At the New York Times Thomas Kaplan takes a look at Buffalo's attempts to rebrand as a "college town," through the UB2020 initiative. The piece contains a healthy dose of skepticism, including concerns that tuition economy would put the University at Buffalo out of reach for poorer students, and that plans to move the school's teaching hospital would only enrich developers:
But Democrats in the State Assembly have been deeply skeptical. Many question whether allowing the University at Buffalo to charge higher tuition than other SUNY campuses would put it out of reach for poor students. Others worry that the university wants to be a real estate developer more than a university — or wiggle free from oversight by the SUNY system and the Legislature. “We think we have a role,” said Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick, a Manhattan Democrat and chairwoman of the higher education committee. “And their response is, ‘We want to do what we want to do.’ ” Western New York lawmakers sought to include UB 2020 in the state budget this year but were rebuffed. And although Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said he supports UB 2020 and has promised to hold a summit meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the proposal, he has also suggested concerns about its scale.
Tom Tobin at the Democrat and Chronicle is also weighing in on universities as an economic driver. Writing about a speech given at the Rochester Institute of Technology by the Kauffman Foundation's Lesa Mitchell, Tobin notes that universities also need managers to help bring ideas from the lab bench to the market:
Mitchell had a sobering message for America's higher-education and business establishments. The country is overflowing with knowledge and the means to acquire it. But that is not being translated into either innovation or entrepreneurship. "Since the 1970s, the size of American companies and firms has shrunk," Mitchell said. "You'd think that would translate into more entrepreneurial business. But we're stagnating in that area."
Brain drain
At the Democrat and Chronicle Todd Clausen has a column warning that more needs to be done to retain local college graduates. His solution for combating brain drain:
Rochester needs a champion to connect emerging professionals with career opportunities while also introducing students to social areas of the city, another key ingredient in keeping them here. Something like a community development position for emerging and young professionals fueled by funding and ideas from area college students, school presidents, young professional organizations, businesses and other community leaders.
At the Innovation Trail we're well aware of how difficult it is to find opportunities that appeal to young people upstate. We just finished off a series of reports about brain drain, and a talk show looking at what role government can play in retaining young people.
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