Dr. William Downs, president of Campbell University, introduced himself to the Harnett County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 20 and urged the county to view the private university as a “very public” partner on workforce and economic development.

He said Campbell enrolled about 5,000 students this fall, has about 55,000 living alumni (2,924 of whom live in Harnett County), and is the county’s largest private employer with more than 800 full-time employees. “It’s estimated that our university has a $500,000,000 annual economic impact right here in this backyard,” Downs told commissioners.

Downs described Campbell as “your indispensable partner” and outlined areas the university believes could support county goals, including engineering, nursing, business, physician assistant and pharmacy programs, a medical school, and specialty programs such as PGA golf management and a trust and wealth management undergraduate program. He said the university’s average undergraduate discount rate is roughly 70 percent, meaning the average student pays about 30 percent of the published tuition.

He also said Campbell is preparing a strategic plan, then a campus master plan (the physical plan has not been revisited since 2004) and plans a comprehensive fundraising campaign in 2026–27. Downs suggested possible county-university collaborations on workforce-development projects, a hotel, a pool, and an amphitheater, and noted the Golden Leaf Foundation as a potential funder for rural economic projects.

The remarks followed a brief introduction by the board and an earlier citation and presentation honoring a local veteran. Downs noted that county emergency services staff had been on campus that day to plan tabletop emergency exercises and praised that cooperation.

Campbell’s presentation was delivered as a nonbinding offer of cooperation; the board did not take formal action during the meeting to accept or fund any specific proposals. Commissioners did not announce follow-up tasks or schedules related to the items Downs raised during the meeting.

Dr. Downs concluded, “Campbell’s open for business,” and urged county leaders to consider the university for future economic and workforce partnerships.