Report from Beijing: 3 Tuesday, October 01, 2002 China is likely to become a high tech power to challenge the U.S., but this will happen in decades, not years. China's major advantage is its primary and secondary school system. The quality of this system exceeds the U.S., where we have made little real progress in the past two decades. (Learn more about how U.S. education compares internationally. Go.) China lacks, however, a system of world class universities. Sending promising students to study in the West is a stop gap. In the years ahead, we will see major new investments in postsecondary education in China. The results are already appearing. Last month, Taiwan Semiconductor announced a letter of intent to invest $898 million in China's first ever semiconductor fab plant. Read more. With this as a backdrop, I find it particularly disheartening that states like Ohio are cutting back on their commitment to postsecondary education. Take the case of Youngstown State University (YSU). YSU is the only economic engine that is likely to bring back this region of closed steel mills. Yet, as President (and EDPro) David Sweet notes, "Just two years ago, the state provided almost 55% of YSU's general fund budget; today, the percent is down to 40 ­- an amazing and alarming reduction. In the next fiscal year, the state share is likely to fall even further to around 35%." Read more. EDPros need to help our politicians connect the dots. In a Knowledge Economy, brainpower is everything. Our colleges and universities are our factories of the future. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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