Called Economic Development and Community Engagement, or EDCE, the division itself is complex — it includes everything from international scientists doing top-secret research in a lab, to business advisors guiding small businesses to success, to reading specialists helping children overcome reading disabilities.
Team members work in multiple locations on campus and in the community.
And it takes them awhile, when asked, to explain all that they do.
But Vice President Shawn Naccarato knows how to boil it all down.
“We’re listening to partners, finding out where they need help, then we’re connecting resources to provide that help," he said.
Until this summer, the division was known as University Strategic Initiatives, a division that collaborated with the City of Pittsburg and the Vecino Group to develop its flagship project, Block22, in the heart of downtown Pittsburg.
The project renovated four of Pittsburg’s most historic buildings that had fallen into disrepair, turning them into a thriving hub at Fourth and Broadway that includes an entrepreneurial center, the Small Business Development Center, three restaurants, a coffeeshop, and urban lofts for students.
Not long after it was finished in 2019, a ripple effect began downtown: several small locally owned businesses opened within a few blocks.
A boutique marketing firm expanded exponentially, hiring many Pitt State students as interns and then, as they graduated, as full-time employees. That demand led to new degree options.
The division also helped develop the Kansas Polymer Research Center, now known as the National Institute for Materials Advancement, on the campus at Pitt State.
Today, NIMA offers state-of-the-art research and testing capabilities that can lead to the commercialization of products in a variety of industries, including aerospace, home furnishings, agriculture, and more.
Now, the division is taking it to the next level.
The recent expansion and its new direction were the result of extensive meetings and brainstorming last year by the Transition Advisory Council, comprised of stakeholders from across campus and the community.
“Stakeholders saw that the university could help lead innovation in a way that would make a profound impact on the workforce, our students, the economic prosperity of the region, and the lives of those who call this region home," he said.
The EDCE will focus on three areas:
“Each one of these things inform and help each other,” Naccarato said. “We are connecting the deep scientific knowledge and expertise of our faculty and researchers to the needs of the community, and we’re informing the creation of new degree programs, workforce development, and certificates.”
A mix of personnel will work to take several existing programs to the next level, including but not limited to:
Team members also are working closely with Point Forward, a non-profit Community Development Corporation focused on identifying and executing projects that promote economic development, combat blight, and improve the overall quality of life. The current focus is saving and renovating Washington School and transforming it into a child care center.
And, they’re working closely with the city, the university, and local leaders on Gorilla Rising, a bold new initiative in downtown Pittsburg that will expand PSU's educational footprint in the Block22 neighborhood—strengthening the local business district and providing students with new and unique learning experiences.
Ram Gupta, a professor and researcher at NIMA who last year was named to a list of the world’s top scientists, will oversee the creation of support structures to advance research funded by state and federal dollars.
Among his many projects: leading the creation of a Center for Commercialization to commercialize what scientists develop at NIMA; developing a prove-out facility at which those products could be tested and manufactured; creating an Institute for Emerging Technologies and an Institute for STREAM; and elevating the existing Center for READing so that it is more visible and accessible.
Grant support will be a key focus area, including writing grants and actively searching for additional grant funding.
EDCE leaders are working with the community and its organizations to make a positive impact, build strong relationships, and share resources and knowledge. The division also represents the campus with local, state, and federal government officials on policy, advocacy, and funding.
Learn more:
Contact Marissa Poppe, Assistant Director of Partnership Development/Industry Engagement.