Maybe you missed it while under the influence of Y2K hysteria, but at the dawn of the 21st century, the world flattened out.

That is the premise of Thomas Friedman’s book “The World Is Flat,” and judging by comments at today’s Business Record Power Breakfast, a lot of people are believers.

Don’t even suggest that the world isn’t flat.

Elliott Smith, executive director of the Iowa Business Council, reacted this way: To say that the world is not flat is “an ignorant statement.”

Friedman argues in his book that technology and motivated educational systems in other countries have enabled those nations to outperform students, workers and businesses in the United States.

In other words, the playing field has been leveled between the United States and the developing world.

Rob Denson, president of Des Moines Area Community College, moderated the discussion of a panel made up of Smith; Jerry Deegan, president of Dowling Catholic High School; Rick Morain, president of the Jefferson Bee & Herald newspaper and president and CEO of the Greene County Development Corp.; and Steve Smith, chairman of GCommerce Inc.

So where does Iowa – with its school year tied to the growing season, aging population and preponderance of wide-open rural spaces – stand on a flat map?

Deegan took the issue so seriously that he made “The World Is Flat” required reading for faculty and staff in order to launch an institutional discussion about how Dowling could best prepare its students to keep pace and succeed in a wired economy.

However, Deegan also said that “the world really starts with us.”

Morain pointed out, after acknowledging that he was a reluctant traveler in a computerized world, that Iowa’s educational system is disadvantaged because, for one reason, it is tied to an outdated concept of farm life.

GCommerce’s Smith noted that he moved his business from New York City to Iowa in part because of the quality of the work force. He also pointed out that GCommerce, which designs software that helps businesses streamline their supply chains, is helping to flatten the world.

In order for Iowa to compete, it needs to tap a strong work ethic, become more aggressive in improving the education system, encourage the immigration of highly skilled and highly educated workers, and find ways to bridge technological gaps between the countryside and the cities.

The Power Breakfast was co-sponsored by Dowling Catholic High School, Des Moines Area Community College and the University of Northern Iowa.