|
Incoming
NASA
and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute demonstrate
the kind of development that a sustained commitment
to education and quality of life can bring to
Virginia.
Most
people's attitude toward government and taxes is
simple. Whether times are good, bad or only getting
better, we expect to ante up taxes on our income,
our property and our purchases. Regardless of the
performance of the economy, we expect in return a
sustained public effort on priorities such as
quality universities, good public schools, safe
streets and clean drinking water. "The economy
is down, so we're going to have to educate your
child 15 percent less this year," not only
sounds silly, it is silly.
When
the General Assembly convenes in January,
legislators will find it hard to ignore public
restlessness about deep cuts to education, health
care and other programs imposed this year in
response to the revenue shortfall. Some polls show
that a majority of Virginians would rather raise
taxes on alcohol and tobacco than slash education
and health care programs.
Ideology, a luxury item in lean times, may have to
give way to real problem solving.
Those
who shrug that the Commonwealth just can't afford to
invest in its own future right now also might take a cue from a couple of
blockbuster investments on the way. Both the $500
million collaborative research center of Howard
Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in Loudoun
County
and a new National Institute of Aerospace, funded at
a five-year base of $49 million, were attracted to Virginia
by strong universities, a smart workforce and the
excellent quality of life. It is a pragmatic
argument, not ideological or political one,
therefore, to maintain state and local government
commitment to education and quality of life even in
slow economic times.
The
HHMI research campus will be huge. Research
laboratories, conference center and housing for
visitors and researchers will total about 750,000
square feet. Research space at HHMI's Janelia Farm
location off Route 7 will exceed that authorized for
Virginia
universities in the November 5th state bond issue
for higher education.
With
groundbreaking scheduled in 2003 and completion in
2006, HHMI will bring a scientific staff of up to
200 to Loudoun to engage in outreach to share
information and new technologies from the
international scientific community with Virginia
K-12 students and teachers. This interdisciplinary
research center instantly will make Virginia
a world
focal point for cutting-edge work on the genetic,
molecular and cellular bases of human disease.
Just
as importantly, the Langley
Research
Center
in
Hampton
announced recently that it will team with the
newly-formed National Institute of Aerospace
Associates in Reston
to create a new National Institute of Aerospace
(NIA). NIA will perform research, develop
technologies and boost interest in science and
engineering careers.
Locating
the NIA at the Langley
Research
Center
will facilitate NASA-sponsored research programs and
collaboration among seven universities or
non-profits, including Virginia Tech, the University
of Virginia
and the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics Foundation in Reston.
Other university partners are Georgia Tech, North
Carolina A&T,
North
Carolina
State
and the University
of
Maryland.
NASA's
media release calls NIA "a long-term commitment
on the part of NASA to expand collaboration with
universities, industry, other government agencies
and the broader scientific community to fully
leverage expertise inside and outside of government.
... Through
its partner universities, NIA will offer masters'
and doctoral degrees in science and engineering
using both a local campus and the latest innovations
in distance learning. The institute will also be a
catalyst for economic development by stimulating the
commercialization of new intellectual property and
facilitating the growth of new business
opportunities."
In
government-speak, the NIA partnership will work off
a "cost-reimbursable, indefinite
delivery/indefinite quantity contract" and a cooperative agreement. From the
$49 million base over the first five years, the
value of the deal could grow by another $69 under
the cooperative agreement and, if three five-year
options are exercised, the combined total value
could reach $379 million.
With
that kind of federal, private and university money
in the pipeline, the National Institute of Aerospace
will not rely on direct financial support from the Commonwealth
of Virginia
or local governments. But it depends upon robust
public investments in higher education. Leadership
in aeronautical and atmospheric research is the
goal.
Similarly,
with an endowment valued at over $10 billion, HHMI
won't need much direct financial support from the
state. But, like any knowledge-based enterprise,
depends upon robust public investments in education
and quality of life. HHMI wants some of the smartest
people in the world to live and work in
Virginia. Its
presence will help boost education and
quality-of-life.
The
NIA and HHMI initiatives suggest world-class goals
for a Virginia
with world-class potential. They offer different
models of economic development based on highly
educated, highly skilled people. The tired litany of
low wage, low tax, right-to-work state that
Virginia
still tries to sell is totally bogus in this future.
The
NIA and HHMI initiatives also are examples of why Virginia
remains a great place to invest even in an iffy
economy. And that leads to a fundamental question.
Is there a real reason Virginia
can't be a good place for the Commonwealth to
invest, too? Or
have we simply wrapped state government so tightly
in arcane ideological arguments about taxes and
spending that it can't prepare to embrace any good
deals in the future? This December, Gov. Mark R.
Warner will have his first opportunity to submit a
budget fully reflecting his priorities for
Virginia's future. Look for answers then.
--
Oct. 21, 2002
|
