Cutting higher education costs as an ED strategy Wednesday, May 14, 2003 A report in Maine proposes that the State cut college tuitions as an economic development strategy. Lower tuition costs will keep more young people in the state and slow the brain drain. Read a review of the report or download a copy. On the surface, this report touches on two issues that should concern EDPros. The first is simple: affordability. By increasing the costs of post-secondary education, states are reducing the incentives of young people to further their education. State investment in higher education has been in decline since the late 1970s. As states have reduced their support for higher education, public institutions have aggressively raised their tuition rates. The second issue involves migration of high school students and college graduates. This issue is far more complex. According to researchers in this area, about 20% of high school graduates who enroll in college immediately after high school leave their home state to attend college in another state. Following graduation many college graduates then leave the state where they earned their degrees to begin their careers in other states. Students who leave their home states for college are often the most academically talented students and some states -- Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio -- offer substantial incentives to encourage these students to remain in their home states to attend college. Today in our history of innovation... In 1963, a laser light beam link first carried the TV signal during a network broadcast. It was demonstrated during the CBS program I've Got a Secret. The signal from a studio camera was used to modulate a laser beam that travelled two feet to a receiver that decoded the signal from the beam. That signal was relayed via the control room for the national broadcast. This communication system was the work of GTE scientists Samuel M. Stone and Louis Richard Bloom. (Laser light beams are now routinely used to transmit signals along optical fibres.) 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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