Ron White, UT, and the Future of the San Marcos Economy
September 28, 2009
It’s no secret Austin is an economic powerhouse, particularly as a knowledge-based economy of high technology and creative jobs. The first thing they teach you about economic development in urban planning school is that economies don’t happen by accident—a bunch of brainy people obsessed with grey boxes full of electronics don’t just suddenly start flocking to the Barton Springs Pool. This is a story about how the University of Texas nearly single-handedly set in motion a chain of economic events that culminated in Austin grabbing a seat on the cutting-edge, being spoken in the same sentence with the Research Triangle of North Carolina and Silicon Valley in California.
Many people place the beginning in the late 1940s, with the establishment of the University of Texas’ Balcones Research Center on the site of a former federal World War II magnesium plant northwest of Austin. Many of the UT faculty and graduate students who worked on research projects at various scientific laboratories in the Center (archeology, aerospace, and nuclear physics, among others) went on to start or work in private electronics and research companies. These companies, and the large pool of highly trained researchers at UT, attracted national electronics corporations and their suppliers to build Austin locations. The next step in this story brought development of the IC2 Institute at UT. The IC2 Institute was created to test the hypothesis that science and technology are resourced for economic development and enterprise growth—that cooperation between regional government, business and academia could create economic development synergies. Michael Dell of Dell Corporation and Jim Truchard of National Instruments can both attest to the success of this program.
The big moment was in 1988, when the semiconductor industry’s new research consortium (Sematech) chose Austin, and chose it despite other locations outbidding the Austin and State of Texas economic offers. Sematech chose Austin because of the rare community effort put forth by Austin’s public and private sector that exhibited a coordinated vision for a high-tech future. The rest, as we say, is history.
So, this is still a Bobcat website right? So why all of the love for UT and Austin? Well, to take a page out of Ron White’s book, I told you that story so I can tell you this one:
On November 28, 2008, Texas State University announced it had received $4million from the State of Texas emerging technology fund (ETF) to establish an accelerator/science park in san marcos known as the Texas State Center for Research Commercialization Center targeting high-tech – small business staging, GreenTech – Texas greenbelt alliance, and industrial connectivity. These funds are dedicated to expediting innovation and commercialization of research, attracting, creating or expanding private sector entities that will promote substantial increases in high quality jobs, and increasing Texas higher education applied research capabilities.
The Texas State Center for Research Commercialization Center serves to assist industry and technology transfer by teaming industrial partners with significant University resources. These resources span from access to faculty research know-how, to scientific equipment, internships, business planning, and joint funding ventures – to list a few. The model is simple – to be agile to the needs of each partner, recognizing that “no size fits all,” treating each industrial partner on a case by case basis, and take pride in being able to respond rapidly, actively, and adapt ably.
Sounds pretty sweet, right? Well, that press release was the last I heard about it. San Marcos city officials should have latched onto this opportunity like Austin did with the Balcones Research Center, IC2 Institute and Sematech. They should have been brokering land deals to get this thing off the ground, but I haven’t heard a peep in nearly a year. City officials give a lot of talk to getting higher-paying jobs in San Marcos, yet seem preoccupied with doling out the corporate welfare to businesses that promise to bring plenty of low wage jobs, the recent biotech company and HEB warehouse expansion being the notable exceptions in the last several years, and even those are hardly knowledge-based. These opportunities don’t come along often. San Marcos had the vision in 1899 to donate land for a university. Will this generation have the same vision? Is it ready to take action? If it is not, I’ve got a feeling the folks in Round Rock, home of the sister campus, are willing to talk turkey. In the meantime, I’ll hold out hope that folks are working the background at San Marcos City Hall.
Chance Sparks
chance@bobcatfans.com
There is a certain segment in San Marcos that wants absolutely nothing to do with progress. As far as these people are concerned, they would rather turn San Marcos into a sleepy little town. I hate to say it, but it is a fact. All I have to do is point to the San Marcos convention center and how it was handled, the AMD microchip plant that SM was bidding on and how that was handled and the general town and gown relationship between TxSt and San Marcos to prove my case.
Great article. It always makes me sick looking at San Marcos and looking where its headed. I keep thinking someone there will step up and lead the city in the right direction.. but it never happens. They are just content to be a retail dump or get gobbled up by greater-Austin instead of making a name for itself.
To Vince,
It would actually be better if they wanted to be a sleepy little town, but they dont. Be either a sleepy little town or be a cutting edge intelligent workforce town. But they dont want either i guess they would rather be a commercialized tourist trap turned Austin subdivision.
~But what will they call it when it’s leveled and paved~ (with strip malls and chilis instead of corporate offices and research facilities)