Good morning, class.

     Economic development. When we hear the term, and we have been hearing it a lot lately, the general reaction is usually less than enthusiastic. Actually, it sounds suspiciously like something you'd run across on C-SPAN. "The President's Conference on Economic Development." It also sounds like a topic that would cause most of us to surf on to the next channel without much hesitation.

     To put it bluntly, economic development just seems like it would be really, really BORING.

     When I first started looking into economic development, I was more than a little skeptical. The term seemed vague and somewhat mysterious. Perhaps even a bit faddish. Admittedly, in some of its more ambiguous incarnations, economic development does share a few similarities with those concepts people tend to invent when they don't have enough real work to do. Yet I was sufficiently intrigued to pursue it further. Looking back, it was the right decision.

     As is often the case, first impressions can be very deceiving. Those of you with an open mind know exactly what I mean. The rest of you probably don't. Anyway, the more I looked into economic development, the more I realized that this is important stuff . Perhaps even critical to our survival. Or at least our quality of life.

     If you've made it this far, please don't stop reading now. As much as parts of this article may read like a sermon, I'm not trying to convert the nonbelievers. I recognized that as a futile endeavor on most college campuses long ago. I am simply attempting to explain why economic development is inherently linked to the future efficacy of higher education as a cultural institution.

     Oh, and the fact that if we don't take issues like economic development more seriously, then a large percentage of those reading this piece will probably be out of a job within the next few years. If that didn't get your attention, then you are free to move on to the next article in this magazine or perhaps something else that is more suited to your intellectual capabilities. Too bad Echo doesn't have a cartoon section.

     To be fair, getting a handle on economic development is often hampered by the fact that a lot of the folks who are currently writing about it don't seem to have much of a clue about what it is or why it is important. Then again, we should be used to that in higher education. I routinely run across "experts" in the academy. A few actually deserve the title; the majority tend to be of the self-proclaimed variety. Regardless, after talking with many of them for just a few minutes, I find myself wondering how they remember to breathe on a consistent basis.

     But I digress. That's a lecture for another day. Let's get back to economic development.

     Economic development is currently a major thrust on both the national and state/local level. In a very fundamental sense, Western Kentucky University contributes to the economic development of the region through its very existence. Western is obviously a major employer within the area and contributes significantly to the local economy. Undeniably, Western also contributes to economic development through its graduates. On average, those who successfully complete their degrees at Western are more likely to have a higher standard of living and overall quality of life than those without a college education. This, in turn, positively impacts the economy in a number of tangible and intangible ways.

     There are those who feel that this should be the extent of the institution's involvement in economic development. Unfortunately, most of those who hold this view are wrong. Their view of the purpose of higher education seems to be frozen in the distant past.

     Let me try to explain this once more. Please note that the following explanation is targeted at those among us who are rather slow on the uptake.

     In order to flourish, higher education must change. Those of us who work in what is affectionately known as the Ivory Tower must recognize and accept that the academy is fast becoming just like most other societal institutions. We are no longer "special." More than at any point previously, colleges and universities are subject to the same forces and pressures as other institutions. We no longer occupy an 'exempt' role in our societal hierarchy. We no longer have an exclusive contract on the transmission of culture or even the development of new knowledge. We have competitors who can arguably do a better job on both counts.

     Accordingly, those of us who work in higher education should not see ourselves in anyway transcendent or otherwise superior to those who work elsewhere. We increasingly owe our existence, in great measure, to the basic laws of supply and demand. Higher education is now a mature industry. It's time we started acting like one. Which brings us back to economic development.

     You really can't think about economic development without thinking about business. Yet within the context of higher education, there are those who apparently think that business is a bad word. Academe is not a business, they remind me. It is something much more virtuous. Business is concerned with the ruthless pursuit of financial gain. Higher education, on the other hand, is concerned with the more noble pursuit of knowledge and insight. Herein lies a key component of the paradigm shift in which we find ourselves today. A shift that is taking place, I might add, much to the chagrin of those who are desperately struggling to sustain a romanticized, antediluvian view of higher education that is quickly disintegrating all around them.

     The absolute truth of the matter is that even within the sacred halls of academe, business is a viable concept. When you strip away all the philosophical rhetoric and stoic references to institutional mission and vision, higher education is just as much a business as IBM, General Motors, or Walmart. Think about it. Each semester, our clients vote with their checkbooks on whether or not we will stay in business. If you doubt this for even a second, then you are probably delusional.

     But again I digress. That is a sermon for a different Sunday. Back to economic development.

     In addition to the economic impact precipitated by its existence and the graduates it produces, Western also contributes directly to the economic development of the region through the programs and services that it provides to the community. Through its continuing education and leadership development programs, as well as other outreach initiatives, Western seeks to promote economic development within a more defined framework. In the past, these kinds of programs and services have been considered peripheral to the institution's central mission. In the future, they will be reflective of its core value system.

     Lastly, economic development is, at its essence, about jobs. Retaining jobs and creating jobs. Like it or not, higher education has an ethical, if not a moral, obligation to analyze and understand workforce trends. It also has an obligation to use this information, along with other market-driven considerations, when advising students on potential majors and careers.

     For those who may be comprehension-impaired, let me phrase this more concretely. Individual departmental enrollments will become increasingly irrelevant if it cannot be demonstrated, in a tangible way, that what the department does contributes significantly to economic development on both an individual and a collective level. Keep this in mind when students inquire about the availability of jobs in their majors. Don't get me wrong, I am all for producing an educated citizenry. But it has to be an educated citizenry that has the knowledge and skills that will be needed in the new economy or the point is really mute.

     An educated citizenry that has the financial means to maintain a high standard of living would also be good. Being intellectually enlightened is one thing. Being intellectually enlightened and living on food stamps is another.

     Finally, if you find the term "new economy" confusing or you still aren't sure exactly what it means, then I strongly suggest that you take a little time to get up to speed on the current state of affairs in the world. Things are fundamentally changing as a result of the technology; i.e., information, revolution. Wake up.

     Hint: If you still have an aversion to e-mail and the Internet, chances are pretty good that you have not yet caught on that we have entered a new era in the evolution of civilization. Moreover, if you are a faculty member who still hasn't figured out how to put your course syllabi on the web, I certainly wouldn't share it with anyone; it's not something I would want my colleagues to know about. In any event, please do us all a favor and try to get with the program before you become too much of a liability or, in the very least, an embarrassment. And for heaven's sake, Don Quixote, please stop fighting the inevitable.

     But I digress for the third time. I guess that's a signal that I should probably bring this effort to inform and enlighten to a close.

     The bottom line is that everyone at Western is either directly or indirectly involved in economic development. It is an inescapable part of academic life that shows no signs of going away. Get used to it.

     Class dismissed.

Note: Following publication of this commentary, it was obvious that several readers took the article literally. Normally I am against "explaining" what I have written, but in this case I felt it was necessary. Consequently, this e-mail was sent to all-campus on May 13, 2002.