Contact Information:
David J. Staley, Ph.D.
President, Columbus chapter, World Future Society
Principal, The DStaley Group
614-316-1348
david@dstaleygroup.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2005
Columbus, Ohio– Fourteen members of the Columbus chapter of the World Future
Society (WFS) have developed a top ten list of solutions to the question "What needs
to be done to revitalize the State of Ohio and bring it back to its position as one of the
top five states in the country?" They were responding to the frank assessment of the
state of the state from U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH). The futurists engaged in a
nominal focus group exercise that generated a list of ideas that the state should follow
in order to revitalize Ohio. The top ten ideas are:
1) Significant reform to the P-16 education system, including raising the level of
excellence to world class standards; reducing the costs, especially for those out of
state; making education an adjunct to the state’s economic engine; and establishing
more business/education cooperation programs.
2) Promoting a health care industry, including health care products and the renewal of
the "health spa" for the 21st century (a form of health care
tourism/recreation/entertainment).
3) Beginning a "Branding Ohio" campaign to promote and build a positive image
of the state.
4) Embracing diversity in all its forms.
5) Promotion of the "New Urbanism," discouraging suburban sprawl and making
Ohio’s urban spaces attractive, thereby improving the quality of life and attracting
new residents.
6) Improving air and water quality, especially for the health benefits it would afford.
7) Developing an Ohio Research Triangle between Cincinnati-Dayton-Columbus, linking
together universities like The Ohio State University, Wright State University and the
University of Cincinnati, with Wright-Patterson AFB and a number of corporations.
8) Luring the "creative class," which Richard Florida defines as that class
of workers—scientists, engineers, architects, writers, artists--who use their
creativity to drive economic growth. Improving arts and cultural funding and embracing
diversity are two ways to lure this class to Ohio.
9) Developing a system of collaborative governments and citizen focus groups to
consolidate and streamline the sometimes conflicting or redundant levels of government,
thereby eliminating duplication, waste and inefficiency.
10) Encouraging the development of renewable energy, especially windmills, biofuels
(such as methanol) and fuel cells. ‘
The Columbus chapter members were responding to the frank assessment of the state of
the state from Senator Mike DeWine. As reported in the Columbus Dispatch, DeWine
recently spoke candidly to a group of Ohio business leaders about the challenges the state
faces. In the 1960s, Ohio was, by many measures, a wealthy and prosperous state, one of
the leading states in the country in terms of economic growth, high levels of disposable
income and educational attainment enjoyed by its citizens. Today, however, Ohio has lost
more jobs than any other state, its citizens earning significantly less than the national
average. Especially troubling is the fact that 79,000 people between the ages of 20 and 40
have left the state - more than any other state in the nation. "We must invest in the
state’s future," announced DeWine, "and embrace the changes necessary to
move forward or risk falling victim to our own inaction." The WFS members do not
recommend a "silver bullet" approach to Ohio’s renewal, but rather
longer-term social and infrastructural changes.
The World Future Society was founded in 1966 in Washington DC, and is an association
interested in how social and technological developments are shaping the future. The
Society strives to serve as a neutral clearinghouse for ideas about the future including
forecasts, recommendations, and alternative scenarios. These ideas help people to
anticipate what may happen in the next five, ten, or more years ahead. When people can
visualize a better future, then they can begin to create it. Society members include
sociologists, scientists, corporate planners, educators, students, and retirees. They are
thinking people who seek a better future for themselves and society. The Society publishes
The Futurist, a bi-monthly magazine of trends, predictions and ideas about the
future. Its website can be found at www.wfs.org.
The Columbus chapter was reestablished in 2001. It has over two dozen members, who are
professionals from many local companies and organizations including Nationwide, The Ohio
State University, Battelle, AEP, Sonic Rim as well as private consulting firms. Members
meet once a month to discuss and debate social, economic and technological trends and
consider their implications for the future.
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