Metric 5: University in Action5.1 Campus Narratives

Western Carolina UniversitySummer 2014

Dr. Betty Farmer

(with edits by Drs. Tim Metz and Carol Burton)(July 23, 2014)

1 | P a g e

1. Economic development

WCU Helps Small Mountain Tourist Town Survive and Revive

Hope. That’s what Western Carolina University gave the small tourist town of Dillsboro, North Carolina when it partnered with town leaders and merchants in 2009 to help bring the town back from the brink of economic disaster.

“What WCU gave us in very desperate times was the hope to hang on a little bit longer. There was a lot of us that wondered how long we were going to be here,” said a Dillsboro merchant participating in a March 2014 focus group to evaluate the impact of the Dillsboro/WCU Partnership. “They tied a knot at the end of the rope,” another participant concluded.

In fall 2009, WCU entered into a formal partnership with Dillsboro in response to two events occurring simultaneously: 1) The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR), which had attracted approximately 50,000 tourists annually to Dillsboro, moved its headquarters to a neighboring town approximately 17 miles away in a different county and 2) the national economy tanked. It was the perfect storm. Town leaders described the situation in Dillsboro as “dismal.” Many businesses had closed their doors and many that remained struggled.

A faculty member was appointed special assistant to the chancellor for Dillsboro and asked to chair the Dillsboro/WCU Partnership Committee, a group comprised of Dillsboro merchants and leaders and faculty and staff. The goal of the Dillsboro/WCU Partnership is to match WCU expertise/resources with Dillsboro’s challenges and opportunities to help the town survive/revive.

Since January 2010, WCU has collaborated on numerous projects involving dozens of faculty/staff and hundreds of students across many departments and disciplines. These projects have ranged from small business counseling to an interdisciplinary effort to create/promote a mobile web application to the expansion of existing special events, a critical element of the town’s tourism-based economy. WCU has provided thousands of volunteer hours and generated, through grants and sponsorships, thousands of dollars to support projects. Additionally, “in-kind” donations of professional services–like graphic design work through WCU’s Office of Creative Services/Print Shop; radio announcing and airtime on WWCU-FM; video production, editing and delivery to online and broadcast media—are also worth tens of thousands of dollars. Although the recovery is far from complete, in addition to “hope,” the Dillsboro/WCU partnership has resulted in numerous economic benefits to date, including:

•In spite of rain and high winds, more than 700 people attended “WCU Night at the 2013 Dillsboro Lights and Luminaries,” an event planned and implemented by WCU faculty and students in Communication/Public Relations, Hospitality and Tourism, Music and Dance and supported by funding from the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the A.K. Hinds University Center. Dillsboro Mayor Mike Fitzgerald concluded that WCU’s work “led this festival to unprecedented growth, resulting in several merchants reporting December 6, 2013 as their most successful day since the economic downturn.”

2 | P a g e

•Professors from the departments of Economics, Hospitality and Tourism and Communication/Public Relations continue to assist the town in its effort to bring the train back to Dillsboro. A 2013 WCU economic impact study projected that the GSMR’s proposal to once again originate steam service out of Dillsboro could generate $26 million annually in revenue for Jackson County. This study served as the foundation for a communication campaign to persuade Jackson County Commissioners to help fund the GSMR’s return. Efforts on behalf of the train are ongoing and Dillsboro leaders are optimistic an agreement can be reached.

•Three new businesses opened in Dillsboro in 2013, a craft brewery is expanding its operations to the town, and a Business Plan Competition, co-organized by WCU and Southwestern Community College in spring 2014, generated proposals from six hopeful entrepreneurs. Significantly, a new principal investor in the town’s anchor, The Jarrett House Inn and Restaurant has renovated the restaurant, is opening a new gift shop, and plans to extensively renovate and expand the historic property, which was established in 1884 and is on the National Register of Historic places.

The Dillsboro/WCU partnership has been identified as the “engine” driving this recovery. As a Dillsboro merchant surmised during the focus groups, “…people are viewing Dillsboro as a place to reinvest in. And that is what WCU has done for us.”

