Thorp to attend talks on economic development

Chancellor Holden Thorp will attend a conference Thursday to discuss ways to spur economic development in central North Carolina.

He is among about 50 community leaders who hope to ensure that the region develops economically in the next five years.

The conference attendees will discuss a plan set forth by the Research Triangle Regional Partnership to create more jobs.

""We are at war for jobs. It's a global war"" said Charles Hayes, president and CEO of the Partnership and member of the UNC-system Board of Governors. There will be winners and losers. We're trying to do everything we can to be the winners.

""We can't do that without the guidance"" leadership and participation of the University.""

The Partnership is a group made up of public and private business organizations in 13 counties. The plan they created"" called ""Staying on Top: Winning the Job Wars of the Future"" helped create jobs throughout the region.

At the conference, the leaders will determine what the next step should be once the plan, begun in 2004, ends in March.

The plan was designed to create 100,000 new jobs in a 13-county region, which includes Orange County. As of November, 104,000 new jobs had been created, and all 13 counties had grown economically, Hayes said.

The plan has received national accolades, including recognition by the U.S. Department of Commerce as being the best strategic plan for economic growth in the nation.

The next generation of the plan will add a focus on green technology and jobs, as well as talent recruitment.

As jobs continually travel overseas, Thorp and the University's involvement will be especially vital, said Adam Klein, vice president for economic development and government relations of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce.

I'll be there to represent the interests of the University as the region plans for its future growth"" Thorp said.

Thorp will join the chancellors of N.C. Central University and N.C. State University on the committee.

The addition of Thorp is especially important to represent Chapel Hill, a region dependent on higher education, Klein said.

His expertise in helping faculty launch their ideas and energizing the faculty to be entrepreneurial will be valuable"" he said.

Businesses increasingly need an educated force with many skills, Klein added.

We don't get there by resting on our laurels"" he said. We have to be pro-active and describe the kind of regional economy we want to have.""


Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.