To read is to learn A

key goal of Prairie Business magazine is not just to inform readers of what’s going on, but also to teach. That’s the goal we kept in mind as we put together this month’s issue.

Start with Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, whose Q&A expounds on a valuable lesson of economics. That lesson is this: If a shortage of workers is the problem, raising wages is a big part of the answer, Kashkari suggests. Read his Q&A for more.

Speaking of workforce shortages, few jobs are harder to fill than “cybersecurity specialist,” and few jobs are seeing such rapid wage gains as a result. The North Dakota University System is onto something with its cybersecurity focus, as the field clearly is poised to be the next big thing, our story reveals.

Then there’s Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, S.D., which can teach America a thing or two about community-college success. As described in this issue’s Generation Next section, Lake Area Tech systematically refined its approach, experimenting with different strategies and keeping the ones that worked.

The results include graduation rates far above national averages, a 99 percent placement rate among graduates, an ever-shrinking achievement gap between low- and high-income students – and earlier this year, the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Through it all, Lake Area Tech’s administration tried to create a culture of striving for continuous improvement, Generation Next reports.

Not a bad lesson for college presidents – and us all. PB

Good reading, Tom Dennis

I welcome your feedback and story ideas. Call me at 701-780-1276 or email me at tdennis@ prairiebusinessmagazine.com.

Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 375 2nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Subscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities are limited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinions of writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are free www.prairiebusinessmagazine.com

ADDRESS CORRECTIONS

Prairie Business magazine Box 6008 Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008 Beth Bohlman: bbohlman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

ONLINE www.prairiebusinessmagazine.com