UVA Wise Awarded Prestigious Economic Impact Designation

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise was recently awarded the Innovation & Economic Prosperity Program (IEP) institution designation by the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU).

This year, UVA Wise joined the University of Kentucky, Michigan State University, the University of Connecticut and the University of Texas at San Antonio as new IEP designees. Since the program’s inception in 2013, a total of 91 universities and colleges across the U.S. have received the honor. 

UVA Wise is the only institution in far Southwest Virginia and among two other universities in the Commonwealth which have earned the recognition—Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech.

“The IEP process was a significant tool for evaluating how we engage our communities. We are thankful for the strong and mutually valuable relationships with our stakeholders that have resulted in high-impact initiatives throughout the region,” said UVA Wise Chancellor Donna P. Henry. “The self-study greatly benefited UVA Wise in capturing our economic engagement activities and charting the road ahead—a road we believe leads to a bright future for all of Southwest Virginia and Central Appalachia.”

Earlier this month, Shannon Blevins, UVA Wise vice chancellor for administration, government relations and strategic initiatives, accepted the award on behalf of the College at the 2023 APLU Annual Meeting in Seattle. 

“It’s an honor to join the ranks of other great universities and colleges around the country doing important work to promote and support economic growth. The application process provided crucial insight into our work and path forward, but our focus remains the same: creating opportunity through community,” Blevins said. 

One of the benefits of the newly minted status is UVA Wise’s new eligibility to apply for IEP Awards, which recognize specific projects, programs and initiatives in economic engagement.

The IEP is considered the leading certification process recognizing higher education institutions have demonstrated a “substantial, sustainable and campus-wide commitment to regional economic and community development.”

That level of economic engagement is exhibited through talent and workforce development, innovation, entrepreneurship and tech-based economic development, public service, community engagement and outreach. 

To achieve the IEP designation, each higher education institution undergoes a rigorous internal assessment process as part of its application. An IEP panel established by APLU reviews the application and approves those deemed worthy. 

In 2019, UVA Wise embarked on its two-year self-study process for the IEP designation. The process was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and provided a moment for leaders across campus and around the region to reflect on the meaningful, substantial and sustainable efforts they’d made collectively.  

UVA Wise sought to identify how to effectively deploy skills and resources and draw upon the strengths and expertise of its strategic partnerships.

That self-review process also ran concurrently with the creation of the College’s 2030 strategic plan, “Your College for a Lifetime,” which was developed in the fall of 2020 by a steering committee comprised of faculty, staff, senior administrators, students and a College Board representative. 

UVA Wise’s self-study, which consisted of targeted surveys, focus groups and individual interviews centered on economic engagement, revealed key insights into strengths and opportunities for improvement. 

Additionally, a UVA Wise IEP committee was formed from staff and faculty members across campus, many of whom served as part of the steering committee for the College’s strategic plan, allowing for the synthesis of data and outcomes from the two processes.

“UVA Wise sought the IEP designation to evaluate how we carry out our mission and strengthen our efforts to serve as a foundational driver within our region,” Chancellor Henry said. “Appalachia faces significant and complex challenges but also possesses opportunities for momentous reinvention. We recognize how collaboration and investment can dramatically alter the region’s trajectory.”

During the self-review process the College affirmed several strengths across the College’s three focus areas of economic engagement—Community Development and Entrepreneurship; Professional, Workforce and Career Development; and Health and Prosperity.

“This program showcases the College’s long-standing commitment to support entrepreneurship, regional economic diversification and community development,” Blevins said. 

Some of the UVA Wise partnerships in economic engagement highlighted in the application include the Clinch River Valley Initiative which works to boost tourism in the global biodiverse hotspot of the Clinch River Valley (CRVI); the Healthy Appalachia Institute, which focuses on public and population health; and UVA Wise Connects, which expands instruction and impact beyond the campus with students participating in hands-on learning and collaboration within regional communities.

“By providing a forum for the convening of community leaders to exchange ideas across sectors, UVA Wise plays a vital role in the development of new, synergistic partnerships and connections being formed throughout the region with high-impact results," said Sarah Romeo, executive director of CRVI.

Romeo said it’s fitting that the seeds of CRVI were planted at a local conference on building economies hosted by UVA Wise in 2010.  

"As a collaborating partner with UVA Wise for over a decade, the Clinch River Valley Initiative is pleased to learn of the College's recent designation as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity Institution,” Romeo said.