Southern Rural Development Center
 

Box 9656
410 Bost Extension Bldg.
DELIVERY: 190 Bost-North
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Phone: (662) 325-3207
Fax: (662) 325-8915
http://srdc.msstate.edu

 

 

 

Around the SouthDecember 2007, Vol. 3 No. 12

In this Issue . . .



With 2008 just around the corner, it is an opportune time for all of us at the SRDC to extend our deepest wishes to all of you for a happy holiday season. While it is always difficult to see another year come to an end, the SRDC staff is excited about the new efforts that are planned in 2008 – efforts that build on our recently released strategic plan. We look forward to working with our land-grant university colleagues and external rural development partners on a variety of important initiatives in the coming months.

On a more personal note, I am thankful for the dedicated, hard-working and innovative staff at the SRDC. You can’t find a group of individuals who are any more committed to making a genuine contribution to the rural development mission of our region’s land-grant universities. But like most organizations, our Center is experiencing some changes in its staff. It is with very mixed feelings that I note the departure of Rachel Welborn from the SRDC. Emily moved into a new position in Mississippi State University’s Academic Outreach unit in mid-November. On behalf of the SRDC, I want to publicly thank Emily for dedicating seven outstanding years to the Center. She will be sorely missed by all of us. 

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2008!
Bo Beaulieu, Director

SRDC Items of Interest

  • Registration Extended for Business Retention and Expansion Training
    Registration for the SRDC's January Business Retention and Expansion Training has been extended until noon on Thursday, December 20. The training, cosponsored by BREI, will take place January 7-9, 2008, at the Madren Conference Center and Inn in Clemson, S.C. It provides an assessment and planning framework that can be used to evaluate an established business retention program or design a program tailored to the specific needs and capacity of the local community. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to assess a community's readiness to implement a BR&E program, design an approach suitable for the community and implement the program. Register now to reserve your spot! Space is limited. Please visit http://srdc.msstate.edu/07bre/ to register.

  • SRDC’s Strategic Plan Still Available
    We are pleased to share that our recently released strategic plan, Blueprint for the Rural South: Discovering New Ideas, Applying New Strategies, has been very well received throughout the Southern region. The demand for the publication has been so high, in fact, that we have printed additional copies that are now available. If you would like copies of the SRDC’s strategic plan, please contact Julianna Brown at 662-325-3207 or via email at julianna@srdc.msstate.edu. You can also access the report online at: http://srdc.msstate.edu/sp/blueprint07.pdf.


Other Items of Interest

  • New Report Showcases High School Dropout Rates in the United States
    A recently released report from the U.S. Department of Education profiles more than 500,000 students who left high school during the 2004-2005 school year. According to the report, the dropout crisis in the South is greatest for schools located in mid-sized urban areas and among Hispanic and African-American students. In addition, the South’s largest and smallest high school districts exhibited the least success in student retention. The report can be found online at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008305.pdf

  • New Searchable Database Available from RIDGE Program
    The Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program recently announced the availability of a searchable database of project summaries. The RIDGE Program summarizes research findings of projects that were awarded 1-year grants through its partner institutions. This helpful search tool allows customized searches of all RIDGE projects by keyword, project, research center, investigator or year. The database can be found on the RIDGE Web site at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodNutritionAssistance/Funding/RIDGEprojects.asp


Funding Opportunities

  • SRDC's Grant Connections: Rural Development Funding Opportunities
    Volume 10, Number 2, December 2007
    http://srdc.msstate.edu/funding/dec07.htm --Available Dec. 18

    The SRDC staff compiles Grant Connections primarily for the faculty of land-grant colleges and universities in the South to provide funding information in support of activities in agricultural economics, education, human sciences, rural sociology, youth development, and other related disciplines.


Conferences & Trainings
Job Opportunities


Submit Announcements

Job announcements and other items of interest may be sent to Julianna Brown for possible inclusion in future issues.


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Some photos on this page
courtesy of USDA NRCS.

  

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