University of Wisconsin - Extension

With the spring commencement season just completed, we have seen much attention focused on the number of university graduates planning to leave Wisconsin. Meanwhile, legislators face some tough decisions about the next state budget and how to bolster Wisconsin's competitive position.

Wisconsin typically ranks among the top 10 states in the country for retaining graduates of in-state universities and colleges. However, when it comes to attracting educated workers from other states, we lag far behind. So, how do we attract those educated people and the businesses that will hire them? For starters, we need prudent investments in higher education-the kind of higher education that improves communities, stimulates commerce, and provides pathways to better jobs.

Through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, individuals and communities put university knowledge to work using hands-on education and research that hits home. Through a network that includes county-based educators and 26 UW System campuses, we are helping to create jobs, improve schools, protect natural resources, strengthen families and develop sound community development plans. This translates into a higher quality of life and one giant step toward attracting and retaining a strong workforce.

UW-Extension also uses its resources to stimulate the state's business climate and diversify our economic base. Specialized education and counseling targeted at small businesses nurture the entrepreneurial climate that can create high-salary jobs. While Fortune 500 companies have lost more than 5 million jobs nationwide since 1980, entrepreneurs and small businesses added more than 34 million new jobs to our national economy in the same period. New and growing firms are a major source of jobs, and we need to do still more to support their formation and growth in Wisconsin.

As our economy evolves, UW-Extension is providing valuable advancement opportunities for Wisconsin workers. Robust continuing education programs, delivered in partnership with the UW System campuses, provide them with the flexibility to pursue careers in new and emerging business sectors. State-of-the-art technology enables the delivery of educational programs anytime, anywhere. In a changing economy, this will be especially helpful to adult students working to support their families in their current job while using distance education to learn additional skills and launch new careers.

Our job is to leverage University education and research to lift the lives of Wisconsin residents to higher planes, provide them with a real shot at economic prosperity, and preserve the things that have always made this a great place to live and work. If we succeed, we can help increase Wisconsin's per-capita income, which currently lags the national average by five percentage points. Raising it to the average would add a remarkable $7.6 billion dollars in taxable income to our state, making future state budget deliberations much less painful.

To do this, we need investments in educational systems that will create an attractive, thriving environment for all Wisconsin people. The link between educational attainment and economic health has been made clear in countless studies over the years. Investments made now in the University of Wisconsin-on campus and in every community-will reap valuable dividends in the future.

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Kevin P. Reilly is Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, which coordinates and delivers educational programs through 26 UW System campuses, 72 county Extension offices, and statewide public television and radio broadcasting networks.