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The Institute for Emerging Issues

Connecting North Carolina to ideas and North Carolinians to each other.

Institute for Emerging Issues receives grant from the Economic Development Administration to support project on workforce and economic development

IEI has received a grant to analyze and assess current workforce challenges and opportunities and how these can be leveraged to support equitable economic development across North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Foothills Regional Commission launches digital inclusion planning process

The Foothills Regional Commission held a virtual event on April 28 to mark the start of its process to create digital inclusion plans for four Western NC counties: Cleveland, McDowell, Polk and Rutherford.

Institute for Emerging Issues announces next round of BAND-NC grant recipients, supporting digital equity across NC

Twelve North Carolina county-level initiatives will each receive a $5,000 grant to help bridge the digital divide in their communities.

Save the Date

2023 Emerging Issues Forum
“Talent First Economics”
February 13, 2023

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Bringing North Carolina together

Through our programming and issue focused initiatives, we connect people to resources and resources to the people who need them.

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Community Spotlight: Isothermal Community College improves lives in Rutherford and Polk counties

Isothermal Community College (ICC) doesn’t stop at providing nearly free higher education for students in western North Carolina. Its mission is to improve lives through learning.

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Community Spotlight: Communities Supporting Schools of Wayne County connects the dots for student success

Communities Supporting Schools of Wayne County understands that to increase postsecondary educational attainment, you have to start working with students as early as elementary school.

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Community Spotlight: Wilson Education Partnership builds bridges between students, teachers, and community

Wilson Education Partnership looks for programs and initiatives that will most benefit the students, teachers, and business community in Wilson, NC.

Giving to IEI

With your investment, we will continue to connect, think and do to ensure the economic prosperity of North Carolina.

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First in Future: Conversation with Governor Cooper

In this episode, we talk with North Carolina’s Governor Cooper on his look back at 2021 and forth to 2022. We hear his thoughts on how we might get more people back into the work place and get 400,000 more people with skills and abilities beyond high school into the work force. He discusses his push to get more broadband home adoption to the people to help with work, education and telemedicine.

First in Future: Can Kitty Hawk Take Flight?

In this episode, we focus on a college solution for 1.5 million NC adults.

Connected: Upper Coastal Plain Digital Inclusion Plan

In this episode of the “Connected” podcast series, host Maggie Woods speaks to Robert Hiett; Executive Director and Ben Farmer; Economic Development Planner for the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments.