The Board of Regents recognizes the quality enhancements that have been accomplished through private support of the State University System, and the tremendous growth which has occurred in state matching programs. The incentives for giving which are provided by the state challenge grant programs are an integral part of institutional fund-raising and development efforts. The Board strongly encourages the continuation of state support for these programs. This research work alone supports more than 27,000 jobs annually and serves to educate and train the scientists and engineers required by knowledge-based industries. Effective competition in an increasingly global marketplace requires a highly-skilled and productive workforce.
Economic development is critically related to research and graduate education.
As Malcolm Gillis, the president of Rice University, recently noted, economic advantage is driven by the power of ideas and the command of skills and information. Products of the human mind are those of the greatest value, and the workforce requires people with an array of skills, including the capacity to acquire new skills as markets change. A remarkable example of effective collaboration between the state universities of Florida and business and industry partners is provided in the I-4 initiative. In this effort, the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida have joined forces with local business and industrial partners , especially Lucent Technologies and Cirent Semiconductor, to attract major investment by Bell Laboratories in central Florida. Local community colleges are involved in providing trained technical personnel for high wage positions.