In addition to the economic benefits, there have been other important outcomes, including improved working relationships among the town’s merchants. As one focus group participant put it, the partnership “has brought us together. We have leadership now. And it’s teamwork.” Participants agreed this was not the case before WCU became involved. “It created a new mindset. We pulled together with WCU. It pulled us together.”

Perhaps, most importantly, however, is the conclusion that WCU has helped the town build its own capacity to thrive. “WCU prepared us to continue. They’ve left the building blocks for what we need to keep going forward,” another focus group participant surmised.

While this partnership has significantly impacted Dillsboro, it also has helped WCU realize its mission as a regionally engaged university. Dillsboro has served as a learning laboratory for students from numerous disciplines enabling them to develop portfolio materials and to parlay their real-world experiences into actual jobs. Surveys of public relations alumni who worked in Dillsboro as students indicate that they continue to serve their communities, suggesting that the emphasis on citizenship and social responsibility, a key component of WCU's Quality Enhancement Plan, has “stuck.” As Katie Wiegel, a public relations student, put it: “Being linked with the merchants of Dillsboro for an entire semester helped build relationships where it didn’t necessarily feel like an obligation or just another class project. It became very real and we began to genuinely care about the success of the community and our campaign.”

Although the formal phase of the Dillsboro/WCU partnership is winding down, given the strength of the relationships that have been developed over the last five years, individual faculty

3 | P a g e

members will undoubtedly continue collaborating with Dillsboro merchants. For more information about the Dillsboro/WCU Partnership, contact Dr. Betty Farmer, professor of communication and public relations, at 828-227-3804 or Bfarmer@email.wcu.edu. Links to selected publicity about the Dillsboro/WCU Partnership:

http://wncmagazine.com/feature/hometown_spirit_0

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2013/06/events-students-faculty-and-staff-helped-plan-win-international-awards/ View video of mobile website app launch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6R2y5HLnqY

Visit mobile website at: http://mobile.dillsboroplaces.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVWWf2ltolI

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2013/12/wcu-night-contributes-to-strong-opening-weekened-for-dillsboro-festival/

http://www.thesylvaherald.com/top_stories/article_22f04388-5cf3-11e3-9da6-001a4bcf6878.html

http://www.southwesterncc.edu/news/burrell-rabbit-creek-pottery-wins-town-dillsboro-business-plan-competition

http://mountainlovers.com/Blog/Jackson-County-Chamber/Town-of-Dillsboro-2014-Business-Plan-Competition-kickoff--/)

http://ashevillealetrail.com/42414-heinzelmannchen-brewery-celebrates-ten-years/#.U6CILRzQa9E

http://www.thesylvaherald.com/top_stories/article_fb9cfef4-a1ed-11e2-8133-0019bb30f31a.html

http://www.thesylvaherald.com/top_stories/article_d26c8670-be80-11e3-9114-0017a43b2370.html

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2013/03/wcu-study-return-of-dillsboro-train-would-mean-26-million-for-local-economy/)

http://thedillsborodish.wordpress.com/

http://magazine.wcu.edu/2011/09/banner-day/

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2011/12/dillsboro-merchants-donate-555-to-care-from-wcu-night-sales/

4 | P a g e

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2012/04/student-named-president-of-national-pr-association/

2. Co-Curricular

WCU/Jackson County Gleaning Initiative Combats Hunger and Strengthens Community Collaboration through Co-Curricular Gardening Initiative

An AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer serving at Western Carolina University, a student club dedicated to promoting gleaning and organic gardening practices, and a community group dedicated to gleaning have combined forces to help meet the environmental and nutritional needs of the local community in Western North Carolina.

The collaboration between the WCU Campus Kitchen Garden Club and the Jackson County Glean Team, which was facilitated by AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer Willie Jones, has resulted in student and community volunteers collecting and distributing nearly 25,000 pounds of produce valued at approximately $35,000 from local farmers and gardeners through gleaning.

While gleaning--the process of recovering leftover items after farmers have harvested their crops--has been practiced since ancient times, the WCU initiative gives the concept new meaning by combining learning opportunities outside the classroom with service opportunities in the community.

