THE UNIVERSITY AND REGION'S ECONOMY
Universities play a key role in the knowledge and information intensive economy of this century.
Written by Robert P. McComb
Texas Tech is placing greater emphasis on its regional economic development efforts. Is this an appropriate mission for Texas Tech University? Faculty steeped in a tradition of teaching, research and professional service, whose time is already subject to competing demands, may not readily embrace this role.
A widespread perception is that economic development is only business development. Too often, the metric used to evaluate economic development efforts is “number of jobs created or retained.” Of course jobs are important. Healthy economies create desirable jobs, expand employment choices for existing residents, and attract new residents. But such a simple view ignores the true complexity. Successful economic development looks upstream and across the community’s landscape. Sustainable, prosperous economies and businesses both enable and depend on significant investments in human capital and social infrastructure, effective local government and leadership, and cultural and recreational amenities that contribute to a high quality of life.
Regions that fail to provide a suitable economic environment confront an unattractive future given today’s highly competitive inter-regional context. Lubbock, the largest population center in Northwest Texas, has been holding its own on most counts. Much of West Texas, though, is lagging. The 2000 census showed that many of the counties in West Texas actually lost population and workforce in the 1990s. While precise data are difficult to obtain, a significant share of the growth in Lubbock-area population appears to be coming from intra-regional in-migration. From a regional perspective, this is a one-time, zero-sum game. Although the decline of smaller communities can be observed across America, small communities characterize West Texas, increasing our exposure to the problem.
All residents of our region have a stake in the success of the regional economy. Many people also would agree that the futures of most state universities are linked to the health of the local and regional economies around them. Texas Tech is probably in this group. Not only do we rely on West Texas for a full one-third of our student enrollment, our ability to compete for increasingly scarce fiscal resources for higher education will be hindered by our region’s declining political clout.
Texas Tech always has made important contributions to the Lubbock-area and regional economies. Certainly, our primary missions of providing higher education and conducting research have direct and indirect economic impacts. Texas Tech is a major employer and a principal element in the social and cultural fabric of our region. Its very presence attracts activities, businesses and creative people that otherwise would not be here. It is indeed more than a coincidence that a major research university is always present in the cities and regions that have enjoyed the most dynamic economies over recent decades. Universities are at the core of technology business clusters that drive entire regional economies.
Precisely because universities play such a key role in the knowledge and information intensive economy of this century, Texas Tech University has a particular responsibility to West Texas. We are the only research institution in Texas west of I-35, and thus, the only institution that can play the role of growth pole. And while state financial support for higher education continues to decline as a share of Texas Tech revenues, more is asked of us as a state agency. The Legislature insists that Texas state universities be direct players in regional economic development, that we open wider our doors to promote greater leverage of the state’s investment.
Achieving success in this role is more than just a question of presence. It calls for broad-based institutional receptivity and commitment to regional deployment of university resources and assets.
For many disciplines, effective leveraging of Texas Tech to encourage regional economic development is closer to our normal course of academic activity than we may think. It is difficult to point to a discipline that cannot contribute to enhancement of the regional economic environment. By adding a service learning component to course syllabi, pursuing opportunities for technology transfer, or by making minor adjustments to applied research agendas, faculty can have an impact. Of course, Texas Tech has to facilitate and encourage faculty involvement in regional endeavors. This will come down to providing appropriate incentives and recognizing effort.
Economic development should seek to build and sustain a higher quality of life for all residents. I believe it shares this goal with higher education.
Robert P. McComb, Ph.D., is the assistant vice president for economic development at Texas Tech University.
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing
806-742-2136
Photo by Melissa Goodlett
Web layout by Gretchen Pressley