The Triangle degree that pays more than $297,000 four years after graduation, Michael Jordan's record gift to UNC, and Wolfspeed's shot at up to $1.5 billion in federal financing. Plus, a chance to win a signed copy of a brand-new thriller, and the events you need on your calendar this week.

Links & more

• Subscribe to BizBrief: https://6am.city/ralbizbrief
• Which degrees pay the most (The New York Times analysis of federal earnings data) — https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/10/07/your-money/college-degree-earnings-guide.html
• Michael Jordan's $10M gift to the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work (Business NC) — https://businessnc.com/michael-jordan-honors-mom-with-10m-gift-to-unc-chapel-hill-school-of-social-work/
• SAS and NC State partner on AI health research (Business NC) — https://businessnc.com/sas-fetes-50th-anniversary-with-nc-state-tied-ai-initiative/
• RTI International eliminating about 200 positions (Triangle Business Journal) — https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2026/10/01/rti-international-layoffs-jobs-funding-rtp-campus.html#new_tab
• UNC Health breaks ground on Cary/RTP medical campus (WRAL) — https://www.wral.com/news/local/unc-health-breaks-ground-cary-medical-office-hospital-october-2026/
• Wolfspeed's potential $1.5B in federal financing (Business NC) — https://businessnc.com/wolfspeed-shares-soar-on-news-of-1-5-billion-federal-defense-financing/
• NC Chamber Ag Leads launches the Farmer Innovation Bridge (North State Journal) — https://nsjonline.com/article/2026/10/nc-chambers-ag-leads-rolls-out-farmer-innovation-bridge-project/
• "Are You a Patriot?" by Donald Thompson and Bob Batchelor — https://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Patriot-Xander-Hale/dp/B0HLTFC4S7
• Full events calendar — https://6amcity.com/nc/raleigh/events#/
• Office space listings (lease/sale) — BizBriefRaleigh.com
• Connect with Jason Gillikin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongillikin/

The BizBrief Podcast is produced by Walk West. To grow your brand through content creation and AI enablement, contact us at https://www.walkwest.com/bizbrief.