The WCU gleaning initiative is important for both students and the community. The program has two main foci: learning and serving and environmental sustainability, through gleaning and gardening. Environmental sustainability is made relevant through the increased awareness and education of volunteers, food recipients, and publicity to the wider community. Students take what they learn both in and out of the classroom and apply it to real-world situations. Students also are able to practice everyday values such as compassion, collaboration, tolerance, perseverance, and patience.

For Kristen Metcalf, a rising sophomore from Waynesville, NC majoring in Psychology, working with the Jackson County Glean Team is where she found herself. “I really didn’t know who I was when I did the first gleaning project. I learned so much about the people in this area, their stories, what they’ve gone through, and how they are coping now. I found that I really loved serving people. That is when I am at my best. To help and serve people—that is what I am supposed to do,” she concluded.

While 62 WCU students and community members were organized as volunteers for gleaning projects in summer 2013, 165 students participated in the Fill-the-Bag (winter gleaning) initiative, which generated 441 delivered bags of supplies and non-perishable food items for the local community. The Fill-the-Bag initiative takes the place of gleaning in the winter months.

Instead of being wasted, the produce and non-perishable food items are donated to community organizations serving individuals battling food insecurity, including: The Community Table, United Christian Ministries and The Market in Jackson County; and The Open Door Soup

5 | P a g e

Kitchen, housing developments, food pantries, families in need and other gleaning organizations in Haywood County. These community partners serve low-income community members, the elderly on fixed incomes, the unemployed/underemployed, veterans, recovering addicts, and the mentally and physically disabled.

As a result of the high rate of poverty in Western North Carolina, food insecurity/hunger is an important focus area for WCU. The gleaning initiative has identified new sources of quality food and connected that resource to those who need it most (pantries and the community). “The Community Table is thankful for those taking time to rescue this valuable resource, as access to this type of food tends to be low among our most vulnerable clients. Unfortunately, healthy produce can be cost-prohibitive for those on fixed incomes,” said Amy Grimes Sims, executive director of The Community Table, which serves meals and provides a pantry in Jackson County.

The initiative already has accomplished one of its objectives: to expand WCU’s partnerships with social service agencies across WNC. The long-term goal is to create a more proactive community that is environmentally sustained, educated, and connected. Ultimately, the goal is to increase awareness of the issue of food insecurity/hunger and to ameliorate it simultaneously through green practices and sustainable efforts.

The project organizers expect to provide increased opportunities for both students and community members to glean and experience meeting local growers, learn how to garden organically, learn how to can and/or dehydrate foods, or know ways to find these resources. The vision is to expand these efforts throughout all of Western North Carolina and to have glean teams organized in every county.

The WCU/Jackson County Glean Team is a mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnership providing both community and institutional benefit and impact. While the partnership contributes to meeting the basic needs of the people of Western North Carolina, it also exemplifies WCU’s 2020 Vision, specifically Strategic Direction #2, To Enrich the Total Student Experience and Strategic Direction #3, To Enhance our External Partnerships.

“We have also seen how this initiative connects students to their larger community off-campus, opening their hearts and minds to new perspectives and instilling the desire to serve others,” Sims added.

For more information about the WCU Campus Kitchen Garden Club and The Jackson County Glean Team, please contact Willie Jones at wajones@wcu.edu or 828-227-2592 or visit: http://www.wcu.edu/about-wcu/leadership/office-of-the-provost/ugstudies/center-for-service-learning/service-learning-for-students/campus-kitchen-garden.asp and http://jacksoncountygleanteam.wordpress.com/

To read sample publicity about the partnership, visit: http://mountainx.com/living/why-i-grow-five-questions-on-gleaning-with-willie-jones/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite

6 | P a g e

http://nccampuscompactvista.blogspot.com/2014/02/wcu-vista-cultivates-community-gardens.html

3. Helping Hands: WCU Physical Therapy Faculty and Students Address Musculoskeletal Issues in WNC’s Farmworkers  When Western Carolina University’s Karen Lunnen, an associate professor of physical therapy, observed farmworkers doing their jobs in the fields in 2008 she saw more than the average passerby sees. She saw the bending and lifting through the lens of her own profession, and she wondered and worried about the musculoskeletal impact of those repetitive movements on the farmworkers’ health. This observation led Lunnen to embark on a service-learning and research agenda to determine the incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among farmworkers and to identify ways to address and, ideally, prevent these problems.

