Fuller, Stephen S.Keller, Bradford M.2010-06-15NO_RESTRIC2010-06-152010-06-15https://hdl.handle.net/1920/5892This research analyzes higher education’s role in an area’s potential for economic performance, measured by calculating the percentage of workers that are employed in fast-growing, high-paying, and geographically representative industries. Measures of higher education and other variables are analyzed for their relationship with this new measure. Two factors most closely related to potential for economic performance are education level and the rate of higher education students to residents. To improve an area’s potential for long-term economic performance, policies to attract and create highly educated residents are recommended as is assistance to small- and medium-sized institutions of higher education.en-USHigher educationRegression analysisEconomic developmentPublic policyLabor profileDissertation