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If
you share a vision of a region well-positioned for long-term success, you
can help us build that political will. Ask every candidate for state elected
office if they support our region’s Growth Agenda. Before you put
up yard signs or make campaign contributions to candidates, urge them to
stand with us and support the agenda. Attend candidate forums and make sure
the Growth Agenda is an issue of discussion. Write a letter to the newspaper
encouraging candidates to get on board. Now, am I advocating the kind of single-issue approach to politics that has become all too common in today’s polarized political world? Absolutely not. Northeastern Wisconsin’s Growth Agenda has such a broad impact — with the potential to touch on the region’s educational and economic opportunities and social and cultural development — that it must be on the radar of every candidate. Yes, this agenda is about providing Green Bay’s University of Wisconsin with the resources to serve more students. But it is about so much more. It is about helping us build partnerships across the region. These partnerships may be with our friends at other UW campuses, at the technical colleges and in K-12 school districts. Or they may be with partners from the business community, local government or nonprofit organizations. We have joined with many of these partners in promoting regional collaboration as part of the New North initiative. It is about working with our diverse communities to raise the aspirations of young people. While we already are making major progress in this area, I’ve stated on numerous occasions that we’re looking at a train wreck in the making if we build a large pipeline to our campus and then close the door just as students are on the verge of walking through. It is about preparing our region’s citizens for the kinds of jobs that will dominate the 21st century knowledge economy. And it is about putting our region’s university in a better position to connect learning to life and live the Wisconsin Idea of public service. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaTOP OF NEXT COLUMN |
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I
have a hard time imagining any public investment with a greater potential
return. A modest upfront investment will lead to more college graduates,
most of whom will stay in our region and help strengthen the economy and
enrich the quality of life in our communities.
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