It is estimated that there are over three million migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States who support a multi-billion dollar agricultural industry. The farmworkers typically work “sun up to sun down” executing physically demanding, repetitive tasks in difficult conditions. Wages are low, housing is often sub-standard, and access to medical care is limited. “I was overwhelmed with the vulnerability of this population and determined to learn more to find a way to help address their needs,” said Lunnen.

To that end, Lunnen and colleague John Carzoli, assistant professor of physical therapy, have partnered with Vecinos Farmworker Health Program. The mission of Vecinos is to improve the lives of farmworkers and their families by providing free primary and preventative medical outreach, health education, and case management services. Vecinos also advocates for farmworkers and their families and facilitates connections between farmworkers and existing community resources.

Connecting the farmworkers with WCU physical therapy faculty and students has proven beneficial for everyone involved as faculty conduct and disseminate applied research, students gain real-world clinical experience while developing civic mindsets, and, most importantly, the farmworkers receive care. Lunnen and Carzoli’s research contributes to the profession’s understanding of the incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the farmworker population, as well as the impact of particular types of movements/activities on their health. They have identified common injuries that might be related to repetitive movements, such as back injuries that could be linked to long hours spent bending or stooping to pick fruit/vegetables or wrist and hand injuries that might be related to pruning Christmas trees or uprooting strawberry plants.

Lunnen and Carzoli shared preliminary findings of their research at the 2013 North Carolina Farmworker Institute Summit and, with students, at the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association fall 2013 conference. Their research is the first to include musculoskeletal screening and the ability to link the data with the types of tasks being performed.

The findings from this research will enable physical therapists to provide more effective direct intervention when issues arise and to develop focused educational strategies to prevent problems. WCU physical therapy faculty and students are collaborating with Vecinos in an annual primary

7 | P a g e

care clinic and a newly established evening clinic, as well as limited intervention for the farmworkers at their place of residence. The goal is to expand services in all of these areas.

In addition to diagnosing and addressing existing issues, the focus is moving beyond needs assessment to prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal issues in farmworkers. WCU physical therapy faculty members are establishing partnerships with several state and national organizations that address health-related issues among farmworkers including AgrAbility, Agri-Safe, the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, and the Migrant Clinicians Network. The WCU team contributed to a brochure on the prevention of back injuries published by the National AgrAbility Project.

While the collaboration to date has allowed the farmworkers to receive limited physical therapy services, Lunnen expects more direct physical therapy services to be provided in the future. The WCU team expects to involve more students and faculty, broaden the relationship with Vecinos, and also reach out to the growers and to other national organizations involved with farmworkers. Additionally, the WCU physical therapy professors are in early discussion with WCU engineering faculty about the possibility of engineering students designing farmworker equipment that would have better ergonomic features to prevent repetitive strain.

The project allows the physical therapy students to experience an inter-professional primary care model of health care, develop cultural competency and professionalism, and learn about the importance of advocacy for underserved populations. As Marisa Bryson, a physical therapy student in the class of 2014, stated: “This project has opened my eyes and my heart. I know I will continue to consider the situation and plight of farmworkers well into the future.”

That is exactly the result Amy Schmidt, director of Vecinos Farmworker Health Program, hopes to achieve. “Along with providing health care to farmworkers, I hope that Vecinos can raise awareness about the human cost of food and the lives and hands that bring food to our tables. The more connections we can make and the more student involvement we can have, the more awareness we can raise,” she concluded.

“The WCU physical therapy project matters because we recognize that agricultural work is very difficult, and many of the workers suffer from chronic health conditions, particularly musculoskeletal issues. Farmworker health and migrant outreach organizations have been in existence for a while, but to my knowledge, there haven’t been any other musculoskeletal research projects about this group of workers. However, musculoskeletal problems are the most common diagnosis among farmworkers,” said Schmidt.

Other WCU departments, including environmental health and nursing, are also working with Vecinos. “WCU’s partnership with Vecinos is a great example of how we can partner as an institution with an entity in the community that provides service and care, and creates opportunities for students to get clinical experience, said Douglas Keskula, dean of WCU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.

