State of Technology
Group Charts Idaho’s Technology Future
By Sharon Fisher, 1-17-07
The Idaho Science & Technology Advisory Council discussed during its quarterly meeting today how best to regroup after having most of its recommendations not included by Governor Butch Otter for the fiscal 2008 budget.
It is important for the organization to work with the governor, said chairman John Grossenbacher, from INL. “There are elements that would like to drag us into an adversarial relationship” based on what the organization asked for vs. what the governor recommended, he said. “We don’t govern. We recommend, he decides.”
Still, some members -- disappointed that $50 million in recommendations had been turned down -- were planning more advocacy with legislators, who are the ones who actually decide the budget. "We're an advisory committee, not an agreeable committee," said one.
At the same time, he acknowledged that it was difficult for committee members who were state employees to be put in a position of publically disagreeing with the governor.
Instead of the $50 million the group had asked for (in one-time money, to be paid for out of the state's approximately $200 million surplus), the Governor recommended awarding $15 million to the Higher Education Research Council, which helps attract research programs to Idaho's universities.
Members of the organization discussed Otter's lunchtime speech to the group -- along with the Department of Commerce and Labor's other government-industry councils -- as well as a meeting Grossenbacher had with Otter after lunch, to determine the best way to work with Otter in the future. He looks at government like a business, Grossenbacher reported, suggesting that the group put its focus more into public-private partnerships -- such as those that resulted in Otter's proposal for a $10.9 dairy laboratory in the Magic Valley -- and include business metrics such as return on investment in its proposals. That could require a change in the group's charter, perhaps giving it responsibility for a budget, he said.
Members also discussed efforts by other states -- some of which invest far more in the science and technology community than Idaho does -- but Otter dismissed that in questions after his speech, claiming that those states don't get the bang for the buck that Idaho does for its money.
The group also discussed how to track various metrics that would help it determine how Idaho's science and technology industry is doing, which isn't easy. For example, a drop in science and technology college admissions may reflect a worrisome trend, or may indicate that people are taking advantage of Idaho's robust economy to earn money by taking a job instead of going to college, explained member Dwight Johnson, from the Office of the State Board of Education.
Whatever the cause, Idaho isn't producing enough computer scientists, said member Jason Crawforth, of TreeTop Tech. BSU had a 62% drop in students declaring a computer science major over the past three years, he said. This is hampering Idaho's ability to attract technology companies because they can't find the trained employees they need, he said, noting that companies grow twice as fast outside Idaho where such employees are more plentiful. "There are 52 people graduating from BSU in computer science," he said. "We have a big problem on our hands."
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Comments
And yes, I wonder how long Governor Otter is going to milk the Broncos/BSU thing.