When it comes to helping drive Fort Worth’s future, there’s one thing upon which city
officials and local leaders in higher education agree: We’re in it together.
That was one of the takeaways at a Nov. 3 first-of-its-kind event, “Fueling Innovation
and Economic Vitality in Fort Worth,” hosted by TCU and featuring a panel including
the mayor, plus seven chancellors and presidents of area colleges and universities.
Their conversation explored how academic institutions and civic partners are aligning
to grow the city’s innovation ecosystem, cultivate talent and strengthen the regional
workforce.
“One of the things that has been most catalytic for our community in the last five
to 10 years is higher education,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “It’s a testament
that they [the other panelists] are all here on the same stage to talk about what
the future of this region looks like and the responsibility we have to keep students
here.”
Held at Bass Performance Hall, the panel included Parker; Chancellor Daniel W. Pullin,
TCU; Chancellor Glenn Hegar, Texas A&M University System; President Jennifer Cowley,
University of Texas at Arlington; President Kirk Calhoun, UNT Health Fort Worth; Chancellor
Elva Concha LeBlanc, Tarrant County College; President James Hurley, Tarleton State
University; and President Emily Messer, Texas Wesleyan University.
The 90-minute discussion was moderated by TCU senior Reagan Stephens, Student Government
Association president and political science major. The event also served as the opening
of TCU’s Values in Action Week.
In her opening comments, Parker noted that 24% of college students in the state are
enrolled in North Texas schools, and as the region has grown, there’s a sense of urgency
for institutions of higher learning to collaborate.
“Fort Worth is experiencing remarkable momentum in higher education, fueled by significant
expansion and innovative developments across all these institutions,” she said. “There
is a shared commitment among higher education leaders to collaborate, innovate and
invest in a strong and vital future for our entire community.”
Pullin concurred, adding that what higher education does best is to convene community
on its most important issues.
“I’ve never seen a stronger town-and-gown relationship than what we have right here,”
he said. “We’re operating at the intersection of the market and academics, and we
do it together. Think about how many relationships our students have, emotionally
and intellectually, to a great community. If they’re connected to community, they’re
more likely to stay and build careers, strong families and flourishing communities.
That’s not going to happen unless we’re talking.”
In addition to collaboration, panelists agreed, the need to continually innovate is
important for every sector of society, especially higher education.
“Innovation is about bringing new hopes and opportunities to advance community, society
and the state of Texas, which is the eighth-largest economy in the world,” Hegar noted,
bringing a statewide perspective to the conversation. With 12 universities, the Texas
A&M system is one of the largest in the nation. A&M has a campus currently under construction
in Fort Worth. “Driving innovation keeps moving Texas forward and changes people’s
lives. It also makes young minds excited about new challenges that innovation will
drive.”
Almost all the higher education institutions represented have strategic plans in place
that are built not only around today’s students but generations to follow. That means
preparing students for jobs that may not yet exist and planning for technologies like
artificial intelligence to continue evolving.
The institutions of higher learning have a responsibility to be at the forefront of
technology, especially AI, Parker said, as Dallas-Fort Worth is on track to be the
largest metroplex in 2100. But there’s also a place for imagination.
“There’s room for us to remind our young people that it’s OK to dream and to put them
in a position for those dreams to not just be fanciful but become real,” Pullin said.
“Whether we’re redesigning curriculum to make sure that we’re teaching the most marketable
and future-proof skill sets or building strong relationships in the community that
lead to internships or surface learning opportunities or promoting research, we’re
preparing students to be our next generation of leaders.”
The collaboration among the leaders goes beyond the stage.
“Each of these universities have said ‘yes’ to the city and me on a variety of occasions,”
Parker said. “These are the people we ask to have in the room to recruit a major employer
to the region. They help formulate a strategy on behalf of the entire community.”
Following the panel, guests attended a reception and a student innovation showcase
featuring startups and research ventures from across the participating institutions,
highlighting the direct impact of higher education on the local economy.
