Jobs and partnerships were twin themes in remarks by Gov. Deval Patrick and Salem State University President Patricia Maguire Meservey this week.
The settings were very different. Patrick's comments came in an interview with The Salem News at his Statehouse office Tuesday evening, while Maguire's were part of her address to the North Shore Chamber of Commerce during a breakfast at the school's Central Campus the following morning. But the focus was strikingly similar on a couple of key points: the need to broaden job opportunities for Massachusetts residents and a recognition that government can't accomplish that objective by itself.
Job creation was the first of four priorities mentioned by Patrick, followed by education. The two go hand in hand, of course. And while Massachusetts has a more highly educated population than most states and its economy appears to be recovering at a quicker pace, "there's still a lot of people out of work," the governor lamented.
Providing Bay State residents with the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global marketplace should be a priority for the state and its institutions of higher education. And it's one Meservey says she embraces.
Indeed, business administration is now the top major at Salem State (followed by nursing and education), and the school has made itself a center for business innovation through institutions ranging from the Bertolon School of Business to the Enterprise Center, which is currently soliciting entries for its annual business plan competition.
During her remarks, Meservey urged the assembled business people to participate in a series of roundtables she will be convening this spring to determine how her school can better mesh its curriculum with employers' needs.
This kind of realistic, results-oriented approach is commendable and should serve the state and its citizens well in the decades ahead.
No Limits for Disabled Hunters at Mich. Base
Victim Identified in Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Crossed the Pacific
90 Guns Seized, Dozens Arrested in Oakland
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Judge's Ruling Halts Tenn. Mosque Construction
Romney in Las Vegas on Texas Primary Day
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
