The University Economic Development Association (UEDA) expresses disappointment in the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s recent decision to discontinue the long-standing University Center (UC) Program. For more than forty years, the program anchored higher education as a vital partner in regional economic growth.
The UC Program empowered more than 70 colleges and universities to provide research, strategic insight, and technical assistance that directly strengthened communities. With EDA’s decision to sunset UC funding as of September 2025, the nation is losing a reliable and proven mechanism for connecting university expertise with local and regional economic development needs.
“Ending the University Center Program leaves a significant gap in the federal infrastructure for university engagement,” said Teresa Merriweather Orok, UEDA President and Executive Director of Alabama A&M University’s Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development. “While we respect EDA’s decision, we are profoundly concerned about the loss of a program that helped define the modern role of higher education in economic development. Its legacy, and the national impact it delivered, must not be forgotten.”
University Center Program’s Lasting Impact
Across the country, UC-supported institutions contributed to a stronger, more resilient economic landscape by advancing:
- Applied research and data tools that informed local decision-making
- Rural and urban entrepreneurship programs
- Industry-responsive workforce development
- Technology commercialization and innovation
- Student participation in economic and community development
These contributions demonstrated the unique value universities bring to regional partnerships, and the importance of sustained federal support to amplify that impact.
UEDA’s Commitment and a Call for a New Vision
The conclusion of the UC Program is not the end of university-led economic development, nor should it mark the end of a national strategy to support it. UEDA believes this moment requires collective reflection and renewed vision.
UEDA is committed to convening a broad discussion among universities, industry partners, federal agencies, philanthropy, and community leaders to help shape a next-generation framework for university engagement in regional economic development. In the months ahead, UEDA will:
- Offer programming and peer learning on university engagement with industry, philanthropy, and federal stakeholders
- Support institutions as they navigate a shifting and uncertain funding landscape
- Facilitate strategic conversations to define what a reimagined university–economic development partnership should look like nationally
We strongly encourage renewed investment – public and private – in the research, innovation, and workforce capabilities of higher education institutions as essential components of place-based economic strategies.
Looking Forward
UEDA is grateful for the decades of partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration and acknowledges the many University Centers whose work has strengthened communities nationwide. Even as the UC Program concludes, its legacy provides a foundation for envisioning something better, more modern, and more responsive to today’s economic challenges.
UEDA stands ready to lead and to collaborate.
We welcome your engagement as we chart a new path forward: info@universityeda.org.