For more than 130 years, Winston-Salem State University has been a force for education, leadership and opportunity in North Carolina. Founded in 1892 as Slater Industrial Academy, WSSU today serves approximately 4,972 students across 39 bachelor’s degree programs, seven master’s programs and two professional doctorate programs. As a leading historically Black college and university within the University of North Carolina System, WSSU’s academic strengths in nursing, health sciences, education, business, the arts and sciences continue to shape both student success and regional vitality.
NCGrowth’s recent economic impact study makes clear that WSSU’s role extends well beyond enrollment and degree attainment. The university functions as a major economic driver in both the Piedmont Triad and across the State of North Carolina, with impacts measured through four distinct channels: university operations, student spending outside the university, visitor spending tied to university events and capital construction spending under WSSU’s six-year capital plan.
Taken together, those categories capture the full scope of how a university influences a regional economy. WSSU is a significant employer. Its students generate consumer spending that supports local businesses. Its events bring overnight visitors whose spending benefits hotels, restaurants and other establishments. Its capital investment creates additional activity through construction and related supply chains. Using IMPLAN input-output modeling, the study estimates the direct, indirect and induced effects of each of these spending streams.
The result is a stronger understanding of WSSU as both an academic institution and an economic engine. The university’s national reputation for advancing upward mobility reflects a mission that has always extended beyond campus boundaries. As WSSU continues to invest in students, facilities and community connection, its impact can be seen not only in degrees awarded, but also in jobs supported, businesses strengthened and opportunity expanded across North Carolina.
