And it is entrepreneurial activity that creates the opportunity for economic growth. The state could improve that figure if the Legislature would allow public universities to keep all of the money they are reimbursed by the federal government for spending on overhead and administration of federal programs. The state may be missing a good bet. Turning ideas into reality Gerhardt Schulle, Jr., Executive Director of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, says that the future growth of the high-tech industry in Texas depends on higher education. Engineers are fond of saying they turn ideas into reality, but it is true.
Every technological advance requires engineers to take a concept and make it work.
Nationally, the country benefits from about 65,000 new engineering graduates each year, but it is not enough. We're now forced to import engineers from around the world. Congress just increased the number of working visas to fill nearly 200,000 jobs for skilled workers per year over the next three years and many of those will be engineers. The biggest threat to high tech in Texas is the shortage of engineers, and higher education is the only homegrown source. A more important factor is that those institutions improve the skills of the state's work force, and that increases productivity as smarter workers work smarter.