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Over the long term, the only way we're going to raise wages, grow the economy, and improve American competitiveness is by investing in our people - especially their educations.

We know that if we're going to remain economically competitive in the world, and viable as a civic democracy, that we're going to have to get more people educated to higher levels.

Low-wage jobs have gone offshore. We need to innovate to stay competitive.

We know that to compete for the jobs of the 21st century and thrive in a global economy, we need a growing, skilled and educated workforce, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Americans with bachelor's degrees have half the unemployment rate of those with a high school degree.

For a variety of reasons, we are not producing at a given level of economic activity the jobs we used to have.

A strong economy begins with a strong, well-educated workforce.

It is virtually impossible to compete in today's global economy without a college degree.

Our future growth relies on competitiveness and innovation, skills and productivity... and these in turn rely on the education of our people.

Cheap labor is not going to be the way we compete in the United States. It's going to be brain power.

If we wish our state's growth to continue, then our future will increasingly be with industries that require a highly skilled and technically proficient workforce.