SSTI Digest

Last week, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley signed the budget agreement passed by the state's General Assembly for fiscal years 2006-07. The budget contains many adjustments favoring K-12 and higher education and several allocations for technology-based growth initiatives. Education received the most attention in the General Assembly's negotiations. The largest new allocation in the budget is $664.1 million for a 5.5 percent raise among most state workers. Public school teachers will receive an average 8 percent raise, while community college and university faculty will get 6 percent with a one-time 2 percent bonus for community college faculty and staff. The higher ed pay raises, along with $79 million for new professors and staff, are intended to attract high-quality faculty and meet projected enrollment increases at North Carolina universities.

Lew Ebert announced he is leaving the Kansas Chamber of Commerce to become president and CEO of North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry.

The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) named Dr. Steven Hillenius to replace Dr. Ralph Cavin as vice president. Cavin is retiring from the SRC leadership team at the end of the year

The advances being made in nanotechnology-based research are likely to impact most industry sectors eventually as more commercial applications are identified. As a result, the National Nanotechnology Initiative has been a research priority for the federal government for many years. Nanotech research is occurring around the world, but, at this point, the majority of effort is concentrated in several leading universities and private companies. A new report by the Southern Growth Policies Board (Southern) reveals the South, while performing about 20 percent of all nanotechnology research activity in the U.S., would benefit greatly through a formalized regional nanotechnology network.

Probably everyone involved in tech-based economic development (TBED) can name at least one research building, innovation center or tech park named after a significant contributor to the project. And has become commonplace individual components of the structure have been named for individual donors: a wing, the auditorium, the foyer, the artwork, the chairs in the board room. The difference between naming rights, endorsements and sponsorships of business marketing, particularly evident in sports, and "patron recognition" in the arts, education and now, TBED, is increasingly blurred.

As that great English bard reminded us, what's in a name?  Naming rights can be a relatively free thing to give away for an organization or institution short of resources to advance its mission. Does it really matter, other than changing the website and stationary, if the Center for Whatever is now the John Q. Public Center for Whatever?

The Carolina Center for Competitive Economies (C3E) at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, invites applications for the position of Associate Director for Research. In addition to overseeing research activities and helping to generate new projects, the successful candidate will have an important role in supervising graduate students in applying regional models and providing other types of technical assistance to businesses and communities. Applicants should have graduate training in economics, regional science, city planning, business, public policy or a related field and 3-5 years of experience. A Ph.D. is preferred. A complete job description is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

The North Carolina Solar Center promoted Steve Kalland to the position of executive director.

The Greensboro, N.C.-based Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship has a new president, Michael Hentschel.

Dan Lynch was named president of the Greensboro Economic Development Partnership.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center selected John Chaffee and Randall Johnson as directors of the center's new eastern and southeastern regional offices.

The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University announced that Jon Fjeld is the executive director of its recently unveiled Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Christopher Price is the executive director for the Piedmont Triad Research Park and senior vice president, Wake Forest University Health Sciences.