For more information about the WCU/Vecinos physical therapy collaboration, contact Lunnen at klunnen@email.wcu.edu or at 828-227-2191.

8 | P a g e

To see publicity about the WCU/Vecinos partnership, please visit:

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2014/01/faculty-students-and-alums-serve-migrant-and-seasonal-farmworkers/

http://magazine.wcu.edu/2014/01/helping-hands/

9 | P a g e

4. WCU Local Food and Farm to School Education Project Promotes Healthy Eating, Models Experiential Education

“Raise your hands if you would like to try some kale salad,” said Katie Tallman, a Western Carolina University student involved in The Local Food and Farm to School Education Project (LFFSEP), to elementary students assembled in a Jackson County school cafeteria in April 2014. Numerous hands shot up and the children were soon digging into the greens on their plates. The verdict? Not only did the children try the locally grown kale, they liked it.

Successfully introducing children to healthy food is but one of the goals of LFFSEP, a multifaceted interdisciplinary partnership between WCU, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), Lenoir-Rhyne University, Jackson County Public Schools, and Mountain Projects.

Through LFFSEP, students in WCU’s School of Teaching and Learning and in the Nutrition/Dietetics Program are observing, assisting, and leading local food cooking classes, farm field trips, farmer classroom visits, gardening lessons, and local food cafeteria taste tests.

The program has had a dramatic impact. In 2012-2013, WCU students worked with 2,635 children. Laura Cabe, the Child Nutrition Director of Jackson County Schools, reported that the children in the main elementary school participating in LFFSEP eat differently than the children in the other schools in the district as a result of the project. They now eat a wider variety of healthy foods and are more willing to try new foods. Seventy-four percent of parents surveyed indicated that their child’s experiences with the project have had an impact on how their family eats and thinks about food.

Not only has the LFFSEP impacted community members’ relationships with food, the project also has demonstrated how local food education dynamically increases university students’ interest in healthy food, and provides engaging teaching methods. The local food experiences and training builds the capacity of future teachers, registered dietitians, and health professionals to incorporate local food and farm based experiences in their work. Students involved in LFFSEP are integrating knowledge of education and nutrition in order to help implement best educational practices and address health and economic needs in the WNC region.

“This project models how local food education can be implemented in a university,” said Patricia Bricker, associate professor and associate director in WCU’s School of Teaching and Learning and the LFFSEP project leader.

Over the past five years the number of participating university students has increased from 70 to 750 and the number of participating faculty and staff increased from three to 46. Ninety percent of the faculty surveyed indicated that the project helps them meet departmental and university goals. University faculty also report the project connects students with community outside the university, helps students think and teach cross-curricularly, and prepares university students for their future professional practice.

10 | P a g e

Thirty WCU university student leaders in the LFFSEP have expanded the project’s efforts to six elementary schools, two Head Start Centers, two hospitals and two community organizations. Nine WCU students have become Farm to School Fellows, leading their peers in community service through the project. Fifteen education and nutrition students have conducted research through the project. Five WCU students have presented on the project at national conferences.

The LFFSEP provides numerous local and regional experiential opportunities for students.  Project leaders are currently developing a series of differentiated activities for a range of education and nutrition/dietetics classes that will help connect LFFSEP to specific courses and programs of study.  Reflections are built into the experiential opportunities and require students to make connections to their coursework and majors.  Students have opportunities to implement Local Food and Farm to School activities in a range of settings through the region, to take leadership roles within the project, to participate in research related to the project, and to disseminate information about the project at local, state, regional, and national conferences.

“This project has helped form a unique community partnership between WCU, ASAP, Jackson County Public Schools, and Mountain Projects, Inc. It is truly inspiring to see the impact the WCU students are making in the community and as equally inspiring to witness the transformation of the students themselves. WCU students are learning some critical life lessons that will help them become better citizens and more effective teachers and health professionals,” said Emily Jackson, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project Program Director.

