Third Frontier good for area

In these days of partisan wrangling and name-calling, the emergence of an issue that garners enthusiastic support across political, geographic and socio-economic lines is rare, to say the least.

But that is what the Ohio Third Frontier is.

Launched in 2002 by Republican Gov. Bob Taft and approved by Ohio voters in 2005, the Third Frontier is a visionary public-private partnership aimed at re-energizing Ohio’s economy by investing in emerging technologies, building new companies, expanding existing companies and – creating new jobs.

Without question, it has worked, yielding $6.6 billion in economic activity, $2.4 billion in wages and more than 48,000 jobs. Through Third Frontier, more than 571 new companies have been launched in Ohio, including right here in Youngstown.

Issue 1 on the May 4 primary ballot will renew and continue this highly successful program. It has the full support of not only Gov. Ted Strickland, but also his opponent, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich, as well as legislators on both sides of the aisle, newspapers across the state, business and labor.

So why is a state university board of trustees and its administration interested in all of this?

As an urban research university, Youngstown State University has played and will continue to play an increasingly important role in the economic future of the Mahoning Valley. Third Frontier will help us reach those goals.

Job creation

At its core, Third Frontier fosters job creation through the advancement of new products and services based on science and technology research and development, thus ensuring Ohio’s ability to create and compete for jobs, today and in the future. At the center of that activity are Ohio’s institutions of higher education. Today more than ever, universities and colleges are the places where researchers and entrepreneurs merge, creating new technology, new business and new jobs.

Through Third Frontier, YSU is already fully engaged in such activity. For instance, YSU and Fireline TCON in Youngstown have received $2.1 million in Third Frontier funding to create the new Center of Excellence in Advanced Materials Analysis at the university. Also, the Third Frontier Internship Program has placed 163 YSU students in 42 different companies across the region. The Internship Program is run through the YSU Small Business Development Center, in cooperation with the YSU Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering.

In all, seven businesses and YSU have received nearly $4 million in Third Frontier funding over the past three years.

This is a statewide issue that has direct benefit for the Mahoning Valley — present and future. Issue 1 will not raise taxes, but it will raise the prospect of the region’s prosperity and the region’s ability to thrive well into the 21st century.

We urge citizens of the Mahoning Valley to vote “yes” on Issue 1 and to support the “United for Jobs and Ohio’s Future” campaign.

David C. Sweet is president of Youngstown State University and Scott Schulick is chairman of the YSU Board of Trustees. They wrote this on behalf of themselves, President Designee Cynthia E. Anderson and YSU’s 11-member Board of Trustees, each of whom supports continuation of the Third Frontier program.