A data-rich study of the difficult partnerships between the colleges,
universities, and businesses of Silicon Valley.
Universities and colleges often operate between two worlds: higher
education and economic systems. With a mission rooted in research,
teaching, and public service, institutions of higher learning are also
economic drivers in their regions, under increasing pressure to provide
skilled workers to local companies. It is impossible to understand how
current developments are affecting colleges without attending to the
changes in both the higher education system and in the economic
communities in which they exist.
W. Richard Scott, Michael W. Kirst, and colleagues focus on the changing
relations between colleges and companies in one vibrant economic region:
the San Francisco Bay Area. Colleges and tech companies, they argue,
have a common interest in knowledge generation and human capital, but
they operate in social worlds that substantially differ, making them
uneasy partners. Colleges are a part of a long tradition that stresses
the importance of precedent, academic values, and liberal education.
High-tech companies, by contrast, value innovation and know-how, and
they operate under conditions that reward rapid response to changing
opportunities. The economy is changing faster than the postsecondary
education system.
Drawing on quantitative and historical data from 1970 to 2012 as well as
14 case studies of colleges, this book describes a rich and often tense
relationship between higher education and the tech industry. It focuses
on the ways in which various types of colleges have endeavored--and
often failed--to meet the demands of a vibrant economy and concludes
with a discussion of current policy recommendations, suggestions for
improvements and reforms at the state level, and a proposal to develop a
regional body to better align educational and economic development.
