[PurpleLove08]

This is just an area for those who want to share their ideas of what types of progress they want AR to attain. Examples: Higher degree attainment, higher average per capita income, etc.

I'll come back and add my .02 after a few posts.

I can't wait to see the responses...........

[hotair2]

Originally Posted by PurpleLove08

This is just an area for those who want to share their ideas of what types of progress they want AR to attain. Examples: Higher degree attainment, higher average per capita income, etc.

I'll come back and add my .02 after a few posts.

I can't wait to see the responses...........

I would like to see more Corporate headquarters come to Little Rock. These are the type of jobs that will pay well and pull people into the city. I spoke to former Congressman from Arkansas and asked why were not getting more of the corporate headquarters. His answer was that we tax them to death. This was a democrat. He pointed to FedEx that used to be here but Memphis gave them a better deal. We need to do more to attract that type of business to Little Rock.

[outofarkansas]

The progress needs to be cultural as well as economic and educational. If you read Richard Florida's book about how certain localities and cities thrive, most of it has to do with the cultural factors in those places: they are open to innovators, they encourage free thinking, new ideas, adventuresome forms of work and community involvement. These are exactly the areas in which much of Arkansas has the most difficulty. Arkansas could be a place where young innovators go to try new businesses, new internet start-ups, new non-profit organizations. But Arkansas isn't welcoming of such efforts. Innovation, ambition, and creativity are looked at with suspicion in Arkansas, even by entities like the Clinton School, which is supposed to be ENCOURAGING such ingenuity. It really is unfortunate. My work has been far better served by leaving Arkansas and living/working elsewhere. The improvement was almost immediate. The same is true for my wife. Clearly, the problem was a deep systemic and cultural one in Arkansas. Change that, and the state could thrive. Without such change, however, Arkansas will continue to earn the reputation of being behind the times, a place for the creative or innovative or upwardly driven to avoid.

[nmnita]

With the addition of things like corp headquarters (I too would like to see that) other progress will be natural. Headquarters bring in better jobs, thus the educational system will improve plus more people from other areas will settle here and the overall demographics will change. But remember not every state can be the same. I don't think many want us to become Texas or any similar state. Nothing wrong with Texas, I love it, I just don't want AR to be a carbon copy.

Nita

[hotair2]

Originally Posted by nmnita

With the addition of things like corp headquarters (I too would like to see that) other progress will be natural. Headquarters bring in better jobs, thus the educational system will improve plus more people from other areas will settle here and the overall demographics will change. But remember not every state can be the same. I don't think many want us to become Texas or any similar state. Nothing wrong with Texas, I love it, I just don't want AR to be a carbon copy.

Nita

I think we will need to improve education first. Having an educated workforce is one of the drivers for corporate headquarters and technology jobs. Two drivers for corporate movement is labor and cost. The state will need to fork out some tax incentives as well as some cheap land. In addition, they will need a qualified workforce. They have no problem finding chicken catchers to work at Tyson. The jobs that will pay the most are the ones that require more education.

[Sneezyone]

In addition to the things already mentioned...

I'd like to see Arkansans develop some sort of loan repayment program that encourages Arkansas high school grads to bring their college/graduate/professional educations BACK to the state, not just stay in the state to get the degree, then leave. Free ride scholarships are great when a state's higher education institutions are plentiful and top notch but that's not the case here.

I'd like to see gov't agencies place more emphasis on skills-based hiring. The current process essentially prohibits people from working in gov't in areas unrelated to their undergraduate, graduate or professional degrees when that's what 90% of smart college, graduate and professional degree-holders do. It seems to me that if you want better regulatory schemes, new ideas and innovation you have to look more closely at skill sets and work experiences, not college majors.

I'd also like to see Arkansas invest in more infrastructure (cable and DSL outside the city limits would be a great start). These things are basic utilities, not optional services, amenities or perks.

[ridicter]

Originally Posted by outofarkansas

. Innovation, ambition, and creativity are looked at with suspicion in Arkansas, even by entities like the Clinton School, which is supposed to be ENCOURAGING such ingenuity.

