Economic future of the region a major focus for WCU leaders: university officials see critical...

There was a time when an institution of higher education was regarded as an ivory tower, involved in research and esoteric scholarship with little relevance to the rest of the world. How times have changed! At Western Carolina University, one of 16 campuses in the University of North Carolina

system, the focus is on direct engagement with the community and service to the region and the state. As Chancellor John W. Bardo says, "We need to reframe our educational enterprise to address the fundamental, core changes in the expectations of society regarding higher education," and Western is making great progress.

In an essay written with Paul Evans, director of Western's Institute for the Economy and the Future, Bardo says, "Knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship must now be at the forefront of state and regional economic policy considerations. Long seen as an important tool for advancement of communities and regions, higher education must now become a full partner in formulating and implementing state and regional competitiveness strategies."

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A significant example of Western's response to this challenge is the recent appointment of a group of senior policy fellows who will assist the university in crafting a long-range plan for regional growth in Western North Carolina. They are Alphonse Buccino, a technology consultant who has worked at the National Science Foundation and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Maj. Gen. Geoff Higginbotham, a retired Marine who served during the Vietnam War and Desert Storm; Daniel Ostergaard, former executive director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council; work-force development authority Arnold Packer, who has worked with the U.S. Department of Labor; William T. Thompkins Jr., an expert in information-technology development and management; Alan Z. Thornburg, former N.C. Court of Appeals judge; and Robert Warshaw, former U.S. deputy drug czar.

"With the announcement that these distinguished and highly skilled leaders have agreed to serve as senior policy fellows at the IEF, we have taken a very important step in meeting our commitment to build a regional think tank with capacities for rigorous research and economic base analysis that can help Western North Carolina prosper," Bardo says. "I am deeply appreciative of the willingness of so many highly qualified individuals to give us the benefit of their expertise and time."

Among the fellows' endeavors will be pursuing business opportunities for the university's 344-acre Millennial Initiative property adjacent to the main campus in Cullowhee. Acquired in February 2005, the property, which doubles the size of Western's campus, will be developed as a multiple-use neighborhood for a mix of academic buildings, research laboratories, business, industry and housing in order both to promote exciting new educational opportunities for faculty and students and to expand the university's partnership opportunities with the private sector.

From the private sector, Western has received the largest single gift in its history--a pledge of $6.9 million from Kimmel & Associates, a leading construction industry executive-search firm based in Asheville. The Kimmel gift will leverage another $3.5 million in state matching money and other support for a $10.4 million net investment in permanent endowments, program support and scholarships in Western's construction management and related programs.

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"The incredible gift from Joe Kimmel, his family and associates will provide much-needed support to an academic program that is near and dear to Joe's heart," Bardo says. "We view this gift as among the most important events in the university's long and storied history. We expect this pledge, combined with additional private and public support, will result in a school that will place Western on a par with the nation's finest institutions of higher education in preparing students for careers in construction management and related fields that are critical to the emerging economy of the state and the nation."

Industry experts say Kimmel's gift couldn't come at a better time. The Associated General Contractors of America estimates that the U.S. is facing $3.3 trillion in infrastructure construction and repair needs over the next decade. Industry representatives say the growing need, combined with a continuing shortfall of construction management graduates each year and the aging-out of current professionals, is creating a shortage in the number of educated and trained construction managers nationally.

Western's construction management program, which started in 2002 with 26 students, has grown to 240 students in response to the national demand for construction management professionals, according to Brad Sims, program director. And enrollment projections indicate that as many as 655 students could be majoring in construction management at the newly named Kimmel School of Construction Management, Engineering and Technology by the fall semester of 2010.

A newly approved master's degree program at Western that blends fundamental business skills with a traditional science curriculum is designed to produce graduates who can fill upper-level positions in technology-related businesses or successfully launch their own entrepreneurial ventures. The professional science master's degree is among the first of its kind in the UNC system and the only one to focus on the connection between science and entrepreneurship. The degree is grounded in a specific scientific discipline--biology, biotechnology, chemistry or environmental science--but also offers students additional business courses and professional training that a traditional master's in science cannot, says Kyle Carter, provost at Western.

The program, scheduled to begin accepting students in August, is part of Western's ongoing effort to make a significant contribution to regional economic development through an institutional philosophy embracing entrepreneurship, engagement and innovation, Bardo says. "It is critical for those of us in higher education to understand that many of the old ways of doing things simply do not work anymore. We must embrace a new form of entrepreneurial thinking. By that, I mean a university that looks ahead, anticipates the future and capitalizes on it."

Western Carolina University

420 Robinson Building

Cullowhee, NC 28723

(828) 227-7100, www.wcu.edu