The people of North Carolina have made a major investment in North Carolina A&T State University, and that investment is paying off well, Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. told a group of Greensboro business and political leaders Feb. 20.

Martin released the results of studies of N.C. A&T’s economic impact on the Piedmont Triad region and the state, two days after the University of North Carolina General Administration released the findings of a statewide economic impact study on the 16 universities of the University of North Carolina system, the 58 colleges of the North Carolina Community College System and the 36 campuses of the state’s independent colleges and universities.

“A&T has made significant social and economic impacts, globally and right here in our region and state,” Martin said. “As a public institution of higher learning, we are tasked with being stewards of our state’s tax dollars while offering our students a high-quality education. A higher education is the biggest investment that can be made toward training the global leaders of tomorrow.”

As a result of the public investment made in A&T in fiscal 2012-13:

Our analysis shows that the $259.5 million in payroll and operations spending of N.C. A&T, together with its construction spending and the spending of its students, visitors, alumni and start-up companies, created $979.1 million in added state income. This is equivalent to creating 15,909 new jobs in the state.

The university gave the community and state taxpayers a return on its investment of $656.2 million in added regional income. That is the equivalent of creating 10,682 jobs in Guilford, Forsyth, Alamance, Rockingham and Randolph counties.

For every dollar the state invests into the education of an A&T student, it gains $10.30 in added state income and social savings.

And for every dollar invested by taxpayers, $4.20 is gained in added taxes and public sector savings. The average annual return on investment for taxpayers is 12.1 percent.

The numbers in the study are based on input from the university and the added income are estimated using a conservative multiplier effects (an effect in economics in which an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent).

Martin said these numbers represent the commitment of our students and alumni to make the Piedmont Triad and North Carolina their home and to create jobs through the entrepreneurship, innovation and impactful research. The numbers also mean that A&T and the university family are doing their part to secure the region and state’s economic growth.

Three of Greensboro’s business and political leaders gave their perspective on the university’s economic impact.

Ed Kitchen, vice president of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greater Greensboro, on A&T’s impact on economic development: “The university’s commitment to educating students at such a high level and its innovative research make it easier to market the Piedmont Triad as a place for industry. An educated workforce increases the amount and diversity of industries that want to come to this area.”

Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, on A&T’s local impact: “A&T students live, work and shop here, and their dollars multiply throughout the city and the region, creating jobs and opportunities for Greensboro residents. The university continues to stimulate our local economy through visitor spending … In the 2012-13 fiscal year alone, A&T generated more than $39 million in visitor spending.”

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, on the impact of A&T research: “Now, 124 years after the establishment of this university, it continues as a public, doctoral/research institution that continues to remain third in research dollars in the UNC System. That is a great deal of what this is all about—generating additional research funding for A&T faculty and students as they make great strides in solving complex problems in engineering, food science, Alzheimer’s and many other disciplines of study. An investment in the education of A&T students yields additional research dollars that add to their educational experiences, increase retention as well as attract and retain some of the world’s best and brightest faculty researchers.”

Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) compiled the studies. The conservative model used—a Social Accounting Matrix input-output model—takes into account that dollars invested in A&T and other universities could have been used for other purposes in the state. EMSI has completed economic impact studies for educational institutions in the United States and other nations since 2000.

The data and assumptions used are based on 2012-13 academic and financial reports from the higher education institutions, industry and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, and additional sources.

The study was funded by the North Carolina Business Higher Ed Foundation, the N.C. Community Colleges Foundation, the University of North Carolina system (from non-state funds) and the 36 campuses of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

The Home Depot’s Retool Your School (RYS) campus improvement grant program is back for the sixth year with new program improvements and $255,000 in grants to award.

The RYS program was established to provide support for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). For the first time in program history, The Home Depot will award three Tier I $50,000 grant as a way to increase participating schools’ chances of winning $50,000.

This year $255,000 will be awarded across nine HBCUs, and each of the three clusters will award a Tier I Grant of $50,000, a Campus Pride grant of $25,000 and a Tier II Grant of $10,000. The Campus Pride grants will go to the school in each cluster with the most online votes and social media activity.

All historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) competing for a grant will be placed into one of three clusters, based on student enrollment: Cluster 1 is comprised of schools with enrollments of 4,000+ students; Cluster 2, 1,201 to 3,999 students; and Cluster 3, up to 1,200 students.

