On Aug. 5, 2013, approximately 60 business and education leaders gathered at the College of Charleston to hear addresses from Charleston business leader Phil Noble and College of Charleston president Dr. George Benson.
In a newspaper article the previous summer, Noble asked, “What does South Carolina need to do to be ‘world-class’ in the globally connected world of the 21st century?” Benson read the article and, with the same desire to learn the answer, partnered with Noble to launch Envision South Carolina. The two set out to engage people throughout our state in a public dialogue about the question.
During Envision SC Phase I, formal interviews were conducted with citizens and notable leaders from across South Carolina, including Ben Bernanke (chairman of the Federal Reserve), Richard Riley (former governor of South Carolina and former U.S. secretary of education) and Charles Bolden (NASA administrator and retired U.S. Marine Corps major general). The responses echoed two essential themes:
1. Develop leadership within the state that can be trusted.
2. Repair the education system within the state – or truly, nothing else we fix really matters.
In his address last week, Noble expressed his belief that Internet connectivity provides the opportunity for someone, even in a remote rural region in South Carolina, to take a powerful idea, discuss it and grow it in a world environment. Just as the printing press spurred radical shifts in thought and altered history, the Internet is a game-changing tool. Noble cited the stunning example of how Estonia, a rather isolated former Soviet state, decided to connect its people with the Internet. This effort joined people together into an Internet community so successful, its model became Skype.
Like Estonia, the people of South Carolina could bring powerful, fresh ideas to the global market, if equipped with global connectivity.
Envision South Carolina intends to excite educators and inspire young inventors and budding entrepreneurs to apply existing 21st-century technology and Internet connectivity to connect, learn, problem-solve and collaborate throughout the state and the globe.
One example of Noble and Benson’s belief in the power of fresh ideas may be found in Greenville. Ben Riddle, a 19-year-old rising Furman University sophomore, has a lofty yet very doable idea that could launch South Carolina into the next era.
Ben has developed the framework to create a Greenville design school, similar to Stanford’s d-school and Tokyo’s i-school. His dream? A collaboration between all S.C. higher institutions (both public and private) and industries from the Southeast. He would apply worldwide connections to create a culture that would help people and organizations become more innovative and creative.
Ben’s wish is for us “to put aside biases, prejudices, politics and pride to develop a comprehensive and human-centered vision for our state, which taps into the ingenuity of our citizens. The time is now.” What does Ben need to make his dream of the engage*d institute become a reality? People, physical space and financial support. But the potential outcomes are limited only by our thoughts.
The goal of Envision SC Phase II is to stimulate global idea-sharing through three core programs:
1. Global Scholars: Recognize a Global Scholar in each of the 46 counties who connect, learn and collaborate with someone outside the state. These would qualify for three regional prizes and one grand prize.
2. Envision South Carolina Prize: Encourage and recognize the efforts of young inventors and innovators to spawn new developments for our state. Prizes will be awarded in five categories – Education and the Arts; Science and Technology; Health and Life Sciences; Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Business and Commerce – as well as an overall grand prize.
3. Envision Fellows: Develop promising ideas that solve problems both locally and abroad in a collaborative way with support from mentors, in-kind efforts and stipends.
“I hope and believe this project will inspire our fellow South Carolinians to embrace bold and innovative thinking about our shared future,” said Benson. “Envision South Carolina is intended to help us take action – to think about how South Carolina can be a leader on the world stage.”
If we are to become great, world-class leaders in the global economy and advance our state competencies, we must enable the educational base and provide the infrastructure to hear the voices of those who harbor important, fresh ideas. By connecting the people within our state to the rest of the globe, we can build a collectively higher IQ in South Carolina.
It is not too late to reinvent ourselves. To be our best, we must reach into even the “messy” impoverished areas of South Carolina. We need to be open to new ideas and encourage a different way of thinking. We need a new approach to educating young and old alike, if we are to unbridle the innate innovation that will help reshape all of our lives.
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InnoVision advisory board members Blaine Childress and Martha Winebarger attended the recent Envision South Carolina meeting and are co-authors of the article. For 15 years, The InnoVision Awards have become the mark of distinction for outstanding leadership, innovation and technological excellence. As the only awards program of its kind, InnoVision Awards distinguish businesses, individuals and educators who set new standards for innovation in finding, developing and retaining profitable business.
