Awards will recognize best practices in university-based economic development
PITTSBURGH, PA – June 17, 2013 – The University Economic Development Association (UEDA) is currently seeking nominations for its annual Awards of Excellence program, which recognizes leading edge university-based economic development initiatives from across the country. The Awards of Excellence Program recognizes higher education institutions and their partners who are transforming their campuses into engines of economic prosperity through creative initiatives in five categories:
- Community Connected Campus: initiatives that promote the physical development of quality connected campuses and their surrounding communities;
- Research and Analysis: initiatives that enhance the capacity of colleges and universities to provide new forms of research and tools for community, economic and workforce development practitioners;
- Leadership and Collaboration: initiatives that support the development of collaborative economic development strategies and the leaders required to implement them;
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship: initiatives designed to support startups, high-growth companies and clusters within a region; and
- Talent Development: initiatives that promote the development of 21st-century skills.
“Our 2012 Award promoted the program’s success, validated its quality, and confirmed sustainable funding and an additional hire from our university,” shared Lindsay Emery, Business Development Manager at West Virginia University and a member of the 2013 Awards Committee. “Working on a project every day sometimes has us lose sight of the direction we’re headed – and taking the time to articulate your enthusiasm and accomplishments via the Awards of Excellence program is useful for your own purposes, but also for your institutional peers at UEDA that want to learn from your best practices.”
A committee of peers from across the country will judge the nominations throughout the month of July on the criteria of originality, sustainability, and scalability. The highest scoring applications will be selected as finalists and will be invited to present at the UEDA Annual Summit in Pittsburgh, PA in October. Summit attendees will vote and select the category winners, who will be recognized during the Awards of Excellence Banquet during the Summit.
“As the cornerstone association representing university-based economic development, we have an obligation to recognize these critical initiatives so they can be validated,” said Chuck Shoopman, President of UEDA, “But also so others can see the good work our nation’s universities are doing for the purposes of replicating these high-impact programs in regions across the country.”
Complete details about the UEDA Awards of Excellence program, as well as the nomination application, can be found at: http://awards.universityeda.org