The Clinton School is the most innovative institution in the state. It has an innovative curriculum (only public service degree in the nation), is on the forefront of pressing issues like global warming and sustainability, and in all frankness, is probably the only education institution with any level of "prestige" here. (Is prestige overrated? Absolutely, to some degree. But it's also not: prestige is associated with, on average, a higher quality student, and, on average, a higher quality professor.) Don't get offended, because I'm only speaking in averages here, but innovators are simply more likely to come from more prestigious schools.

And it's important to realize that many people are smarter than they think (and some dumber), but you need to cultivate your intellect by surrounding yourself with people who challenge your beliefs and challenge what you know. You can't get complacent.

I agree with the 3rd post about attracting innovators. Little Rock, especially the Heifer Global Village and Clinton Foundation, are really at the forefront of what the state offers. I went to Heifer Village today with my family, and we were surprised at how progressive and stunning the Global Village is. Y'all should cherish it. My siblings have since split off to California and New York and Austin elsewhere (not all right now, but at some point), and they/I were impressed at the high quality exhibits at the Global Village--something my sister remarked she never encountered in Austin. We learned much about fair trade, sustainability measures taking place around the world, latest efforts to end world poverty/hunger, microfinance, etc. Our guide was a very intelligent native African, who was well versed on it all, including the minor chemistry behind the renewable resources. He goes to the Clinton School. The truth is, you would see generally only see students of his caliber at the nation's best institutions, and the Clinton school is that (let alone, a foreign student from a poor African country).

As for me, I'm here for the summer for various reasons. Another friend from my college is too. (I go out of state.) I don't want to toot our horns, but it's very clear that we simply won't be able to return to the state. This is our last hurrah, so to speak. He's here because the financial institution he originally had an internship went under!

And if you want a blunt run down of the final destination of Arkansas National Merit Scholars or high ACT/SAT scorers--those who have demonstrated their talent and tenacity with top 1% standardized scores and great grades (as well as those who are most likely to be innovators, but even among them not very many will be)... it doesn't look inviting.

Lemme think of a quick rundown of whom I know directly or indirectly: some 20-30 students in this high achieving category (b/c of where I went to school). a) guy who set physics records, Caltech, working in solar industry, b) guy who interned at NASA, prestigious science scholar, MIT, working on Wall Street c) a handful of up and coming indie musicians making waves in the west and east coasts, record deals, and people would be shocked if they knew they were from Ark, d) a handful of Harvard grads, including Jeopardy teen champion, permanently out of state, e) Stanford grad, good friend of mine, future entrepreneur at a school that pumps 'em out (google, sun, yahoo, etc), and parents followed him out of state, f) google's #1 (at one point) app programmer who was a high school student and google even flew him in to their HQ b/c they were so impressed! g) and many more of all kinds.

Of this number, I would say that easily less than 10% will stay in state, and I want to say 5%--or, in real numbers, maybe 1 or 2. I know of one who is in state, and that's because he landed an engineering job at the Pine Bluff Arsenal immediately after graduating early from college. It's mildly depressing. These people will innovate, but not here. And, I hate to speak in such broad strokes, but these people were all progressive, free-thinking types. Those who were even slightly conservative were the types of conservatives you find in the North--i.e., fiscally conservative, not socially. There's a reason good academic institutions are progressive: it's simply the nature of a free-thinking, fluid, and dynamic learning environment.

And while I'm being frank, I want to point out why this brain drain is, well, as bad as you think if not worse. In Poli Sci demographics class, you learn how people self-select, or choose to move, to places where there are people like them. Over time, this polarizes regions/cities/and at some level the state. So, as I've demonstrated, the very best in AR tend to leave to more progressive areas--or at least what they perceive to be progressive (and as many have rightly pointed out in this forum, sometimes that's false). However, at some level, it works in the opposite direction: that is, more insular people choose to move to AR because they think it is just the type of place they want. This polarizes states.....and you get concentrations of young professionals in places like Dallas/Austin/West Coast/ MA etc...and, not quite, but nearly the opposite effect here.

Here's an analogy I heard: when the US accepts immigrants from Asia or Europe, they more often than not are professionals. These are the "go-getters," and they tend to live wel herel. You won't get the lazy ones, because they simply don't won't make it through immigration. It works the same way with states. The "go-getters" go to certain regions of the US, leaving a disparity in innovators...

