Universities and Economic Development

Universities are actively marketing their other efforts in economic development to their local and regional communities.

The plan focused on what the U.S. government, along with the private sector and universities, can do to better prepare students for the global economy.

Montana Tech pumps $74.5 million a year into Butte, generating jobs and boosting the economy, a new report says.

Universities are not just for enriching the knowledge of students willing to pay the price of admission; they are also capable of making meaningful contributions to the economic status of the regions they occupy.

Expecting research parks to fix many economic woes might still strike some as naïve. But there are ardent believers.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 950 college and university presidents — representing some 5 million students — dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement and service-learning in higher education.

As author and New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman has said, "The world is flat" — we are suddenly competing with every community around the world for basic manufacturing requirements and provision of high-tech and biotech services. With this flattening taking place everywhere, we must accelerate change taking place within our communities, and reinvent our centers of learning — our schools at every level — at a pace and speed unparalleled in the history of the country.

Because students are often free from "real-world" concerns such as finding a job or buying a house, many say they are able to take greater risks and spend more time developing a business.

“It is clear that state policy-makers expect Bloomington to use its research capacity to significantly aid state economic development activities,” it said.

The center aims to match faculty and students with local businesses seeking help with strategic problems and systems projects.