Presidents' Committee Survey Results
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== THE OSRHE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL PRESIDENTS’ COUNCIL REPORT OKLAHOMA HIGHER EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ==
== PRESIDENTS’ COUNCIL REPORT
OKLAHOMA HIGHER EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
OVERVIEW ==
As requested by the Presidents’ Council, the OSRHE Economic Development Council administered a self-assessment survey that identifies the involvement our institutions are providing as it directly relates to business/industry and community engagement. The survey was divided into three sections: Educational Services, Business/Industry Services and Community Connections. The survey, while not all-inclusive, provides the Presidents’ Council with a snapshot of the existing services being provided. Our institutions have been making positive strides in keeping with initiatives created through the Governor’s Workforce and Economic Development Council and the Oklahoma Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) project. Institutions are working in the identified career clusters that have been prioritized by the Governor’s council and have targeted the needs of industry as identified through the EDGE project.
“The impact of higher education on businesses has been significant throughout our state.”
All twenty-seven institutions are making significant in-roads through their individual efforts to provide training for the Oklahoma workforce, preparing them through a variety of methods including traditional programs, customized curriculum development, continuing education and training, research activities, student internships and professional development opportunities. Almost 60% of our institutions indicated they have made significant changes to their curriculum in an effort to better serve the needs of industry by providing higher level skills that incorporate interdisciplinary and critical thinking, as well as creative problem solving.
Currently, over 74% of our institutions have specialized departments that work specifically with business and industry training, with over 85% of our institutions providing customized training in both credit and non-credit programs that address the individual concerns of the businesses they work with. Over 77% of our institutions indicated that business and industry partners either fully or partially funding those services provided to them by our institutions. During the 2006-2007 academic year, over 3,700 businesses were directly served by our institutions; however, without a comprehensive economic impact study of the state higher education system, an exact dollar amount cannot be attributed to these efforts. The impact of higher education on businesses has been significant throughout our state.
Over 59% of our institutions indicated that they are currently undertaking research that seeks to strengthen current or future business and industry needs in our state. Additionally, 3,000 students participated in external internship opportunities with businesses throughout Oklahoma. While less than one-third of our institutions identified their work with patent process and IP as part of their services, those who did identify those areas described activities ranging from preliminary patent searches, copyright advice, licensing assistance, finding funding resources through manufacturing processing and marketing assistance.
“Our institutions are changing curricula and developing innovative courses to promote entrepreneurship and such high-level intellectual and practical skills as critical thinking, teamwork, creative problem solving, and interdisciplinary thinking—skills crucial for future economic success in Oklahoma.”
In their efforts to work with entrepreneurs throughout our state, over 51% of our institutions have a small business development center that works in a one-on-one relationship with those companies; the centers provide a plethora of services, covering everything from initial business start-up through new product development to follow-up marketing research. While only 33% of our survey participants indicated they provided incubator services for businesses, one-half of those indicated they are partnered with an external incubator, and they indicated that 122 companies were served through those efforts.
Almost 90% of our institutions indicated they are actively engaged in local and regional economic development efforts with over 63% of them having a representative serving on their local workforce investment boards. An additional one-third indicated they sponsor a manufacturing extension agent on their campus in partnership with the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance.
While this short survey only serves as a snapshot of institutional engagement in our communities and in our dealings with business and industry, it does provide a platform that can be used to address the needs and increased missions that our institutions are carrying out in their efforts to “Grow Oklahoma” into the new century.
SNAPSHOT ONE: DEVELOPING THE FUTURE WORKFORCE AND BUSINESS OF OKLAHOMA
Summary: Our efforts to develop workforce and business in Oklahoma are extensive. In addition to providing incubator services for business, our member institutions offer dedicated departments and customized services that answer the specific needs of business and industry. Our institutions also participate in a variety of internship programs and offer professional development and continuing education services that are evaluated to ensure compliance with the requirements of business and industry in Oklahoma. 74% of our institutions offer specialized departments dedicated to business and industry training.
85% of our institutions provide some form of customized training for business and industry.
89% of our institutions offer professional development options or continuing education courses that attempt to meet the needs of business and industry.
Over two-thirds of our institutions evaluate their continuing education courses to ensure that they support the needs of business and economic growth in Oklahoma.
