UNI demonstrates impact on Iowa’s economic development and workforce efforts
Members of UNI Business and Community Services recently presented to the Iowa Senate Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee and soon will present to the House Subcommittee. Randy Pilkington, executive director of BCS, began with a summary of the impact and reach of UNI’s economic development programs.
“During 2024, BCS programs served more than 4,100 unique clients and reached all 99 Iowa counties for the 25th consecutive year,” said Pilkington. “Another point of emphasis is the engagement of UNI students in the work of BCS. Approximately one-third of UNI students are engaged with a BCS program in some manner, whether directly employed, an internship or a classroom project. This high level of engagement helps keep a high percentage of UNI students in the state after graduation.”
Some of the program-specific updates included the work of the Institute for Decision Making and its engagement with more than 860 communities and economic development organizations across Iowa. During the past year, the institute worked with many rural communities and regions with planning, workforce projects and disaster recovery. Much of the disaster recovery work focused on assisting communities in northwest Iowa impacted by flooding in collaboration with UNI’s Strategic Marketing Services. Other updates included the growth and impact of the UNI Family Business Center and efforts to promote employee ownership to create succession opportunities for small- to medium-sized businesses. UNI’s innovations in the foundry industry through the Foundry 4.0 Center were also highlighted.
Collaborations and partnerships have always been a focus of UNI’s economic development programs and the presentation highlighted several joint projects with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa Workforce Development and the other Regent universities. The importance of the Regents Innovation Fund impact was also discussed. This funding helps UNI leverage substantial federal and foundation support.
Overall, BCS programs have a substantial impact across Iowa and represent a great investment for the state. For every dollar of state economic development appropriation UNI programs receive, BCS programs leverage an additional five dollars of investment to serve Iowa and its businesses and communities.