In addition to providing basic computer skills, the Rural Technology Academy will foster continuing education for professionals in this remote location. For example, Lancaster envisions being able to invite local veterinarians to the Academy to watch Internet broadcasts of surgeries performed at Colorado State University's Veterinary College. "Being a spoke on HEAT's hub will save taxpayer dollars, since we won't have to equip the schools with labs," says resident Abts. "Everyone in town thinks this is a great thing."
The wiring of Julesburg is just the opening move in a grand strategy that should ultimately encompass the entire state. Back at the HEAT Center, Lucent's Mann -- a fast-talking fellow who plays military board games for relaxation -- explains how CTIL will wire towns in every county in the state with high-speed cable, linking them to HEAT and to one another. "We want to take what we've learned at HEAT and push it into businesses, schools, and towns all over the state," says Mann, who projects that 73 towns will be wired by June 2002, serving as "endpoints" that will connect multiple other towns.
Although such educational partnerships may ultimately prove lucrative for corporate participants, HEAT itself needs to find a way to make money. Not that the organization has spent much. It now employs just 60 people, and most of its functions are outsourced.
Nonetheless, HEAT still has to wean itself from state funds. "The governor would prefer to see private funding take over the bulk of the expenditure," says Alan Philp, special assistant to the governor. "His feeling is that since the private sector reaps the benefits, they should really be paying for it." The plan calls for HEAT to be self-supporting and profitable by 2008; the state and Lucent have agreed to fund it until then.
In addition to Lucent and Cisco, a number of private-sector players have come to the organization's aid. Such corporations as U.S. West, PictureTel, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed-Martin, and Raytheon are contributing equipment. And some smaller companies have donated equipment and business expertise. To keep the support faucet running, HEAT will have to continue to market itself to the business world. Despite its early success, that won't be easy. And since precious little money has been earmarked for marketing, HEAT remains little known, even in Colorado. "Marketing and sales is a new ball game for higher education," says Roe.
HEAT must also market itself to students, which means both prettifying itself and offering competitive amenities. The barren campus is undergoing extensive renovations, and by 2004 it should be verdant with trees, shrubs, and grass, and blooming with flowers. Classroom and housing space -- including dormitories -- is being expanded to accommodate up to 10,000 students. One large building may be transformed into a hotel and conference center.
The 1,705 acres of Lowry Air Force Base that's not serving HEAT's academic mission is being developed by the state into a suburban dream, with housing for 3,200 families -- all of it, naturally, wired with high-bandwidth fiber. (According to former HEAT marketer Sally Covington, the first batch of those house lots sold out immediately.) There will be shopping malls and an outdoor amphitheater where the Denver Symphony will play. And plans on the drawing board call for the expansion of a golf course.
By the time those plans come to fruition, Governor Owens predicts, Colorado will have become one of the nation's leading technology centers. "High tech has already given Colorado one of the most diverse economies in the nation," he says. "My goal is to build on this success and expand prosperity to all corners of the state by improving the technology infrastructure and education."
Such goals -- whether expressed by the governor or by organizations like HEAT -- are just what the state's residents want to see realized. "It will be great when younger people can learn the skills they need right here," says Julesburg's Abts, his voice wistful. "Maybe they will be more tempted to stay in the community than to move away to the cities and never come back."
Bronwyn Fryer is a senior editor at The Harvard Business Review. For more information on the HEAT Center, visit www.heat-center.org.
Around The Nation ...
You don't have to live in Colorado to take advantage of innovative workforce-development programs. Here are snapshots of three other states' efforts.
The Learning Center at Miami Valley Research Park, Dayton, Ohio: Launched in October 2000, the center is run by Sinclair Community College with input from three other Dayton-area schools. Its mission: meeting local companies' demand for new-technology workers and improving their existing employees' skills. Courses range from Java programming to intranet design. Tuition runs from $239 for a two-day Microsoft Access class to nearly $4,000 for a 10-week Webmaster certification program. For information, visit http://it.sinclair.edu/.
The Advanced Technology and Educational Park, Tustin, Calif.: Automotive design. Telemedicine. Digital video. Those are among the programs that the South Orange County Community College District plans to offer at a former air base south of Los Angeles, starting later this year. Don Goodwin, who oversaw Colorado's HEAT Center development and now heads the Tustin effort, says other schools will contribute training. The Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, will train people interested in dreaming up new vehicles for companies like Mazda, Ford, and Jaguar, which all have southern California design facilities. Medicine for Humanity, a nonprofit oncologists' group based in San Juan Capistrano, will train local medical personnel to remotely diagnose and treat cancer patients. For more information, visit www.socccd.cc.ca.us.
The Michigan Technology Education Centers (T-TECS): The state, its community colleges, major employers, and labor unions have joined forces to build 18 technology training centers statewide. Each focuses on the needs of the surrounding community. One Detroit-area M-TEC will train former autoworkers for new high-tech jobs. Seven M-TECs have already opened; the rest are scheduled to debut by late 2002. Visit www.michigan.org for more details. --Anne Stuart
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