In a recent op-ed article regarding Clemson University and the U.S. News and World Report college ranking controversy, Dr. Garrison Walters, Executive Director of the S.C. Commission on Higher Education, said “If South Carolina is to compete in the Knowledge Economy, we’ll need to recognize — and support — the diverse contributions of our colleges and universities. In my mind, one ranking that isn’t debatable is that stronger higher education should be our state’s No. 1 priority for economic development.” The above statement is certainly true for more than just South Carolina. It is true for every other state and country on this planet and as the pace of change in our world quickens, the need only becomes more urgent. Furthermore, we should remember that this is more than just a higher education need. We need to do more to support education at all levels, “K thru gray” to borrow a phrase from Dr. “Steve” Stevenson of Clemson University.
I saw a “real estate” friend this morning and as I was considering the above article that I had just recently read, I realized that the 4th, 5th, and 6th most important aspects of real estate must be education, education, and education. Or more likely, when a real estate expert tells you the three most important things in real estate are location, location, and location, what they are not quite verbalizing is that support for education in the area of a particular location plays a critical role in defining a “location.” There are numerous groups that “get” the connection between location for real estate development and education, but two groups you should be familiar with are the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) and the International Association of Science Parks (ISAP). Their branding certainly will not “knock your socks off” but they are both leading states and countries in the right direction in the Knowledge Economy. Research doesn’t happen in a vacuum and star researchers bring improvements in related education efforts where ever they go, K thru gray. So, “Have you hugged a researcher today?”