Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
500 S LIMESTONE 109 KINKEAD HALL
LEXINGTON,KY 40526-0001
Performing Department
Agr Economics
Non Technical Summary
The goal of this integrated research and Extension project is to build prosperity in rural communities by engaging students and community members in community development activities, to develop leadership skills through engaged work in the community, and to create and implement programs that will generate and sustain economic opportunity in rural communities. Our specific objectives are: 1. To prepare students to serve as the next generation of community and economic development professionals to build capacity and rural prosperity. 2. To serve rural communities by building a pipeline of talent that focuses on the revitalization of rural America. 3. To improve University systems by building an understanding of an integrated research/engagement model as a mechanism for implementing community and economic development programming. This program will provide support for 40 students, recruited from Agricultural Economics, Community and Leadership Development, Landscape Architecture, College of Design, Kentucky State University, and surrounding colleges and universities to participate in both service learning-based study tours and an internship in rural Kentucky. The international study tour will focus on revitalization through design and economic development in Scotland and the domestic tour (Chattanooga) will provide a domestic comparison.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
1. To prepare students to serve as the next generation of community and economic development (CED) professionals (either Cooperative Extension Service (CES) or other community-based organizations) to build capacity and rural prosperity.2. To serve rural communities by building a pipeline of talent that focuses on the revitalization of rural America through community design efforts with a focus on Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Historic Preservation, Planning, and community engagement/leadership.3. To improve University systems by building an understanding of an integrated research/engagement model as a mechanism for implementing CED programming.4. To improve community leadership by exposing community members and students to current best management practices, cultivate collaboration and teamwork, and develop essential skills by exposing students to other cultures through service learning opportunities either in rural Scotland or Chattanooga.
Project Methods
We propose an innovative approach to experiential learning that combines classroom teaching including the development of new curriculum, a service-learning study abroad experience followed by an 8-week cooperative internship where students are placed in teams in a rural Kentucky community to work alongside stakeholders to collectively solve a local issue.Recruitment, Selection, and Retention: We will adapt our existing recruitment strategy to be inclusive of community design and community and economic development disciplines. In the past, our community design internship features a curated cohort of multidisciplinary interns from various Colleges within the University of Kentucky, as well as other Universities throughout the Commonwealth. The process of identifying the rural community where the interns will be working begins the previous fall, where our identified community partners help us create a conceptual program for the summer effort. Following the identification of our problem statement we format the search for interns with the necessary skills to address these issues. Students aren't recruited through a broad job posting, but rather through targeted outreach from our various academic partners at the University.Contact is made directly with the Departments heads of the various academic entities, who understand our work and specific needs.Retention: Students are selected to participate in the RRK program based on faculty references, their academic and professional record, and an interview. We are selective because of the amount of time and resources we dedicate to each student. Students are accountable to themselves, their team, their mentors, and the communities they serve.We recognize that there are barriers, largely financial, that might preclude full participation. The AFRI funds, coupled with department support should remove those barriers.Nature of Student Activities1. Curriculum development through CLD 399 - Rural Kentucky Revitalization StrategiesThis one-hour course will expose students to the challenges and opportunities in rural Kentucky and introduce both the theory of economic and community growth, community design, as well as highlight Extension programs that have been implemented across the country to address rural needs. This course is required by students participating in the summer service learning experience and will only be open to sophomores and juniors. This course will explore rural community systems and design in light of community assets, asset mobilization, and prosperity. Course content will explore and compare community physical design, local policies, civic engagement structures and comparative approaches to local leadership. .2. Service Learning in Scotland and ChattanoogaChattanooga, Summer 2021 and 2023 - We propose a domestic study tour to Chattanooga in 2021 and 2023 (we purposely chose a domestic tour in the event COVID-19 continues to create challenges with international travel). The Chattanooga Design Studio has been central to the city's revitalization. While Chattanooga is not classified as rural they have faced similar challenges to rural communities, particularly because of their Appalachian location. Mr. Sandwick worked for the studio and led community engagement efforts.Scotland Study Abroad 2022 and 2024 - Scotland is an ideal location for Kentucky students to learn about best practices relating to community design in a rural context. With a relatively comparable size and population both Scotland and Kentucky have their populations concentrated in their two largest cities (Glasgow and Edinburgh and Louisville and Lexington respectively) with the remainder of their populations in smaller cities and rural communities. Scotland, however, has prioritized rural community design and placemaking as a central pillar of their national economic development efforts. Sandwick, with his own experiences earned his postgraduate degree in City Planning and Regeneration from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, will lead this immersive educational experience. Because of existing professional networks in Scotland, including professional firms, city agencies and the University, the foundation already exists to build this unique international program.3. Cooperative Internship in Rural KentuckyThe trips to Scotland and Chattanooga will be followed by 8 weeks in two rural Kentucky communities each summer. Students will apply what they have learned from their time in Scotland or Chattanooga towards a rural community in Kentucky providing a fresh perspective on the possibilities for Kentucky's rural towns. Two teams of students will work in concert with a local organization to develop a revitalization strategy that incorporates community development and design. The focus of the cooperative internship in the two communities will be jointly determined between community leaders and Davis, Kahl, and Sandwick prior to the start of the spring semester. This extensive immersion and exposure in the community leads to an authentic experience and understanding of how the downtown looks, feels and is used. Regularly scheduled visits also build trust with our partners and helps the students understand the unique culture and set of values in each community that directly influence their findings and recommendations.Each team will be comprised of five students, where there must be at least one student representing the community design discipline as well as community and economic development. This team will be embedded in the local community and working with local partners to visualize potential actionable strategies (based on community engagement activities, and the collection of primary and secondary data) designed to activate spaces and catalyze the community. The interns will work as a multidisciplinary team and will compile a collectively determined set of outputs and outcomes to measure student learning objectives and community impacts. Together, the 10 interns will troubleshoot difficult community issues creating an ongoing peer feedback loop. The faculty mentors will meet individually with their discipline-based students once a week and with the entire cohort at least once a week.Mentoring PlanThe mentor pool is comprised of Dr. Davis, Dr. Kahl and Mr. Sandwick. Each represents a different discipline that contributes to rural prosperity. Both Davis and Kahl have both been mentored as part of the tenure-track process, although the two mentorships were quite different and varied in effectiveness. Mr. Sandwick is currently being mentored by four individuals (three within UK) and one from his previous position in Chattanooga.Mentoring activities (International/Domestic Service Learning)In many instances study abroad trips are designed as a one-way learning experience. The way we have built our two study abroad experiences is designed to be more engaged and interactive. The students will actually be contributing to a body of work that relates to their field. The mentors will be leading this work and will be present with the students throughout the entire trip. Once the students return, the mentors will provide input and guidance to their final work product and presentation to each of their respective departments.Mentoring activities (cooperative internship)Each summer, the ten RRK interns will spend the first week together where Davis, Kahl and Sandwick will lead the week's activities (Deliverables: summer plan of work, timeline, and end of summer products). The students will spend at least one day on campus each week. The mentors will provide constructive feedback and provide support to students as they consider modifications to their scope of work. It is here that together, with the mentors' support, the students will troubleshoot.