Blue Ridge Parkway

Community and Economic Engagement

As a regionally engaged university, WCU embraces its role as both a steward of the unique place that is Western North Carolina and as a catalyst for economic and community development. Partnerships with regional businesses and industries, nonprofit and civic organizations, government agencies, communities, and municipalities represent an integral part of WCU’s core mission.
Rapid Center
The Rapid Center (formerly the Center for Rapid Product Realization) help clients refine existing products, develop new ones and improve business practices. Industry-experienced faculty and staff work with business partners to address their specific needs and to remove obstacles to product commercialization and process improvement.
Entrepreneurship Students

WCU’s Corporation for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) helps entrepreneurs create and sustain vibrant businesses that generate jobs, grow our region's economy and create opportunities that retain high potential entrepreneurs, talent and intellect in our region.
Business people talking

The SBTDC is the business and technology extension service of the University of North Carolina system. It operates 10 regional service centers offering six specialty programs for small businesses, including a center in Asheville operated by WCU.

Free Enterprise lecturer

The Center for the Study of Free Enterprise (CSFE) seeks to provide economics research and thought leadership focused on issues in economic development in our region, North Carolina and beyond.
Local Government Training
Since its inception in 1984, the Local Government Training Program (LGTP) has addressed the training needs of public officials and personnel in the 26 westernmost counties of North Carolina. The LGTP brings courses from the UNC School of Government in Chapel Hill to the western part of the state.

Webster Village Housing Partnership

The Board of Trustees of the Endowment Fund of Ìð¹ÏÊÓÆµapp intends to seek a private developer to cause multi-family housing to be developed on the Webster Village property. It is our intent to review qualifications and proposed concepts from developers that would generate multi-family housing to meet the need for non-student, rental housing. The project is intended to benefit all organizations in the area whose employees struggle to find a place to live (Harris Regional Hospital, Southwestern Community College, Jackson County Schools, WCU, etc).

Webster Village Overview

Master Plan Concepts

Request for Qualification

 

Ìð¹ÏÊÓÆµapp plays a central role in strengthening the economy and communities of Western North Carolina. As a regionally engaged university, WCU serves as both a steward of place and a catalyst for economic growth—connecting education, innovation, and partnership to meet the region’s most pressing needs.

Through deep collaboration with businesses, industries, nonprofits, local governments, and civic organizations, WCU translates academic expertise into real-world solutions. These partnerships help create jobs, expand housing opportunities, support entrepreneurship, and build a workforce prepared to lead and serve across the region.

Rich Price

Economic Development | Ìð¹ÏÊÓÆµapp

Millennial Initiative

Select areas of WCU's main campus in Cullowhee, N.C., have been designated as part of the university's milliniel initiative. The millenial designation, approved through the UNC System Board of Governors, allows for public-private partnerships on university property.

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