Tuesday, November 15, 2005
EDPro reader Timothy Bartik passes this note along about one of the boldest education/economic development initiatives in the country announced last week:
"I think the Kalamazoo Promise...is an unprecedented education/economic development initiative that is and should be of national interest...This offer of full 4-year college scholarships to all students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools, and also live in the District, should be viewed as an alternative economic development strategy that relies on attracting and developing human capital, rather than on using tax abatements to attract business."
Kalamazoo Promise is a new initiative to led by an anonymous group of wealthy, private benefactors. They have aimed their collective resources at college tuition bills for thousands of high school graduates. Learn more about how the initiative works.
Kalamazoo Promise represents another example of how civic leaders are moving economic development incentives from companies to people.
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.
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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.
Kalamazoo Promise scholarship program
