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Community-Grounded Teams: The Foundation of Community College Community Development Initiatives |
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Speaker: |
Roy Silver |
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| In 1994 Southeast Community College (SCC) in the heart of the Central Appalachian coal fields was selected as one of nine pilot colleges to participate in the Ford Foundations' Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). We were charged with stimulating economic development and improving educational access in a way that would not duplicate existing efforts through a team approach. SCC identified four sectors of the community that we gave equal representation on their RCCI team. Three people from business, government, education and the grassroots community were selected as initial members of the team. Eight years later the team has spawned a community development loan fund, two leadership academies, a scholarship-mentoring program for middle school students, and an aquaculture project. The SCC-RCCI team functions as a three county "Think Tank" meeting eight times a year with most members actively involved in the initiatives. | ||
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Presentation
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