By Donna Hemmila

Business leaders testifying before a Senate panel last month painted a grim picture of California's economic future if state support for higher education declines.

"Our competitive edge is being eroded in California," said Stephen Chang, a UC Irvine alumnus and founder of biotech company Stemgent Inc. "Our competitive edge is our education system."

Chang was one of five leaders from the health care, technology and agriculture industries who testified before the March 13 meeting of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee. Their appearence was part of a collaborative effort of the University of California, California State University and the California Community Colleges to advocate for state funding for higher education. Each business leader told the senators about the impact UC, CSU and community colleges have had on their personal lives and their industries.

Chang told senators that when he enrolled at UC Irvine 31 years ago the field of biotechnology didn't exist, but UC helped create that new industry and make it an economic force in the state. Today, discoveries coming out of UC labs and research centers will continue to fuel the industries of the future, he said, if the state continues its investment in higher education.

"We have immense problems before us," Chang said. "It will be bright minds from UC and CSU that will solve them."

Chi-Foon Chan, president and chief operating officer of semiconductor software design firm Synopsys Inc., said he feared California is facing an engineering crisis. China is graduating seven times the number of engineers as California and India more than three times as many, Chan said. There is global competition for those highly trained talents, he said, and companies like his will find it increasingly difficult to import the skilled workers they need.

"We desperately need a homegrown group of engineers to maintain Silicon Valley," Chan said. Synopsys Foundation supports math and science K-12 programs to encourage young people to go into technology and engineering careers.

"What happens if there is no room at the engineering colleges for these students we're supporting?" Chan asked the panel.

Others to testify included Jerry Lohr, founder of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines; Susan Rosenthal, workforce consultant for Kaiser Permanente; and Richard Rominger of Rominger Farms.

Rominger, whose family has grown alfalfa, beans, corn and other crops in Yolo County since 1870, said the state's $34 billion agriculture industry relies on UC and CSU's cutting-edge research to give it a competitive edge in the global marketplace.

UC and CSU innovations – from drip irrigation to pest management practices – have enabled farmers to produce more food per acre at lower costs, he said, keeping California farmers competitive with countries where labor and land are cheaper and environmental regulations looser. Rominger, a UC Davis alumnus, headed the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1977 to 1982 and was U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture.

"I realize that you have some tough budget decisions to make over the next few months, and everything is on the table," Rominger told the senators. "But I would like to urge you to take into consideration the tremendous contributions UC and CSU make to California and the future of our great state. Future generations will thank you."

Donna Hemmila is editor of Our University.