Honoring the Past | Envisioning the Future: Full Report of the Southeast Equine Research and Education Partnership

The Southeast Equine Research and Education Partnership (SEREP) and eponymous research
study arose from a grant received by Isothermal Community College (ICC) from the Appalachian
Regional Commission (ARC). ICC engaged North Carolina State University (NC State) to conduct
the study because of its expertise in equine education, animal and plant sciences, extension and
community engagement among other disciplinary areas. SEREP was one of three community-university
engagement initiatives in the state designed to take advantage of the comprehensive
academic and research assets of the institution.

An interdisciplinary research team from NC State was formed to pursue the scope of work
outlined in the contract. Over a period of two years, the team engaged with a number of
individual, community, and organizational stakeholders in Rutherford and Polk counties,
collected a variety of quantitative and qualitative data to determine the feasibility of developing
an equine research and education center, and developed a model that would take advantage of
the long-standing but burgeoning equestrian culture and economy in the Isothermal region of
Western North Carolina. The resulting model captures the needs of existing communities,
attract investment, create new businesses and jobs, and stimulate university-level research
opportunities.