N.C. State Professor To Discuss State, Local Economy At VGCC
An instructor, writer and researcher on North Carolina economics will present a lecture at Vance-Granville Community College on April 5.
Dr. Michael J. Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at N.C. State University, will speak at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, in the auditorium on VGCC’s main campus in Vance County. The public is invited to attend this free lecture.
Dr. Walden is scheduled to talk about how the North Carolina economy is changing, the impact on our economy of outsourcing, and the changing nature of the global economy. He will also discuss trends that affect the economy of Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties, including the local hub concept that is being developed in this area.
Dr. Walden, who has a Ph.D. from Cornell University, has been at N.C. State since 1978. His responsibilities include teaching and research in consumer economics, economic outlook, and public policy. He has published three books on economics and more than 200 articles and reports. He has served on local and state commissions, including the Governor’s Welfare Reform Task Force and the School Capital Construction Legislative Study Commission.
Dr. Walden has won national awards for his daily and weekly radio programs aired on stations around North Carolina, and his biweekly column, “You Decide,” is carried by more than 40 newspapers in North Carolina.
Dr. Walden directs the semiannual economic forecast, The North Carolina Economic Outlook. The latest of these reports, published in the winter of 2004, forecasts better economic days ahead for most regions of the state.
Dr. John J. Beck, Dean of the General College at VGCC, is coordinating Dr. Walden’s local appearance. Dr. Beck said that anyone interested in the economic outlook for the region should find Dr. Walden’s presentation informative and enlightening, and he urges area business and government leaders and the general public to attend.
