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 SouthOctober 2006, Vol. 2 No. 10

In this Issue . . .


SRDC Items of Interest

  • SRDC Releases Southern Region Information Toolkit
    The data you've been searching for is now at your fingertips! A new site, the result of a partnership among the SRDC, Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Delta Data Center, provides instant access to a wealth of data on areas within the Southern region. In the Southern Region Information Toolkit, you'll find a wide variety of economic, demographic and social indicators that can be used by organizations and agencies at the local, state and regional levels; various profiles, historical trends and tools for determining changes in economy and job growth in Southern region areas; specific data broken down by county, state, region and nation; the option to examine data by the metropolitan, micropolitan and noncore-based status of counties in your state or in the Southern region. See for yourself at http://srit.srdc.msstate.edu.


National Items of Interest

  • Carsey Institute Releases Report on Predatory Lending in Rural America
    A new brief by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire examines predatory mortgage loans and the harmful impact they have on rural homeowners and their communities. The report finds that minorities and low-income people are more likely to fall victim to higher-cost loans. The brief includes recommendations for policy changes at the state and federal levels, as well as advice on identifying and avoiding predatory loans. The report is available on their website at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/documents/PredLending.pdf.

  • eXtension Launches HorseQuest Site
    extension has launched the first of eight Community of Practice websites, HorseQuest. HorseQuest provides Internet visitors with reliable and up-to-date horse information through a knowledge base of commonly asked questions that have science-based, peer-reviewed answers. In addition, online lessons use self-paced learning objects to help users learn more about specialized areas of equine science. The additional eight communities, dealing with topics ranging from financial security, fire ants, disaster response, parenting, rural entrepreneurship, horticulture, and wildlife damage management, are set to come online in the next several months. All will feature similar attributes of Frequently Asked Questions, Ask the Experts, news, events, and learning modules. For more information visit the extension site at http://extension.org.

  • NACDEP Becomes a Member Organization of JCEP
    The National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) joined the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) in August 2006. NACDEP is dedicated to improving the visibility, coordination, professional status, and resource base of community and economic development extension programs and professionals. JCEP is a partnership of extension professional organizations focused on strengthening the efforts of the member organizations and doing what each cannot do effectively alone. Together, JCEP and NACDEP will strengthen communication and collaboration among community and economic development extension professionals and across the Cooperative Extension System. For more information, visit the NACDEP site at http://nacdep.net.

  • New Issue Briefs Available on Rural Society
    Issue briefs are now available that highlight issues from a newly released book, Population Change and Rural Society. Edited by William A. Kandel and David L. Brown, the book contains the latest research on social and economic trends occurring in rural America. Four issue briefs that have special relevance to the Southern region are highlighted below.

  • Pew Hispanic Center Releases The Changing Landscape of American Public Education: New Students, New Schools
    The Changing Landscape of American Public Education: New Students, New Schools, a new report from the Pew Hispanic Center, examines the intersection of two trends that have transformed the landscape of American public education in recent years: a rapid increase in enrollment and a surge in opening new schools. The report describes the racial and ethnic components of enrollment growth at various levels of the K-12 system, the composition of enrollment in newly-opened schools as well as older schools still in operation, and the impact of the rapid growth in Hispanic enrollment. Detailed statistics at the state level are also provided. The report is available on the Center's website at http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=72.


Funding Opportunities

  • 2006 Southern Region Sustainable Community Innovation Grants Announced
    The new round of Sustainable Community Innovation Grants have just been announced. A partnership of the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, the Southern Rural Development Center and the Appalachian Regional Commission, the deadline date for submissions is November 28, 2006. The grant information is available at http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/currentcalls/sci.doc.

  • SRDC's Grant Connections: Rural Development Funding Opportunities
    Volume 9, Number 1, October 2006 -- Available Week of Oct. 23
    http://srdc.msstate.edu/funding/oct06.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.


Conferences & Trainings


Job Opportunities


Submit Announcements

Job announcements and other items of interest may be sent to Rachel Welborn, rachelw@srdc.msstate.edu, for possible inclusion in future issues.


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courtesy of USDA NRCS.

  

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