Aerospace pushing universities to think bigger

Jill McCallum, president of Pacific Rim Aerospace Corp., said South Carolina needs to be patient and realize that aerospace is a big pie. (Photo/Kim McManus)

By Ashley Barker abarker@scbiznews.com Published August 28, 2014

One of the often unnoticed benefits of the statewide surge in the aerospace sector has been the impact its had on universities, according to George Patrick, deputy secretary of the S.C. Department of Commerce and member of the S.C. aerospace task force.

During a Charleston Regional Business Journal Power Breakfast this morning, Patrick emphasized that workforce development is key in nearly every conversation he has about the aerospace industry.

Aerospace, and the focus on aerospace, has brought our university systems to their knees to some degree and are forcing what has traditionally been rivals both on the football field and in the lobbying-for-dollars business ... to take a much more cooperative approach to how we work together as a state to enhance our educational system, Patrick said.

Patrick and the other panelists retired Navy Capt. Marty Keaney, executive director of the McNair Center for Aerospace Research and Innovation at the University of South Carolina, and Jill McCallum, president of Pacific Rim Aerospace Corp. discussed how the arrival of the Boeing Co. in North Charleston has impacted the local economy and positioned South Carolina as a leader in advanced manufacturing.

Im very pleased that there is the momentum in this direction to get this right. I believe there is a need for that pressure to be applied across the place, about working with Clemson and other institutions around the state.

Marty Keaney, retired Navy captain and executive director of the McNair Center for Aerospace Research and Innovation at USC

Keaney said a high level of cooperation has always existed among South Carolinas universities when it comes to research.

Theyve always worked well together, he said. If you needed somebody from Clemson, or the College of Charleston or MUSC [the Medical University of South Carolina] to be competitive for a grant, they went out and did it.

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Aerospace pushing universities to think bigger

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