Ohio University: Voices Speak About Appalachia

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Ohio UniversityVoices Speak About Appalachia

• David Bower, EdD, Education
• Sharon A. Denham, DSN, Nursing
• Frans Doppen, PhD, Education

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Welcome to Ohio University
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Judge Ephraim Cutler 1767-1853

• 1802 - Introduced legislation to the Northwest
  Territorial Legislature to establish Ohio
  University American Western University
• 1802 - Chaired the Territorial Legislature
  committee responsible for establishing a
  university in Athens.

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Ohio University at a Glance

• The Athens main campus consists of 202 buildings
  on 1,700 acres
• Regional campus system
• 29,088 students
• 901 full-time faculty
• 285 undergraduate programs
• 149,026 living alumni, including 4,953 in other
  countries

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Faculty Learning Communities

• Share ideas with cross-disciplinary groups of
  8-12 members,
• Engage in a curriculum of discovery and inquiry
  focused on teaching and learning,
• Participate in activities designed to foster
  social, intellectual, and reflective discussion.

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Faculty Learning Communities

• Successful in post-secondary institutions to
  catalyze deep and sustaining institutional and
  cultural change.
• Often result in developing a corps of actively
  engaged scholars and leaders.

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SCOPE Ohio

• Scholarly Communities of Practice in Education
• Capacity-building initiative funded by the
  Provosts office and faculty development programs
  
• http//scope.citl.ohiou.edu/communities.html

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Teaching and Learning In and About Appalachia

• 2003-2004 9 members
• 2004-2005 12 members 2 ad hoc members
• 2005-2006 growing number of participants
• http//scope.citl.ohiou.edu/FLC/AppalachianFLC/ind
  ex.html

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What are communities of practice?

• Theyre groups of people informally bound
  together by shared expertise and passion for a
  joint enterprise. A community of practice may or
  may not have an explicit agenda on a given week.
  People in communities of practice share their
  experiences and knowledge in free-flowing,
  creative ways that foster new approaches to
  problems. Communities of practice can drive
  strategysolve problems, promote the spread of
  best practices, develop peoples professional
  skills.
• Wenger and Snyder (2000)

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What are communities of practice?

• self-generating social networks
• common context of meaning
• a recognizable bond among those
• involved
• Capra, 2002

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Designed and Emergent Structures

• Designed structures provide stability.
• Emergent structuresprovide novelty, creativity,
  and flexibility.
• Capra, 2002

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What is the structure of a community of practice?

• A community of practice can exist entirely
  within a unit or stretch across divisional
  boundaries. A community can be made up of tens or
  even hundreds of people. Membership in a
  community of practice is self-selected.
• Wenger Snyder, pp. 141-142

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Leadership Roles in Communities of Practice

• Although communities of practice are
  fundamentally informal and self-organizing, they
  benefit from cultivation. Managers
  shouldidentify potential communities of
  practiceprovide the infrastructure that will
  support such communitiesand use nontraditional
  methods to assess the value of the communities of
  practice.
• Wenger Snyder, pp. 143-144.

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Unique Individual Experiences

• Connections between faculty roles and the
  learning community
• Research, scholarly, and personal interests and
  the learning community

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Learning Community Activities

• Backtalk from Appalachia (Billings)
• Spotlight on Learning
• University Retreat
• Field trips
• University Survey
• Website
• Connections with University Community
• http//scope.citl.ohiou.edu/FLC/AppalachianFLC/ind
  ex.html

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Ohio University Survey

• Purpose Collect information about the knowledge,
  research, experience, and interests of those
  associated with Ohio University about Appalachia
• E-mail to explain survey (Athens and regional
  campuses)
• Survey electronically available spring 2004
• Quantitative and qualitative measures
• 23 questions

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Survey Participants

• 491 total
• 226 considered themselves Appalachians while 259
  did not
• 62 faculty members (30 tenured)
• 73 administrative staff
• 297 students
• 16 community persons

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Interest in Appalachian Studies

• David Bower, Ed.D.

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Interest in Appalachian Studies

• Our intent was to learn specifically from
  faculty, students, administrative staff, and
  others as to their specific interests in
  developing an academic program focused on
  Appalachia here at Ohio University (OU).

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Reported Areas of Interest for Future
Participation

• Take part in a community/university project
  related to an issue of concern in Appalachia
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• Be kept informed about events pertaining to
  Appalachia happening at Ohio University 49
• Participate in field trips to regional areas of
  interest 43
• Take a class about Appalachia 28
• Join a faculty/community activist group related
  to an issue of concern about Appalachia 26
• Participate in research about Appalachia 2 6
• Enroll in a workshop about Appalachia 23
• Join an Appalachian book club discussion 21

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Usefulness of an Appalachian Studies Program
Separate and equal?