I guess I should go ahead and put in my disclaimer. I don't want to come off as uppity, because frankly, my future is set in stone out of the state at this point. (Ain't nothin' I can do: I need to explore, and most importantly, survive.) And don't take my post as me hating on Arkansas, because I like the state and my siblings will sometimes remark on how odd it is that I like it so much. I'm just laying it bare. (It's been a long day, I just got scammed by a used car dealer today, so I'm letting it all out.) Maybe it's good to remove the gentility, though, and realize the gravity of the task at hand.

I think there are four places where AR could really start laying the foundation for innovation (p.s., check out innovatearkansas.com if you haven't): 1) Fayetteville, 2) Little Rock, 3) Conway, and 4) Hot Springs. The order I listed is pretty much the order I think it's possible. Fayetteville's a very cool small city by any standard, and if their progressive leaders keep it up, they might be onto something. Green Valley might have some substance, esp. with Wal Mart throwing its weight around. Little Rock has high education rates and the right culture (i.e., more freethinking than not), but it doesn't have enough educational institutions! UALR is great, but I would say there needs to another one on the level of Tulane. If Mr. Stephens would make a University that would be great. The Clinton school, however, is making waves, but it only has 20-30 students per year. LR is, overall, I'd say a cool mid-sized city by any standard, but as Bchris laments, sorely underepresented in the key demographic for innovators: young professionals. 3) Conway has two universities, but I've been around town a lot, and it's so sprawlerrific and dull-ly planned and uninspiring. Most grads will get out, and I don't blame them. There is not a sidewalk on 90% of that city grid and driving around in a box all day is a lame, anywhere-USA experience. 4) Hot Springs has a relatively good arts scene, incredible downtown, but no universities at all, so this is the slimmest chance of the four. But it would be an ideal setting for a good liberal arts college.

To really get the ball rolling? Build more universities. There are more students. And there needs to be more separation between the high performing students and not-high ones. Some of those state-bred innovators will need to bite the bullet and start a company in their own state, and that's very difficult considering the entrenched current environment and 49th place ranking in bachelor's degree attainment.

GL.

[PurpleLove08]

I don't think just big corporations should get the tax breaks or the red carpet.
We need to support our own.

I don't think it's fair that locally owned businesses have to pay a lot more in taxes than say Wal-Mart or maybe Axiom.
I would rather the taxes be lowered on businesses across the board, not just those who have world recognition or a large workforce.

Good Jobs First: Smart Growth for Working Families, Subsidies and Sprawl

I would love to see less sprawl and more investment in public transportation. A lot of people my age are sick of driving our cars just to get around and we think the bus system could use some major work.

I agree with rdicter about Conway: lots of sprawl and generally uninspiring. I just don't see the appeal....

I'm not really sure if we need a lot of universities...I've read the the population of traditional college age students will slow down.
If we could attract more people and apply some smart growth, I would be all for building more universities but I don't think the need is there. I could somewhat see a new one being built in Hot Springs considering the growth they are having. We could do away with HSU and possibly build a University of Arkansas-Hot Springs.

My girlfriend and I LOVED the Heifer Village. A professor of mine suggested I apply to the Clinton School but it's not really something I want to do. I think it's a great school but it doesn't really fit with my career goals.

Sneezyone I like your idea of the loan repayment program. I have been saying for a while now that Arkansas should pay the way of their residents to attend college, provided they meet certain criteria:

High school students: 3.0 high school GPA
22 on the ACT (which I think is kind of low but hey...)
30-45 hours of community service

While in college, you have to maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher.
For those who may not meet the requirements, they can earn the scholarships after achieving a 3.0 (or higher) GPA after a semester or two of college.

I can't really think of criteria for adults. They might have to write an essay on how a degree will improve their lives, how they plan to use their degree, etc.
The state pays for their first semester and if they maintain a 3.0 (or higher) GPA, the state keeps paying.

Everyone would get a set amount to spend at a college of their choosing.
I don't want the state paying for every kid to go to Hendrix...unless of course they meet certain criteria.
I knew plenty of kids who earned the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship.

I would love to see more internships for students. The business community should try to offer more internships.