Through the integration of exemplary teaching, scholarly productivity, and public service, the LFFSEP clearly exemplifies WCU’s commitment to external engagement. With nearly 11,000 family farms making up more than one-third of the privately owned land in WNC, farming is a key part of the WNC culture, community and economy. In 2013, ASAP estimates $170 million was spent in WNC on local food, putting WNC significantly ahead of the rest of the state and country in direct sales. (2012 Census of Agriculture Documents Local Food Growth in WNC)

WNC farmers face challenges such as small average farm size, limited infrastructure, difficult growing conditions, globalization of agriculture, and tobacco buy-outs in the mid-1990s. Farm to School programs provide a means to support farms in the region while also contributing to the local culture, community, and health in long-term sustainable ways. From a holistic educational perspective, the LFFSEP also provides a motivating context for experiential, integrated, place-based education.

While LFFSEP already has documented considerable impact, a recent retreat has helped program participants identify successes, challenges, possibilities and next steps, including ongoing work to solidify existing efforts and expand in purposeful ways, according to Bricker.  Significantly, the ASAP Growing Minds program has secured a second round of funding from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to continue the effort over the next three years. Since the project began, ASAP has received grants for this project totaling $600,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and has secured a total of $400,000 from BCBS of NC Foundation.

For more information about the WCU/LFFSEP, contact Bricker at 828-227-3352 or bricker@email.wcu.edu.

11 | P a g e

For more information about WCU/LFFSEP, please visit the following: Websiteshttp://farmtoschool.wcu.edu http://growing-minds.org/farm-to-school-education-project/ https://www.facebook.com/LocalFoodAndFarmToSchoolEducationProject   Videoshttp://growing-minds.org/video-planting-the-spring-garden/ http://growing-minds.org/video-cooking-cabbage-apple-quesadillas/ http://growing-minds.org/video-farm-to-school-taste-tests/ http://growing-minds.org/video-local-kale-salad-taste-test/    

12 | P a g e

WCU convenes conferences, conducts studies to support regional economic development

In an effort to “move the needle” on economic development in the Western North Carolina region, Western Carolina University is partnering with leaders from business and industry, government, cultural and non-profit organizations, and other educational institutions to host several conferences and to conduct research around the theme of economic development.

WCU has a long tradition of regional engagement that is reinforced in the university’s recently approved strategic plan titled “2020 Vision” and championed by WCU Chancellor David Belcher. To address talent force and economic development issues, WCU hosted two conferences in fall 2013, one in spring 2014, and is planning a major conference for fall 2014. Additionally, two major economic and regional impact studies were released in 2013-2014.

One of the ways WCU helps meet the region’s needs is by building its talent force and providing the educational resources needed to enhance economic development. “The primary responsibility of a comprehensive regional university is to provide the region it serves with graduates who hold the degrees, the certificates and, most importantly, the expertise to meet the region’s talent force needs,” Belcher said.

To that end, more than 80 educators from across the region gathered for the first WNC P-16 Education Consortium in September 2013 to develop strategies to improve the mathematical skills of the region’s graduates. Held at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s campus in Cullowhee, the conference touted the importance of math literacy and mathematical skills at all levels – from basic addition and subtraction to advanced statistics, analysis and predictive modeling. Representatives from some of the largest employers in WNC, including Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Drake Enterprises and Biltmore Estate, emphasized the need for improved math skills in their employees during the conference.

Belcher told participants that the P-16 conference was designed to enable them “…to interact with major employers of the region to understand the skills that they are looking for when they hire; to explore the recently adopted – and much-discussed – Common Core standards for mathematics; to learn what colleagues at different instructional levels are doing to teach students critical math skills; to figure out where the holes are in our students’ math path and to strategize about how we can fill those holes; and to figure out, in holistic fashion and in vertical alignment discussions, how we can work together to prepare the kinds of graduates and citizens needed by the employers in our region.”

Also in September 2013, WCU held a Regional Engagement Leadership Retreat that brought together approximately 100 university and community leaders to examine strategies for strengthening partnerships between WCU and the region. The retreat enabled WCU to clarify its role in regional engagement, to identify areas where the university can have the greatest impact, and to establish priorities for the university-community partnership moving forward, including planning for a major conference on economic development for fall 2014.