• This issue should be addressed in the totality
  of the university because we live and work and
  use the resources of Appalachia. I think a
  separate certification is NOT the way to approach
  this problem.
• I think issues of Appalachia need to be part of
  the curriculum in all colleges at Ohio
  University.

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Usefulness of an Appalachian Studies Program

• I think it would assist in a better
  understanding of the area they will be living in
  during their time with the university and
  discovering the reason Ohio University exists.
• Creating such a program would make a bold
  statement that Appalachia does matter.

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Curricula for an Appalachian Studies Program

• Several noted that Appalachian people need to be
  involved in the planning, thus avoiding
  perspectives that treat Appalachians as subjects
  from an outsider's point of view.

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Interests Pertaining to Appalachia

• Survey participants mentioned key concerns about
  Appalachian Ohio such as high poverty rates, low
  employment opportunities, literacy levels, and
  problems with educational prospect afforded youth
  in the rural counties.

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Environmental Issues

• Work towards creation of viable and sustainable
  development.
• Protect, maintain, and preserve the natural
  beauty of the region.
• Create a balance between economic development and
  retention of natural resources.

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Collaboration Through Education

• Understanding and educating people about
  Appalachia and the issues that are relevant to
  the Appalachian area are vital to the growth and
  development of this region.
• a continuing out-migration problem tends to
  extract the most qualified and the most talented
  of the work force and sends them to either a
  neighboring county or to one of the surrounding
  major metro areas.

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Conclusions

• Because OU is situated in the heart of
  Appalachian Ohio, it has the ability to assume
  leadership to address needs through its diverse
  internal communities. According to many
  respondents, it is critical that Ohio University
  work collaboratively with others in the region.

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Perspectives About Stereotypes

• Sharon A. Denham, DSN

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Being Appalachian

• Being born and raised in the region was primary
  reason to consider oneself Appalachian
• Reside in a geographic region identified as
  Appalachian
• Family history

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Identification as an Appalachian

• Ties to family and place
• My family has resided in Athens and Vinton
  County for the past 150 years. Like many of the
  families around here, we were Irish immigrants
  who settled in the region and became coal miners.
  We still possess many of the traditional
  Appalachian values--most notably a commitment to
  hard work and a clannish commitment to family
  (which means that members of my family RARELY
  leave the region to pursue better job
  opportunities, etc.). Like many Appalachians I
  tend to value family and tradition over social or
  economic progress.

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Identification as an Appalachian

• I have always lived in Middleport, Ohio. While
  my community is not really considered
  impoverished, we are what I would consider, at an
  economical disadvantage compared to the rest of
  the state of Ohio. Coal mines and power plants
  have dominated our landscape for years. Although
  the coal mines are gone, the effects are still
  felt in my community. To me, being Appalachian is
  not just about where you live. It also entails
  culture, lifestyle, and life-outlook. I am glad I
  grew up here and continue to live here. In fact,
  I would not have wanted to live in any other
  place.

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Heritage and Tradition

• I live in Gallipolis, Ohio, so I'm right there
  in the Appalachian beltline. I've done all the
  old fashioned things learned through generations.
  For one, every summer, my family makes jelly.
  Thats the only jelly we have also. There is no
  store bought kind. My grandma also does chair
  caning, which she taught me how to do a long time
  ago. When I spend the night with my grandparents,
  (they don't have air conditioner) we all go out
  on the back porch, and tell stories and whatnot.
  I'd say that we incorporate all of the old
  fashioned things in with the new activities in
  ever day life, and that makes us Appalachian.

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Heritage and Tradition

• I describe myself as an Appalachian because I
  have lived my life in the foothills of the
  Appalachian Mountains in southeast Ohio. I speak
  the dialect and share the drawl. Though I am not
  of the deep Appalachian culture, I feel a
  connection with the people with whom I have grown
  up with and the culture that has surrounded me
  since birth. Those who know me best refer to me
  as an educated hillbilly a title with which I
  have no qualms.

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Personal Values

• My mother was born and raised in Eastern
  Kentucky and my father is from southwestern
  Virginia. I have lived in southern Ohio since
  birth. The culture practiced in my home was
  Appalachian in form and content. I teach
  Appalachian literature in my classroom whenever I
  have the opportunity. I play the fiddle and
  banjo.

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Personal Values

• I have known that I grew up in Appalachia since
  the term was introduced in 1965. I was born in
  1956 in Athens County. In my county, 20 of the
  residents have to leave the county to go to work.
  I am one of them. I had to leave to find
  employment and was able to buy land here and
  settle here, but can't find work here. I am an
  Appalachian because I work in Cleveland and drive
  back and forth to my home in Hocking County as I
  have done since 1996 when I could finally afford
  to purchase land there. I am discriminated
  against in Cleveland because of my accent and my
  mannerisms. Yes, they never let me forget, I am
  an Appalachian.

