There is no way the new economy could work in this state without a highly trained work force. The genesis of a great deal of our state's innovation comes from the faculty and staff at our universities and, with the emergence of biotech as a major business sector, that dependency for innovation will grow. What can't be measured This enormous impact does not tell the whole story. There is no way to estimate accurately the other byproducts of higher education, including inventions, patents and the general advancement of knowledge. Although higher education's role in expanding research and development and attracting business and workers from other states is generally accepted, the study could not quantify the size of its economic impact.
Higher education is like the ABCs of the Texas economy.
It's a basic necessity for success. You have to know the ABCs to read. From technical training at Texas State Technical College campuses to work force initiatives at community colleges and engineering degrees at four-year universities, higher education plays a major role in determining how much and how fast a state's economy will grow. The fuel higher education adds to the Texas economy is potent, but it could do more, according to Texas' Commissioner of Higher Education Don Brown. Enrollment in fall 1999 reached 966,840 students and is expected to climb to 1.1 million by 2015.