allocated for Indiana University. Other schools such as Ball State University, Indiana Wesleyan University and the University of Notre Dame are eligible for $5 million or less. To lure the best and brightest talent to Indiana, institutions could suggest ways to upgrade research facilities or draw more full-time and part-time faculty to their campuses. Proposals also might consider other aspects of intellectual capital. Statistics in the 2003-2004 Almanac Issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education reveal the…

Addressing a joint session of Rhode Island's General Assembly, Gov. Don Carcieri unveiled last week a fiscal year 2005 budget that includes funding for several technology-based economic development (TBED) initiatives. Gov. Carcieri's budget attempts to navigate around a projected $240 million budget gap for FY 2004 and FY 2005. Despite proposing $92 million in spending reductions, the governor would direct $50 million toward a new Center for Biotechnology to be built at the University of Rhode Island. The center would serve as both a world-class research facility for students and a stimulus for the state's growing biotech economy. Other highlights of the governor's budget include: $4 million to the Samuel Slater Technology fund for increased investment in start-up companies; $1.5 million in seed capital to help the state's universities attract $3 million in new National Science Foundation (NSF) research funds; $48 million in bonds for a marine life sciences park at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, R.I.; A new tax incentive program aimed at attracting entrepreneurs; and,…

Preliminary findings from an annual survey conducted by the National League of Cities (NLC) reveal economic and fiscal conditions are worsening in many of America's cities and towns. A large segment of those surveyed by NLC also reported improvements in areas such as the vitality of their downtowns, increased efficiency in service delivery, and preparedness for emergencies and homeland security. The 345 respondents in the survey, State of America's Cities, reflect a nationally representative sample. Responses from the surveyed cities and towns indicate that both overall economic and fiscal conditions have worsened over the past year more than they have improved, according to NLC data. Overall economic conditions worsened in 40 percent of cities, compared to 26 percent that said conditions improved. Roughly one-third of those sampled reported no change in their economic conditions. Forty-four percent said fiscal conditions have worsened, compared to 22 percent that reported improvement. Nearly one-third said they experienced no change in their fiscal conditions. Worsening unemployment also was…

The need for tax cuts, reduced and simplified regulations, a well-trained workforce, lower employee health care costs, and a state-sponsored industry advocate are among the top concerns shared by a core group of Minnesota manufacturers. Those concerns and others are summarized in Positively Minnesota Manufacturing: Making It Great, a report released earlier this year by the state's Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The report is a synopsis of feedback obtained during a series of roundtable meetings convened by Gov. Tim Pawlenty in October 2003. To help manufacturers, DEED identified several key areas that could warrant further consideration: Reforming corporate taxation and sales tax on capital equipment; Working with higher education institutions to build a skilled manufacturing workforce; Examining ways to help contain health care costs; and, Cutting air travel costs for manufacturers. State manufacturing proponents call for continued support for Minnesota Technology Inc. (MTI), the state's technology-based economic development organization. Since its…

When this year's high school freshmen receive their diplomas in four years, it will mark the largest and most competitive graduating class ever, according to a new study. Released by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), ACT Inc. and the College Board, the study projects the number of high school graduates will peak in 2008-09 at 3.2 million. A slow but steady decline in the number of enrollments and graduates is expected to occur in most parts of the U.S., following the peak year. Among regions, the West is projected to see highest percentage of growth, with elementary and secondary enrollments climbing by 9 percent between 2001-02 and 2007-08. The South will experience a 5 percent increase, the study observes, while the Midwest and Northeast will drop by 9 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Nationally, annual increases in the number of graduates are projected to range from about 6,300 (0.2 percent increase) to 79,000 (2.5 percent increase) between 2001-02 and 2017-18. The size of graduating classes across individual states will vary, according to the data. Arizona…

Arizona taxpayers paid at least $100 million for the TGen Institute. The east coast version of Scripps cost Florida a cool $500-plus million. How much should Kansas City expect to pay the Stowers Institute for Medical Research to double the size of its 600,000 sq. ft. research facility instead of locating a second campus elsewhere? Not a dime. At least not directly. In making the announcement, founders Jim and Virginia Stowers acknowledged the efforts of city, state and academic leaders to strengthen life sciences research at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and the University of Kansas. “Virginia and I have been gratified to witness the efforts of our government leaders in Kansas and Missouri to support growth of excellent life science at both state universities," Jim Stowers said. "Their actions have reinforced to us that they are as committed as we are to making Kansas City the best place for life science research and discovery development. Our confidence in their efforts to help the two universities has led us to conclude that the next phase of growth in the research…