Implications of the “Flattening”—if not Flat—World for Higher Education in the U.S. and in Texas

Association of Texas Colleges and Universities 2006 Annual Meeting, October 1, 2006

James B. Steinberg, Dean, LBJ School of Public Affairs

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I might be considered a curious choice as a speaker at this venue—I'm not an expert on higher education or on science and engineering.

What I can bring to the discussion is some impressions based on a lot of engagement around the world, and a sense of the strategies that many other countries in the "emerging economies" are pursuing, and what that means for us.

The topic is one that I don't need to acquaint this audience with. The National Academies study "Rising above the Gathering Storm" is probably sitting at your bedsides at home. While the topic of U.S. competitiveness and the role of higher education in sustaining that competitiveness has been a recurring one—remember Sputnik—the National Academies report has refocused broader national attention on an issue that you have all been concerned about for a long time.

The "Gathering Storm" report and all the companion studies—like the American Electronics Association's "Losing the Competitive Advantage" from last year—tell a disquieting story about the U.S. losing its comparative advantage in the education and training of the next generation of workers and the corresponding implications for our economy, our society, and even our security.

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Copyright 2006 The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs