how these programs generate jobs and encourage economic development.
“Ten years ago when we were talking about competitiveness and that sort of thing and then you could talk about research,” Faley says. “But now when the whole discussion centers around jobs, then research is too far out, the discussion is really what are you doing to help job creation. Entrepreneurship is a great thing for that.”
Johncox says she expects WSU and other local universities continue to bring entrepreneurial students and university startup leaders to lobby lawmakers. Nevertheless, the schools will feel some pain, she says.
“It is really important that we talk about those successes in an attempt to not have cuts,” she says. “But the state is in an economic crisis and the state’s trying to balance the budget and if we look at how that’s going to happen we know we’re going to get those cuts.”
David Mielke, dean of Eastern Michigan University’s College of Business, says the budget cuts might actually encourage universities to practice what they preach and get creative.
“It forces us to pay much more attention to the markets that we have and to determine what programs are really needed and what programs can drive enrollments,” he says, “and therefore increase our revenues and as a result serve our students much better and serve our employers much better.”