America, a country of immigrants, has a fortunate history of being on the receiving end of many of the poorest countries’ talented peoples, also known as a “brain drain” for these countries.
Simply, some of the best talent throughout the world migrates to our country for economic, political and religious reasons.
Arizona has fallen into this trap — losing its college-educated population not to the rest of the world, but to other states.
In a recent article, the East Valley Tribune reported that “by the time 20 years has passed, fewer than half of Arizona residents who graduated from college here are working in the state.”
Furthermore, the Tribune attributed this staggering statistic to a lack of companies stationing their headquarters in Arizona.
Steve Court, R-Mesa and chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education, Innovation and Reform, told the Tribune, “Having the low amount of graduates that we do have doesn’t attract the type of businesses that they need to employ them.”
With fewer than half of Arizona’s high school students going on to receive a higher education degree, according to a report by Dan Anderson, Assistant Executive Director for Institutional Research of the Arizona Board of Regents — Court has a valid point.
Here is when bipartisanship must prevail.
Sixty Arizona CEOs sent a letter to Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, emphatically stating their apprehension about the draconian immigration measures that were before the state Legislature last Thursday.
The letter is plain about why such measures should be reconsidered. “Last year, boycotts were called against our state’s business community, adversely impacting our already-struggling economy and costing us jobs,” it read.
It is clear that immigration is a hyper-partisan issue. Job creation should not be.
In a remarkable turn of events, Arizona Senate Republicans realized this and voted down the controversial immigration measures.
After the Arizona Chamber of Commerce reported losses in the tourism business stemming from boycotts and protests as anywhere from $15 million to $150 million and the pressure from the CEOs’ letter, Republican State Senator John McComish told the New York Times, “Enough is enough.”
As Court stated, education is essential to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs as well as elite candidates for top jobs.
The Arizona education system is failing on that count.
According to the Arizona Education Network website, Arizona ranks 49th in per-pupil spending by state. Additionally, funding per-pupil is $61 less than it was more than 20 years ago, which the site points out was tabulated before the recent budget cuts.
Only with enormous pressure from the business community did Arizona Senate Republicans decide to back off of the radical immigration reform measures.
Such pressure must continue though, for it will not be long before Arizona politicians decide to enter the immigration fray again.
We shouldn’t need much inspiration to fund education, but in Arizona, that is not the case. Gov. Jan Brewer and Sen. Pearce would do well to acknowledge their lack of support for education might very well be costing Arizona some of its best and brightest citizens.
As my friend on vacation here texted me last week, “Nothing better, pool and Jacuzzi in March” — something must be wrong for people wanting to take their business elsewhere.
Tell Zach why you’re leaving at zlevinep@asu.edu
