| RELATED INFO |
| * Purdue Center for Regional Development |
| * Indiana Rural Development Council |
| * Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs |
September 18, 2007
Program aims to strengthen state's rural communities
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Indiana's rural areas are as rich in potential as they are in open spaces, and a new program sponsored by Purdue University's Center for Regional Development, Purdue Extension and five other organizations hopes to tap into those assets.Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness (IHTC) utilizes a four-pronged approach to strengthening rural communities. The organization is expected to begin a pilot program in February, and rural Hoosier communities have until Oct. 4 to apply.
"This program builds local task forces around four pillars: leadership development, entrepreneurship, investment mechanisms and youth engagement," said Sam Cordes, co-director of Purdue's Center for Regional Development. "Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness is a more holistic, long-term approach to rural economic development than simply addressing a single issue.
"We anticipate between six and 12 communities will be selected for the IHTC pilot program. While we're focusing on smaller rural communities, that doesn't mean we'll consider individual towns only. A rural community could be defined as an entire county or two or more neighboring towns."
While each Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness community program will be unique, Cordes anticipates Purdue Extension playing an important role.
"Each pilot community will have a team, and the Extension educator in those communities could be part of the team, help in forming a team or be a linkage between the local community and Purdue resources," he said.
Other Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness partners include the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Indiana Rural Development Council, Indiana Grantmakers Alliance, Ball State University, and U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural Development.
Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness is based on a program developed in Nebraska and closely aligns with the Rural Indiana Strategy for Excellence 2020 (RISE 2020), a 15-year initiative addressing regional planning, education, health care and natural resources, among other topics.
"The IHTC provides our rural communities an opportunity to have a valuable civic conversation," said Phil Anderson, executive director of the Indiana Rural Development Council. "This process of beginning to recommunicate is vital. One of the challenges in many of our communities is that they've turned into 'commute-ities.' We don't have the depth of relationship that we need."
David Terrell, executive director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, agreed.
"Strategic economic and community development plans are essential to the growth and sustainability of Indiana's rural areas," Terrell said. "The program's emphasis on strengthening local leadership and mobilizing development resources represents a major opportunity for communities throughout our state."
For more information on Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness or to download a pilot program application, go online to https://www.in.gov/ocra/community_ihtc.shtml.
Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu
Sources: Sam Cordes, (765) 494-7273, smcordes@purdue.edu
Phil Anderson, (317) 275-2245, panderson@ruralindiana.org
David Terrell, (317) 232-8856, dterrell@ocra.in.gov
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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