The country’s economic growth depends in part on the health of its research universities. That’s the conclusion of a report put out last year by the National Research Council.
That report lists 10 recommendations for strengthening these institutions. Those recommendations and how to put them in action has been the focus of nine forums the research council is holding across the country.
The University of California, San Diego hosted the council’s only California forum Thursday. Panelists, including leaders of local companies like Qualcomm, General Dynamics and SPAWAR, talked about their links to the research being done at UCSD and how to add to and strengthen those ties.
UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Kholsa, San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman and San Diego Community College District Chancellor Constance Carroll discussed their systems’ successes in partnering to help more students complete degrees in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
They also fielded questions from an invitation-only audience on issues including getting more veterans into higher education, the roll of technology in a college education and how to offer more real-world experiences to students on local campuses.
