Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Education and economic development agendas are starting to merge. People are beginning to get the message that education builds the brainpower we need to compete.
Take the case of Union County Development Association in New Albany, Mississippi.
Monday night, at their annual meeting, University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat spoke.
Despite Mississippi’s good work ethic and other positive characteristics, the state still ranks low, “because we have not educated our work force.”
Kayat pointed out how we have managed to get our priorities twisted. “Eighty-four percent of inmates in Mississippi prisons are at a fourth-grade level in reading and math; only one percent have college degrees,” he said. “But we are spending $20,000 a year on each prisoner and only $6,000 a year on education.”
What's true in Mississippi is true in every other state. We're producing too many drop-outs, too many high school graduates with weak skills, and not enough young people with post-secondary training. Sooner or later, we'll connect the dots.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
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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.
Connecting the dots in Mississippi
