@Claflin: Economic Development Administration University Center

July 22, 2022

The World Needs Visionaries

Claflin Launches Economic Development Administration University Center

Claflin University has received a $548,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) University Center Economic Development Program. The program aims to enable colleges and universities to establish and operate University Centers (UCs) to leverage university assets and build regional economic ecosystems that support innovation, high-growth entrepreneurship, resiliency, and inclusiveness. The EDA is one of several multi-agency initiatives supported by the U.S. Department of Economic Development.

The total investment is $1,096,180. Claflin will be awarded $109,618 per year for five years.

The Claflin University EDA University Center will support commercialization efforts, high-growth entrepreneurship, workforce development, business expansion, and cultivate innovation in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper, and Orangeburg counties. Claflin's EDA University Center will work closely with the region's rural and underserved minority populations that

have limited access to economic and business development resources and regional commercialization efforts.

"Claflin University will take a leadership role in the economic development in our region. We will become drivers of economic growth by actively engaging the community," said Dr. John Jasina, associate professor of economics and Presidential Fellow at Claflin University. Dr. Jasina and Dr. Nicholas Hill, dean of the School of Business and professor of economics, are the grant's co-principal investigators (PI). Jasina will also serve as the director of Claflin's University Center.

"Claflin faculty and students will provide cutting-edge research to promote growth and prosperity to those who need it most. The University Center will utilize its expertise in applied economics to assist public and private sector leaders in understanding the factors that lead to local and regional economic growth and identify effective policies that contribute to economic growth. We want to enhance the performance of entrepreneurs by increasing their critical thinking and quantitative analysis skills," said Jasina.

The University Center will work closely with entrepreneurs to conduct research that will include

regional economic analysis, economic impact analysis, labor, and strategies to expand economic and workforce development. The Center will provide technical assistance to small businesses in the region, empowering regional entrepreneurs to become engines for economic growth in their communities.

“We plan to create a business development curriculum that will teach entrepreneurs how to operate in a formal economy,” Jasina said. “It will also teach them how to increase capacity and growth through innovation in domestic and global markets.”

PantherCam - A Blast from the Past

Dr. Iris Johnson Arnold, acting executive director of the Darlington County Cultural Realism Complex (CRC) Center, paid a visit this week to Mrs. Marilyn Gibbs Drayton, director of the H.V. Manning Library, with a piece of Claflin history. Since 1981, the CRC Center has displayed a Claflin University diploma dated May 2, 1906, which was conferred to Lillian Jeanette Mattaway. The diploma, signed by Claflin's third president, Dr. Lewis M. Dunton, was given to the CRC Center in 1977. The CRC Center was founded in 1972 by Arnold's mother, Mrs. Wilhelmenia P. Johnson. The Center's mission is to bridge the gap between school and home with educational, historical, and cultural activities in the community. Dr. Arnold also serves as a professor of speech pathology at Tennessee State University. She is pictured above with her daughter, Autumn.

Faculty News

Dr. Eunjung Choi, associate professor of piano and coordinator of keyboard studies, was one of four South Carolina artists to receive a $10,000 fellowship award from the South Carolina Arts Commission.

The recipients were selected for their hard work, exceptional ability, and dedication to their discipline. “Artistic excellence of the caliber these artists demonstrate should be rewarded. Each of the four are deserving of the financial benefit and prestige that comes with a fellowship. The South Carolina Arts Commission is excited to support their creative pursuits, and we cannot wait to see what comes next from them,” SCAC Executive Director David Platts said.

Choi has presented numerous performances, lectures and workshops to international, national and regional music audiences in the U.S. and South Korea. Her articles have been published in major national and international journals. Choi earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Dongduk Women’s University in Seoul, a master’s degree in music from Ball State University, a doctor of musical arts from the University of South Carolina, and completed a management development program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.