Priorities
By Tom Silvestri
The out-of-control character in the 1976 movie "Network" is often mimicked to signal when someone or some group has had enough. As the world crumbles, Beale goes on a legendary rant with the refrain, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
The status quo might not be pushing Virginians over the edge. But we're frustrated and concerned that the commonwealth is, or will be, falling behind in important issues such as education, infrastructure investment, the economy, equal prosperity among regions, energy and innovation, according to the discussions at the day-and-a-night conference last month in Richmond.
That's why the dialogue-starter attracted a bigger than expected crowd of explorers seeking fresh solutions.
The summit had a bipartisan base, led by a current U.S. senator, Democrat Mark R. Warner, and a former congressman, Republican Thomas M. Davis III. The host was the talented historian turned executive, Edward L. Ayers, the president of the University of Richmond, where more than 500 Virginians gave up a Saturday because they're concerned about their state.
"There's so much capacity for collaboration and cooperation that can lead to action," Ayers told the squeezed-in audience after participants absorbed a series of presentations and finished three "world café" conversations at tables that allowed small groups to chew on new approaches that would advance Virginia, its education systems and an innovation-led economy.
It would be an understatement to share that these emerging waves of leaders are tired of the contentious political processes that bog down, rather than lift up progress.
I was one of the table moderators, and I left the program with a notebook full of takeaways and observations. Among the ah-ha's that piled up at the Virginia summit, consider these seven:
- We can't duck the big problems: "They have to be resolved. You have no choice," said former Gov. Gerald Baliles, in the "Leadership Through Change" address. He drew a contrast between a simple challenge and a complicated issue. Simple: Transportation is all about "pay or not get it." Complicated: Financing education. There's a "consequence for our choices" in both cases, he said. "You can't do it on the cheap."
Warner's examples: Airports in Third World countries are decades ahead of us. We're not investing in infrastructure such as broadband communications and sewer and water systems. Huge parts of Virginia, namely rural and inner-city areas, are being left behind.
- We're vulnerable when we lag in education: It should bother all of us that Virginia is falling behind in education, speakers said. In 1995, Virginia led the nation with an education plan; not anymore, noted presenter Andrew J. Rotherham, a co-founder and partner at Bellwether Education, a nonprofit organization "working to improve educational outcomes for low-income students."
"Status quo is not good enough," he said. Virginia needs to "do substantially better." That means a greater percentage of high school graduates, the achievement of some education beyond high school, world-class standards in our colleges and better recognition of what educational tracks match up with good-paying jobs. Other states are stepping up to equip students with career- or college-ready education.
He called for greater transparency on the effectiveness of public schools, new accountability standards so schools evenly educate all students regardless of income and the creation of a statewide education advocacy group that offers "principle-based rather than constituency-based agendas to focus attention on school improvement and hold policymakers accountable." (Keep in mind the summit occurred before the controversy erupted about the president of the University of Virginia.)
In his opening comments, Warner said we're falling behind in life sciences, cyber security, modeling and simulation, and energy. He added that it doesn't make sense to send smart students from foreign countries back to their homelands when they want to stay here. "Competition for talent is global," he said.
- Virginia needs a more coherent approach to matching education with jobs: It's no surprise that technology-centric Northern Virginia generates 40 percent of the new jobs in the state, said Christine Chmura, president and chief economist for Chmura Economics & Analytics. Workers in that region have skills that can transfer to different companies, occupations and industry groups. The jobs in the future will be in professional sciences, technical services, health care and social assistance, the latter plugging into growing needs among the retiring baby boomers.
Regions that are struggling are pulled down by obsolete industries. Root causes: Jobs churn because of the creative destruction that goes on when the new replaces the old. "High-skill jobs are growing, low-skills are not," Chmura said "There's a lack of understanding integrated planning. Our culture doesn't support lifelong learning. We have a lack of policies to address gaps."
She likened our wayward approach and the lack of results-oriented systems to training young Virginians for the Olympics without knowing the event in which each would compete. Sorry to the thousands who thought you were going to throw the shot put: no openings.
"It used to be a strong back was more important than a strong mind. No longer," Chmura said.
She urged a stronger alignment with jobs flowing from science, technology, engineering and mathematics — STEM.
"STEM jobs are expected to grow faster than other jobs" and the pay is better, she said. But Virginia isn't "seeing as many students going into" those areas.
- Virginians deserve Virginia solutions, not partisan problems: Tom Davis: "We need to come together for the future of our commonwealth."
Mark Warner: Let's govern, not run down the other side. "I don't want Virginia to be like Washington." "Disagreement without respect becomes the food fights of dissention." Support needs to exist "for doing the right thing."
Gerald Baliles: "The values gap between Republicans and Democrats is greater than gender and racial gaps." (Note: There might have been more Republicans at the summit had it not occurred on the same weekend as the GOP's statewide convention.)
- Virginia government and business must work more purposefully on the commercialization of ideas: Virginia Business magazine's publisher, Bernie Niemeier, conducted an afternoon chat with Steve Case, a co-founder of America Online, which at one time was the giant among Internet companies and the first to become a publicly traded enterprise. Case offered several ways Virginia can stay at the forefront of innovation, further encourage entrepreneurs and boost ways that job-producing ideas can find paying customers.
He noted the Internet was originally government-financed as a communication network in the event of a nuclear threat. The federal government launched it, but the Internet attracted business ideas that converted it into a roaring disruptive industry.
"Good ideas get stuck," Case said. Public-private partnership can better foster development, without wrecking capital-starved businesses with great product concepts that can't finance basic research. He recommended that government-supported universities be an open source of ideas and innovation.
His prediction: In the first Internet revolution, "no one knew what they were doing." The second will change education and health care. "Giant companies will be built on the backs on these trends."
- Virginians need to get to know each other again: The comment was made several times that we've become a state of distinct regions that don't connect. In prior decades, Virginians from different parts of the state knew one another better. Make the time for bridges to allow those relationships to occur so we're more united.
- Leadership programs could be an asset when government turns dysfunctional: Warner said the summit was the start of a dialogue, but the audience also was a recognition that Virginia has a solid base of leadership programs that could be tapped for such a statewide collaboration. Nearly 45 leadership programs were listed in the program.
At the end of the daylong give-and-take, Barry DuVal said his Virginia Chamber of Commerce would work with various regions to continue the discussion, setting up leadership committees to craft a 2025 vision for the state.
It's clear the summit tapped into a burning desire for Virginians to come together to shape the commonwealth's future.
But it's going to take more than conversation — though the civil, respectful approach should be applauded.
History shows when Virginians get frustrated, they develop solutions.
Some have been revolutionary.
Imagine a political process that's once again collaborative.
As Ayers said in his closing comments: Virginians, rise above partisanship so all corners of the commonwealth can pull in the same direction.
Let's keep Howard Beale in the movie archives.
Tom Silvestri heads the Richmond Media Group, which includes the Richmond Times-Dispatch, TimesDispatch.com, Richmond Suburban Newspapers and Richmond.com. His only quibble from the summit is that he had heard all of the keynoters' opening jokes at other events. Bummer.
