Revved up by a Sept. 27 conference in Albany with the governor and former President Bill Clinton, the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council held a public meeting on campus Sept. 28.

The Southern Tier council, one of 10 regional councils launched by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo July 27, will compete for $1 billion in state funds to be awarded to projects that spur economic development and improve the statewide business climate.

The Southern Tier council is considering 18 proposals in the areas including energy, transportation, agriculture and rural revitalization, health care, tourism and infrastructure; 65 applications for funds have been received.

"The ideas that have come to the council for consideration are wide-ranging and touch the gamut of economic opportunities," said Cornell President David Skorton, co-chair of the council, at a press conference following the public meeting. "The tough part is going to be prioritizing them in each council. … The outcome remains to be seen, but I think the process has been robust, open, honest and public in nature."

Council members include leaders in business, industry, academia, local government, labor, agriculture, nonprofits and community-based organizations. The councils are intended to identify each region's assets and foster a community-based approach to develop regional strategies.

Participants are optimistic on the future of New York despite the financial downturn. "We're facing the biggest recession that any of us have seen in our professional work lives; nobody working right now has ever dealt with a recession like this," Skorton said.

Skorton said he is bullish on the council's process. He noted that nearly 2,000 people have commented on the governor's website, and that public participation is key to the council's success.

The regional councils "will pay off," said Southern Tier Council co-chair Tom Tranter, CEO and president of Corning Enterprises. "What we're doing is vitally important for our regions."

Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, former mayor of Rochester, N.Y., chairs the regional councils. "I hope to see region by region collaboration down the road," he said. "This is what's going to change New York state."

Skorton said it will take a couple of years for the councils' efforts to bear fruit. "You'll begin to see the sort of changes where the ships are rising," he said. "I'm very optimistic, and I think we'll see that optimism is well-founded."