I'd love a bigger (or should I say...more open...) gay scene in Little Rock but that's years in the makings.

More smart growth in Little Rock/North Little Rock would be nice.
The Argenta area in North Little Rock is already off to a pretty good start. They have business, community space (library), and residential. I love mixed used environments. Once they get the Argenta Market up and running, it will really be good for the people that live there. They won't have to travel so far to get groceries and they will be supporting a local business.

[Sneezyone]

Originally Posted by ridicter

The Clinton School is the most innovative institution in the state. It has an innovative curriculum (only public service degree in the nation), is on the forefront of pressing issues like global warming and sustainability, and in all frankness, is probably the only education institution with any level of "prestige" here.

I agree with some of what you said but this seems a smidge off. The school is new and its reputation is still evolving; all it has is the name Clinton right now. We don't know how its graduates will fair yet. There are also several well-established schools of public administration, policy and planning around the nation that offer similar course options without the name "public service' in the degree title. FWIW, my undergrad degree is in PUAD and we had similar course offerings/study areas available 15 years ago.

ETA: Interestingly, many of those places schools top notch PUAD programs also have the types of young prof-friendly economies we're talking about...Syracuse, Berkely, UGA, USC, UCLA, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Washington, Wisconsin-Madison, Minnesota, Texas. Perhaps in time the Clinton School can revitalize the academic and professional scene here in the way that these programs have elsewhere but I wonder. These schools train ppl to be good stewards of public resources, create well-planned communities and an environment in which businesses survive and thrive but it's kind of a chicken an egg thing. Do the businesses come and then push for better employees, strong academic programs and smarter regulations? Or do the schools produce higher-caliber grads who push for better business/training incentives and regulatory schemes? My experience in NWA tells me it's more of the former rather than the latter.

[hotair2]

Originally Posted by ridicter

The Clinton School is the most innovative institution in the state. It has an innovative curriculum (only public service degree in the nation), is on the forefront of pressing issues like global warming and sustainability, and in all frankness, is probably the only education institution with any level of "prestige" here. (Is prestige overrated? Absolutely, to some degree. But it's also not: prestige is associated with, on average, a higher quality student, and, on average, a higher quality professor.) Don't get offended, because I'm only speaking in averages here, but innovators are simply more likely to come from more prestigious schools.

And it's important to realize that many people are smarter than they think (and some dumber), but you need to cultivate your intellect by surrounding yourself with people who challenge your beliefs and challenge what you know. You can't get complacent.

I agree with the 3rd post about attracting innovators. Little Rock, especially the Heifer Global Village and Clinton Foundation, are really at the forefront of what the state offers. I went to Heifer Village today with my family, and we were surprised at how progressive and stunning the Global Village is. Y'all should cherish it. My siblings have since split off to California and New York and Austin elsewhere (not all right now, but at some point), and they/I were impressed at the high quality exhibits at the Global Village--something my sister remarked she never encountered in Austin. We learned much about fair trade, sustainability measures taking place around the world, latest efforts to end world poverty/hunger, microfinance, etc. Our guide was a very intelligent native African, who was well versed on it all, including the minor chemistry behind the renewable resources. He goes to the Clinton School. The truth is, you would see generally only see students of his caliber at the nation's best institutions, and the Clinton school is that (let alone, a foreign student from a poor African country).

As for me, I'm here for the summer for various reasons. Another friend from my college is too. (I go out of state.) I don't want to toot our horns, but it's very clear that we simply won't be able to return to the state. This is our last hurrah, so to speak. He's here because the financial institution he originally had an internship went under!

And if you want a blunt run down of the final destination of Arkansas National Merit Scholars or high ACT/SAT scorers--those who have demonstrated their talent and tenacity with top 1% standardized scores and great grades (as well as those who are most likely to be innovators, but even among them not very many will be)... it doesn't look inviting.

