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Items of Interest
SRDC Launches New Website
The Southern Rural Development Center is excited to announce we have launched a redesigned website. The goal of the new site is to provide users with an enhanced digital experience to include SRDC’s programs, events, news, and opportunities for training.
To see the updated site, please visit https://srdc.msstate.edu/.
SRDC Welcomes New Hire, Leah Mitchell
The Southern Rural Development Center proudly welcomed Leah Mitchell to our staff on June 1st as the new Administrative Assistant.
In welcoming Leah, we extend well wishes to Laura Narmour, the Center’s outgoing Administrative Assistant, who has served the Southern Rural Development Center since 2019.
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Leah.
NACDEP Award Winners from the Southern Region
The Southern Rural Development Center wishes to extend congratulations to those from the southern region who received awards at the 2023 National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) Conference held in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and co-hosted by the University of Idaho Extension and Washington State University Extension.
2023 NACDEP Southern Award Winners
Please join us in extending congratulations to the South Region’s 2023 NACEP Award Winners!
Distinguished Career Award
Winner: Dr. Stacey W. McCullough - University of Arkansas
Excellence in Community Development, Individual
Alicia Betancourt - University of Florida
UF/IFAS Extension Climate Resiliency Program
National Winner: Innovation and Creativity, Individual
Natriez Peterson - Prairie View A&M University
CED Rural Home Loan Packaging Program
Educational Materials, Team
Jayoung Koo, Melissa Bond, & Simona Balazs - University of Kentucky
SPARK! Extension Creative Placemaking Toolkit
Educational Technology, Team
Peyton S. Beattie & Annie Wallau - UF/IFAS Extension
Megan S. Cantrell - University of Florida
Developing Leadership Skills through an Online and In-Person Approach
Excellence in Community Development, Team
Jamie Rae Walker, Valerie Jauregui, Emily Gunderson, Victorino Cantu, Kelsey Coats, Anna Stehling, Kailey Strack,
Jeongseup Lee, & Jenna Anding - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Jacquelyn White - Prairie View A&M University
Working on Wellness Environments (WOW-E) Youth Summit
To learn more about NACDEP visit, https://www.nacdep.net/
Grant Connections
USDA Seeks Applications to Strengthen Community and Economic Development in Rural Communities Across America
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants that will improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas around the country. USDA is making the grants available under the Rural Community Development Initiative program. The program provides grants to organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance for housing, community facilities, or community and economic development projects.
Full Stakeholder Announcement
USDA Accepting Applications to Spur Job Growth and Economic Development in Rural Areas
Applications must be submitted to the USDA Rural Development State Office where the project is located no later than 4:30 p.m. local time on June 30, 2023.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) is accepting applications for funding to help create jobs and economic growth in rural communities. USDA is making loans and grants available under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program. Through this program, USDA provides zero-interest loans and grants to current and former Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Program and Telecommunications Program borrowers and utilities that are eligible to receive assistance from the RUS Electric or Telecommunication Programs.
Applicants will use the funds to help local businesses finance projects that will create and retain jobs or finance community facility projects. Projects must be in rural areas or towns with a population of 50,000 or less.
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact their local USDA Rural Development State Office well in advance of the application deadline to ask questions about their project, the program, or the application process. Additional information is available on page 53443 of the Aug 31, 2022, Federal Register. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
Job Opportunities
Assistant Administrator, Community Development and Outreach, Fort Valley State University
Open until filled.
The assistant Administrator for Community Development and Outreach will develop, coordinate, and facilitate programming through the Cooperative Extension Program designed to assist communities to realize their long-term goals; through provision of education, technical assistance, and opportunities to secure grants that support strategic planning and community visioning to provide a foundation for economic development. Coordinate or assist in the coordination of programs through outreach efforts with USDA Agencies, State, private and public and nonprofit entities. Master's degree in Agricultural Economics, economics, business administration or other business disciplines is required. Preference will be given to applicants with extension and strong community development experiences. Applicants with degrees in closely related disciplines with community development experiences may also apply.
Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Food Safety, Family & Consumer Sciences Department, University of Tennessee
Open until filled.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Department is looking to fill the position of Assistant Professor, Nutrition. The position will work to develop and teach effective, research-based nutrition programs across the state, which enhance the lives of Tennesseans. The position will work collaboratively with cross-functional teams within and outside of the FCS department and the university to contribute to the mission of the FCS department, UT Extension, and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA).
Associate Professor, Community Health, Family & Consumer Sciences Department, University of Tennessee
The position of Associate Professor in Community Health, Family & Consumer Sciences Department is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing research-based adult and you Extension programs in nutrition to promote safe food handling practices, healthy dietary habits, and to improve health and nutritional status among Tennesseans, including, but not limited to, Extension programs for diet-related disease prevention and management, food safety, and food preservation.
Non-Tenure Track Assistant Research Professor, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development
Open until filled.
The NERCRD seeks applications for a one-year Non-Tenure Track Assistant Research Professor, with good chances of renewal, subject to funding. The Non-Tenure Track Assistant Research Professor will be responsible for conducting economic and statistical analyses on a wide range of rural development topics, as determined by the Center’s emerging needs and priorities. There is a strong expectation that this research will contribute both to the science base as well as to informing U.S. rural economic development policy. Importantly, the opportunity exists to work with Penn State’s Census Data Center. Examples of topics to be studied range from policy impact assessments (including the impact of farm subsidies, agritourism activities and extension education); to the interdependence of rural and urban areas, as well as agricultural and non-agricultural industries; to the determinants of local economic well-being and health.
Candidates should upload a letter of application, names, and addresses of three professional references, curriculum vitae, and official transcripts at the time of application. Questions can be directed to Stephan J. Goetz, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, The Pennsylvania State University at sjg16@psu.edu. The position will remain open until filled.
Director of Agricultural Research & Extension Communications, West Virginia State University
Open until filled.
The Director of Agricultural Research and Extension Communications is responsible for the production and dissemination of information via written, video-graphic, online and spoken means with emphasis on graphic design and new media management. The position reports directly to the Vice President and Dean and Director of Agricultural Research and Extension. Duties include coordination and production of organizational publications; social media management; website content management; assisting staff with programmatic marketing needs; representation at campus and community events; and maintaining a catalog of published materials and photographs.
Information accepted as emailed in a Microsoft Word or PDF format to rdemployment@wvstate.edu. Qualified candidates may submit a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript and contact information for three professional references (name, title, address, phone number, and email address).
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, Virginia Tech
Open until filled.
The Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE), in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Virginia Tech, invites applications for a Research Assistant Professor with a focus on interdisciplinary and community-based food systems research. This is a 12-month, non-tenure track position with full benefits and the opportunity for promotion. The position will support the Virginia Tech (VT) Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation, which is housed in CALS as an Extension and outreach center with community-based programming, research, and teaching aims and activity. Through its community-based and participatory work, the Center asserts the importance of epistemic justice and inclusion by valuing and uplifting diverse forms of knowledge and ways of knowing. As such, we encourage those committed to the promotion of justice and equity as core values in their scholarship to apply.
Conferences, Workshops, Trainings
The Rural Sociological Society (RSS) 2023 Conference
In-person: August 2-6, 2023, Burlington, Vermont
RSS President, John J. Green, SRDC Director
Theme: Pursuing Equity and Access in Development: Roles for Rural-Focused Public Scholars.
The 2023 RSS Annual Meeting will be held on the campus of The University of Vermont in the Davis Event Center.
National Extension Tourism (NET) 2023 National Conference
In-person: September 24-27, 2023, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
This year’s conference theme is “Envisioning the Future of Extension in Tourism.” This is an opportunity for Extension professionals, academic faculty, industry professionals, and others working in the broad area of tourism and recreation, including tourism service providers and businesses, to share programs, initiatives, research, and success stories, and network with other professionals. The conference is open to all industry and academic professionals.
Extension Disaster Education Network Conference
In-person: September 26-29, 2023, Savannah, Georgia