The Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education has unveiled “A System Plan,” representing its priorities from now through 2004.
Some of those priorities relate directly to the business community and the state’s overall economic development efforts.
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Clearly defined in the board of governors’ document is the critical link between the education and business communities. It reads, in part: “The economy is dependent upon thriving businesses and industry, which are, in turn, dependent upon a well-trained work force. Cutting-edge faculty use their research and their expertise to enhance the quality of life and to contribute significantly to the development of the economy.”
The board of governors correctly points out that the state will benefit from supporting programs that take advantage of the expertise of faculty members at our institutions of higher learning.
“In particular, faculty expertise and research enhance the growth of local business and industry when they focus on not only providing a well-educated, trained workforce but also on guiding informed development of business and industry. The changing needs of the workplace are met when institutions are flexible and when faculty engage, in part, in learning and creating new knowledge relevant to the workplace,” the board’s plan states.
Among the key initiatives that the board of governors outlines is the development of a Center for Informational Technology Training at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Warwick campus.
We would hope that such a proposal would be met with enthusiasm from members of our General Assembly – and that those legislators provide the necessary funding to make such a proposal a reality.
Another initiative put forth by the board of governors is to compile a reference source that indicates the impact of public higher education on the state’s economic development. That, too, is a good idea.
One would hope that we are past the point of needing to document the importance of investing in education. But with the state budget facing significant shortfalls in the coming years, we know better.
This, however, is no time to be shortsighted. The state must continue to invest in programs and initiatives – like the IT center at CCRI — that ensure a workforce of skilled individuals. It is the most important step the state can take in an effort to retain and grow successful businesses. It is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come.