85% of our institutions now participate in internship programs to better prepare students for the workplace. • 78% of all institutions participate in credit-based internships • 70% of all institutions participate in paid internships • Over 3000 students throughout Oklahoma were placed in internships programs in 2006-2007
During the 2006-2007 academic year, our institutions provided direct services to over 3,700 businesses throughout Oklahoma:
SNAPSHOT TWO: PROMOTING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN OKLAHOMA
Summary: Our member institutions offer a variety of educational services that seek to promote successful economic development in Oklahoma. Our institutions undertake innovative new research and help develop new technologies that are transferred to the general economy. We are also reacting in important ways to an increasingly competitive and knowledge-based global economy. Our institutions are changing curricula and developing innovative courses to promote entrepreneurship and such high-level intellectual and practical skills as critical thinking, teamwork, creative problem solving, and interdisciplinary thinking—skills crucial for future economic success in Oklahoma. In short, Higher Education in Oklahoma is now situated to play an increasingly vital role in the state’s future economic development. 81% of our institutions are directly promoting entrepreneurship among students. Specifically, we are: • Offering new classes in entrepreneurship and creating new entrepreneurship degrees • Developing academic courses and workshops that support business plan writing, marketing, and direct business development • Presenting creative research in conferences on agriculture, psychology, economics, innovation, and creativity • Offering incubator space for student entrepreneurs and the development of student ideas
70% of our institutions are directly promoting high-level intellectual and practical skills, including specific courses and entire curricula on problem-solving, creativity, and interdisciplinary thinking.
Over one-half of our institutions added credit courses or changed curricula during the 2006-2007 academic year to encourage high-level intellectual and practical skills. We are: • Incorporating EDGE initiatives into business curricula • Designing curricula that seek to develop high-level thinking skills, including such courses as Creative Problem Solving and Mathematics for Critical Thinking • Requiring Senior Research and Capstone Projects that develop skills in inquiry, research, and proposal writing • Rebuilding entire core curricula around interdisciplinary thinking, analysis, teamwork, and problem solving
60% of our institutions currently undertake research that seeks to strengthen current or future business and industry in Oklahoma. Examples of our research include: • Cattle tagging using radio-frequency identification (RFID) • Earth biofuels and agribusiness • Solar cells • Chemical research related to cosmetics • Purification and preparation of biodiesel from canola seeds • Weather radar technology • Artificial intelligence software • Automated vehicles • Nanotechnology
SNAPSHOT THREE: STRENGTHENING THE REGIONS AND COMMUNITIES OF OKLAHOMA
Summary: Our institutions are creating a variety of new and innovative connections with communities throughout Oklahoma. In reaching out to surrounding communities, we are hosting conferences on issues of importance to Oklahomans, and offering lecture series on such topics as entrepreneurship, business management, and globalization. We are also developing new Service Learning programs to mobilize student resources in bettering our communities. We are actively engaged in the community, taking leadership roles in community affairs, community sponsored organizations, and economic development organizations. In short, our member institutions are contributing in meaningful ways to the development of strong and vibrant communities across Oklahoma—communities necessary for a competitive future in which region and place increasingly matter.
60% of our institutions have incorporated the philosophy of "Stewards of Place" into their strategic plans. We are: • Hosting conferences on a variety of issues that affect our communities, including water, innovative economies, health, and rural development • Offering ongoing lectures on such topics as business management, globalization, and collaborative governance • Developing Service Learning programs to connect directly with local communities • Offering cultural enrichment programs, including performing arts series • Participating in community development programs such as Habitat for Humanity • Offering Lifelong Learning opportunities
100% of our institutions are actively engaged in their communities. Our faculty, administration and staff members attend meetings and take leadership roles in community affairs and community sponsored organizations, including: • Chambers of commerce and civic organizations • Advisory boards • Think-tanks and non-profit organizations throughout Oklahoma
89% of our institutions are part of a local or regional economic development group, contributing to economic development across the state. Member organizations include: • The Southwest Oklahoma Impact Coalition • Oklahoma Southeast • Northwest Oklahoma Alliance • Panhandle Regional Economic Development Coalition, Inc.