Lemme think of a quick rundown of whom I know directly or indirectly: some 20-30 students in this high achieving category (b/c of where I went to school). a) guy who set physics records, Caltech, working in solar industry, b) guy who interned at NASA, prestigious science scholar, MIT, working on Wall Street c) a handful of up and coming indie musicians making waves in the west and east coasts, record deals, and people would be shocked if they knew they were from Ark, d) a handful of Harvard grads, including Jeopardy teen champion, permanently out of state, e) Stanford grad, good friend of mine, future entrepreneur at a school that pumps 'em out (google, sun, yahoo, etc), and parents followed him out of state, f) google's #1 (at one point) app programmer who was a high school student and google even flew him in to their HQ b/c they were so impressed! g) and many more of all kinds.

Of this number, I would say that easily less than 10% will stay in state, and I want to say 5%--or, in real numbers, maybe 1 or 2. I know of one who is in state, and that's because he landed an engineering job at the Pine Bluff Arsenal immediately after graduating early from college. It's mildly depressing. These people will innovate, but not here. And, I hate to speak in such broad strokes, but these people were all progressive, free-thinking types. Those who were even slightly conservative were the types of conservatives you find in the North--i.e., fiscally conservative, not socially. There's a reason good academic institutions are progressive: it's simply the nature of a free-thinking, fluid, and dynamic learning environment.

And while I'm being frank, I want to point out why this brain drain is, well, as bad as you think if not worse. In Poli Sci demographics class, you learn how people self-select, or choose to move, to places where there are people like them. Over time, this polarizes regions/cities/and at some level the state. So, as I've demonstrated, the very best in AR tend to leave to more progressive areas--or at least what they perceive to be progressive (and as many have rightly pointed out in this forum, sometimes that's false). However, at some level, it works in the opposite direction: that is, more insular people choose to move to AR because they think it is just the type of place they want. This polarizes states.....and you get concentrations of young professionals in places like Dallas/Austin/West Coast/ MA etc...and, not quite, but nearly the opposite effect here.

Here's an analogy I heard: when the US accepts immigrants from Asia or Europe, they more often than not are professionals. These are the "go-getters," and they tend to live wel herel. You won't get the lazy ones, because they simply don't won't make it through immigration. It works the same way with states. The "go-getters" go to certain regions of the US, leaving a disparity in innovators...

I guess I should go ahead and put in my disclaimer. I don't want to come off as uppity, because frankly, my future is set in stone out of the state at this point. (Ain't nothin' I can do: I need to explore, and most importantly, survive.) And don't take my post as me hating on Arkansas, because I like the state and my siblings will sometimes remark on how odd it is that I like it so much. I'm just laying it bare. (It's been a long day, I just got scammed by a used car dealer today, so I'm letting it all out.) Maybe it's good to remove the gentility, though, and realize the gravity of the task at hand.

I think there are four places where AR could really start laying the foundation for innovation (p.s., check out innovatearkansas.com if you haven't): 1) Fayetteville, 2) Little Rock, 3) Conway, and 4) Hot Springs. The order I listed is pretty much the order I think it's possible. Fayetteville's a very cool small city by any standard, and if their progressive leaders keep it up, they might be onto something. Green Valley might have some substance, esp. with Wal Mart throwing its weight around. Little Rock has high education rates and the right culture (i.e., more freethinking than not), but it doesn't have enough educational institutions! UALR is great, but I would say there needs to another one on the level of Tulane. If Mr. Stephens would make a University that would be great. The Clinton school, however, is making waves, but it only has 20-30 students per year. LR is, overall, I'd say a cool mid-sized city by any standard, but as Bchris laments, sorely underepresented in the key demographic for innovators: young professionals. 3) Conway has two universities, but I've been around town a lot, and it's so sprawlerrific and dull-ly planned and uninspiring. Most grads will get out, and I don't blame them. There is not a sidewalk on 90% of that city grid and driving around in a box all day is a lame, anywhere-USA experience. 4) Hot Springs has a relatively good arts scene, incredible downtown, but no universities at all, so this is the slimmest chance of the four. But it would be an ideal setting for a good liberal arts college.

To really get the ball rolling? Build more universities. There are more students. And there needs to be more separation between the high performing students and not-high ones. Some of those state-bred innovators will need to bite the bullet and start a company in their own state, and that's very difficult considering the entrenched current environment and 49th place ranking in bachelor's degree attainment.

GL.

Excellent analysis. You should write an op-ed piece to the paper. Maybe they will publish it.