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Appalachian Converts

• Maybe more like a converted Appalachian.
  Although I grew up in NE Ohio, I have lived in
  Meigs County since 1980. My interest in life and
  the type of environment that I wanted to live and
  raise my kids really meshed with life in Meigs
  County, I have totally adapted my lifestyle to
  conform to the local community and environment.

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Appalachian Converts

• Many view themselves as Appalachian
• I have strong personal feelings for the region
  and can not imagine living anywhere else but the
  Appalachian region.

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Appalachian Stereotypes

• Many people outside of Appalachia look down on
  us and believe we are not equal in knowledge.

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Appalachian Stereotypes

• I live and have grown up in what is called the
  Appalachian area, but I (like most of us in this
  region) do not fit the stereotype that always
  seems associated with the Appalachian culture
  (AKA, uneducated hillbilly).

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Appalachian Stereotypes

• Although I am a resident within the region
  considered Appalachia, I do not normally share
  the fatalistic views that seem to appear in most
  of its communities. I believe that things can
  change with an open mind, as well as more
  emphasis on a better education. I refuse to
  believe that these things can't be changed, if
  even at a slow pace.

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Appalachian Stereotypes

• I have lived in Adams County all of my life.
  However, I think Appalachian often also refers to
  the way a person or community acts (i.e. dialect,
  customs, apparel, etc). Therefore, I do not
  believe I am Appalachian in my mindset.

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Appalachian Stereotypes

• A faculty member said
• I recently answered a survey about the climate
  of diversity at OU and mentioned that stereotypes
  about Appalachian residents are reinforced by
  comments by the faculty during class. Maybe more
  education for the faculty would benefit their
  understanding of the region and its people and be
  a step in the direction of building a bridge
  between OU and the surrounding areas.

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Appalachian Stereotypes

• "Great disparity is evident between the culture,
  income, and thinking of the university life and
  the surrounding Appalachian area. For example, OU
  will host regional high school basketball
  tournaments, but cultural presentations of
  Appalachia are left to local county fairs. So,
  each entity exists in a separate domain."

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Extended Family in Appalachia

• Some respondents had extended family residing in
  Appalachian regions, but did not identify as
  Appalachian even though they lived in the area.

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Extended Family in Appalachia

• A student said
• No, I don't think I am. I have been raised in
  many different areas so therefore I am myself
  unique and not able to be labeled. Although, my
  family is of Appalachian heritage and they are in
  The Foxfire Book.

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Extended Family in Appalachia

• I moved to Parkersburg, WV, when I was 8 years
  old but don't consider it my home because my
  family is from Pennsylvania and New York, so I
  don't feel that I fit in with the Appalachian
  culture.

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Extended Family in Appalachia

• Another student wrote
• I would consider the rest of my family (aunts,
  uncles, cousins) to be Appalachian. They were
  born and grew up in Kentucky as did my mother.
  But I grew up in Columbus, which I find somewhat
  far from Appalachia. I am related to
  Appalachians, but don't consider myself one.

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Dont Fit the Stereotype

• I dont fit the stereotype
• I dont look Appalachian
• I am not from an Appalachian area. I'm from an
  upper-middle class suburb of Cincinnati.
• I just go to school here.

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Conclusions about Stereotypes

• Many view selves as Appalachian due to residence
  or ancestry
• Some who might be Appalachian chose to
  disassociate themselves
• Some located in Appalachia for work or studies
  appreciate the uniqueness of the culture
• Some have want to separate themselves from
  negative stereotypes
• Who is an insider (i.e., a true Appalachian)?
• Who is an outsider (i.e., someone from another
  region with distinct cultural differences)?

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Recommendations

• Create opportunities for dialogue and education
  about Appalachia where scholarship and experience
  can be shared.
• Provide incentives for infusing positive
  representation of Appalachians into curriculum,
  especially for general education requirements.
• Establish links for Athens campus students to
  learn about culture from southeastern Ohio
  residents and vice-versa.
• Provide new faculty, administrators, and staff an
  orientation about Appalachia that describes the
  diversity of the region.

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Perspectives About Education

• Frans Doppen, PhD

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Discussion Questions

• Are there questions about our activities?
• Are there questions about our learning community
  process?

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References

• Capra, F. (2002). The hidden connections. New
  York Random House.
• Sherer, P. D., Shea, T. P., Kristensen, E.
  (2003). Online communities of practice A
  catalyst for faculty development. Innovative
  Higher Education, 27(3), 183-94.
• Watts, D. (2003). Six degrees The science of a
  connected age. New York W.W. Norton.
• Wenger, E. C. (1998). Communities of practice
  Learning, meaning, and identity. New York
  Cambridge University Press.
• Wenger, E. C., and Snyder, W. M. (2000,
  January-February). Communities of practice The
  organizational frontier. Harvard Business Review,
  139-145