ALBANY, N.Y. (September 18, 2007) -- As high-tech-driven development presents changes in the Tech Valley economy, UAlbany's Nonprofit Executive Roundtable is partnering with the Center for Economic Growth in hosting a forum designed to promote broad community planning and enhance community vitality and sustainability. The Tech Valley Civic Forum, hosted and co-sponsored by the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), will be the first event of its kind in the Tech Valley region, bringing together leaders from business, government, nonprofit and education to build the foundation for -- and commitment to -- an inclusive planning process based on the over-arching vision of successful collaboration. The event will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at CNSE. Other sponsors of the Tech Valley Civic Forum include the Bender Family Foundation, the Times Union, and the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The forum stems from the need to create opportunities for broad community planning and action that involves stakeholders from all sectors -- business, government, nonprofit, education -- as identified in the case study High-Tech Growth and Community Well-being: Lessons Learned from Austin, Texas. The case study, recently released by the Nonprofit Executive Roundtable at UAlbany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, is based on insights shared by business, nonprofit and higher education leaders in Austin.
"The Tech Valley Civic Forum is a first step in bringing together key stakeholders so we can avoid some of the problems faced by our colleagues Austin," said Judith Saidel, report co-author and director of UAlbany's Center for Women in Government and Civil Society
"The Tech Valley Civic Forum promises to be a very enlightening event, one which fits well with CEG's mission and efforts to support sustainable regional growth, and we are pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with regional leaders as we bring these issues to the forefront to help maximize the historic economic opportunities before us," said F. Michael Tucker, president and CEO of the Center for Economic Growth.
"The UAlbany NanoCollege is pleased and excited to sponsor and host the first-ever Tech Valley Civic Forum," said Alain Kaloyeros, vice president and Chief Administrative Officer of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. "As nanotechnology continues to lead economic investment and growth in the Capital Region and across New York, open dialogues such as these are critical in ensuring that all sectors of our community realize both the opportunities and benefits of this unprecedented high-tech growth. We congratulate Professor Saidel and wish the Forum the best of success."
The forum is designed to develop cross-sector task forces to address core issues. Results of the meeting will be documented and consolidated into a summary report, with task forces presenting preliminary findings in 2008 and final results in spring 2009.
The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) is a regional economic and business development organization dedicated to attracting high-tech talent and companies and to providing innovative services to bolster local businesses in New York state's Capital Region and Tech Valley. CEG receives significant financial support from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), New York's high-technology economic development agency, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). CEG serves as NYSTAR's designated Regional Technology Development Center for Tech Valley, one of nearly 350 MEP locations across the country assisting local manufacturing and technology companies with generating new sales, creating stronger operational infrastructure and overcoming barriers to growth.
The Nonprofit Executive Roundtable is a forum to identify and address broad, pressing issues relevant to the nonprofit sector. Based at UAlbany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the Roundtable is a community-university collaboration with two primary goals: to provide documentation of an expand awareness about the voluntary sector as a key contributor, along with business and government, to the economy and quality of life of the Capital Region; and to catalyze cross-sector conversations about the challenges and opportunities for Tech Valley of technology-based economic growth.
Ranked among the top-10 Public Affairs programs in the nation, the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy's core mission is to discover, communicate, and apply knowledge about politics, governance, public policy, and public management. The college directly helps public managers, policymakers, and others deal effectively with the challenges they face, making democracy stronger and governments more effective around the world.
The UAlbany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is the first college in the world dedicated to research, development, education, and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, and nanoeconomics. In May 2007, it was ranked as the world's number one college for nanotechnology and microtechnology in the Annual College Ranking by Small Times magazine. CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex is the most advanced research facility of its kind at any university in the world: a $4.2 billion, 450,000-square-foot complex that attracts corporate partners from around the world and offers students a one-of-a-kind academic experience. The UAlbany NanoCollege houses the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 65,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. Over 1,600 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty work on site at CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex, including IBM, AMD, SONY, Toshiba, Qimonda, Honeywell, ASML, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and Freescale. An expansion currently underway will increase the size of CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex to over 750,000 square feet, including over 80,000 square feet of Class 1 cleanroom space, to house over 2,000 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty by the end of 2008.
