Lawrence M. Hecker is a member of the board of the Arizona Economic Resource Organization and an attorney with Hecker & Muehlebach in Tucson.

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Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc.'s economic blueprint recognizes our community's unlimited potential to achieve a diversified regional economy built on high-value industries that provide new, higher-wage jobs accessible to all Tucsonans.

The blueprint also acknowledges the critical role that the University of Arizona will play in producing the skilled work force and providing the cutting-edge technologies needed in order to realize that potential. Our economic fortunes and the programs of the University of Arizona go hand in hand.

The state's three public universities have proposed a $1.4 billion economic stimulus plan that will not only enable the University of Arizona to maintain its competitive edge as a world-class center of technology creation and innovation but will also provide a well-needed boost to our local construction industry. A substantial portion of that amount will be spent in Tucson.

Investing in university infrastructure improvements will create approximately 3,900 construction jobs in Southern Arizona, immediately addressing a critical job shortage. In the long-term, an additional 4,480 jobs will be created as a result of the new construction activity.

While providing an immediate boost to our economy, this plan will also construct and improve buildings and facilities that will benefit Southern Arizona in the near and distant future.

The secret to our future economic fortunes rests on the old adage: "Knowledge is power." If we are to remain competitive and maintain our special quality of life, we must be able to supply an educated, skilled work force to the knowledge-based industries that will ensure our collective prosperity.

Furthermore, enrollment in the University of Arizona will boom in the next decade. We must act now if we are to provide our children and grandchildren with the tools they need to compete in the global economy.

The proposal includes new engineering research and environmental and natural sciences buildings and a refurbished chemistry building for the University of Arizona. These will enable us to maintain our position as a leading high-tech research institution.

New facilities will attract new faculty of the highest caliber to Arizona, along with increased public and private grant dollars. The plan will greatly increase high-end research activities that will broaden the long-term economic base of the area. It will attract new intellectual capital to come to Arizona and stay in Arizona, paving the way for new industries and well-paying jobs.

Finally, while the universities have made a proposal the state shouldn't refuse, it is also a proposal the state can afford. Since the universities will commit to picking up the bond payments for the first few years, they can help accelerate us out of our recession before looking to the state to assume its share later after the economy recovers.

Jobs now. New opportunities for our children and grandchildren. Research that stimulates federal money and grants. And brain power for Arizona's long-term economic growth. This is a smart and well-timed idea. Now is the time to build — interest rates are low and construction costs are falling.

If these proposals are not realized, our community faces continued economic stagnation, further job losses and no alternatives for the future. Educating our young people is the surest way to build new industries and ensure that Arizona continues to move toward becoming an innovation-based, globally competitive economic force.

The stimulus plan will require legislative budget authorization. I urge our legislative leadership to ensure rapid approval. The benefits will be far reaching, long lasting and broadly enjoyed.