Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, June 23, 2005
Our view: A close link between higher education and the economy
Higher education — including technical colleges and more traditional universities — are vital to the economic future of Wisconsin.
That's not news, but what might surprise some people is the degree to which these very different institutions are working together.
University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly and Wisconsin Technical College System President Dan Clancy spoke to local business leaders about the linkage between jobs and higher education.
And they also told of ways that the proposed state budget will make it harder for colleges to work to improve the economy.
Clancy gave one example: Gov. Jim Doyle's budget included $5 million for job training grants. The money would go directly to businesses, but state technical schools would probably end up doing most of the training. Technical colleges already work with individual businesses on a one-on-one basis to design training programs.
The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee cut the training funds and replaced them with a smaller $2 million program targeted to small and medium-size businesses. In addition, about $3 million in other job training money was also cut.
Why is this important? Because employees increasingly need to upgrade their skills just to keep the jobs they already have.
One big change in higher education is the degree to which technical colleges and universities will have to work together.
Clancy said the two types of institutions used to have very different roles, but the need for job training at all levels has blurred those roles.
Viterbo University and Western Wisconsin Technical College have been collaborating on training issues for several years. Under their "two plus two" plan, WWTC students can transfer after two years to Viterbo to complete a four-year degree.
That's important for the students, but it also is important for the state economy, because bachelor's degree holders make more money during their lifetimes and will pay more in state taxes.
Reilly said the changing workplace requires people to learn new skills on a regular basis.
"States that don't figure out how to use public and private universities won't make it," he said.
Wisconsin has been steadily cutting back state support for both universities and technical colleges. And these cutbacks have often been made without thinking about long-term issues.
The relationship between education and the economy was made even clearer at a Tuesday meeting with the governor and local citizens in La Crosse. Businessman John Wettstein expressed concerns that cuts to technical college budgets would mean fewer skilled workers available for businesses.
We need to think in more strategic terms about what we do with higher education in Wisconsin. And legislators need to be listening when educators and business leaders speak.
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