The role of higher education mc guire
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The document provides information about Longwood University and its Office of Community and Economic Development. It discusses the establishment of Longwood's Small Business Development Center in 1989 to assist small businesses. It also outlines some examples of community-based research projects conducted by Longwood students and faculty in partnership with local organizations to support business development and economic growth in the surrounding communities. These include a downtown Farmville market analysis and an entrepreneurship assessment for the Virginia's Growth Alliance regional economic development group. The Office of Community and Economic Development facilitates partnerships between Longwood University and community leaders to identify projects that strengthen business and economic development.
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The role of higher education mc guire
- 1. Office of Community and Economic Development & Longwood SBDC Network
- 2. Longwood University Founded in 1839 Undergraduate Programs in Business Administration, Human Services, and the Arts and Sciences Graduate studies include an MBA Program and programs in Education, English, Sociology, and more 4960 Students (91% undergraduates) 236 Full-time Faculty 17:1 FTE Student/FTE Faculty Ratio (Average class size = 20 students)
- 3. History in Economic and Community Development 1989 – Small Business Development Centers Established in Virginia (Longwood And JMU) An Economic Development Program that Assists Firms with Access to Capital, Marketing, Job Creation and Retention, Startup Issues, Expansion and Survival SBDC Partners = Universities, Localities, Economic Development Offices, Small Business Administration (SBA) Funding from SBA is Matched at University and Local Level as an Economic Development Outreach and Support System for Small Businesses Longwood University System = 5 Offices Covering 7,000 Square Miles in Southern Virginia (Virginia System = 29 Offices) SBDC grew to become the University’s primary resource for community research.
- 4. Community Based Research Downtown Farmville Market Analysis Team included a cross disciplinary team of two faculty members, students, and members of Alpha Phi Omega, Longwood University’s service fraternity Surveys of shoppers, residents, students, and faculty to support business development and recruitment 1217 online surveys collected 385 consumer intercept surveys completed 72 business owner surveys collected Project supported the attainment of and on-going work associated with Virginia Main Street status as well as economic restructuring and on-going business recruitment
- 5. Community Based Research Virginia's Growth Alliance Entrepreneurship Assessment/Development Plan Regional economic development alliance consisting of 7 localities at the time Focus groups of 10-12 business owners and stakeholders throughout VGA Region - 7 localities and 13 separate on-site focus groups. Surveys to determine awareness and gaps in service provision for small businesses Results - Action plan to better support and develop entrepreneurial activity in the region
- 6. Longwood University Office of Community and Economic Development “Community Connections at Work” The Longwood University Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) brings University resources together to support community engagement in a collaborative and accessible manner. Longwood University OCED provides supportive research and business development services to the community, while providing opportunities for students and faculty to leverage their talents and expertise within the Longwood University service area. To accomplish this mission, OCED facilitates regular conversations among campus and local community leaders to identify projects that strengthen the business and economic development communities in Longwood University's service area.
- 7. 2014/15 Activities Longwood University OCED & SBDC Support Virginia’s Growth Alliance (VGA) – Regional Economic Development Alliance Consisting of 11 Localities Provide Research Assistance Student-led research of business development trends and opportunities Industry research to support development activities Assist in Development of Entrepreneur Eco-System Vision – Sustainable regional eco-system that identifies, launches, and supports viable community based businesses New and existing business training and consulting Client management/tracking
- 8. Questions? Sheri McGuire Director Economic Development Executive Director – Longwood University SBDC Network Longwood University Office of Community and Economic Development 315 West Third Street Farmville, VA 23901 434-395-2360 mcguiresr@longwood.edu
Editor's Notes
- Good morning! One thing that strikes me here today is the range in size of institutions and organizations involved in community development. Longwood, by virtue of being a smaller institution in a small town in Rural Southern Virginia is really a driver of economic development in itself. In 2008, our economic impact study reported that the activities of the university generated $135.6 million in economic impact for Farmville and surrounding counties. We represented 26% of the taxable sales in Prince Edward and Farmville. Also, being a small University means that we can connect and respond quickly to community issues. While we are not a major research institution, we do apply grassroots research in the community and we are directly involved in implementation of resulting projects where needed. (Read stats) One of our strengths is the ability to connect with smaller class sizes and from deep connections to the community.
- Our history in economic development activities really begins with the establishment of our Small Business Development Centers in 1989. The SBDC network has been an invaluable way to build partnerships at the local level. Our three primary financial sponsors are the Small Business Administration, the University (who supports the program as an outlet for economic and community development), and Localities (who see the SBDC system as a way to provide economic development services to smaller businesses in their areas.) We have grown to include 5 offices under the Longwood umbrella covering the Southern part of Virginia. The community partnerships built through SBDC eventually led to projects that positioned the SBDC as a contact point for community research. With survey analysis and research skills on staff we began to do research for Small Towns and local organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, Economic Developers, and others.
- I have a couple examples of projects to talk about today. In 2011, the SBDC became involved with the developing Main Street organization in Farmville. As we talked about main street principles and looked at what other towns have done in their development, we thought it would be helpful to do a Market Study of Farmville. This would tell us where the gaps are in businesses and services based on consumer perception as well as secondary data. One thing our small university community is passionate about is developing a thriving downtown. It is crucial to supporting recruitment efforts as well as retention of staff. Several faculty and the Dean of Arts and Sciences are actively engaged in revitalization. So it was easy to assemble a team of faculty and students to design surveys and do consumer intercept survey work downtown. Over about a two month period, we were able to collect 1217 surveys online and 385 consumer intercept surveys. Results of Market Analysis: Leakages/ Market Potential Food and beverage stores, including grocery stores and specialty food stores. Health and personal care stores Sporting goods Miscellaneous store retailers Recommendations Utilize zip code data from merchants to understand various market areas Farmville pulls from Open past 5! Farmville downtown partnership has been able to use the study to help recruit restaurants and retail back to main street. We have one new restaurant and another in the pipeline. We’ve also had businesses located in the town of Farmville who saw the potential based on the market study.
- We began work with Virginia’s Growth Alliance in 2012 and completed an assessment of the environment for entrepreneurship development in 2013. The work resulted in an action plan to support development of a more coordinated outreach program, development of additional sources of capital, and a structured series of support including training and counseling.
- In 2013, Building on the additional community work done through the SBDC, Longwood created the Office of Community and Economic Development. OCED will provide the front door and the framework to begin leveraging expertise throughout the campus in community and economic development projects. We are very hands-on, and are able to involve students and faculty in implementation of projects as well as the initial research. We maintain contact with community organizations, leaders, on campus and off campus, to align the mission of the University with the mission of community development organizations where it makes sense to do so. We look for the win win situation where the community benefits, but our staff, students and faculty also benefit from the experience.
- We are growing alongside the Virginia’s Growth Alliance, which mirrors our immediate Longwood service territory. We will continue to focus and work together this year on projects that support regional efforts. Right now we have an Economics Student currently utilizing databases of business information to study historical business trends, including new starts and closings. He will be comparing this to consumer purchasing patterns to identify business development and recruitment needs in the region. In addition, we are all involved in the development of a more coordinated entrepreneurship eco-system in the region that should streamline and coordinate services to new and existing businesses. This continues to build on the findings of the needs assessment performed for VGA last year.