Patrick Woodie, president of the NC Rural Center, will be the guest speaker at this fall’s Campbell Talks! lecture series, a campus-wide event sponsored by the Economic and Community Development Strategic Planning Committee.
Woodie’s lecture, titled “Building Vibrant Rural Communities,” will take place on November 5 at 6 p.m. in Harris Teeter Auditorium in Maddox Hall. As North Carolina’s urban centers continue to expand rapidly, the event will be a discussion of the state of rural North Carolina’s challenges, opportunities and promise.
As a graduate of the Center’s Rural Economic Development Institute and a member of the Center’s board of directors from 1997 to 2000, Woodie has a strong connection to the NC Rural Center. In 2013, he was named president and led the organization into a new era of work and community engagement.
The Campbell Talks! program brings experts in economic and community development to campus each semester to help strengthen Campbell’s position as a leader in each of these spheres. Lectures are open to the entire campus.
“The goal of the Campbell Talks! series is to bring experts in economic and community development to campus to increase our awareness of the challenges, issues and opportunities in our region,” said School of Engineering Dean Jenna Carpenter, “and to provide thoughtful input that informs the activities and initiatives in these areas that we, as a campus, elect to engage and support.”