|
MCC: The Catalyst for Austin's High-Tech Explosion
In 1983, Austin competed with 57 other cities in MCC's highly publicized headquarters search, which narrowed down to four sites: Austin, San Diego, Atlanta, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. At this stage, Austin took a unique approach. The city decided to sell not just what it was, but what it would become through UT.
Former Business School Dean George Kozmetsky had already worked hard to establish UT as a technology leader. An anonymous $8 million gift now cemented his work. With matching funds, the gift led to 32 million-dollar chairs in high-tech related disciplines. In essence, Austin wooed MCC by building up the university's high-tech programs.
"It was a risky strategy," notes Ben Streetman, Dean of the College of Engineering: "Some have likened it to throwing a long forward pass and then running downfield to catch your own pass."
Intense cooperation between business, education, and government was a key selling point for the city. Texas pride took over, and Governor White dedicated his efforts along with San Antonio's Henry Cisneros. "Ross Perot donated his private jet," notes Streetman, "and we had helicopters to show the selection committee that Austin is composed of hills and lakes, not sagebrush."
The committee liked what they saw. With the University offering a virtually free lease, MCC chose Austin. The city used a similar approach to woo 3M in 1984 and Sematech, another high-tech consortium, in 1988.
The consequences of these arrivals were more important than the new jobs, since the process of winning, notes Streetman, brought attention to Austin as a site for high-tech development. It all started with MCC, the spark for Austin's high-tech explosion..
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
