Leadership Summit

Higher Education: Stimulating and Sustaining Economic Development in Idaho

Today a group of statewide leaders discussed how higher education can and must lead the way in developing solutions that serve Idaho's communities.

Following the inauguration of University of Idaho President Duane Nellis, the group drawn to Moscow for the event examined how the state's land-grant university can best use its extensive resources and knowledge base to stimulate and sustain economic development in the state.

Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter told the group he "cannot talk about economic development without higher education" and will look to use assets like higher education to move the state forward.

Sharon Allen, a university alumna and chair of the board of the $11 billion Deloitte LLP, said literacy and education add up to economic health. "To compete [in a global marketplace], we must turn to higher education," she said.

She emphasized the need to be more assertive in encouraging students from K-12 to choose college; to build bridges to the private sector; and to create "an army of baby boomers to enlist in public service to higher education."

Nellis urged the gathered civic, business, education, media and political leaders to help education the public about education, "about the value of what we do so that we change the investment model. We have the opportunity to have an impact about the value of education," he said.

Participant groups discussed several topic areas including the Center for Advanced Energy Studies; medical education; legal education; access to higher education; internationalization; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; agriculture in the 21st century; understanding the managing competing demands of water; and building sustainable communities.

Mark Hoversten, dean of the College of Art and Architecture, said the university is "an idea-generation factory" and encouraged turning those ideas into action.

Among the suggested areas for exploration that emerged from the discussion groups:

• Build teams and consortiums to address wastewater issues in northern Idaho;
• Focus on biomass, biotech and bioproducts to seek niche service or marketing areas;
• Bring good science to land use;
• Partner more with private and corporate sectors;
• Explore entrepreneurship training and assistance for small businesses;
• Utilize the land-grant university's Extension program to promote early childhood education as a method of building sustainable communities;
• Seek greater diversity and more cultural competency opportunities for students;
• Research broader connections to international markets;
• Educate policymakers;
• Educate broad constituencies about the value of education with the expectation that students will decide not if they will go to college, but when they will attend;
• Look at ways to apply knowledge in real-world settings;
• Connect disciplines across the institution, cooperate with other institutions and agencies across the state;
• Share resources to leverage capabilities among institutions; and
• Focus on professional programs' ability to impact economic development, such as medical and law.

Nellis urged the group to look at establishing an entrepreneurial culture in the current economic climate and to be an advocate for higher education's ability to play a lead role in economic development.