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UNC is at work in the community, the economy, and the world. Read September 2011 updat
(September 14, 2011)
UNC@Work, September 2011 issue
UNC@Work:
The University of North Carolina:
A 17 member system of engaged campuses
September 2011
Issue 3
@work on the economy:
North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center
at UNCG Announces New Programs
The N.C. Entrepreneurship Center (NCEC) at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, one of eleven in the UNC system, is launching a series of new programs to help area college students and local entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. This year’s offerings include a monthly speaker series, a workshop for local North Carolina businesses on developing exports, and a campus-wide speed-pitch competition that encourages entrepreneurial thinking among undergraduates and connects promising ideas with sources of capital.
“A big part of what we hope to accomplish at the N.C. Entrepreneurship Center is to better connect the entrepreneurial talent we have on our college campuses with the business and non-profit community,” said Bryan Toney, director of the NCEC. “One way we can do that is by offering programs that are open to both students and community members where they can network and learn together.”
Some of the new programs the NCEC is offering this fall include:
Export University 101: The U.S. Commercial Service and North Carolina District Export Council are offering this one-day workshop on export basics on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, co- sponsored by the N.C. Entrepreneurship Center and FedEx. This program will provide companies with the basics needed to start exporting or to further develop their export markets. Topics covered include getting started in exporting, export documentation and logistics, getting paid, and legal considerations.
“2 Minutes to Win It” Business Idea Contest: In this campus-wide business idea contest, UNCG students will have two minutes to deliver their best elevator pitch to a panel of entrepreneur judges. The top prize is $1,000. Ideas must be submitted online by Friday, Oct. 21, and twenty finalists will be chose to give their presentations to the judging panel on Friday, Nov. 18.
Entrepreneurial Journeys: This monthly speaker series will feature successful entrepreneurs who will share their stories in an informal setting. The series is free and open to the public. The series has already featured Kayne Fisher and Chris Lester of Natty Greene's Brewing Company. Future speakers include Angie Besecker of Eco Dwelling on October 12th and David Caudle of Frogman Interactive on November 10.
Distinguished Entrepreneur Leader Lecture: This inaugural lecture--which is free and open to the public--will be presented Nov. 2, 2011 and will feature Sandy Miller, co-chairman and co-chief executive officer of Franchise Services of North America (FSNA), the parent company of U-SAVE Auto Rental and former CEO of the Budget Group.
Recognizing that entrepreneurs come from everywhere, the NCEC designed these programs to be relevant to both business and non-business students, along with community entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. Bryan Toney, director of the NCEC, explains why NCEC is focusing on increasing its engagement with regional business communities:
“We recognize that all forms of entrepreneurship -- from smaller lifestyle businesses to fast growing businesses to social entrepreneurship ventures -- are critical to the future of our region, state, nation and the world,” he said. “In the end, it’s all about jobs. We are here to help people launch new ventures and to connect existing companies with people and resources to help them grow.”
UNC Helps North Carolinians Weather Hurricane Irene
image courtesy NCDOT Communications
As Hurricane Irene churned towards the North Carolina coast in late August, UNC campuses and programs were ready. In addition to preparing for the storm’s impact on campuses, UNC institutions also provided important resources to their surrounding communities. Researchers at North Carolina Sea Grant helped state and federal officials monitor the storm’s progress, while NC State University and NC A&T State University reached out through the North Carolina Cooperative Extension to local communities with information on disaster preparedness and recovery. Meanwhile, Elizabeth City State University, UNC Wilmington, and East Carolina University managed evacuations and clean-ups on their own campuses while also providing information and emergency shelter to local residents.
North Carolina Sea Grant, an inter-institutional UNC program led by NC State, provided critical support in coordinating federal and state partners to monitor and record storm surges, rain, wave heights, and wind levels as Hurricane Irene bore down on North Carolina. Sea Grant is also a critical partner in the multi-agency Coastal and Inland Flooding Observation and Warning (CI-FLOW) team led by NSSL.
Prior to and during the storm, the team provided experimental models to the National Weather Service’s Forecast Offices. The resulting projections and information went to local, state and federal emergency managers to help them make decisions based on water-level predictions. The CI-FLOW water-level forecasts were quite close to the actual water levels documented across the region.
As Sea Grant was helping state and federal officials prepare, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension (NCCE) of NC State and NC A&T State University was helping thousands of coastal residents brace for Irene’s landfall. Using prepared fact sheets, online services, and even National Public Radio, NCCE staff distributed information that helped residents secure their properties and documents, locate shelters for themselves as well as their pets, determine what emergency supplies they would need for sheltering in their homes, and practice safe food handling following the storm. Throughout the storm, NCCE helped staff county Emergency Operation Centers and coordinated local pet shelters, often leaving their own families and homes to ensure emergency services were available to their county.
