Educated populations create prosperous economies

[CapeFearRiver10]

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=230827

In my opinion, the money Fayetteville will get from sell water to Fort Bragg in the future (well very soon). They should invest in FSU (Fayetteville State University) by finally creating the west campus that the universtiy been dreaming about & also invest in Methodist College. Look how the Triangle investments into the universities help them now the area been booming for the past 40 years. This is just something to think about you know.

[DanRNC]

I think this is the new trend to try to create knowledge-based economies everywhere. I just don't think its realistic in most areas. The Triangle is an anomaly and took a big risk when most other areas were hell bent on manufacturing. Also add in the universities and think tanks. Another thing to take into consideration is a significant amount brain power now is overseas/heading overseas (Asia and Europe). At best the U.S. can try to maintain what it currently has but this most likely means that the most educated folks will be concentrated in existing areas (Triangle, Boston, Bay area, Seattle, DC, etc.).

[monsoon]

Or simply going mobile. Many IT workers these days don't need to sit in a particular location as all they need is a broadband connection and phone. This means they will be spread all over the place.

[CapeFearRiver10]

I think this is the new trend to try to create knowledge-based economies everywhere. I just don't think its realistic in most areas. The Triangle is an anomaly and took a big risk when most other areas were hell bent on manufacturing. Also add in the universities and think tanks. Another thing to take into consideration is a significant amount brain power now is overseas/heading overseas (Asia and Europe). At best the U.S. can try to maintain what it currently has but this most likely means that the most educated folks will be concentrated in existing areas (Triangle, Boston, Bay area, Seattle, DC, etc.).

So what your telling me is that there will never be a new metro area that can create growth like the Atlanta, Triangle areas.

[NcSc74]

I think making Fayetteville Tech university status will do wonders. It has one of the largest enrollments for NC tech school system(at least 5 to 7 years ago). I went there for radiology/angioplasty tech. degree. I know its just a pipe dream but the school servers so many and a lot of people commute a long way to go there.

[davidals]

I think this is the new trend to try to create knowledge-based economies everywhere. I just don't think its realistic in most areas. The Triangle is an anomaly and took a big risk when most other areas were hell bent on manufacturing. Also add in the universities and think tanks. Another thing to take into consideration is a significant amount brain power now is overseas/heading overseas (Asia and Europe). At best the U.S. can try to maintain what it currently has but this most likely means that the most educated folks will be concentrated in existing areas (Triangle, Boston, Bay area, Seattle, DC, etc.).

While all good points, I wonder what our alternatives are? Manufacturing is dead in the water, and service economies are a serious dead-end for anyone who actually has to do the work (at least in NC).

Given the potential growth in NC's population, I'd love to see the University system get more legislative TLC. This could take the form of expansion of existing universities (many of whom will soon face space/geography limitations), beefing up the smaller schools (adding grad and postgrad or research facilities), more alliances with the state's business establishment, or adding/including/creating another university down the line (Eastern NC? Hickory? Fayetteville? Gastonia?)...

[CapeFearRiver10]

That would be great if they made another university & called it Cape Fear Univ. Right there just one mile east of Cape & Downtown. But just using the state money for regional universities like Cambel Univ., Fayetteville State univ.,& UNC Prembroke would really do wonders for Fayetteville. But Fayetteville does have another plan in mind its attracting former young retirees of the military to stay in Fayetteville. I guess they are searching for jobs that relate to the military that are higher-income.

[DanRNC]

The UNC system will not add any more universities. As a matter of fact they cut $30 million out of the budget last year. It could if a couple of things happened though (but never will).

1. Let UNC and NCSU have separate status where they could dictate enrollment numbers and tuition ala UVa and VaTech-basically take them out of the UNC 16 campus system. This would free up more money to build an additional campus.

2. Double or triple tuition at existing campuses and cut enrollment numbers.

[lma1973]

The UNC system is done building universoties for now and for some time to come. I dont think there is a UNC-Fayetteville in the works.

[davidals]

Doesn't bode very well in the quest to create "knowledge-based" or non-menial economies, at least in large chunks of the state. And - as populations in the state (and populations of potential college-students) continue to grow - getting into the increasingly limited space in existing university facilities will gradually get tougher. And - given funding realities - community colleges would struggle to pick up the slack. Perhaps community colleges could partner with some private universities to offer four-year degrees. I'm aware of the realities (versus what we all might hope for), but higher education now more than ever is nothing to shortchange.