With the incorporation of clusters, participating HBCUs are now only in competition with those schools that are similar in size based on student enrollment.

Winning an RYS grant would give North Carolina A&T State University an opportunity to restore, maintain or upgrade the campus with support from The Home Depot.

Voting begins Friday, Feb. 27. To vote, visit www.ncat.edu, look under The Latest, click on Retool Your School and follow the instructions.

Aggies, you (and family and friends) must vote daily to win!

Father-son farming families, advice from agricultural experts and recognition of landmark Congressional legislation inform this year’s celebration of small farming in North Carolina, which is sponsored annually by The Cooperative Extension Program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

The 29th annual observance of Small Farms Week is March 22-28, and features workshops, tours, demonstrations and the announcement of the 2015 Small Farmer of the Year. This year also marks the 125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act, which established 1890 land-grant institutions such as N.C. A&T and 18 other historically black colleges and universities.

“Planting a Legacy, Growing a Future,” this year’s theme, is emphasized in discussions about generational farming and community engagement in agricultural enterprise, among other activities. Tours of dynamic small farms and opportunities to question experts from agricultural-support agencies and organizations are also program highlights of the schedule.

Small Farms Week recognizes the producers of small-scale agriculture in North Carolina who generate $250,000 or less, annually, in gross sales. The celebration begins Monday, March 23, with festivities in Yancey County – home of the 2014 Small Farmer of the Year, Ryan Wiebe of Wiebe Farmin’ – and culminates with Small Farmers’ Appreciation Day Friday, March 25, at A&T.

For more information about events, visit www.ag.ncat.edu and click on “Cooperative Extension” or call 336-334-7956.

On Tuesday, March 10, as part of its Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series, the College of Engineering will host William N. “Bill” Starling, managing director of Synergy Life Sciences Partners and chief executive officer of Synecor, a business generator and financial incubator of new medical device companies based in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) region. The event will be in McNair Hall Auditorium at 11 a.m.

In his talk, Starling will discuss challenges and innovative solutions in the high technology medical device industry. In particular, he will share how clinical needs in the cardiovascular disease field have led to proprietary, cost-effective clinical solutions that rely on expertise from numerous engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, materials and biomedical engineering. Audiences will get a glimpse of how good ideas, funding and regulatory are linked in shepherding innovations from conception to clinical practice.

As CEO of Synecor, Starling co-founded BaroSense Inc., Bioerodible Vascular Solutions Inc., InnerPulse Inc., TransEnterix Inc., Interventional Autonomics Corporation, NeuroTronik Limited, Aegis Surgical Limited and Atrius Limited, the initial cohort of companies to join Synecor’s incubator.

Starling received his B.S. degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. He began his 37-year career in the medical technology device industry at American Edwards Laboratories (Edwards LifeSciences, NYSE:EW). Subsequently, he was a part of the founding management team and director of marketing for Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Inc. (acquired by Guidant/Abbott) and cofounder, vice president and board member of Ventritex Inc. (IPO in 1992, acquired by St. Jude Medical in 1997). The start-up companies co-founded by Starling now represent over $4 billion in annual revenues. The Raleigh, N.C., native has lived in Silicon Valley since 1982, and spends four months a year in the RTP.

The College of Engineering Dean’s Speaker Series brings speakers from industry, government and academia to speak about innovative advances and approaches anchored in engineering and computer science. The speaker series is free and open to the public.

The School of Nursing will offer its first on-campus diabetes education and screening event this Saturday, Feb. 28, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., in Noble Hall, suite 116. The event is open to students, faculty and staff and members of the community.

Nursing faculty members and students will provide education and counseling for anyone who is found to have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Screening is especially important because while 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes, 90 percent of them don’t know it, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People with pre-diabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.  

Without weight loss and increased physical activity, 15-30 percent of people with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes also raises the risk of heart disease and stroke.

More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, and about 25 percent of them don’t know it, the CDC says. The risk of death is 50 percent higher for adults with diabetes, and medical costs are twice as high.

The School of Nursing operates a Diabetes Education, Prevention and Management Center at the Greensboro Urban Ministry. The center is a partnership between Greensboro Urban Ministry, Moses Cone Health Nutrition and Diabetes Management Center, and the School of Nursing.

For more on diabetes, click here for the CDC diabetes fact sheet or click here for the CDC diabetes website.