UNCG, N.C. A&T to Develop Joint Millennial Campus

GREENSBORO – The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and N.C. A&T State University are creating a Joint Millennial Campus that will have two campus locations, including the site of the former Central N.C. School for the Deaf.

To be called the Greensboro Center for Innovative Development, the project was announced by chancellors Patricia A. Sullivan of UNCG and James C. Renick of N.C. A&T.

The two campuses, north and south, will have combined land totaling approximately 150 acres. The north campus is the former School for the Deaf property and is located off Highway 29 North of Greensboro. It will be home to the planned Institute for Training, Research and Development. Initially, it will target the needs of school systems, business and industry, and various health services and social agencies in the region.

At the south campus, located on E. Lee Street near I-40, the universities want to develop a “state-of-the-art” science research park. Areas of research will come from key academic areas of both campuses, including the physical and life sciences, engineering, technology, food and nutrition, and other applied sciences It is part of the N.C. A&T research farm. For more details on the project's concept, click here.

“There will be a north campus and a south campus, and they will focus on the whole picture of economic development for this region,” Renick said. “We are very excited about the possibilities.”

Both chancellors have been in discussions since December over possible use of the deaf school property, but those conversations have expanded the project considerably.

“Our brainstorming ignited a much bigger concept in which the power of the universities could come together with businesses in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors to create an exciting new venture, one that could help shape our future for several decades to come,” Sullivan said. "This center for innovation will jump start us now and for a long time to come."

Ken Mayer, chair of UNCG's Board of Trustees, said that Greensboro has been home to a pair of state universities, "both of whom are really coming into their own, and both of whom now realize that collaborating puts strength on top of strength that can really help lead the community forward. I hope that as you listen to the project, you will fast forward 15, 20 or 25 years, and think about the impact that this will have. This is a long-term effort, but one that could be as important as any in the history of the community."

The campuses are hiring the firm of Hammer, Siler, George and Associates (HSGA), of Silver Spring, Md., and Denver, Col., as consultant for the planning. The firm has done work with several cities, the Research Triangle Park, and institutions that include Penn State University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Medical College of Virginia and others.

Vernon George, senior partner with HSGA, said his firm will analyze data to provide “high probability” answers upon which future decisions will be made. “You've already decided that this is a very desirable project that will generate tax revenue quality jobs and will improve the overall vitality of the community.”
He said that HSGA has worked on similar projects in more than 40 communities. He noted “In all cases, they have become a major part of their economic strategy and their quality of life.”

News of the project reached UNC President Molly Broad, who said, “As envisioned, this joint millennial campus will draw on the complementary research strengths of North Carolina A&T and UNC Greensboro, and it exemplifies the growing spirit of collaboration between these important sister institutions. I am confident that the research advances and public-private partnerships fostered by this initiative will play a significant role in positioning the Triad for a stronger economic future.”

The UNC Board of Governors will have to sign off on the Joint Millennial Campus. Paperwork has been submitted to UNC General Administration to create the Joint Millennial Campus, and to transfer the School for the Deaf property to the new entity. Currently, UNC Charlotte and Western Carolina University have been authorized to develop millennial campuses. The millennial campuses are modeled on the Centennial Campus at N.C. State University and the Horace Williams tract at UNC Chapel Hill.

Implementation of the project is under way, Sullivan said, and the boards of trustees of both institutions have endorsed it. They have approved the establishment of a non-profit governing board that will oversee the work on both campuses and will hold title to the facility.

Another surprise came from Greensboro City Manager Ed Kitchen, who said, "I've felt for a long time that Greensboro needs to set forth in a new direction, and this project is exactly the direction we need to go in."  Kitchen said that he will ask the City Council to consider building an 11-acre park across from the south campus, at East Lee and East Florida streets.

The universities have gotten $1 million from the General Assembly for repairs to the School for the Deaf property. They also have each pledged $100,000 each to cover salaries and benefits of the center's executive director.

Teams from both institutions will begin developing plans for academic and research programs in the areas of economic, workforce and community development.
The School for the Deaf, located off Summit Avenue, is a prime piece of property, with about two-thirds of its 75 acres developed.  It was transferred to UNCG and N.C. A&T by the N.C. General Assembly as part of the state budget this summer. N.C. State Sen. Kay Hagan, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, was instrumental in pushing the transfer throughout the legislative session.

The property includes buildings totaling more than 146,000 square feet of space. Buildings include two dormitories, two classroom buildings, an administrative building, a maintenance building, two greenhouses, a field house and a full-service kitchen. Most of the construction took place between 1975 and 1980. The facility had been on the state's surplus property list since closing in 2001.

Hammer, Siler, George Associates has been in the business of economic development, research and consulting since 1954. The firm serves a broad range of public and private clients and provides services that include market, financial, financing, and fiscal impact analysis; project implementation and development; and investment strategy services in all parts of the United States and abroad. Services to universities include research park feasibility studies, research resource analysis, strategic planning, technology development strategies, community economic impact analysis, technology transfer policies and approaches.

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