BYU president cites importance of 'flat world'

College students living in Utah's relatively isolated mountain region need to be better prepared to compete in the "flat world" of a global marketplace, according to Brigham Young University President Cecil O. Samuelson.

BYU's 12th president was the keynote speaker Friday at the 2005 Common Good awards lunch, put on by Envision Utah sponsor Coalition for Utah's Future.

"There's never been a better time to be living in these beautiful mountains than now," Samuelson said.

While optimistic about Utah's future, he said higher education needs to focus on providing students with opportunities to gain a competitive edge.

Samuelson said technology has ushered in today's flattening effect, evening the playing field as different countries compete for jobs in industries such as telecommunications. With more than half of India's 550 million population under the age of 25, call center jobs are being gobbled up by more than 250,000 eager young workers, Samuelson pointed out.

BYU officials, he said, are looking into re-engineering the school's agriculture and biology departments to keep up with demands to find better, more efficient ways to feed the world's population.

With the world of communication always evolving, BYU's engineering department is looking for fresh insight on how to keep pace, according to Samuelson.

Generally, Samuelson said, students need to be academically prepared to address any number of crises ranging from energy and financial to natural, like the recent hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast region.

Even the weaker U.S. dollar — with $3 trillion owed abroad, up 100 percent since 2000 — should be on the minds of today's students, according to Samuelson.

Samuelson quoted extensively from a recent Utah Foundation report and U.S. Census figures that all point to a need for more focus on graduating more Utahns with bachelor's degrees. Samuelson said Utah needs to be able to provide the kinds of jobs that will keep graduates from leaving the state for better-paying jobs or more opportunities elsewhere.

"A flat world," he said, "really presents opportunities."

Prior to Samuelson's speech, the rubber-stamping company Stampin' Up! and the nonprofit, spiritually based organization Volunteers of America, Utah, were recognized with Common Good awards for their contributions to the community.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com