The Emerald Isle certainly has lessons to teach Wisconsin about economic development and the key role education plays in a healthy economy, as Gov. Jim Doyle, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Tim Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and other area leaders learned on a recent trip to Ireland.
Milwaukee businessman Michael Cudahy, who organized the trip, called it a “wakeup call.” University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago said he was astonished by some of the things he learned. All apparently came away with the idea that education is the single most important factor in transforming an economy. That’s an idea they need to spread.