'Path to prosperity' is education, Barker tells subcommittee

Published: August 16, 2011

Clemson President James F. Barker presents to the subcommittee as USC Upstate Chancellor Thomas F. Moore looks on. image by: Craig Mahaffey

CU-ICAR public-private collaboration transformed S.C. economy, Clemson president says

GREENVILLE — Clemson University President James F. Barker told a U.S. House subcommittee field hearing Tuesday that the university was built on a foundation of economic development, and the “surest path to prosperity” is education.

During testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, Barker said the visit to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) was timely.

CU-ICAR’s track record of successful collaborations with federal, state and local governments; and the private sector has helped transform South Carolina’s economy.

CU-ICAR evolved from conversations between Clemson and automaker BMW about what the state’s automotive cluster needed to remain competitive. The industry said it needed a new kind of engineer — one who understood how all the mechanical, electrical and computer systems in a modern automobile work together. 

Clemson faculty listened, responded and created a new curriculum focused on systems integration, Barker said. Financial resources were provided through state legislative initiatives that funded endowed chairs, research infrastructure and innovation centers. Often, those funds required a private-sector match — the ultimate measure of accountability.

“Today, more than ever, higher education needs to work closely with government and private industry to ensure that our graduates are well-prepared for the immediate job market and for their future roles as leaders of our companies and our communities,” Barker said.

The field hearing — Reviving our Economy: The Role of Higher Education in Job Growth and Development — was streamed live on the Internet at Clemson.edu. It marked the first time a field hearing of the subcommittee’s was available via webcast. In attendance were subcommittee members Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.).

Testimony also was provided by city of Greenville Mayor Knox White; Werner Eikenbusch, section manager for associate development and training at BMW Manufacturing Co. in Spartanburg; and Brenda Thames, vice president of academic affairs at Greenville Health System. Click here for a list of witnesses.

Wilson highlighted the success and economic impact of two of CU-ICAR’s founding partners: BMW Manufacturing Co. and Michelin USA.

German automaker BMW created thousands of jobs across the state through its supplier network and Greer plant, Wilson said. The company since has shipped more than one million Palmetto State-made vehicles around the world.

Since 1979, Michelin has invested more than $1 billion statewide and is investing $200 million in Lexington County that will create 270 jobs.

Gowdy said South Carolina has seen a distinctive shift in its economic drivers and now has one of the largest concentrations of highly skilled manufacturing in the country.

As employers’ needs have changed, so have the offerings of the institutions of higher learning, Gowdy said. Employers work closely with local technical schools to engage in curriculum planning and work with technical colleges to cultivate trained workers, he said.

Prior to the hearing, John Kelly, Clemson University vice president for economic development, told the subcommittee members that initiatives like CU-ICAR, and the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) in North Charleston, not only boost the state’s economy, but provide one-of-a-kind opportunities for students.

At CURI, students from across South Carolina gain valuable hands-on experience on a scale they could not receive anywhere else in the world working alongside the CURI project team and with partners statewide during the detailed design and initial construction of what will be the world’s most-advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility.

“We want our students to stay in South Carolina after they graduate,” Kelly said. “Unique internships and education opportunities, like these at CURI, CU-ICAR and at our partners, allow our students to demonstrate to potential employers what they have to offer.”

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