Published: February 02, 2008 09:35 pm            

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORAL: Keep education in forefront of economic development

Residents can control what’s in their power

TERRE HAUTE — In his “Serenity Prayer,” American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr sought guidance to discern the inevitable from the preventable.

It reads, “God, give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.”

The people of Terre Haute and Vigo County could not prevent the painful announcement Monday morning by corporate officials at Pfizer: 660 local employees, who helped manufacture the inhalable diabetes drug, Exubera, will lose their jobs by midyear. Those workers did not fail. City and county officials did not fail to keep a good relationship with Pfizer. Consumers simply did not like or buy Exubera, and Pfizer pulled the plug.

Pfizer’s corporate officers made the decision to stop Exubera production in Vigo County based on the firm’s global interests. No one here could change that.

So, the question local folks are asking is, what can we do about this huge loss?

First of all, the Pfizer workers and their families deserve all the comfort and assistance the community can provide. Next, Terre Haute and Vigo County need to stay firmly committed to funding the one resource that will help attract more employers like Pfizer in the future — education. The education level of the local work force is a primary factor in a company’s decision to locate a facility in a community. More education means more prosperity.

At an annual economic forecast breakfast Thursday at Indiana State University, the host of a statewide TV business program cited an alarming statistic: More than 1 million Hoosiers lack basic workforce skills. “Education, by far and away, is the most critical issue facing the state, in terms of the economy,” said Gerry Dick, an ISU grad and host of “Inside INdiana Business.”

In Vigo County, 19 percent of adults 25 years or older lack a high school diploma, according to U.S. Census statistics. The number of residents living below the poverty level, 15.4 percent of the population, is the highest in Indiana.

Efforts to strengthen elementary, middle and high schools here, and increase graduation rates should not be curtailed by the difficult economic times. If anything, given what lies ahead, we cannot afford to shortchange education. Ventures such as the Innovation Alliance among Terre Haute, ISU and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology are crucial to integrating out local colleges with the community. Making the city a more welcoming place for students, faculty and staffers at our five — five — institutions of higher learning must be a priority. A thriving college-town atmosphere will help entice ISU, Rose and St. Mary-of-the-Woods graduates to live, work and raise families here.

Education is not a quick fix to the Pfizer job losses, but it is the best, most reliable way to bring in more jobs in the long run. That change is within Terre Haute’s power.

        

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