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Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks Global Best Practices: Report of a Symposium (2009) / Chapter Skim
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Keynote Address III--James Barker
Pages 86-91

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From page 86...
... This suggests, he said, that universities can play a valuable role in innovation and in the commercialization of knowledge than previously assumed.11 President Barker's achievements at Clemson University, he said, would provide additional evidence for this point of view; Clemson has raised both its academic standing and its involvement in economic development during his tenure. James Barker Clemson University President Barker began by praising the work of the National Academies and the Association of University Research Parks and "the leadership of both groups in creating opportunities for policymakers, academic leaders, and scientists to engage with each other in a common purpose." The common purpose of the two institutions, he said, is that science and technology can advance knowledge "and stimulate economic development, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for 11  Bart Van Looy, Marina Ranga, Julie Callaert, Koenraad Debackere, and Edwin Zimmermann, "Combining Entrepreneurial and Scientific Performance in Academia: Towards a Compounded and Reciprocal Matthew-Effect?
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From page 87...
... He worked to establish a university that would restore the weakened Civil War economy by providing advanced education and scientific experimentation in agriculture and engineering. At his death he left his land, home, and personal fortune to support the founding of Clemson University, writing in his will: "I trust that I do not exaggerate the importance of such an institution for developing the material resources of the state." The university, then, was founded specifically as a driver of economic development.
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From page 88...
... It is the only location offering masters and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering. CUICAR houses R&D facilities occupied by BMW and Timken, and has active new partnerships with Michelin, IBM, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Sun Microsystems, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
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From page 89...
... It includes hundreds of electronic and mechanical components that have to interact constantly and flawlessly with each other and with the external environment, the surface of the road, and human occupants." The broader goal of the education and research program is to create a workforce of systems engineers -- ­"integration engineers, if you would." Traditionally, engineers have worked deep in their "one-­disciplinary holes," he said, and the challenge has been to "tie those holes together -- to produce people who understand and improve how extremely complex systems interact with each other and apply these principles to a broad spectrum of applications." The essential role of the state He acknowledged that even with those three factors -- a strong faculty, a clearly defined need, and a powerful industry partner -- Clemson would not have been able to establish CU-ICAR without state funding. For many years, he said, South Carolina "watched from the sidelines" as neighboring states moved ahead in per capita income, job creation, and development of high-tech industry by leveraging the strength of their state universities.
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From page 90...
... Also in 2002, the state Research Centers of Economic Excellence Act set aside $30 million annually in lottery revenue to fund endowed chairs in areas related to economic development at the three research universities -- provided that the university generated matching funds. With private gifts from BMW, Michelin, Timken, and other partners, this program has invested $36 million in endowments to support faculty and students in graduate engineering centers of CU-ICAR.
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From page 91...
... "But one lesson for me was during the last economic downturn the uni­versity's academic budget was cut by about $50 million, and at the same time, the state invested $50 million in economic development funds that came directly to C ­ lemson." He saw this as a "net shift from investing in basic education to investing in a knowledge-based economy that reflects the priorities of the state. What's happening to universities around the world is that we still have a responsibility to support the intellectual development of our students -- to study Aristotle and ask questions about beauty and truth and the meaning of life.
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