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SSTI Digest
Geography: South Dakota
Budget Proposals Focus on States' Investment in Research, Workforce Training
Montana
People & TBED Organizations
Steve Bazinet has been hired as executive director of the Maine Center for Enterprise Development.
Rahindra Bose is Ohio University's new vice president for research and creative activity and dean of the graduate college.
David Fouts was selected as the next president and chief executive of MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network. Fouts replaces Fatima Weathers, who served for a year as acting president.
Denichiro Otsuga was named the first director of technology transfer at South Dakota State University.
Harris Pastides was selected to replace Andrew Sorensen as University of South Carolina system president. Sorenson retired after six years at the helm.
Raising Personal Income through Focused Efforts in Emerging Workforce Areas
In the midst of a national economic downturn, coupled with stagnant to little growth in wages for even college-educated individuals, state efforts to build a qualified workforce and attract industries in emerging fields that pay above-average wages are crucial to ensuring economic growth.
A recent report on income trends issued jointly by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute finds that one in five U.S. families has a lower income today than they did at the start of the decade. Analyzing state-by-state income trends over the past 20 years, the report also finds a long-standing trend of growing inequality between families in the wealthiest income bracket and those in the middle- to lower-income brackets. In fact, while incomes have declined by 2.5 percent among the bottom fifth of U.S. families since the late 1990s, the data indicates that incomes have increased by 9.1 percent among the top fifth.
Lawmakers Approve Funding for TBED Initiatives in State Budgets
Three states recently wrapped up their 2008 legislative sessions, resulting in the passage of operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. State lawmakers approved funding for new and existing TBED initiatives aimed at diversifying the states' economies through increased investments in energy programs, higher education research initiatives and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
South Dakota
Lawmakers agreed to Gov. Mike Rounds’ recommendation of a one-time appropriation of $3.8 million for construction-related expenditures and $887,000 in operating costs to supplement an $8 million grant for a high speed data network connecting universities and research centers across the state (see the Dec. 12, 2007 issue of the Digest).
SSTI Job Corner
A complete description of this opportunity and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
South Dakota State University is creating a new office of technology transfer and is hiring a director to lead this new office. Some of the responsibilities for this position include working with inventors to file invention disclosures and to determine commercial potential; marketing intellectual property and managing the intellectual property protection process; developing training programs; ensuring compliance with policies and procedures relative to technology transfer and commercialization; and drafting and reviewing agreements to advance research opportunities. An MBA, MS, MA or PSM degree in an appropriate field is required.
Education, Research Initiatives Slated for Funding in State Budgets
Just as several states have announced projected budget shortfalls, at least three governors have revealed stable fiscal conditions for the coming year with proposed funding to support new and expanded education and research initiatives.
South Dakota
Gov. Mike Rounds unveiled his fiscal year 2009 budget recommendation to lawmakers last week, which includes funding for construction and operation of a high-speed data network connecting universities and research centers across the state. The High Speed Research, Education and Economic Development Network is a dim-fiber optic solution that will enable all six universities, the underground laboratory at Homestake Mine, University Center, EROS data center, and state government to share massive amounts of research data with scientists worldwide by utilizing the highest network speeds available, according to the governor’s press office.
South Dakota Joins Industry Partnership for ICT Education
Gov. Mike Rounds recently announced that South Dakota will join a national partnership, led by many of the country's leading information and communication technology (ICT) companies, to improve science and technology education and the skill set of the state's high-tech workforce. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, an ICT advocacy organization, will advise the state on designing curriculum that meets the needs of software, electronics, networking, telecommunications and Internet-based companies. South Dakota is the fifth state to partner with the organization, which will begin a full assessment of the state's K-12 and higher education system later this year.
Gov. Rounds has created the P21 Advisory Council, a new advisory body, as part of plans for the organization. The 20-member council includes leaders from South Dakota businesses, universities, the governor's office and the state legislature. Council members will help translate the partnership's framework for 21st century education into policies that will address the specific needs of the South Dakota ICT economy.
South Dakota Changes Tactics in the Battle for High-Tech Jobs
South Dakota recently announced it is reorganizing its programs to support entrepreneurs and high-tech start-ups. Instead of offering assistance to new firms through small, targeted programs, the state will reallocate the funding for these smaller programs into a larger fund with fewer restrictions on how that money can be spent. The change will allow the state greater leeway to assist expanding businesses, many of which were not eligible for the existing support programs. Mike Youngberg, finance manager of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, believes the change in tactics will help the state target higher-paying, high-tech jobs through its support programs and help retain its high-tech businesses.
People
South Dakota State University named Teresa McKnight as the first permanent director of the Innovation Campus at SDSU, the university's new research park.
People
The University of South Dakota appointed Terry Young as the director of research and development, a newly created position.
Job Corner: SDBIO Seeks Executive Director
The South Dakota Biotech Association (SDBIO) is seeking an executive director to manage and coordinate its daily operations, communications initiatives, government relations, member services, and marketing. The executive director will establish a yearly budget and determine funding sources, develop a strategic plan for growth and expansion, and carry out duties, as set by the board of directors. A bachelor's degree is required; an MBA or J.D. degree is preferred. Background experience with government or business also is preferred. More information on this opportunity and others is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
People & Organizations
William Even was named South Dakota's new economic development director.