Dr. James Votruba, president emeritus and professor of educational leadership at Northern Kentucky University and co-author of the book “Becoming an Engaged Campus: A Practical Guide for Institutionalizing Public Engagement,” was the featured speaker at the retreat. In his public remarks, Votruba identified WCU as a national model for community engagement, in part

13 | P a g e

because of its willingness to share ownership of problems and solutions.

“Regions that thrive today will have leaders who know how to connect these dots,” Votruba said. “They will be civic entrepreneurs who know what it means to apply the entrepreneurial spirit to regional growth and prosperity. They will be integrators who see the need for more connected regional approaches. They will be boundary spanners who work beyond traditional governance and are able to reach across organizational and political boundaries. And they will be coalition builders who know how to fashion coalitions of business, civic, education and government leaders on behalf of a shared regional vision,” he concluded.

During the retreat, a team of faculty members from sociology, political science and public affairs, and economics provided preliminary findings of a Regional Outlook Report, a comprehensive study of major demographic, economic, social and political issues and trends facing WNC. The 2014 Regional Outlook Report is designed to equip residents and policymakers with the information needed to make informed decisions about WNC’s future. The report is based on in-depth analyses of existing economic and demographic data and on responses to a summer 2013 telephone survey with nearly 900 randomly selected respondents.

Another study conducted by a WCU economist played a vital role in the reopening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) during the federal government shutdown in fall 2013. NC Governor Pat McCrory (and other officials) cited the analysis of Dr. Steve Morse, director of WCU’s Hospitality and Tourism Program, when successfully negotiating the reopening of the GSMNP. Morse estimated that the first 10 days of the partial shutdown of the federal government cost more than $33 million in lost visitor spending, $12 million in lost wages, and $2.8 million in lost state and local taxes. Of these impacts, approximately 30 percent occur in NC.

To highlight the importance of tourism on the WNC economy, WCU hosted the inaugural “Tourism Works for Western North Carolina” conference in April 2014. The conference brought together government officials, representatives of tourism and economic development organizations and chambers of commerce, and owners and operators of businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry. Sessions explored tourism’s impact on local economies, strategies for telling tourism’s economic development stories, state tourism marketing efforts, perspectives from local and regional tourism organizations, and community partnerships. Additionally, Morse’s hospitality and tourism students produced a “Tourism Economic Fact Sheet” for each of the 26 counties in WNC.

Plans are well underway for the 2014 WNC Regional Economic Development Conference scheduled for November 12, 2014 on WCU’s Cullowhee campus. The theme of the conference is “Connecting Leaders, Building Regional Success.” Dr. Mike Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University, will be the keynote speaker and will focus on the economic outlook for the state.

The fall 2014 conference also will include several breakout sessions on education, innovation/technology, healthcare, tourism, cultural/creative arts, and the environment.  The overall goal of the conference is to bring the region's leaders together to share and develop ideas to move the region forward. For more information about the 2014 WNC Regional Economic Development Conference, contact Dr. Tony Johnson, executive director of millennial initiatives,

14 | P a g e

at tonyjohnson@email.wcu.edu or 828-227-2596.Selected links to WCU conferences/reports related to economic development 2013-2014:

WNC P-16 Math Education Consortium:

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2013/09/business-leaders-to-educators-at-wcu-convened-conference-strong-math-skills-a-must/

Regional Engagement Leadership Retreat:

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Reporter.10.02.2013.pdf

Tourism Conference:

http://www.wcu.edu/academics/edoutreach/conted/profdev/TourismConference.asp

The WCU 2014 Regional Outlook Report:

http://www.wcu.edu/about-wcu/centers-institutes-affiliates/public-policy-institute/Regional-Outlook-Report/index.asp

Economic impact of GSMNP closure:

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2013/10/wcu-economist-park-closure-costs-33-million/

Gov. McCrory citing WCU study in announcing GSMNP reopening:http://www.governor.state.nc.us/newsroom/press-releases/20131015/governor-mccrory-announces-agreement-reopen-great-smoky-mountains#sthash.eQVx09et.dpuf

To view WCU’s 2020 Strategic Plan, which includes multiple references to regional and economic development, visit:

http://www.wcu.edu/about-wcu/leadership/office-of-the-chancellor/wcu-2020-plan/

15 | P a g e