University Economic Development Council (UEDC)

The JMU University Economic Development Council (UEDC) will foster communication and partnerships between university stakeholders engaged in regional and state-wide economic development efforts. By strengthening the network of practitioners and enhancing information flow across campus, the UEDC strives to build strong collaborations with employers, agencies, community organizations and other stakeholders that advance innovation, talent and quality of life within the Shenandoah Valley and Commonwealth of Virginia.

The UEDC has several priorities for the 2023-2024 academic year:

Serve an advisory and support role in the development of the Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD) in Research, Economic Development & Innovation
As the Office of Economic and Community Development coalesces and embarks on strategic planning, the UEDC will advise the unit on further development of OECD functions and activities based on strengths, opportunities, threats and resources.

Create an asset map of university economic development activities.
By identifying programs, units, and other areas that contribute to the university’s economic engagement and gathering information from them, the UEDC can uncover relationships, (including overlaps and gaps) between stakeholders to create shared understanding of the full scope of the university’s economic engagement assets.

Develop a framework for communication within and beyond the UEDC about economic development opportunities and impacts.
By developing a framework that facilitates timely, relevant and inclusive communication among stakeholders, the UEDC can streamline and enhance information flow about economic engagement activities across and beyond campus.

Propose a university definition of “economic development”
After collecting information from various units at JMU and external stakeholders, the UEDC will develop and propose a definition of “economic development” that both reflects the current landscape of activity on campus and serves as an aspirational ethos to guide future work.

Support JMU’s recent Research2 Doctoral University Carnegie Re-Classification by facilitating a self-study and preparing to apply for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ (APLU) Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) designation
APLU’s IEP University designation elevates the visibility of an institution's excellence in, and commitment to, regional economic and community development. A great value of the designation program lies in the process in which institutions earn the designation. Institutions engage on and off-campus stakeholders to collectively assess strengths and areas of needed improvement in how the university knows, measures and tells its economic engagement impact.