Southern Region Program Leadership Network

Coordination of programs and sharing resources within the region has been a long-standing priority of Southern Extension Administrators and Directors. For years, the Southern Extension Directors looked to four program committees to share resources and coordinate programs across the Southern region--Agriculture and Natural Resources, Home Economics, 4-H Youth, and Community Resource Development. Extension Administrators.

This worked well until the economic, social, and political environments in the South and nation began changing so rapidly and frequently that a new structure was required, one that would enable the system to respond rapidly with multidisciplinary, issues-based programs.

The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative

The Southern Rural Development Center, located at Mississippi State University, serves as the lead entity for The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative: A National Demonstration Project, an important effort designed to introduce, strengthen and expand the delivery of Extension-based e-commerce educational outreach programs relevant to the needs of small businesses, governments, and communities in rural America. This project is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.

eXtension Entrepreneurs and Their Communities

As part of the National eXtension site, the SRDC, in partnership with colleagues across the country, organized this eXtension “Community of Practice” whose focus is supporting entrepreneurs and the communities in which they live. The site features resources, briefs, Webinars, and a calendar of related events.

Rural Health (SERA-19)

SERA-19 Rural Health is a multi-state information exchange group comprised of professionals that are concerned about the health and well-being of communities across the Southern region. The representatives, including professionals in the land-grant system, offices of rural health, medical and nursing schools, and state health departments, promote collaboration among the disciplines involved.

The New Hispanic South (SERA-37)

Core activities focus on mobilizing land-grant faculty to work collaboratively to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with the current and future growth of Hispanics in the rural South; strengthen the research and Extension outreach work being undertaken by our region’s land-grant university system that addresses the growth of Hispanics in the South;

National Association of Community Development Extension and Professionals

NACDEP is an organization dedicated to improving the visibility, coordination, professional status and resource base of community and economic development Extension programs and professionals.