PA Secretary of Economic Development highlights role of colleges, universities in economic and community development

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PA Secretary of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin

Colleges and universities play an important role in strengthening communities and driving economic and community development, Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin said Tuesday.

Davin highlighted the role of colleges and universities at the 2019 joint meeting of the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) and the Council on Research (CoR) of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) held this week at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College.

“Across the commonwealth and across the country, we’re seeing universities become more and more engrained in their communities, and that makes all the difference for our residents and the business owners located there,” Davin said.

Davin also discussed the role colleges and universities play in administering and implementing programs such as the Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career grant, manufacturing innovation program, and workforce and economic development network.

“These programs are giving our workers the skills they need to succeed in their careers,” Davin said. “This collaboration between all sectors — private, public and education — is a model that’s working all across America, and the more we do it, the more universities embed themselves in the local community, the more successful we will be in strengthening our communities, growing the local economy and retaining talent.”

Davin also praised Penn State and Penn State President Eric J. Barron for his commitment to driving economic development in Pennsylvania.

“I want to commend President Barron for his leadership on this issue,” Davin said. “He’s been a strong advocate for increased collaboration between business, education, and government sectors, particularly to advance student entrepreneurship. Programs like Invent Penn State are sparking innovation in ways we haven’t seen before, utilizing our best and brightest students to research new technologies and push our economy forward.”

The APLU, a research, policy and advocacy organization that works to strengthen and advocate for the work of public universities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, appointed Barron to a leadership role in 2017.