Joined or Unconnected? A Look at State Economic Development and Higher Education Plans. Higher Education and the Economy of the West. Working Paper #5.

Overview & Synopsis

This paper, one of a series from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education's project "Higher Education and the Economy of the West," summarizes and analyzes economic development and higher education master plans in 16 western states, looking particularly at how planning for economic development and higher education articulate and finds disjunction. It sees higher education's view of its role as that of promoting broader access to education, providing career and job training relevant to future needs, and participating in product and market development. But economic developers look to higher education to educate a diverse workforce in increasingly sophisticated skills, provide necessary research and technical development assistance, participate in public/private partnerships for economic development, develop the potential of all educational sectors in relation to economic needs, and help attract new business and industry to the state. Separate statewide summaries of economic development and higher education plans are included for Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado; Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. An appendix notes methodology and lists state sources. (CH)