The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) was established in 1996 but has a much longer history as a center of the community in Pembroke. Founded in 1887 by American Indians, the school has now grown into an undergraduate and graduate degree awarding institution that, as part of the growing UNC system, is expected to reach enrollment of 7,000 students by the year 2020.
UNCP’s administration is working to enhance the school’s sustainability practices and increase its involvement with the local community. In coordination with the Chancellor’s office, the acting dean of the UNCP Business School, Dr. William Stewart Thomas, engaged NCGrowth to research and recommend possible avenues for UNCP to use its resources to deepen their engagement with the local economy. The University is particularly interested in increasing local purchasing University-wide and providing services through UNCP’s Entrepreneurship Incubator to help foster economic growth and development in the region.
Meredith and Brandi’s work focused on anchor institution-based economic development (AIED), a relatively new field of interest within economic development. It rests on the idea that anchor institutions – large, non-profit institutions like hospitals and universities with fixed locations and a great deal of purchasing power – have the potential to boost employment and wages in their region through targeted local purchasing and investment in their community. UNCP serves as an anchor institution for the town of Pembroke, Robeson County, and the Southeast region of North Carolina.
The final project report presents best practices for anchor institution-based economic development projects using case studies from across the country. Because UNCP leadership hopes to increase local purchasing where possible, Analysts also facilitated project planning to increase the number of local businesses registered as qualified vendors for University and state contracts.
This research was presented to a group of University and community stakeholders at UNCP’s Entrepreneurship Incubator. Analysts Brandi Bullock and Meredith Bunnel presented background anchor institution research, as well as discussed UNCP’s current activities to identify places where shifting policies or practices could increase local engagement, and identify sourcing gaps in the regional business landscape that could be filled by incubating or providing training for local business. They also identified potential strategies for connecting the University to the local food movement and increasing the prevalence of local food on campus. The presentation served as a summary of those recommendations, and a comprehensive written report was also provided.