Investing in our Future: Education and R&D focus of Business Summit address

By Mike Harris , University Relations

Contact: (336) 334-5371

Posted 11-16-09

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline will invest about $9 billion this year in research and development. It’s part of investing in the future.

Bob Ingram, vice chairman for pharmaceuticals of GlaxoSmithKline, spoke about investing in our future – particularly investing in education with our time and resources – Monday at the fourth annual UNCG Business Summit.

North Carolina is one of the three centers of life science investment in the United States, along with the California Bay area and Boston, he noted. Together, private companies – big and small – and the UNC system make that possible.

As CEO/chairman of GlaxoWellcome, Ingram co-led the 2000 merger that formed GlaxoSmithKline. He serves on the board of directors of several corporations, including Lowe’s Companies. At Lowe’s, the two biggest suppliers now are Asian companies. He noted that South Korea now produces a lot more engineers per capita than the US.

Liberal arts are important – hard sciences are vitally important too. He alluded to his grandchildren and their futures several times. “They’ll have to compete with kids all over the world.” It’s not good enough any more to be a leading economy in the region or even the nation. Everyone is competing globally.

Ingram and Ann Goodnight (SAS Corporation) co-chaired the Business Committee on Higher Education, which presented its findings to the UNC Tomorrow Commission in 2007. They found for example that schools and universities must graduate students with a mix of both hard skills and soft skills, and that lifelong learning must be emphasized.

Teamwork and communications skills are essential. He noted that pharmacists are highly trained at universities – and should be encouraged to impart that knowledge to pharmacy customers. The customers’ compliance rate would rise. It’s worth the investment in resources.

He spoke several times of the value pharmacists can provide. “I am pledged to work with you to see a School of Pharmacy here,” he said.

Other speakers included Provost David H. Perrin; Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Patricia W. Stewart; and Triad Business Journal Publisher Douglas Copeland.

The latter half of the summit featured a business solutions forum, UNCG Partnering with the Community, moderated by Copeland. It examined four topics: Impact Greensboro, Logistics and Competitiveness, MBA Consulting Projects, and Health Centers for the Elderly. Stephanie Walker (UNCG Center for Youth, Family & Community Partnerships); Dr. Keith Debbage (Geography); Dr. Vidya Gargeya (Bryan School); and Dr. Debra Wallace (Nursing) joined business and government experts in presenting the topics and fielding questions.