SSTI Digest

Over the past few months, SSTI has followed proposals issued by governors in their budget requests, State of the State Addresses, Inaugural Speeches and other events. Now that many state legislatures have begun approving budgets, the Digest will check on the status of these proposals, and examine the state of technology-based economic development funding in the states. This week, we review budgets in Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming ArizonaArizona legislators approved many of Gov. Doug Ducey's proposals to dramatically reduce higher education spending. The governor's budget recommended ending all funding for three of the state's community colleges. Under the approved bill, community colleges in Maricopa and Pima will lose all state support, though the Pinal County Community College system would receive about $2 million, according to an article in The Arizona Republic. However, STEM and workforce programs at state-funded community colleges will receive about $5 million. Legislators approved even larger reductions for the state's higher education system than the governor proposed. Gov. Ducey proposed a $75…

This article is part of SSTI's series on trends in state technology-based economic development legislation in 2014. Read our other entries covering legislative action on patent reform, research capacity, technology commercialization & infrastructure, tax credits & STEM and manufacturing & clusters. Addressing accessibility, affordability and ensuring workforce preparedness topped legislators’ agendas in many states during the 2014 sessions. States and regions are increasingly competing for talent as the trend toward growing and nurturing innovation ecosystems continues. Attracting and retaining high-tech companies also requires states to have a steady stream of tech-savvy workers. Specifically, policymakers are interested in matching worker skills with industry sectors important to their communities, and many of the efforts put into place during the legislative sessions focus on building long-term relationships between industry and higher education. Three states, Louisiana, Utah and Wisconsin, dedicated notably large sums of money toward workforce training with a STEM focus. One of the largest investments was made in Louisiana, where…

With buy-in from the state and private industry, the University of Wyoming (UW) School of Energy Resources will move forward with plans to build a major new energy and engineering research complex. The recently enacted 2014-16 biennial budget also includes $8 million in support of UW’s efforts to gain “Tier 1” status for the engineering school, matching funds to establish endowed chairs, and $15 million for a test center to study carbon sequestration. The university’s plans for the 81,000-square-foot High Bay Research Facility include lab space where large-scale experiments that go beyond the size of a traditional engineering lab can be conducted, according to a press release. The facility is funded in part by the state with matching funds from the private sector. Last biennium, lawmakers approved $15 million for the facility and secured nearly $15 million in matching grants from various energy companies, including $3 million from Halliburton, to support the complex and for research into unconventional reservoirs. Lawmakers approved another $10.5 million in the latest budget. With matching funds, the investment for the facility totals $51 million…

The sixth installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in New Hampshire and Wyoming. Read part I, part II, part III, part IV and part V.    New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, State of the State Address, Feb. 6, 2014 “And to help young people fill the jobs that growing businesses are creating here in New Hampshire, we need to come together as a state to ask tough questions about how we can best educate our young people, especially in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. … “… For New Hampshire to lead the way in building a workforce that is prepared for the high-tech jobs of today and tomorrow, our schools need to provide an even more rigorous STEM education that our businesses believe in, our educators believe in, and our students and families believe in. “That is why I will be creating a STEM Education Task Force made up of diverse stakeholders who will make recommendations for modernizing STEM education in our schools. “Strengthening education in the STEM fields is just one part of the equation. New Hampshire…

Having world-class facilities to train workers or support research in fields most likely to benefit the state is a draw for many reasons. Attracting outside investment, retaining talent and generating buzz are just a few of the benefits. Last year, Connecticut lawmakers dedicated more than $2 billion to expand science and technology education on the campuses of the University of Connecticut, including construction of new STEM facilities and for build research and teaching labs. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is the latest state leader to announce funding proposals aimed at either building new facilities or making capital improvements for training students in high-wage, high-demand fields. Following years of cuts to higher education during the recession, many states are poised to dedicate significant funds for scholarship programs, tuition freezes and for training more students in STEM fields – a common theme during the State of the State addresses. Supporting the notion that a college degree is worth the cost, a recent analysis from the Pew Research Center found the widest earnings gap for college graduates in 48 years. The report, The Rising Cost of Not Going to…

Several common themes surrounding higher education have emerged as governors across the country unveil investment priorities for the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. In many states, governors have proposed more funding to increase affordability by freezing tuition or creating new scholarship funds. Support for expanding research capacity, technology-related infrastructure and job training in high-demand industries are some of the proposed measures aimed at competitiveness.   College Affordability Governors in several states are requesting additional funds for higher education in exchange for holding tuition steady. The FY15 budget outlined by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal proposes new funding streams to encourage more students to attend technical schools. For example, $5 million in new lottery funds would provide additional financial assistance above what is covered by the state’s HOPE scholarship for students pursuing in-demand certificates or training programs. A new Zell Miller grant also would be established to provide full tuition for students in technical schools who maintain a 3.5 grade point average, and the state’s traditional HOPE…

