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SSTI Digest
People
The University of Texas at El Paso hired Tony Woo as the assistant vice provost for research and technology transfer.
Tech Talkin' Govs 2006, Part Five
The first four installments of SSTI's look at how tech-based economic development (TBED) will play in the 2006 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm
Louisiana
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, State-of-the-State Address, Mar. 27, 2006
"I also propose a $31 million investment to retain higher education faculty. ... We can plug the brain drain of displaced professors taking higher-paying jobs elsewhere. Any loss of educators will be followed by a brain drain of students. ...
U.S. Graduate Schools See Large Increase in Applications from Foreigners
Numbers Remain Below 2003 Levels
Graduate applications from international students increased 11 percent from 2005 to 2006, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently reported. This growth follows a two-year cumulative decline of 32 percent.
South Dakota Sees Progress as Clock Ticks on 2010 Initiative
While many states will lay out strategic plans with quantifiable goals to measure success, South Dakota in 2003 was one of the first SSTI noticed to use a specific target for its gross state product (GSP) as one of the measures. According to the latest annual review, South Dakota officials feel they are making significant strides in its goal of adding $10 billion to its GSP by 2010.
Two Looks at Improving Cross-Border Collaboration
Regardless of their potentially arbitrary nature, the political lines separating jurisdictions can wreak havoc on a region's ability to support innovation. Whether it's a boundary between two communities, two states or two countries, these imaginary lines define real rules of commerce (e.g. by the taxes levied, property values, etc.) as well as intangible concerns and perceptions. In many places, intercommunity rivalries seem to almost spill over from the high school football fields and incapacitate the ability to achieve real change throughout a region. The spillovers of significant economic development investments often pay little attention to political boundaries.
Useful Stats: 2004 S&E Doctorate Awards by State
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released its 2004 annual statistical report on science and engineering (S&E) doctorate awards. Report data show trends in doctorate awards by S&E field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients.
Using NSF and U.S. Census Bureau data, SSTI has prepared a table providing state ranking for doctorate awards by major field and state rankings for the total S&E doctorates awarded per 100,000 residents.
SSTI's table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/032706t.htm
Job Corner: Rice Seeks Baker Institute Fellow
Rice University invites applications for a Baker Institute Fellow (postdoctoral researcher) to lead a new and potentially long-term project sponsored by the Baker Institute of Public Policy, the Computer and Information Technology Institute, and the Fondren Library. This interdisciplinary effort, involving faculty in social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and engineering, will focus on the nature and implications of the transformational effects of technology on many sectors of public and private life. The successful candidate will enjoy broad latitude in coordinating and developing a holistic program involving research seminars, research collaboration with faculty in multiple disciplines, and an on-campus workshop series. A full description of this opportunity and others is available through the SSTI Job Corner: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm
Recent Research: Public College Support Per Student Sinks to 25-year Low
At the same time civic and corporate leaders around the country are calling for more high school students to pursue a college education, and specifically science, technology and math degrees, the student's share of the cost for higher education is climbing to record highs. Despite an appropriations increase of 3.5 percent in fiscal year 2005, constant dollar per student state and local funding for public colleges and universities was at the lowest point in 25 years, according to State Higher Education Finance FY 2005, the annual study conducted by the association of State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO). State and local support per full-time-equivalent student in public institutions was $5,833 in FY 05; the high point since 1980 was in fiscal 2001, when per student support was $7,121 in constant 2005 dollars.
Senate Restores, Expands SBA '07 Budget Resolution
SBDCs slated for $23 Million Increase; FAST Restored
While the federal budget process is a long way from completed for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, last Thursday was a good day for beneficiaries of many programs run through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The U.S. Senate passed an amendment to the budget resolution that will add $130 million to the President's 2007 Budget Request for SBA, bringing the agency to a total of $754 million for next year and including funding for several programs recommended for elimination. Senate Amendment No. 3134 was introduced by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
The items shown below are among those approved in the Kerry-Snowe amendment for the Fiscal Year 2007 SBA budget. Items the president proposed for elimination are noted in parentheses:
SSTI Commentary: What Constitutes A Gift? TBED and Philanthropy
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?
NSF Partnerships for Innovation Offers Unique Funding for TBED Efforts
Universities play a central role in supporting regional technology-based economic development and only one small federal grant program focuses each funding cycle toward new models for improving university-centered collaborative innovation strategies. The Partnership for Innovations (PFI) Program within the National Science Foundation (NSF) opened a new round of competition last week, offering funding of up to $600,000 for 10-15 successful proposals.
Created in 2000, the PFI program "seeks to stimulate and capitalize on innovation by catalyzing partnerships among colleges and universities, the private sector, and federal, state and local governments." While each PFI grant must be awarded to a lead university, the role of collaborations and partnerships extending outside the recipient institution is an important component of the program.
Useful Stats: Manufacturing Employment & Pay by State, 2001-2004
In SSTI's second look at the Geographic Area Statistics: 2004 from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Manufactures, SSTI highlights more of the report's key findings, including data on employment, payroll, and average pay per employee. (The first look at 2004 statistics was in the March 6 issue of the Digest.)