Towson University President Robert Caret stressed the importance of higher education funding and warned of a “workforce gap” in a speech to over 300 executives Thursday morning.
In one of his highest-profile attempts yet to reach out to area business leaders, Caret was the keynote speaker at the Greater Baltimore Committee’s annual Business Outlook conference.
“Towson will continue to be a workforce engine for the state, but we can’t do it with smoke and mirrors. Some funding needs to be provided,” he told the ballroom full of CEO’s, chairmen and economists. “Either the state or businesses need to provide that, or tuition is going to continue to go up.”
Caret frequently called the University a “workforce engine” in his addresses to business leaders. Towson is the largest producer of teachers, the second largest producer of nurses, and one of the largest producers of IT graduates in Maryland.
Donald C. Fry, president for the Greater Baltimore Committee, said higher education issues are important to business leaders.
“There is a direct correlation between quality and accessible higher education and a strong workforce that will drive the economy,” he said.
In his address, Caret identified several challenges, including recent University System of Maryland budget cuts, a declining amount of state support, and tuition increases.
“It’s nobody’s fault,” he said, referencing the state government officials in the room. “We need to get over this hurdle.”
Caret said the number of college-age Marylanders will increase rapidly over the next 10 years, according to census projections, but suggested access to higher education is going to become a “real challenge” if more funding is not available.
“What’s going to start happening in this state is we’re going to start shutting the door,” he warned.
Caret’s speech also addressed a “workforce gap” in several career fields and stressed higher education’s role in decreasing the gap.
He referred to his experience as the president for San Jose State University, while discussing a study that revealed a workforce gap of high-technology jobs cost Silicon Valley corporations billions of dollars in lost revenue.
“The way to keep that gap lower is to keep the pipeline open in higher education,” he said.
The Greater Baltimore Committee works to improve the business climate of the region. It strives to develop solutions to the problems that affect the region’s competitiveness and viability.
Fry called Caret a very active member of the organization.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge back with him from his days in California, but he also understands the Baltimore region from his previous tenure at Towson,” Fry said. “I think it’s the best of both worlds.”
Towson University was the premier sponsor for the conference. Fry said a speaking role at the conference is one of the “opportunities” presented to premier sponsors.
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