A network of more than 1,500 expert advisors is among the distinctive features that makes the Innovation Center of the Rockies' (ICR) low-cost, effective model for commercializing research appealing to universities across the country. This week, ICR announced they have entered into an agreement with the University of Wyoming to bring more faculty inventions to market based on their successful model. ICR works closely with tech transfer offices in Colorado, and now in Wyoming, to understand and develop viable pathways for university-based inventions. The volunteer advisors are matched with university research projects to help identify and solve customer problems. Read the news release. ICR garnered national recognition earlier this year as a 2013 SSTI Excellence in TBED award winner. Learn more at: http://www.sstiawards.org/2013.html.

Pramod Khargonekar has been selected to serve as the National Science Foundation's assistant director for the Directorate of Engineering. Dan Blake will join the Wisconsin Technology Council as the director of its Wisconsin Angel Network in mid-March. Blake succeeds Zach Brandon, who recently became president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. Robert Sternberg, who currently serves as provost and senior vice president at Oklahoma State University, has been named president of the University of Wyoming. Susan Froshauer has accepted the position of chief executive officer and president of CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence), effective April 1. Dan Hasler, former secretary of Commerce for the state of Indiana and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, will become the president of the Purdue Research Foundation and chief entrepreneurial officer.

To bring more tech-related companies and jobs to Wyoming, Gov. Matt Mead's budget request for the new biennium adds $15 million to broaden an existing fund established last year for the recruitment of mega data centers. If approved by the legislature, the state would make available $30 million for both large-scale recruitment and to attract smaller technology companies. Anticipating flat growth over the next two years, the budget for 2013-14 proposes a slight reduction in ongoing spending from last biennium. However, the governor recommends expanding an appropriation for data center recruitment to provide the state with more opportunity to attract large-scale high technology opportunities and jobs. In February, Gov. Mead signed a measure providing tax incentives for construction of data centers. Gov. Mead also outlined an investment strategy that restructures the state's Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funds to implement new areas of concentration for energy research and related projects. The budget proposes appropriations from two AML sources: prior balance funds from the federal government directed toward transportation, environmental and wildlife projects, and…

Jill Kline has been named the State director of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center. Daniel Hasler has been named the Indiana Secretary of Commerce, effective Sept. 16. He will replace Mitch Roob who is leaving the post to accept a position in the private sector. The National Governors Association named David Moore as the director of its NGA Center for Best Practices. Phillip Halstead has been named executive director and CEO of the West Virginia Regional Technology Park Corporation. James Watson has been appointed as the president and CEO of CMTC (California Manufacturing Technology Consulting). Steven Ceulemans is joining the Birmingham Business Alliance as vice president of Innovation and Technology.

Budgets recently approved in West Virginia and Wyoming will dedicate new funds for TBED initiatives in the coming year. TechConnect West Virginia is slated to receive $250,000 for its efforts to develop immediate and long-term strategies to capitalize on the state's technology strengths. In Wyoming, lawmakers allocated a portion of Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funds for construction of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate teaching laboratory and for graduate stipends and fellowships to support students studying energy, natural resources and computational sciences at the University of Wyoming (UW). West VirginiaTechConnect West Virgina, a nonprofit corporation established to facilitate tech-based economic development efforts throughout the state, will receive $250,000 in FY12 state appropriations. The investment will help to optimize the Research Trust Fund and the West Virginia Education, Research and Technology Park. Lawmakers approved $750,000 for the initiative, which was later reduced by Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin as part of an overall line-item veto that reduces the budget by $18.2 million. In his veto letter, the governor…

The second installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Our first installment was in the Jan. 5 Digest. ArkansasGov. Mike Beebe, State of the State Address, Jan. 11, 2011"I want to tie funding for higher-education institutions more closely to coursework completion and graduation rates, not simply to enrollment. These tax dollars must produce college graduates, not just fill up seats. We can and must double the number of college graduates in Arkansas by 2025 if we are to stay competitive. This is a lofty goal aimed at the future, but we must begin implementing it today." ConnecticutGov. Dan Malloy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 5, 2011"We will put in place an economic development strategy that makes sense for the 21st century economy, aggressively competing with other states and nations for lucrative biotech, nanotech, fuel cell technology and stem cell research jobs. "We will join Connecticut to the Energy Economy, attracting companies that reduce our…