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Charting the Course: Revitalizing Southside Virginia
Virginia’s crescent region – the corridor stretching from Northern Virginia through Richmond and Hampton Roads – went into economic overdrive in the late ‘90s, and it has continued to grow steadily in the post-9/11 economy.
Meanwhile, Southside, Virginia, has just left the starting line.
In rural Southside, unemployment is high. College graduates are few. Tobacco profits continue to dry up, and globalization chases away the last remnants of old-economy textile and furniture manufacturing. The region’s economy is slipping.
Revving up Southside’s economic engines requires more than a redirection of old-economy business models. It requires new industries and businesses brought about through regional cooperation, new strategic thinking and “someone” in the driver’s seat with the capability to deliver them. Higher education is ready to get behind the wheel.
A Strategic Vision for the Region
Before moving forward, however, Southside must answer a question: Where do we want to go?
Call centers, machine shops and new tourist attractions deliver needed jobs and income, but they do not contribute to the establishment of a new economic power base that can push the region toward prosperity.
Economic revival demands that the 22 localities of Southside work together on a common economic vision that produces not just jobs, but opportunities to build industries and long-term growth prospects. Colleges and universities can bring the region together to make that happen.
State institutions such as Longwood University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and their public and private peers have the local connections, the academic resources and the business idea pipeline to seed a common, strategic vision, and to rally the region around it.
Advanced Research Leads the Way
Research underway at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and other institutions points the way to a new vision and new business opportunities to support it.
At UVA, scientists announced last year development of a new polymer that triples the strength of steel. According to reports, the polymer could potentially revolutionize the steel industry as manufacturers use it to make stronger ships, lighter cars, taller buildings and superior surgical instruments. The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville is also engaged in polymer research.
At Virginia Tech, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch, chemists are working closely with VCU scientists to develop microscopic treatments that may improve the ability to locate and kill brain cancer cells.
Imagine the commercial and marketing possibilities of such projects. Imagine the economic impact to Southside if an environment is created that encourages such ventures to flourish in Danville, Martinsville, Farmville or South Boston.
Research corridors in Southside built on university innovation are possible, but they will not succeed without the close collaboration and commitment of campuses, local governments and state leaders.
University and government leaders must also work together in tackling an issue critical to any successful revitalization effort: education.
The Education Gap
According to Census 2000, 40 percent of Southside adults have not completed high school, and only between five and 10 percent have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Whether built on research innovation or anything else, a new economic base demands more education at all levels.
Longwood University and other regional schools have collaborated for years to expand access to advanced degrees in the region through local community colleges and partnerships with public school systems.
Still, we need to make even better use of the existing higher education infrastructure – and we need a stronger focus on math and science in Southside elementary and secondary schools. Lack of these skills impedes progress and limits regional economic development.
Just as university research can anchor a new strategic vision for Southside, improving math and science education is critical to its success.
Longwood is contributing in part by educating an increasing number of science majors every year. In fact, we are among the top five percent nationwide in regard to the number of physics majors we graduate. Creating incentives that put these talented people and their counterparts at other Virginia schools into Southside classrooms is the next step.
Turning the Key
Tomorrow, leaders from Longwood University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech will sit down with state and local leaders to start the collaborative thinking Southside revitalization requires.
Each region of the state deserves the opportunity to achieve economic prosperity. Higher education can jump-start the engines in Southside, but only sustained collaboration between the academic, government and business communities can move us forward together.