Admiral Richard Gurnan of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, one of our esteemed public higher education colleagues, is fond of saying to anyone willing to listen: "Massachusetts doesn't make ships or shoes anymore. Massachusetts makes brains."
Indeed, when companies look to Massachusetts as a place to build their businesses, it isn't the weather or low taxes that draw them to our shores. It is the strength of a highly skilled workforce that convinces them to locate in the commonwealth rather than go elsewhere.
This essential truth about the underpinnings of the Massachusetts economy is what prompted us to join with public higher education leaders in Massachusetts in a recent declaration of our intent to produce "the best educated citizenry and most skilled workforce in the nation." This is the essence of the Vision Project proposed by Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Freeland, a bold new public agenda for higher education in the commonwealth that received the approval of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education on May 4.
Among The Vision Project's several purposes are the following:
Unifying the work of our public campuses across the state;
Actualizing the Board of Higher Education's responsibility to set direction for public education; and
Drawing attention to Massachusetts' public colleges and universities' important contributions to the commonwealth.
The Vision Project will help public institutions of higher education in Massachusetts articulate the numerous ways in which they make a positive impact on the commonwealth and in their specific regions. By so doing, it is expected to generate greater appreciation of and support for public higher education statewide.
The project will not impose a uniform set of educational goals on every public institution of higher education in the state, but rather will seek to highlight the variations among institutions and show how each institution's goals are reflections of their community and regional needs.
For Salem State College and North Shore Community College this means a more cohesive and greater impact for the North Shore region of Massachusetts. By recognizing and building upon each other's strengths and programming, we will be able to collaborate to meet the needs of the North Shore's workforce and provide research and resources for the region's economic development initiatives.
Salem State and North Shore Community are primed to deliver both.
As presidents of the region's largest institutions of higher education, we have already recognized the importance of involving our campuses with external business and workforce development partners. Our institutions have representation on the boards of the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development, the North Shore Workforce Investment Board, and the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, organizations that strive to strengthen and expand the economy of our region in different, yet meaningful, ways.
Involvement with these and other external organizations allows our institutions to be accountable for our region's workforce and development needs.
At Salem State, for instance, our Center for Economic Development and Sustainability (CEDS) provides resources, research opportunities and data relevant to the economic development and sustainability of the North Shore region. In so doing, it advances the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region. While working closely with businesses, organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions, and local communities, CEDS also adheres to the educational mission of Salem State by providing educational opportunities for students.
North Shore Community College, with campus locations in Danvers and Lynn, and a Corporate and Community Education Division at the Cummings Center in Beverly, is a true community resource. People of all ages and backgrounds — from this country and many others — rely on NSCC, not only for short-term, affordable education and new training skills as needed, but to provide the foundation for transfer to four-year colleges such as Salem State, where they can earn the advanced degrees our region's workforce also requires.
With 85 percent of state-college graduates and 87 percent of community-college graduates remaining in Massachusetts after obtaining their degrees, the commonwealth's public institutions of higher education have more impact on the local communities than one may think. Salem State alone has over 59,000 alumni living in Massachusetts and North Shore Community College has more than 28,000.
We see weak public perception and lack of awareness of the importance of contributions made to higher education as significant barriers to the economic vitality and well-being of our citizens, a problem compounded by the modest public support received by state campuses. Nationally, Massachusetts ranks first in cuts to its public higher education institutions over five years (source: Grapevine Research, Illinois State University.)
We cannot be the best if we fail to invest. The Vision Project will showcase the important work that takes place on our campuses as it works to keep Massachusetts competitive both nationally and internationally.
• • •
Patricia Maguire Meservey is president of Salem State College and chairs the board of the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development. Wayne Burton is president of North Shore Community College and immediate past chair of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce.
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