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	The Economic Contributions of Philadelphia's Knowledge Industry
	Attracting Talent to the Region
	Creating an Educated, Skilled Worker Pool
	Stimulating Entrepreneurial Activity
	The Knowledge Industry Partnership
	Organizing Principle: The Student “Life Cycle”
	Leadership Team
	KIP’s OneBigCampus Initiative

The Economic Contributions of Philadelphia's
Knowledge Industry
Greater Philadelphia’s higher education cluster is, and will continue to be, the region’s single greatest asset in the global competition for knowledge-based economic development. With more than 80 colleges and universities, higher education institutions rank among the area’s largest employers and collectively deliver a spending impact exceeding $6.4 billion annually. Higher education is also a top "exporting industry", drawing new dollars into the region through tuition payments, local purchases by students and their families, and research funding from the federal government and other entities.

But in the Philadelphia region, higher education’s impact far surpasses the traditional industry contributions of spending, employment, and investment. By virtue of what it “produces” – educated people and new ideas – Philadelphia’s “knowledge industry” of colleges and universities is a regional asset driving long-term trends such as population demographics, worker pool quality, and entrepreneurship. A defining industry much like the auto industry is to Detroit or the entertainment industry is to Los Angeles, Greater Philadelphia’s Knowledge Industry contributes to the region’s competitiveness by:

Attracting Talent to the Region

	An estimated one-quarter of newly enrolled students, almost 20,000, come from outside the region for school each year, about 1.5 times the rate of foreign immigration to the region.
	The Knowledge Industry is a net “importer” of young people – an estimated 3,000 more freshmen enroll in regional colleges and universities than there are area, college-bound high-school graduates.

Already a top destination for college students, Philadelphia can better leverage this unique strength to reverse its 30-year history of stagnant regional population growth and ongoing population decline within its urban center.

Creating an Educated, Skilled Worker Pool

	Area colleges and universities award more than 54,000 degrees annually, introducing new knowledge and skills into the worker pool and replenishing the “supply” for both current and prospective regional employers.
	Companies are increasingly locating new and expanding businesses near a readily accessible, quality worker pool. This region is world renown for producing graduates schooled in business, the liberal arts, life and health sciences, and professional programs.

As a prolific source of talent and brainpower to companies, Philadelphia can rely on its Knowledge Industry to rejuvenate an aging and shrinking working-age population and raise regional educational attainment levels.

Stimulating Entrepreneurial Activity

	Young, educated people are among the most active populations to start companies that create new jobs. This entrepreneurial “propensity” is especially true for young, educated minority populations such as African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics.
	The region offers dozens of business programs (including top-ranking MBA programs), leading research centers, and a host of cutting-edge majors in life sciences, information technology, and multi-media, all of which groom the future innovators and business leaders responsible for economic growth.

As a seedbed for entrepreneurship, Philadelphia can rely on the Knowledge Industry for new ideas and start-up companies that will eventually grow into large, established employers.

The Knowledge Industry is key to defining the region’s competitive position in the emerging
21st century economy.

The Knowledge Industry Partnership
KIP was formed to maximize the impact of the region’s “knowledge industry” of colleges and universities on Philadelphia’s economic position. This coalition of civic, business, government, and higher education partners is unprecedented in its leadership breadth and cross-representation of interests. KIP serves as a national model of collaboration by a diverse set of partners around a common agenda.

KIP’s Organizing Principle: The Student “Life Cycle”
Unlike other regional or state initiatives, KIP recognizes that retaining college students – our ultimate goal – begins with attracting them here, and requires consistent and positive engagement with students throughout their college career. To this end, the core strategies driving KIP are organized around the three main phases of the college student “life cycle”:

I. The college selection process ARRIVE	II. The enrolled student experience EXPLORE	III. The after-college decision ACHIEVE

KIP’s Leadership Team
Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the University of Pennsylvania, serves as Chairperson of KIP’s Advisory Group, an overseeing body of senior-level officials representing a cross-sector of regional organizations and interests. Indicative of KIP’s collaborative spirit, three distinguished regional leaders spearhead KIP's core working groups:

Working Group	Working Group Director	Core Strategy
ARRIVE	Meryl Levitz President & CEO Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.	Increase demand to attend college in Greater Philadelphia
EXPLORE	Stephanie Naidoff Commerce Director, City Representative City of Philadelphia	Promote a vibrant college student experience in the region
ACHIEVE	Rich Bendis President & CEO Innovation Philadelphia	Retain young, educated people

KIP’s OneBigCampus Initiative
In order to secure a leadership position as a regional center for higher education, KIP has developed a three-year, multi-million dollar initiative positioning Philadelphia as “one big campus” – a premier college destination, where the campus is “measured in miles; not acres.” In Philadelphia, the academic experience is enriched by an exceptional array of off-campus experiences – educational, cultural, professional, and personal.

The goal of the One Big Campus initiative is to create positive first-hand experiences throughout the student life cycle (prospect>student>graduate), which in turn lead to a stronger emotional attachment with the area and ultimately a personal desire to remain after graduation.

Under the leadership of Dr. Rodin and the Advisory Group, this broad-based initiative represents a shared regional agenda centered on the area’s college student population. The effort is research-based and results-driven to dynamically impact the region’s economy and demography. (One Big Campus Initiative launch: Spring 2003)