As some counties experienced 30 consecutive hours of tropical storm or hurricane force winds, NCCE Communications Specialists used social media to keep residents informed. 144 disaster preparedness, response and recovery tweets from @ncce_news generated 496,981 impressions and reached 92,701 unique users. Hundreds of Facebook users were also able to access storm information.
As the storm moved off shore, NCCE staff, in collaboration with county Farm Service Agencies, initiated crop damage assessments on local farms and provided storm recovery information and advocacy for residents. Many of the Cooperative Extension offices will now serve as Disaster Recovery Centers, and agents will collaborate with FEMA officials to help the thousands of residents who suffered losses associated with Hurricane Irene secure much-needed storm relief funds.
UNC’s eastern campuses also pitched in to help their nearby communities weather the storm: At Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), campus leaders set up an emergency shelter for community residents at the Kermit E. White Center on campus. The shelter was manned by Red Cross workers and ECSU custodial staff, and stayed opened the entire weekend of the storm, housing approximately 250 residents from Pasquotank and surrounding counties.
Officials at ECSU and at UNC Pembroke provided ongoing information about the storm to their communities. When it came time to clean up, NC State volunteers helped out with cleanup efforts on the Elizabeth City State campus, assisting ECSU by providing 17 people for three days to put the campus back into working order.
After the storm, the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) at East Carolina University began providing disaster relief assistance to companies in seven eastern counties. The SBTDC is available to help business owners assess the storm’s financial impact on their business, reconstruct financial statements, evaluate options with creditors, and prepare U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan applications.
This summer, Appalachian State University (ASU) strengthened its international connections by bringing 18 faculty members from Beijing International Studies University (BISU) to the App State campus for a three-week English language training program. NC State, UNC Charlotte and other UNC campuses operate similar programs designed to assist international partners in improving teaching and learning, while improving student and faculty intercultural skills, bringing revenue to UNC schools and indirectly assisting in recruitment of top international students to UNC. The ASU program provided the Chinese faculty members, who teach English at BISU, opportunities to develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their English teaching skills, and increase their knowledge of the United States, while ASU students and faculty benefit by getting to know their international peers.
The program includes intensive training in English teaching methodologies, teaching strategies, and English conversation. In addition to attending seminars at Appalachian, the group visited various historical sites in North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
The training program was funded by BISU and coordinated by Appalachian’s Office of International Education and Development (OIED) with involvement of a multidisciplinary team of faculty members.
“It has been enriching to meet and interact with the English faculty from BISU, and to talk with them about the research and practice of language teaching in our two countries,” said Dr. Catherine Fountain, an assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
“This kind of exchange helps us all to become better teachers through the sharing of ideas. It also heightens awareness of Appalachian on a global level, facilitating further exchanges and connecting our university to other countries and cultures.”
The professors attended classes related to formal and conversational English and American slang, experienced-based teaching, contemporary American poetry, use of online tools to teach English and other topics related to teaching the English language and its literature. Using technology to enhance teaching was one of the techniques the professors are eager to take back to their classrooms in Beijing.
“I learned specific techniques to use when I return to better engage my students and help them learn the English language well,” said Professor Ma Hui of BISU, who teaches advanced English and intensive writing.
The relationship between Appalachian and BISU started some years ago when the Chinese university began hosting Walker College of Business students during their short-term, faculty-led programs. Recently, Appalachian signed a memorandum of agreement with BISU. Dr. Jesse Lutabingwa, associate vice chancellor for international education and development at ASU notes, “This program is part of Appalachian’s expanded efforts to engage with Chinese partner universities.”
"After hosting our students for several years, it was natural that we moved to formalizing the relationship,” Lutabingwa said. “This summer, two Appalachian students enrolled at BISU and studied Chinese. We hope that the BISU English teachers training program at Appalachian will continue to be part of the activities we do together.”
"These exchanges are invaluable,” said English Professor Mark Vogel. “In the process of working together, we each have learned more about the language we speak and write. Surely the Appalachian professors who are teaching these visitors have learned as much about China and its culture, as the Chinese faculty have learned from us. In the process we have quickly developed relationships which will blossom into opportunities for our students and for ourselves.”
Appalachian has had a long-term partnership with Fudan University in Shanghai and Soochow University in Suzhou. In addition to BISU, Appalachian has also recently signed memorandums of understanding with Shaanxi Normal University in Xian and Northeastern University in Shenyang.
In 2010, UNC's Small Business and Technology Development Centers provided 66,159 hours of business counseling services to 5,197 small businesses in North Carolina.
