Sunday, September 9, 2001

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

SOUTHERN GOVERNORS DISCUSS TECHNOLOGY AND COASTAL RESEARCH WITH UNIVERSITY LEADERS

LEXINGTON, Ky. - In an unprecedented summit with 12 university presidents from the South, the southern governors met today to discuss joint initiatives on information technology and coastal research. The rallying point focused on the South as an innovator and leader in the new economy.

The session took place during SGA’s 67th Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, and included presidents from universities affiliated with the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA).

“This interaction between governors and our top academic leaders is an exciting first step on important projects. There are many ways in which the region can use its resources to bring greater use and value of information technology,” said Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton, SGA chairman.

The SURA Crossroads Initiative is an opportunity for the South to lead in the development and deployment of new networking technologies by providing cost-effective advanced network services for education and research, economic development and service delivery across the entire region. The panel of university presidents stressed that this initiative can be advanced by governors’ commitment to integrating telecommunication infrastructure and using state and local tax credits to leverage development of facilities to support the system.

Dr. Malcom Portera, President of Mississippi State University, said, “Our ability to lead the South to be networked and connected technologically will depend on linking our political and educational leadership. This project holds great promise for a more prosperous future in our region.” Dr. Portera is the chairman of the SURA Council of Presidents. “We want to join hands with you to increase technology in our universities and continue the race for research and development in the South.”

University presidents from Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia related the cutting-edge innovations created through information technology projects, including distance education, on-line libraries, virtual universities and telemedicine. In addition, information technology is positioning rural areas to compete nationally and globally.

“The next generation of information technology will dwarf the capabilities we see today,” said
G. Wayne Clough, President, Georgia Institute of Technology. “It’s important to put our stamp as a region on developing that next generation of technology. We’re well positioned to do that.”

The second initiative is focused on coastal research and stewardship - bringing more effective protection of life and property to the developed coastal zones of our nation. By expanding and linking ocean monitoring systems, this project will also address ecological and environmental concerns endangering health and safety of inhabitants and marine resources. The system will provide simultaneous measurements of winds, waves, currents, water quality and density, as well as nutrients, biological indices and fish stocks under all conditions.

“With roughly 80 million people living in the southeastern U.S., monitoring and coordinating information on weather, environment and marine life in our coastal zones can give us important tools for protecting lives and livelihoods,” said Dr. Portera.

“It’s clear,” said Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, “that we are not going to be successful unless our universities are successful.”

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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.