Our Work
Research, partnerships, and project support are just a few ways we're making an impact.
Speaker Series
Free and open to the public, we aim to give our community the chance to explore all points of view on issues of the day. We offer a forum for the campus and community to hear from renowned experts and understand multiple perspectives through civil, informed, and fruitful discourse.
Economics Education
As part of our mission to serve the community, we provide educators in WNC with professional development opportunities and in-classroom resources to help them teach financial and economics education to the next generation of scholars.
NC Data Dashboard
Our new, online information tool designed to provide easy access to recent economic trends in the counties of Western North Carolina and across the entire state to everyone from community-minded residents and college students conducting research to industry and business executives exploring possible locations for expansion.
Supported Research and Issue Briefs
In support of our mission to provide economics research and thought leadership focused on issues in economic development in our region, we sponsor students, faculty and community members in their scholarly pursuits. Through scholarly inquiry and policy analysis, we hope to fulfill our desire to be an interdisciplinary forum that supports Western Carolina University faculty, students, and community members to exchange ideas, engage in mutual outreach, and collaborate on applied research.
Upcoming Events
Previous Events
Advisory Board meeting set for Wednesday December 09
CSFE's Advisory Board will hold its Fall 2020 meeting virtually on December 9, 2:00-3:30 p.m. As a university center in the UNC System, CSFE is governed by University of North Carolina Policy 400.5[R] and by the Center's bylaws which were adopted in 2017. The Advisory...
A Conversation with Phil Drake
The Center for the Study of Free Enterprise, along side the Division of Academic Affairs at Western Carolina University welcomed Phil Drake, software pioneer, angel investor, community leader, and founder of Drake Enterprises, on April 24, 2019. Drake took the stage...
In The News
Meet Jackson Déziel
Earlier this week CSFE announced our 2020-21 Faculty Affiliates, all of whom we are very excited about working with during this coming year. Today, we want to highlight one of our affiliates, Assistant Professor and Director of the Emergency Medical Care program at...
Introducing CSFE’s 2020-21 Faculty Affiliates
We are happy to introduce our CSFE Faculty Affiliates for 2020-21. Our goal with the Faculty Affiliates (FA) program is to gather the work of faculty and their students from various disciplines who are working on subjects related to our areas of support, especially...
Wrap up of Davis — Cawthorn Debate
The march to Washington for NC District 11 Congressional candidates Moe Davis and Madison Cawthorn made a stop Saturday night at WCU for the second of two scheduled forums hosted by local media. The candidates took turns answering and rebutting each other on questions...