GOVERNORS TO FOCUS ON RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Friday, September 7, 2001

For more information, contact: Jen Waller, Communications Assistant, 859-288-6154 or http://gov.state.ky.us/sga/index.htm

GOVERNORS TO FOCUS ON RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Southern Governors’ Association (SGA) will focus on research, development and technology issues at their 67th Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky.

“The focus for my year as SGA chairman has been research and development, because clearly intellectual capital will be the critical factor for economic success for our future,” said Governor Paul E. Patton of Kentucky, Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Association.

The opening keynote speaker on Sunday, September 9 will be Alfred R. Berkeley, III, vice chairman of the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. A key leader in business and finance, Mr. Berkeley will offer his perspective on the role that research, development and technology play in today’s economy.

Later that afternoon, a panel of Nobel Laureates will respond to the report of the SGA Advisory Committee on Research, Development and Technology. Dr. Philip Sharp, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1993, and Dr. Horst Störmer, the 1998 prize winner in physics, will be joined by Dr. Art Molella, the Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Lemelson Center for Innovation and Invention to discuss the report. The session will be moderated by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Meryl Comer.

The SGA Advisory Committee on Research, Development and Technology, comprised of a private and public sector appointee by each governor, was formed on the premise that the speed with which the South capitalizes on the opportunities of the New Economy will be directly linked to the region’s leadership in research, development and technology. The group’s final report and recommendations to the governors will be released just prior to the afternoon of Sunday, September 9.

Also in conjunction with the meeting theme, governors will hold a historic meeting with the presidents of 12 major universities in the South, including:

University of Alabama
University of Alabama at Huntsville
University of Arkansas
Florida State University
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Kentucky
Louisiana State University
Mississippi State University
University of North Carolina
Old Dominion University
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Together, they will talk about a vision for the South as a research, development and technology powerhouse and about specific steps they can take to bring this vision to life.

There is no registration fee for media; however, media must be registered to receive credentials that permit access to the sessions and press conferences only. Please visit the SGA website: http://www.southerngovernors.org/or Kentucky's website: http://sga.state.ky.usfor registration and conference schedule information. You can also obtain press releases and photos following each SGA session on these websites.

8 For information on live video streaming, please visit the KET website: http://edit-www.ket.org/content/sga2001/

Founded in 1934, the Southern Governors' Association is the oldest and historically largest of the regional governors' associations. The mission of SGA is to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan, regional forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state and regional problems. The association's membership is composed of the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.