Research and Extension Opportunities in Rural Development

1
Research and Extension Opportunities in Rural
Development

• Scott Loveridge
• Transitional Director
• North Central Regional Center for Rural
  Development

2
About the Regional Rural Development Centers

• Federally funded program part of USDA line item
• Enhancing Land Grant capacity to execute their
  rural development mission
• 4 Centers

3
North Central Regional Center for Rural
Development

• Located at Iowa State for past 37 years
• Highlights
• Take Charge Foundations of Practice
  Extension programs
• Community Capitals framework
• Entrepreneurial communities
• Hispanic Native American work
• Earlier years seed funds for multi-state
  research extension programs

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Highlights from other 3 Centers

• Southern
• National E-commerce curriculum development
• Coordination of Extension Community Development
  in-service programs
• Northeast
• Land use
• Entrepreneurship targeted regional development
• Western
• Rural energy systems
• Community role in natural resource management

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North Centrals move to Michigan

• Director Cornelia Neal Flora, Charles F.
  Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Ag Life
  Sciences and Sociology
• Stepping down effective July 1, 2009
• Triggered a competition among NC Land Grants to
  host Center.

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Components of MSU Vision

• 100 of Director salary - MSU core funds
• National search for director (tenurable at full
  professor level)
• Small Grants program for NC Land Grant personnel
• Virtual Associate Director
• Technology adoption theme
• Continued support for Extension program leaders
• Formation of research advisory board

7
MSU Assets to Enhance Center

• Traditional assets
• Dept of Ag, Food and Resource Economics ranked
  6th in country
• 6 faculty focusing on regional development
• Strong rural thread to Sociology department
• Outstanding Extension field staff in community
  development area
• Graduate funding allocated to Center Director
• ¼ time GRA from MSU Extension
• 10K Ag. Econ doctoral fellowship from endowment
  funds

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MSU Assets to Enhance Center

• Unique Assets
• Multi-disciplinary CARRS unit
• Native American Institute
• Julian Samora Institute
• Institute for Water Research
• School of Planning, Design and Construction
• Center for Economic Analysis
• Land Policy Institute
• Environmental Science and Policy Program
• Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (with WI,
  IA, ILL)

9
Timeline

• Spring 2009
• Land Grant Site visits and theme identification
• Call for proposals
• Team grants
• Virtual Associate Director grant
• July 2009
• Center officially moves
• Start date for support staff (communications,
  admin assistant)
• September 2009
• Team and virtual associate director grants
  awarded
• Finish site visits
• October 2009
• Launch Director search
• Spring/Summer 2010
• New Director starts

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Small Grants Program

• More than one NC state
• Multi-disciplinary/integrated preferred
• Review by state Extension Leaders and Research
  Advisory Board summary review by NCRCRD Board of
  Directors
• Fixed price example deliverables
• Grant proposal
• Conference/workshop
• Curriculum
• Training
• Publishable manuscript

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Virtual Associate Director

• Ideal sabbatical or study leave opportunity for
  those who are eligible for these from their home
  institution, but anyone may apply
• Allows individual to focus on longer-term project
  of interest to the Center, while interacting with
  Center constituents.
• Typically one year contract
• No more than two renewals
• Some visits to East Lansing, but can remain at
  home institution
• Review of applications by NCRCRD BoD

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Preliminary List of Qualifications for Director

• Tenurable at full professor level at MSU
  (department open)
• Demonstrated interest in rural issues
• Experience writing and managing
  multi-disciplinary grants
• Familiarity with Land Grant system

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Possible Center Themes

• Land Grant technology adoption (overarching)
• Agriculture
• Water saving
• Ethanol
• Bio-fuels
• Nano-technology
• Other areas
• Broad band

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Possible Themes

• Sustainable Communities
• Planning for wind power
• Green Buildings (database development and
  research, ideal community building codes,
  entrepreneur training)
• Energy efficiency

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Possible Themes-Leadership

• Entrepreneurial communities
• New Americans
• Value-added (esp. mid-size farms)
• Youth development
• Local foods
• Social entrepreneurship
• Community coaching
• Effectiveness, best practices, training
• Governance
• Building Strong Sovereign nations
• Local Government Finance
• Poverty/crime reduction

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Ideas from Purdue

• Rural health delivery
• Elder care
• Drug abuse prevention
• How bring county boards of health and county
  extension together? EFNEP.
• Rural manufacturing
• Forest products incubators
• Energy efficiency for local govt
• Extension Educator Resources
• Hub/portal with links to resources available
• Create directories of people with expertise in
  different areas
• Technical Assistance Program (Vic Letchtenberg)
• Bring into Extension model

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Ohio Themes

• Bioproducts/commercialization
• Bioenergy, bioplastics, biolubricants
• Biofriendly feedstocks, e.g., Illinois Blueflower
• Environmental quality/sustainability
• Sustainable development
• Youth involvement in sustainability issues why
  urban youth more involved in sustainability than
  rural?
• Local foods
• Leadership development
• Use of 3rd generation comm tech for leadership
• Entrepreneurship dev., especially youth
• Economic development
• Managing transition away from manufacturing base
• Technology adoption effects
• Local government efficiency (energy, other ways)
• Leadership in a commuting economy
• Tools to assist w/promotion of Extension
  professionals
• Peer review of curricula
• Resource peoplelink for mentoring

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Ideas from Michigan State University?
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Communications

• Newsletter
• Updates events
• Research summaries findings
• Electronic only
• Web Site
• Current content
• Narrated PowerPoints?
• RSS
• Blogs?
• Twitter?
• Facebook?

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Feedback

• Comments on Center staffing plan?
• Comments on search for Director?
• Comments on Virtual Assoc. Director?
• New Themes to add?
• What assets should NC Center connect to here?
• Other comments or concerns?