In January 2003, the Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) contacted land grant universities in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington to involve them in a program initiative to address rural poverty. After a strategic planning process, NWAF had shifted from traditional grant making to operating programs that…

In 1994 the Ford Foundation launched the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) as a "national demonstration project to help community colleges in distressed regions move their people and communities toward prosperity. It challenged community colleges to become catalysts for economic development and supported aggressive efforts to increase…

In the past, rural America often relied on Washington for policy responses to its challenges, but federal policy has been slow to adapt to the broad changes taking place in so many rural communities. New approaches to rural policy have taken root in some states. Georgia's OneGeorgia Authority will oversee a series of economic development programs…

This booklet contains summaries of workshop presentations at the conference on community development. This conference brought local community officials and leaders together with interested citizens to learn about successful rural community development activities occurring in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Sessions covered four main…

Focusing on vocational education as a facilitator of rural economic development, the author of this paper discusses how to develop a rural community that will attract new jobs. His discussion includes the following key points: the role of local development corporations; concerns about quality of living for employees; encouragement of home-grown…

America's rural communities are facing increasing challenges to the provision of equitable services and economic stability. Two major rural concerns are the lack of educational opportunities and resources and potentially inadequate telecommunications infrastructures for economic development. In order to attain economic and educational parity with…

Some states use subsidies, grants, and other public monies to rejuvenate lagging rural economies, but without sound economic analysis to guide these efforts money may go to projects that do not achieve economic development goals. Minnesota's Iron Range programs illustrate what happens when economic analysis is sacrificed in political tugs-of-war.…

Rural and economic development efforts are inadequate responses to changing rural conditions. They fail because they are often top-down driven and few influential people are involved. Minnesota's Project Future is designed to help distressed communities take charge of their own direction. Developed on the principle of collective empowerment, this…

The texts of four speeches and seven workshop presentations comprise this report intended to be a resource for rural women seeking careers in business ownership and to assist Minnesota's legislature and others interested in helping them. Presentations provide practical, technical, and inspirational information by 18 women with experience and…

In 1965 Concerted Services in Training and Education (CSTE) began operation in three selected rural counties of New Mexico, Arkansas, and Minnesota with objectives of: (1) developing general operational patterns for alleviation and solution of occupational education problems, (2) identifying employment opportunities and occupational education…

From 1979 to 1982 an extension education program provided assistance to the tourism industry in rural communities adjoining northeastern Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Program activities involved needs assessment, educational and technical assistance to communities and tourism-related firms, marketing programs, grants management…

This book consists of 17 essays about living with the land and the importance of reinvigorating the values of rural life. The essays include personal reflections about growing up in rural Minnesota and opinions about the state of neglected rural towns and people. The author grew up during the 1950s on an 80-acre farm that his family rented in…

Case studies of local development projects in Scotland, Norway, Australia, and the United States (Minnesota) indicate that federal education programs of a "generative" nature (those linking educational improvement to other improvement efforts, emphasizing process, and stimulating grass-roots participation) are most likely to promote…