By Lenore VanderZee, J.D., Ph.D., UEDA President & Vice President for Strategic Relations & Communications, SUNY Canton
As we enter 2026, higher education faces intensifying pressure to demonstrate return on investment for students, families, employers, and policymakers. Federal expectations have shifted. State and Federal leaders no longer see institutions of higher education (IHEs) only as centers of teaching and research. It expects them to deliver workforce outcomes, regional growth, and broad-based opportunity. Funding now ties more directly to measurable results in jobs, wages, innovation, and community resilience. Effective economic development has become a centerpiece for institutional success.
With students and their families increasingly concerned with rising costs and potential debt, IHEs must show clear pathways from education to employment. That requires tighter alignment with industry, workforce systems, and regional strategies. No single institution can meet these demands alone. Collective action matters.
Federal programs also favor coordinated systems over stand-alone efforts. Agencies such as the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education emphasize scale, accountability, and cross-sector collaboration. Universities that act together can shape these expectations rather than react to them.
The University Economic Development Association (UEDA) provides a forum for IHEs leading these collective efforts. helping define what return on investment truly means for higher education. We break down silos between research and innovation, talent development, and placemaking to advance the value of truly Engaged University for our students, our communities, and our economy.
This moment brings pressure, but it also creates opportunity. University-led economic development in 2026 is not about chasing grants. It is about mobilizing talent, ideas, partnerships, and place. As UEDA marks its 50th anniversary, the case for collective leadership has never been stronger.
Cultivating Self-Sustaining Ecosystems
This is the year to move from resource dependence to regional agency. Institutions that lead will leverage our strengths with purpose and precision. That means:
- Activating existing assets. Our campuses, facilities, and data are community capital that can spark new collaborations and attract co-investment.
- Championing cross-sector innovation hubs. Universities can lean into our role as trusted conveners by co-locating startup founders, corporate R& D teams, and faculty in shared spaces that invite experimentation and collaboration.
- Prioritizing relational capital. The strongest resources are the enduring partnerships built with industry, philanthropy, and local governments, not the short-term projects pursued in response to a single funding call.
We want to see universities help design the future of University-led economic development. . When we lead with our assets (and not our limitations), we stop thinking like grant applicants and start acting like architects of prosperity.
Building Momentum and Connection
This can be the year to own momentum. Institutions can ask: Are we aligned with our regional industries? Are our partnerships generating lasting impact? Are we transforming teaching, research, and service into results that lift entire communities?
To help you answer these questions, UEDA has created opportunities for shared learning, visibility, and collaboration.
Upcoming 2026 Q1 Peer Exchange Webinars:
First, we have curated a series of virtual engagements this quarter designed to share “best-in-class” examples of asset-based development. Already planned are two discussion sessions that you should join:
- Driving Alliances for Regional Prosperity – January 13, 2026, 1:00 PM (ET)
- Collaboration in Action: Making a Local Impact with Student-Made Rock Hill – February 24, 2026 2:00 PM (ET)
Join Us in the Capital
Second, I am excited to invite you to the 2nd Annual UEDA Washington Conference, April 15–16, 2026, in Arlington, VA. Just a few metro stops from the Capitol, this gathering is designed to facilitate high-level dialogue between university leaders, federal agency partners, philanthropy, and industry allies. We will focus on how to align our institutional strengths with the evolving national agenda to ensure our regions thrive.
Let’s make 2026 the year we define our future by our initiative, our partnerships, and our results. I look forward to working alongside you as we celebrate 50 years of UEDA and chart the next chapter together.
-Lenore
P.S., If you are not yet a UEDA member already, we invite you to get to know us better by subscribing to the UEDA Intersections newsletter updates. Of course, we want you to become a member, but we think you’ll enjoy our monthly updates. They will give you a flavor for why UEDA has been an important part of university economic development for 50 years!