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RTI International, Elon, Go Global NC develop dashboard gauging North Carolina’s global engagement

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – RTI International, Elon University’s Center for Organizational Analytics, and Go Global NC, a program of the University of North Carolina General Administration, developed the first online dashboard describing the degree to which a state is globally connected in a variety of measures across sectors.

North Carolina’s Global Engagement Snapshot presents data on 63 indicators related to North Carolina’s global engagement across education, business, and government and community sectors.

“Building off of Go Global NC’s blueprint for global engagement, RTI collaborated closely with Elon University and Go Global NC to bring together and visualize dozens of different data indicators to illustrate the diverse ways in which North Carolina is globally connected,” said Michael Hogan, economic development analyst at RTI. “This type of data tool is the first of its kind, and allows users to understand the significance of global connectedness in the state’s economy, education, infrastructure, and culture.”

The Snapshot tracks and monitors baseline global indicators across North Carolina including:

  • Number of non-stop international destinations served by North Carolina airports - 35
  • Number of K-12 students studying foreign languages – more than 380,000
  • Number of jobs created by goods exports from North Carolina – 164,023
  • Value of agricultural exports - $2.3 billion
  • Economic contribution of international students studying in North Carolina - $458 million

Moving forward, the global indicators will be updated and reported annually each fall.

“The Snapshot data will allow the coalition to gauge progress and diagnose areas of opportunity – and challenge – in implementing the comprehensive strategies outlined in the Blueprint,” said Jim Fain, former North Carolina Secretary of Commerce and chair of N.C. Coalition for Global Competitiveness “Coalition members are committed to work together with intentionality to maximize our collective impact – to make one plus one equal three. We believe this to be the nation’s first plan to coordinate efforts across all sectors to achieve the state’s global potential.”

Since the beginning of the year, RTI has been working  with the University of North Carolina General Administration to develop the Snapshot and advance other initiatives envisioned in the 2015 NC Blueprint for Global Engagement The statewide effort works with a coalition of state leaders to understand North Carolina’s role in the global economy and works to share stories of North Carolina’s global connectedness, with the goal of making North Carolina the country’s most globally connected state.

“We are setting a precedent and our goals at this stage are to get people to use the Snapshot and to help us continue to strengthen this dynamic tool,” said Go Global NC’s Rachel Page, who leads the initiative. “The Snapshot was developed through discussions and research with hundreds of North Carolinians, and we continue to encourage feedback -- this is an evolving project that will grow and help us tell the story of North Carolina’s many international connections.”

According to Go Global NC, release of the Snapshot and subsequent updates are intended to move North Carolina toward becoming the most globally engaged state in the nation, positioning North Carolina as a great place to invest, work, study, visit, partner, and live.

For more information visit www.goglobalnc.org or contact Go Global NC Director of Policy and Analysis Rachel Page at rachel.page@northcarolina.edu or (919) -237-7957.