Education
SWRC members recognize that to maintain the strength of the southern Willamette Valley as a locus of advanced technological development, the post-secondary educational institutions in the region must maintain their strong position in their respective areas of service. To advance this purpose, the members have identified the following priorities:

A strong, well-funded post-secondary educational system is essential to Oregon's future given the many rapid changes occurring in our society.

Higher education must have the ability to re-train and re-educate the current workforce as well as provide a good education for those students coming out of high school.

Universities and community colleges have a direct impact on the economy through expenditures by institutions, student and employee spending, visitor spending, employee tax payments, and federal and private gift income.

Community colleges and universities also contribute to Oregon's economic future by:

fostering new businesses and creating new jobs

providing employee education and training

providing a community asset that attracts businesses
The community college system and the Oregon University system have redesigned their funding formulas to better assess rapid change, while providing a framework to rebuild a solid post-secondary system. This restructuring has improved the operations of the post-secondary educational institutions in the southern Willamette Valley, but these institutions still need additional state funding above the current service levels.

The educational institutions in the SWRC region that create a strong educational base for the region are:

Lane Community College
Linn-Benton Community College
Oregon State University
University of Oregon

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