Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Western Carolinian Volume 65 (66) Number 12

items 3 of 16 items
  • wcu_publications-18645.jpg
Item
?

Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • November 15, 2000 NEWS WESTERN CAROLINIAN Alliance To Bring Films Bardo Announces Plans for By Charles D. White Staff Writer When filmmakers scout for locations to shoot the next Hollywood blockbuster, one of the first places they look is the mountains of western North Carolina. And if Gordon Meyers has his way, it's just the beginning of a larger plan to bring an economic boom to the mountains. Meyers, Chairman of the Board for Advantage West, detailed this statewide plan last Wednesday at Ramsey Center during the regional economic summit, "Planning for the New Economy," an event sponsored by WCU's Public Policy Institute. The summit attracted regional business leaders as well as faculty, staff and students from WCU who were concerned about the future economic development of Western North Carolina. Advantage West is an alliance of the Employment Security Commission, public schools, Western Carolina University, local community colleges, the Department of Commerce, local business and the Western North Carolina Film Commission."Economic development is key to prosperity. Simply put, economic development means jobs," Meyers said during a panel discussion about specific regional challenges to a growing economy. Advantage West is one of seven regional organizations throughout the state that makes up the North Carolina Partnership for Economic Development, a statewide consortium of business, education and government interests that seeks to promote regional economic development. Advantage West's efforts with the WNC Film Commission has brought over 13 million dollars to the local economy since 1995. The alliance's policy of matching government grant money in the amount of 2.4 million in that same time period is estimated to have leveraged up to 300 million for Western North Carolinians. So what's next for Advantage West and the future economic development of Western North Carolina? More emphasis on the region's advertisement on the internet, more tourism promotion and targeting potential building sites for industry are planned. Biotech Center Partnership Happy Thanksgiving Thursday November 16, 2000 at Brown Cafeteria 4:45-7:15PM Com* Celebrate Thanksgiving with Usl Our Thanksgiving Feast will start at 4:45 and consist of Roasted Turkey Honey Ham Grilled Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms Stuffing & Gravy Buttered Corn Green Beans with New Potatoes Baby Carrots Sweet Potato Bar Breads & Spreads Assorted Desserts By Dawn N. Pasley News Editor In his presentation at the Public Policy Institute's conference on the "New Economy" and its effects on western North Carolina, Chancellor John Bardo announced a proposal for a new biotechnology research center. The center, which WCU, Asheville- Buncombe Technological Community College, and UNC-Asheville are sponsoring together, will be located in the former BASF plant in Enka. The three institutions will be joined in partnership for the center with PE Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in machinery for the biotech industry. PE Corporation, formerly known as Perkins-Elmer, is the parent company of Celera Genomics, which has made strides to map the human genome. Tony White, chief executive officer of PE Corporation and a WCU alumnus, has agreed to donate biotechnology equipment to the center, according to Dr. Richard Collings, vice-chancellor for academic affairs. Collings also said that WCU is asking the state legislature for $1.8 million dollars to do work on the center, which will fill the three buildings and 220,000 square feet of the long-vacant plant, formally donated to A-B Tech only a month ago by the BASF Corporation. The main objective of the center, said Collings, is to educate students at the three schools about how to operate biotechnology equipment. Plans for the center began this summer, with talking among the leaders of the three institutions and others in the community. Collings said that the schools are trying to get a mix of public and private funding for the center and asking the medical community in Asheville to get involved as well. The North Carolina legislature will not make known a decision about funding for the center until next summer, but the center stands to gain all, some, or none of the funds that WCU asked for, according to Collings. "If we get the funding, we'll be able to operate at whatever level of funding comes in," said Collings. "I'm fairly confident that something will come about. What I'm not sure is to what extent it will be." Many educational opportunities for graduate students, especially in the fields of health care and biology, will be expanded through the center. Fewer undergraduate programs will be offered, said Collings, because UNC-A, being the liberal arts institution for the state, offers mostly undergraduate programs and the schools in the partnership do not want to duplicate what is already being offered in Asheville. "We go out of our way in Asheville not to duplicate things that are being done well by the other institutions," said Collings. Work on the center will not begin until after next summer, but those involved in the planning will be working to be ready when funds are allocated for the center. "It (the center) is something that we're committed to developing," said Collings. P.O. Box 66 • Cullowhee, NC 28723 Seth R. Sams, Editor-in-Chief Alex Esmon. Managing Editor Matt Short, Asst. Advertising Manager Nichole Hardy, Web Editor Samantha Helms, Asst. News Editor Javier C Arvelo, layout Editor Jenni Battels, Asst. Features Editor Lnua Hyatt, Advertising Manager David Bartholomew, Asst. Sports Editor Allison Hinson, Copy Editor Josh Daub, Photographer Dawn Pasley. News Editor Elizabeth Barnes, Photographer Holly Rhodarmer, Features Editor Miranda Hyde, Office Manager Daniel Hooker, Sports Editor Contributing Writers Melanie Cooper, Hannah Crane, Virginia Culp. Melissa Dills, Austin Freeman, Cory Habichr. Brett Knight, Denise Merritt. Johnnie Mickel, Eric Newsome, Mike Poston, Matt Rogers, Annie SechrM John Moore, Advisor Printed each week by the Waynesville Enterprise-Mountaineer :arol i n tan.i
Object
?

Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).