From the Director

NC Business Leaders as Civic Leaders: What Do You Think?
 
Critical to our success in the public policy arena is the ability of the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) to identify and collaborate with stakeholders from the business, nonprofit, government and higher education sectors. These partners offer differing perspectives on the issues before our state and each enriches IEI’s public policy process in important ways.

However, all our partners see value in working across those differences. In several recent conversations with those seeking to determine whether the IEI model might be replicated in other states, I have pointed out that, while IEI seeks to capitalize on the spirit of cross-sector collaboration in North Carolina, we can take no credit for creating it.  

In this month's Director’s Note, I would like to focus on the particular function of business leaders in IEI’s work, and to ask whether you agree that business leaders in North Carolina are committed to supporting the public good of the state.

It is fair to say that North Carolina has a rich history of business leaders playing significant leadership roles in the civic fabric of our state.  The tradition of leadership continues today, and it is reflected in the four Business Committees associated with IEI’s most recent programs of work.  In each case, business leaders have readily answered the call to duty. They have worked hard to understand the subject at hand. And, they have demonstrated a remarkable willingness to be advocates for broad issues, even when it has meant they had to look beyond the immediate interests of their company to see the long-term interests of our state.

Just this past year, IEI convened twenty-one private sector energy stakeholders representing investor owned utility companies, renewable source companies, large industrial consumers of energy, and private capital investors. We asked them to offer their recommendations on public policy interventions essential to positioning North Carolina to capitalize on the new green economy.  Members of this Business Committee on Energy certainly had competing interests. They came committed, however, to finding a set of recommendations upon which they could agree, and they succeeded in impressive ways. Those recommendations have now been delivered to Governor Perdue and the members of the North Carolina General Assembly. Stay tuned for updates on their implementation.

IEI’s first committee, the Business Committee on Higher Education, similarly worked together to offer a consensus agenda for the state – this time, for closing the state’s workforce skills gap.  The UNC Tomorrow Commission adopted and implemented those recommendations.

Our longest running committee, IEI’s Business Committee on Financing the Future has spent many months working on tax modernization, and is preparing to release its final statement of principles.  Their work has extraordinary implications for our state’s fiscal health, and I look forward to sharing updates with you in the next few months.

I will be equally excited to share next month the details surrounding the launch of our newest committee, the Business Committee on Growth and Infrastructure. This committee will focus on ways to improve public private partnerships necessary to help deliver the significant infrastructure needs of our state.
 
IEI has benefited greatly from the participation of the business community in its work. Do you agree that North Carolina’s business leaders are committed to serving the broad interests of the state? Please email us at institute@ncsu.edu to share your thoughts on the subject.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Anita