In mid-October, 79°West Innovation Hub hosted a stop on the UNC Graduate Student Community Tour, a day-long initiative designed to connect master’s and doctoral students with local community leaders.
The emerging scholars participated in a panel discussion and facility tour; featured speakers included Mayor of Pittsboro Kyle Shipp; Chatham County Board of Commissioners Chair Karen Howard; and Chatham Economic Development Corporation President Michael Smith. Katie Miller, 79°West’s Community Manager, moderated the discussion.
The goal of this initiative is for graduate students to learn about local communities, considering their professional opportunities and networking with their leaders.
Chatham County’s Strengths + Challenges
The panelists initially spoke about both Chatham County’s strengths and challenges.
Considering strengths, they pointed to places uniquely representative of Chatham County, like Bynum Bridge, a graffitied pedestrian bridge that serves as a gathering place, and Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, the most visited N.C. state park. They also noted that the Lower Haw River State Natural Area recently gained a new parking lot with bathrooms.
While the growth in Chatham County is positive, it does present some challenges.
“Pittsboro is seeing both opportunities and pressures of growth,” Mayor Shipp said. “Our current population is over 5,000; in 30 years, we will have over 60,000 residents. We want this growth and want downtown Pittsboro to maintain its vitality.”
Howard noted the population for all of Chatham County is currently 70,000, with three municipalities within the largely rural county and most of the population living outside the municipalities.
“In a recent comprehensive plan, the single most-valued quality was preservation of our rural character,” Howard said. “To preserve character and allow for well-managed growth can be challenging, specifically considering you need density to offer affordable housing.”
Smith acknowledged that 25,000 people leave Chatham County for work every day; he wants to see residents working within the county.
Graduate Student Opportunities
The panel also focused on potential opportunities for the UNC graduate students.
Shipp mentioned opportunities with the town in planning and engineering, enabling a graduate “to get in on the ground floor and experience the area’s upcoming growth and development.”
Howard confirmed the county is ripe with opportunities for UNC graduate students. “Many UNC graduates start their careers here or conduct research on our unique challenges,” she said.
Smith told the students he constantly references the quality of the UNCG graduate school students to companies looking to come to Chatham.
Students posed engaging questions of the panelists, and then Miller led a facility tour to close the visit. This visit exemplifies yet another way in which 79°West achieves its mission of being a county hub for trilateral partnerships between local government, for-profit enterprise and nonprofit organizations.
