This cluster of four major research universities is a very important asset for all of us. As the new information age unfolds, the region's intellectual capital is probably our most precious resource. Southern California has one of the largest concentrations of college graduates in the world. Our college-educated population more than doubled during the 1980s and is still growing rapidly. All of this bodes well for our region.
Higher education is a tremendous asset for yet another reason.
It represents a key export industry, and is one reason why Los Angeles is the American city for trade with the Pacific Rim. International scholars are an important part of our student population today. Higher education has internationalized, as has every other American industry. In the past decade the number of young men and women coming to the United States as students from Asian nations has tripled. Today, the top 10 countries sending students to America are all on the Asian Pacific Rim.