By Daniel Ravenel

By now we have all heard that higher education is an engine for economic development. There is a consensus among economists that education is critical to success in today's knowledge-based economy. This means that, in a "flat world," where manufacturing and even service industries are migrating to distant countries, as our neighbors in North Carolina and Georgia have learned, South Carolina must learn to compete at the knowledge-based high end or fall further behind.

Increased education levels will assist our state in attracting new companies and businesses, raising our per capita income, and improving the quality of life for all South Carolinians.

Awareness is one thing, and action is another. What is our state doing to be sure we are moving in the right direction? Earlier this year, the General Assembly and governor, building on recent efforts, created a Higher Education Study Committee (HESC) that is charged with recommending bold steps to strengthen our higher education system. I am honored to serve as chair of that group.

The study committee has many specific questions to answer, but foremost in its responsibilities is creating a multi-year strategic plan that first sets aggressive goals for a stronger and more competitive system. The idea is to develop a straightforward, clear plan to which we can hold higher education and ourselves accountable as we work toward improving South Carolina's well being.

Examples of areas to be addressed by these goals are:

-- Increased education levels, including priorities such as services and technology, and health care.

-- Increased levels of research and other measures of innovation such as licensed patents and technology start ups.

-- Increased workforce training and educational services such as medical residencies, and cultural outreach.

For accountability and monitoring of progress, each of these goals will have specific percentages of increase and an amount of time to achieve success.

The actual targets will be determined by a committee, which will include leaders of business and government, as well as colleges and universities. The emphasis will be on practical and specific outcomes that make sense for South Carolina and will directly move the state forward.

A meaningful action plan will have to specify the resources needed by each institution to achieve each goal, including such critical factors as continuous improvement in institutional and system efficiency, as well as necessary state support.

To move forward quickly, we will create a series of advisory groups to broaden participation and assist in developing our recommendations. These will include significant representation from outside higher education. These groups will focus on organization and plan implementation, institutional mission, academic programs and planning, enrollment, funding and institutional cost, buildings, facilities, technology, and scholarship and grant programs.

This process is daunting, but the bottom line is that the world has changed. Knowledge is now crucial to our ability to compete. Because our education levels are below the national average, we are starting well back. We also have to recognize that our competitors are just as aware of the challenges and are also working hard to do better.

South Carolina has important advantages. We're a relatively small state, but that's offset by a tradition of hard work, creativity and entrepreneurism, together with the willingness of our leaders to work together to solve difficult problems. If we apply those strengths to the challenge of competing in a flat world, we can leverage a high quality, highly focused, highly efficient system of higher education to improve dramatically South Carolina's economy and quality of life.

Beginning with a well-designed plan is critical to starting in the right direction. The committee's recommendations will be delivered to the governor and General Assembly in February 2008.

Daniel Ravenel, a Realtor in Charleston, serves as chair of the newly formed Higher Education Study Committee. He is also vice chair of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.