Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Exporting knowledge

I was reviewing the website of a firm in Europe that had requested information on some of our products. What jumped out at me was that over half of the management team had completed their undergraduate or graduate degrees in colleges and universities in the US, even though all of the people were native Europeans. In fact, paging through their employee ranks, at least 25% of the entire company had graduated from a university in the US.

I use this example to define and describe what I think is one of the greatest sources of advantage for us in the US - our higher education system. We have what is probably one of the best systems of higher education in the world, and we attract people from around the world to our excellent programs. Our universities and colleges are to be commended for the excellent job they do.

These higher education programs serve the US by attracting bright people who seek a great education. Some of those people eventually remain in the US, adding to a great talent pool. Likewise, some of them return to their native countries to put their new skills to use there. Both of these outcomes are positive from an innovation point of view. The students who remain add great energy and knowledge to our workforce, and fresh perspectives. The students who return home hopefully take a better understanding of the US market, culture and norms, so they are better prepared to create products and services that we in the US can acquire, and they are more familiar with our culture. In some circumstances, admittedly, this exchange has turned out for the worse. Some of the extremists who have attacked us have also at one time been students in the US. On the whole, however, we want to remain a free, open society that welcomes students from other countries, because the education is valuable for both parties.

Many students come because our unversities are very democratic - the students are judged by their competence and capabilities, while in their home countries other considerations may apply for their enrollment. Many come because the US is recognized as having excellent educational facilities and programs. I suspect many come because they see the innovativeness and entrepreneurial outlook of our people and expect to gain some of that through their education.

We need to continue to pursue a policy that welcomes students from any country. We gain if the students remain and become part of our workforce, and most often we gain if the students return home to create new businesses and new jobs. After 9/11 it became much more difficult for foreign students to come to the US, and we need to take a hard look at that issue. If we turn away too many students from other countries, we lose and they lose. Other countries will see the opportunity and begin to strengthen their university systems to fill the void. At this time, we need more interaction with other people and other cultures - socially, politically and otherwise - and the higher education system is a great place for us to introduce others to our country and culture.
AddThis Social Bookmark Button
posted by Jeffrey Phillips at 2:53 PM

26 Comments:

Anonymous how to stay erect said...

thanks for sharing..

12:10 AM  
Anonymous Inversiones en petroleo said...

Hello, i would like to know more about this topic because i think that could help me in personal projects.

11:56 AM  
Anonymous Invertir en oro said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

2:04 PM  
Anonymous buy viagra online said...

very interesting post found here..Thanks for sharing..Keep it up..I am going to follow your blog..

10:39 PM  
Anonymous konsultan seo said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:07 AM  
Anonymous asuransi pendidikan said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:08 AM  
Anonymous action coach said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:08 AM  
Anonymous jadi artis said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:08 AM  
Anonymous cara dapat duit said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:08 AM  
Anonymous kerja sama investasi said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:09 AM  
Anonymous coach indonesia said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:09 AM  
Anonymous jajanan bandung said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:09 AM  
Anonymous coklat valentine said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:10 AM  
Anonymous Panduan SEO said...

I think that this post is very good, i would like to read more information about this topic.

4:10 AM  
Anonymous konsultan perusahaan said...

I think people fear idea management and innovation because there's a significant number of ideas that simply won't plan out.......Nice statement.....keep posting

8:39 PM  
Anonymous belajar internet marketing said...

this day I've been searching for information on various issues, this I found very good and I would like to congratulate you for your work.

8:39 PM  
Anonymous parcel lebaran said...

I think that this post is one of the best that i have read in my life, congrats you did a great job,.

8:39 PM  
Anonymous delayed orgasm said...

the difference between the content spammers and most corporate innovators is that the smaller

8:39 PM  
Anonymous how to avoid premature ejaculation said...

I'm writing to you because I just came across a business that I think has great potential. It lets you save money on almost everything. Make money from almost everything,

8:40 PM  
Anonymous konsultan seo said...

If growth is important to a firm, and if growth is dependent on offering existing products and services to new customers

8:40 PM  
Anonymous tabungan pendidikan said...

innovation is very natural and happens in the "real world" as new plants and animals colonize new ecological niches.

8:41 PM  
Anonymous mengecilkan perut said...

I wonder how you got so good. This is really a fascinating blog, lots of stuff that I can get into. One thing I just want to say is that your Blog is so perfect

8:41 PM  
Anonymous how to teach dogs tricks said...

We generally think most specifically about the risk associated with a new product introduction

8:41 PM  
Anonymous easy way to get pregnant said...

I would be aware that as somebody who really doesn’t comment to blogs a lot (in actual fact, this may be my first put up), I don’t think the time period “lurker” is very flattering to a non-posting reader.

8:41 PM  
Anonymous stop pre ejaculation said...

Thank a lot for this time sharing of Innovation about EXPORTING KNOWLEDGE. This is really one of the best articles about innovation i have ever read.

9:22 PM  
Anonymous cure hemorrhoids naturally said...

nice to have...really..

6:05 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home