OIED offering enhanced programming

Assessing the impact of Hurricane Matthew

The East Carolina University (ECU) Office of Innovation and Economic Development (OIED) has expanded its Community and Regional Development programs to offer additional support to eastern communities that were impacted by Hurricane Matthew and the subsequent flooding. The enhanced programming includes:

• Expanding the ECU Outreach Network by adding new faculty, staff and student support to provide resource identification and grant writing support to communities and nonprofits in the affected areas. The ECU Outreach Network is a collaborative of faculty, staff and student assistants who work directly with units of local government and community organizations to help prioritize organizational resource needs, identify potential resource providers, and help prepare grant applications.
• Expanding our existing Community and Regional Development Capacity Building training programs to include critical areas of need in affected communities and make that training available to local government officials at zero cost. The current capacity building program includes an innovative partnership with the North Carolina Department of Commerce designed to provide technical assistance and financial resources that help local governments build capacity, increase competitiveness and enhance community vitality.
• Providing hands-on administrative and management support to local government staffs in affected areas through the Municipal Management and Innovation initiative. Professional consultants, faculty and staff will assist municipalities with budgeting, policy development, project development, strategic planning and other administrative issues as communities move through the process of recovery. The Municipal Management and Innovation initiative focuses on direct engagement with small, limited resource and limited capacity municipalities in an effort help increase local administrative/management capacities and enhance public service delivery.

For more information on OIED programs, the recovery effort, and how your community or organization can engage, please contact:

Kenny Flowers
Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Community and Regional Development
(252) 737-1342
flowersk@ecu.edu