Institute for Advanced Learning and Research Revenue and Competitors

The Institute for Advanced Learning & Research is attracting and developing innovation economy jobs and a work force through its advanced learning offerings, outreach programs and new economy conferences and symposia. This spring, the institute facilitated access to 17 graduate degree programs and 18 certificate programs from an array of educational providers. Institute faculty members taught classes locally in math and mechanical engineering to resident graduate students. The institute also hosts bachelor's and master's programs in nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia, respectively. The Institute for Advanced Learning & Research is also working to create seamless educational pathways related to its research programs. These pathways will take students from associate's to bachelor's and then to the graduate degrees. These degree opportunities result from partnerships with Danville Community College, Averett University, Virginia Tech, Longwood University, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University and other higher education institutions. In addition to degrees in science, math, technology and engineering, the institute, partnering with the New College Institute in Martinsville and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston, is working to create degree pathways for health sciences, education and teacher training, hospitality and other fields identified as being important in creating a new economic base. These pathways will allow local people to complete their degrees while remaining in the region. During the last year, the institute has offered outreach programs in locations across its service region. Southside Summer Adventures was attended by 300 students, provided internships for area college students and employed 40 local teachers. Even greater participation is expected this summer. The institute served, at no charge, 220 K-12 teachers in their faculty development through the Summer Educators Development Institute and expects to serve 350 in 2006. The region's teachers have also participated in many Virginia Tech and institute development activities designed to bring technology into the classroom and increase student interest in STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Hundreds of students and adults have strengthened their math skills, prepared for their GEDs, improved their SOLs and SAT scores through the Learning Liftoff program. Outreach programs are helping citizens gain knowledge of technology and its applications through free and low-cost classes and workshops, which have served 1,200 adults throughout the region. eCommerce seminars are helping local businesses apply technology to take advantage of new markets. The institute has also focused programs and attention to minority populations through its partnership with SCALE UP, including helping to establish 501(c)(3) status. Additionally, companies and citizens in Southside need access to high-level technology applications and high-speed Internet connectivity. Miles of fiber-optic cable have already been installed from Gretna to Danville and a major project to connect all of southern Virginia is under way. The institute brings the latest in technology hardware and software to the region through vendor shows and technology-related conferences. Our information technology department operates a successful IT intern program that prepares future network engineers and support specialists for employment in the region. Other local high school students intern in the institute's research centers. Moreover, for the Southside region to position itself for a bright future, the area needs to be a destination location where business people and visitors can work and visit. The Institute Conference Center has hosted more than 26,000 visitors and booked 471 events. From multi-day conferences to class reunions, ICC facilities and expertise bring groups of various sizes to Southside, where they eat in local restaurants, shop in local stores and stay in local hotels. Indeed, between January 2000 and June 2006, the institute will generate financial commitments and investments of more than $61 million, including constructing buildings, hiring people, leasing spaces and creating financial, technological, scientific and educational programs and systems, while talking to thousands. Also, the institute has been recognized by national organizations for its unique partnering strategy focused on economic transformation. This recognition signals we are on the right track to prospects and partners everywhere. By the fall of 2007, the institute expects to fill 17 new research faculty slots to bring the locally-based total to 24 state-funded lines of research personnel - and have 30 Virginia Tech graduate students. By this fall, the institute's facilities will total 160,000 square feet. These facilities include not only the institute itself but also the IALR Research Addition and leased spaces at the Dan River Business Development Center and Virginia International Raceway. All four of the research and innovation centers will have grand openings between now and November, and we invite everyone to attend these celebrations of the region's progress. The Advanced and Applied Polymer Processing Institute (AAPPI) will celebrate its grand opening Aug. 28; the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (VIPER), during the weekend of Oct. 6-8 at Virginia International Raceway; and the Joint Unmanned Systems Testing, Experimentation and Research (JOUSTER) in late October. By 2012, the institute expects to employ between 35 and 45 research faculty in Southside, 15 to 20 commercial testing engineers and technicians, 60 Virginia Tech graduate students, 20 Old Dominion graduate students and 40 other faculty and staff employees, which means the institute will employ or host between 200 and 250 people. Within six to 10 years, based on a $3 million-per-year institute investment in Virginia Tech-led research, total competitive research funding is projected to equal $15 million per year, or a 5-to-1 to one return on the commonwealth's investment. An economic transition of a regional economy will take time and require the effort and support of the community. You can help the institute in several ways: -- Embrace the research faculty: Most hail from other places, including a variety of foreign countries. Help them to feel at home and connected with people, activities and interests in the region. They represent a nucleus of scientific intellectual capital that is the true magnet for economic opportunity. -- Welcome the graduate students and develop relationships with them: Once they finish their graduate studies, they can become future contributing citizens to Southside if we help them become rooted here. Their innovations in research will lead to future business developments in the region. -- Take part in the institute's programs for adults and children: For this region to become economically competitive, we must seize opportunities to advance our knowledge of math, science and technology. In conclusion, perhaps the institute's major accomplishment has been to move from being an idea or concept into reality. The institute now has an institutional base of resources with facilities, equipment, employees and programs. We celebrated the opening of the building two years ago. Today, the programs in that building and other institute programs housed across the region are actively making a difference in the lives of our people. The institute continues progressing toward being recognized as a national model for transforming rural America. The Institute for Advanced Learning & Research has adopted a magnet as our symbol of what the institute is to Southside Virginia: We are pulling people and resources together to transform our region. It is important, worthwhile work. We must continue working together because the task is too big for any one individual, organization, city or county. By working together, we will succeed. Our children and grandchildren will have a better future because of the work we are doing today. We are turning the corner from these difficult times. The outlook for the future in Southside Virginia is bright. Franklin has served as the executive director of the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research since 2001. This piece was originally published in the Danville Register & Bee.