Southern Rural Development Center
 

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

 

 

 

Around the SouthMay 2007, Vol. 3 No. 5

In this Issue . . .


SRDC Items of Interest

  • 2007 RIDGE Program Request for Proposals Just Released
    The SRDC is pleased to announce its continued support for food and nutrition-related research focusing on the South under the new banner of the RIDGE Program (RIDGE refers to Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics). As in past years, the program is designed to support innovative social sciences research that advances our knowledge and understanding of food assistance and nutrition issues impacting vulnerable populations in the South. The Economic Research Service remains a valuable partner with the SRDC in supporting this important work. Proposals must by postmarked by June 20, 2007. View the RFP online at http://srdc.msstate.edu/focusareas/health/fa/07rfp.pdf.

  • SRDC Honored at Annual NACDEP Conference with "Friend of NACDEP" Award
    At the third annual National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals conference held April 16-19 in Philadelphia, PA, the SRDC received a "Friend of NACDEP" award. The award was in recognition of the SRDC's vision, dedication, and assistance in the formation and sustainability of NACDEP as a partner in advancing the profession, practice and science of community development within Extension. Thanks, NACDEP!

  • Invitation to Join the SRDC Regional Entrepreneurship Resource Team
    If you are engaged, or have an active interest in entrepreneurship-related activities, the SRDC would like to invite you to join our regional entrepreneurship resource team. This team is not limited to land-grant faculty/Extension educators. Community college faculty, government organizations, nonprofit groups, foundations, small business representatives, entrepreneurs, community leaders, etc. are all invited to join this important regional team.

    Why would you want to join this team? For a number of reasons:

    • The regional team will provide critical input to the national team that is working on the eXtension entrepreneurship website. This national team has two major foci which include (1) developing educational materials that can be used by individual entrepreneurs and their technical assistance providers and (2) developing educational materials that can be used by communities as they seek ways to more fully support entrepreneurship as a
      viable economic development tool. You will be invited to tell us what improvements are needed on the website before it goes public in late 2007.

    • If you have curricula or other resources that you either have developed or plan to develop on any entrepreneurship-related topic, you will be invited to submit these materials to the national extension entrepreneurship team for its review. There is a good chance your materials (if you approve) would be added to the national website for use by customers and Extension educators across the country.

    • You will provide recommendations of individuals on the regional resource team who could be nominated to fill slots that will open up on the national extension team in 2008.

    • You can be part of an important network of colleagues with whom you can interact on key entrepreneurship-related topics.

    • You can help guide the development and delivery of educational training to Extension faculty and our partners in the Southern region.

    • You can have research articles you have written on entrepreneurship-related topics highlighted in the research articles section of the extension entrepreneurship website.

    • You will receive periodic updates from the SRDC on entrepreneurship-related activities and products that have come to our attention.

    The form to signup is available at http://srdc.msstate.edu/entrecop.htm.


National Items of Interest

  • Annual Award for Diversity -- Deadline for Nominations is June 1
    Sponsored by CSREES, ECOP and the ECOP National Extension Committee on Diversity, the purpose of the Annual Award for Diversity is to acknowledge accomplishments in achieving organizational changes that support diversity, pluralism and innovation in programs that impact our Extension audiences. The award is presented at the NASULGC annual meeting. Full details can be found at http://srdc.msstate.edu/news/diversityawardsbrochure2007.pdf.

  • National Agricultural Library Publishes Spanish Language Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary
    The USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL) has published Spanish language versions of its NAL Agricultural Thesaurus (NALT) and Glossary of Agricultural Terms. The NALT and Glossary in Spanish support increased Spanish language access to agricultural information throughout the United States and the world, accommodating the complexity of the Spanish language from a Western Hemisphere perspective. Both publications can be downloaded and used through the NAL Services web page at http://nal.usda.gov/services/.

  • Second "GulfGov" Report Released
    The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government released the second GulfGov summary report, "GulfGov Reports: A Year and a Half after Katrina and Rita, an Uneven Recovery." The report examines the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on 22 communities across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and the role of local governments in the recovery efforts and what factors have helped or hindered the process. In addition, researchers examined the status of the local economies, the housing and labor situation, and how well the states are faring. The report finds that there is progress in the recovery and rebuilding efforts, but the recovery is uneven. To read the report, go to http://www.rockinst.org/GulfGov/pdf/GulfGov18MonthReport1.pdf.


Funding Opportunities

  • SRDC's Grant Connections: Rural Development Funding Opportunities
    Volume 9, Number 4, April 2007
    http://srdc.msstate.edu/funding/april07.htm

    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.


SRDC Sponsored Conferences & Trainings

  • E-Commerce Strategies for Small Businesses and Communities -- Registration deadline is Friday, May 11
    A Rollout of New Extension Educational Curricula developed as part of the SRDC and CSREES/USDA "Rural E-Commerce Extension Initiative: A National Demonstration Project"
    June 4-6, 2007
    Lied Lodge and Conference Center
    Nebraska City, Nebraska
    http://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce/07training/

  • eCommerce: An Opportunity Whose Time Has Come
    Offered by the NCRCRD in cooperation with the SRDC
    Online Breeze Conference
    February through June, 2007
    10-11:30 a.m. CST
    http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/projects/breeze/ecommerce/index.htm


Other Conferences & Trainings


Job Opportunities


Submit Announcements

Job announcements and other items of interest may be sent to Emily Shaw, emilye@srdc.msstate.edu, for possible inclusion in future issues.


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courtesy of USDA NRCS.

  

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