Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The International Economic Development Council concluded its annual conference in Phoenix last week.
Michael Crow, the president of Arizona State University, alerted the attendees to the importance of improving education. Without a change in focus, he warned that America's "standard of living will decrease, our way of life will be threatened, are opportunities for success for future generations will diminish." Read more.
Crow is an articulate spokesman for the evolving role of education and the University in economic development. You can download some of his speeches from this page.
Five years ago, I suspect we would nopt have seen the president of a research university addressing a national gathering economic development professionals. Now, however, we are seeing the increasingly important role that research universities are playing in economic development.
Sadly, some state legislators still do not see the connection. They continue to slow public investments into major research universities and higher education. See, or example, this commentary from Michigan.
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:
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.
Focusing on higher education
