By now, the story of Ireland’s economic turn-around is quite familiar. We know that in 1988, the European Union declared the country almost bankrupt – the poorest of all the EU nations. A decade later, Ireland’s economy was starting to roar. We heard about the amazing Celtic Tiger and the country’s growing wealth. Now, another ten years later, the evidence of Ireland’s prosperity and well being is everywhere.

On an educational trip last year funded by private funds and organized by Science Foundation Arizona, I had the opportunity to see and learn about Ireland’s economic success first hand. The country’s amazing advance has been no accident.

I heard from economic experts, university presidents, graduate students and business and government leaders and I saw the energy, quality of life and collective well-being that have come from 20 years of strategic and collaborative effort.

In Ireland, economic success started with a deep commitment from the government to establish consistent and effective policies essential for a 21st century economy to improve the lives of the Irish people.

They opened their economy to multi-national competition, built a world-class organization to encourage foreign investment, instituted low corporate taxes and invested heavily in education at all levels.

All of these policies helped get Ireland into the global economic game, but it’s the last in that list – investing heavily in education at all levels – that is keeping it there today and will ensure its success into the future.

Two decades ago, Ireland had a great deal of catching up to do. I was impressed with how quickly they advanced by turning disadvantages – low wages and an unskilled labor force among them – into advantages that attracted a phenomenal level of multi-national investment. Today, they not only have caught up; they are soaring ahead.

Because Ireland is no longer a low-cost producer of goods and services, the Irish government is investing heavily in education and research, discovery and innovation. They no longer see themselves as a low-cost alternative, but rather, a high value choice.

Arizona can learn something from this "new" Ireland. More than anything, we need to understand, as Ireland’s leaders do, that education is the key to a future that is good for all Arizonans. While we have visionary leaders in business and government and a fine university system with a strong commitment to research and teaching excellence, we have a ways to go in building a unified, strategic plan for the future of our state and all its citizens.

We need to make Arizona’s future prosperity a top, statewide priority, and that means a lot of pieces and people need to come together.

Today, only 60 percent of Arizona’s high school students graduate. In Ireland, that number is 85 percent. Today, in Arizona, only 30 percent of those who graduate from high school go on to college, and only about half of those are ready for college-level work.

For years, Arizona has ranked near the bottom in state support for education. These are not just numbers. They are telling indicators of problems we need to fix in order to build a better future for Arizona.

That future, I believe, must begin with a strong education system. Education is the all-important foundation for individuals, who need the skills and tools to succeed in a rapidly changing world, and for the state as a whole, which needs an educated citizenry to compete in the global marketplace and to maintain a high quality of life.

We have strong leaders committed to improving education at all levels and preparing our children for the global, knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, and many of the critical pieces are in place. What we lack, I believe, is a unified vision, a commitment to work together and to make strategic investments – in education, research, government and industry – that will pay off for Arizona.

One of my most illuminating experiences in Ireland involved a conversation with two "ordinary citizens" one evening. I asked if they were aware of what their government was doing to build and maintain prosperity. They immediately launched into an enthusiastic – and supportive – discussion about investments in education, research that was driving innovation and discovery, partnerships between universities and business. In short, they were well-versed about the strategies behind Ireland’s economic success and why they wanted to stay a part of it.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many disagreements and differences among Ireland’s people and politicians. But there is one thing on which they all agree. Ireland needs to thrive in order for its people to thrive – and that drives all their policies and strategies for building educational and economic strength.

There is no one, easy answer to the issues that confront us and the problems that threaten our future. But there is, or can be, one goal. Unifying around that goal – building a strong, prosperous future for Arizona and its citizens – is key to our success. We can learn from Ireland. More than anything, Ireland’s focus is on education. Ours should be, too.

Contact Fred Boice, president of the Arizona Board of Regents, at fredboice@aol.com.