Straightening the learning curve: higher Ed institutions align to enhance educational offerings.

AuthorMischel, Marie
PositionBusiness Trends

When Bill Sederburg was being interviewed for the presidency of Utah Valley State College in 2003, he wasn't asked about how the university could help the state's economic development. It was a striking contrast to his position as president of Ferris State University in Michigan, where economic development was a significant issue, and also to East Carolina University, where he was also a candidate for the president's position. "About half the questions I was asked by the search committee and people involved in the interview were about how the university could help the Piedmont area of North Carolina with economic growth and development," Sederburg says of the experience.

In Utah, though, Sederburg discovered that because the strong economy at the time, "people hadn't given a lot of thought about exactly how to use the colleges and universities better to promote economic growth in the state."

Fast forward seven years. UVSC is now Utah Valley University, Sederburg is the state's commissioner of higher education--a position he took in 2008--and higher education's contribution to the states economic development is a topic of significant interest at the Capitol. The Utah Cluster Acceleration Program (CAP) has joined the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative as a way for colleges and universities to help strengthen the states economy. CAP seeks partnerships between various higher education facilities, and specific clusters such as aerospace, energy and digital media, to accelerate the industries' growth.

In the future, Sederburg says, "I think you'll see more and more economic initiatives engaging the colleges and universities."

The Parameters

When colleges and universities talk about economic development, they focus on five areas, Sederburg says. The first is job training, provided primarily by technical and community colleges. Workforce development is next, providing professionals such as teachers, doctors and accountants. "The state has done that very well over the years," Sederburg says.

Not as obvious is the universities' offering of entrepreneurial education, which is to "encourage people to take risks and become business leaders and entrepreneurs to drive the future of the state," he says.

There is also applied research, in which faculty and staff develop ways to meet market needs; and basic research, such as that funded by USTAR, which can be used for economic opportunities.

"Different schools have different...

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