[DanRNC]

North Carolina has shown its true colors when it comes to higher education for years and years. When tobacco and manufacturing were going fine, education was an afterthought. Now education is supposed to turn around the economy of every burg in this state. This knowledge-based economy hype is nothing but smoking mirrors and PR blurbs. It will never happen in NC except in areas that it already exists-the Triangle. The intangibles as well as the tangibles that occured in the Triangle will never be replicated, especially not in rural areas.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

North Carolina has shown its true colors when it comes to higher education for years and years. When tobacco and manufacturing were going fine, education was an afterthought. Now education is supposed to turn around the economy of every burg in this state. This knowledge-based economy hype is nothing but smoking mirrors and PR blurbs. It will never happen in NC except in areas that it already exists-the Triangle. The intangibles as well as the tangibles that occured in the Triangle will never be replicated, especially not in rural areas.

I agree. However Charlotte Metro and to a lesser extent the Triad are exceptions, also.

[intcvlcphlga]

The UNC system will not add any more universities. As a matter of fact they cut $30 million out of the budget last year. It could if a couple of things happened though (but never will).

1. Let UNC and NCSU have separate status where they could dictate enrollment numbers and tuition ala UVa and VaTech-basically take them out of the UNC 16 campus system. This would free up more money to build an additional campus.

2. Double or triple tuition at existing campuses and cut enrollment numbers.

UVa and presumably William & Mary, Va Tech, et al receive much less state funding than UNC system schools which puts them in a position of having to charge more and seek out more in private donations and fundraising. In a study I read within the last year, among the elite public flagship schools (UVa, Berkeley, Michigan and Chapel Hill), UVa receives the least funding per student of any of them and less than half the funding that Carolina receives. On top of that, UVa's enrollment (17-18,000) is smaller than all of those peer institutions.

[intcvlcphlga]

I agree. However Charlotte Metro and to a lesser extent the Triad are exceptions, also.

Both the Charlotte area and the Triad are relying more on private institutions rather than UNC system schools as their top colleges (Davidson and Wake Forest) as the top 2 schools in the UNC system are both in the Triangle.

[DanRNC]

UVa actually pushed for less state funding so the school could gain more autonomy from the politicians. UNC and NCSU have proved they can get private money as UNC has already raised close to $2 billion and NCSU has just finished raising $1 billion. Let these schools also set their own tuition and they essentially don't need as much state funding.

[intcvlcphlga]

UVa actually pushed for less state funding so the school could gain more autonomy from the politicians. UNC and NCSU have proved they can get private money as UNC has already raised close to $2 billion and NCSU has just finished raising $1 billion. Let these schools also set their own tuition and they essentially don't need as much state funding.

UVa sought more autonomy from the state because they had endured a decade of steadily decreasing support from SCHEV starting with Governor Wilder and it was really the only way to go. Interestingly, the politicians still exert influence over UVa by threatening to withhold their paltry funding if UVa didn't vote in favor of allowing Va Tech to join the ACC.

[sax184]

Charlotte does not have the relationship with Davidson, or UNCC, from what I can tell, that Winston has with Wake Forest or the Triangle shares with its 3 powerhouses-UNC, Duke, and NCSU.

Of course, Charlotte is a finance town, so that may not be important as long as it remains the #2 banking center in the US after NYC.

But DanRNC is right. The rural areas are toast on this count. There is no high-tech industry going to Fayetteville, or the Global Transpark, etc. Kannapolis is a bit of an anomaly on this but it will soon be subsumed into the Charlotte metro area.

The knowledge economy will thrive in the urban crescent of NC, and the rest of the state will be (relatively speaking) left in the dust.

[JunktionFET]

In nearly every IT related job I've had in RTP or Raleigh, there have been a number of commuters coming from Fayetteville. There apparently aren't many high tech positions available in Fayetteville. In effect, it seems like Fayetteville is slowly becoming a bit of a satellite bedroom community for The Triangle. Perhaps someday this could help bolster Fayetteville's tech economy--Triangle companies may opt to place satellite offices in the Fayetteville area.

[monsoon]

Of course, Charlotte is a finance town, so that may not be important as long as it remains the #2 banking center in the US after NYC.

Just to set the record straight, less than 10% of the jobs in the city of Charlotte are finance related and in the metro the percentage is a lot less than that. I believe Wachovia, BofA, and the other banks are responsible for about 35-40K jobs. This in a CSA of 2.2 million people. In comparison there are 50K jobs in the area related to manufacturing and the manufacturing business including 35,000 in the automobile/truck assembly and parts manufacturing business. Duke Energy is the largest energy company in the USA, and the Lowes Home Improvement HQ will have 12,000 employees. Charlotte is also the 6th largest distribution center right behind Chicago. Microsoft has its only development campus outside of Washington State in Charlotte and IBM, while not as big as in the triangle, still has a significant presence in the city as well.

Many people from Davidson and UNCC end up in jobs in these non-banking areas. I am one of them.

[JDC]

The knowledge economy will thrive in the urban crescent of NC, and the rest of the state will be (relatively speaking) left in the dust.

I prefer urban banana.