Georgia State President to Keynote Millennium Conference From: University Currents Date: March 31, 2000 By: Mary Bridget Reilly Phone: (513) 556-1824 Archive: Campus News, General News UC alumnus Carl Patton, president of Georgia State University, will serve as the keynote speaker during April 17's "Preparing for the New Millennium: The Role of Research in the Economic Development of Greater Cincinnati" conference. In his speech, he'll report on the recipe of a university-business-state alliance that has made his state, especially the Atlanta area, a magnet for "industries of the mind." Patton is an enthusiastic booster of ivory tower-industry cooperation and coordination. It can be done in any region, he claims. "A decade ago, this was all new. Then, Georgia lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of business and economic development. We were not a high-tech center," said Patton, explaining the birth of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA). "We've now moved ahead." The GRA, founded as an engine to power the integration of research with business needs, consists of six Georgia universities (four public and two private), the business sector and the state in a partnership that is paying high dividends for the region. New businesses -- including bio-technology firms and e-commerce concerns -- are routinely incubated at the universities and then spun off into the private sector. For instance, one firm called Digital Furnace is a technology start-up serving the cable industry, small business and home offices. In all, the GRA has funded 37 eminent scholar chairs at the six member institutions with a wide impact both within and outside of the universities. For instance, Georgia State's eminent scholar in transportation developed computer modeling that more accurately predicts ozone levels in the region. "This is key for Atlanta. We're the poster city for smog because of our growth. We need to reduce pollution or businesses and people suffer," said Patton. He recommends the following ingredients for other areas that want to build an alliance similar to Georgia's: Both the public and private sectors must enter the partnership for the long haul, without expecting rapid returns. "We didn't begin to reap substantial benefits until five or six years into the effort," he explained. The state government cannot make funding decisions every election. Funding must be maintained consistently. "We've lasted through three governors and that was a bi-partisan commitment made early on," Patton said. The president of the alliance must agree to a long-term commitment. For instance, the GRA president agreed to stay for 10 years. He recently moved on from this role, and the vice president stepped in for a smooth transition. Patton earned his bachelor's degree in planning from UC in 1967.