Editor:  Joe Konen

From the Desk of Ken Martin, AD / Community Development

The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development Program Leaders continue their work on developing logic models for community development programs supported across the NC region.  Logic models have been drafted for the following programs: leadership development, organizational development, community economic development, and participatory community planning.  At a meeting in Chicago on March 12-14, 2007, the program leaders worked on developing indicators to help document program impacts.  Both the logic models and indicators will be finalized and shared in the next few months.

Kim Bahnsen has joined the State CD Office as an Office Associate.  She will be working part-time with CD and also working part-time in the Program Development and Evaluation office.  Cathy Schmeltz is working on our new CD web page with Don Ordaz. 

Julie Fox and David Boulay, OSU South Centers, have recently accepted re-assignment of duties to continue and expand on some of the programming formerly provided by Deanna Tribe in the areas of tourism and small business and workforce development.   Dave’s working title will be Business and Workforce Development Specialist and Julie’s will be Direct Marketing and Tourism Development Specialist. We look forward to many opportunities for collaboration in conducting programming in these areas.

I want to direct your attention to two program opportunities highlighted this month:

1)  Consider registering for the “Designing and Leading Successful Public Participation Initiatives” workshop which is being offered as part of Component II of the Foundations of Practice for Extension professionals.  More information is provided below.

2)  Opportunity to contribute to the work of the SustainableDevelopmentCenter are detailed below as well.  This is a growing area with cost recovery possibilities.  Consider joining in this effort.

The next CD Regional Meeting will be on April 2^nd from 9:30 -12 p.m. in the Hamilton County Extension Office.  We hope to see you there if you are in the SW region of the state.  Please let Shirley Cook, cook.22@osu.edu know if you will be attending.

Small Business Resource for Extension

Extension Educators statewide now have access to a new resource for small business leaders and entrepreneurs in their community. Through the Business Development Network at the OSU South Centers, Educators will be able to offer the Internet’s largest online resource collection of entrepreneurial training resources. 

SmallBizU seeks to teach entrepreneurs the 3M’s" Money, Marketing, and Management.  This is achieved by delivering 20 core courses that teach business principles. Each online course contains animated slides accompanied by voice-over narration, PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, interactive tools, and access to a comprehensive knowledgebase.

Courses at SmallBizU range from beginner level classes such as Finding Money, Marketing 101 and Crafting a Business Plan to more advanced courses such as Market Insight and Research and Strategic Planning and Execution. Visit www.southcenters.osu.edu/benet to trial a free course “Finding Money to Start a Business”. The courses are priced at $29.95 each.

If you would like to discuss how to promote SmallBizU including a customized flyer that highlights your office, contact David Boulay at (740) 289-3727 ext 228 or boulay.1@osu.edu.

4th Annual Tri-State Diversity Conference

Call for Proposals; 4th Annual Tri-State Diversity Conference:  Expanding our Cultural Circles, January 17-18, 2008 Holiday Inn Lakeside - Clarksville, Indiana

This is a call for workshop proposals on best practices, curriculum models, research, and success stories for implementing community-based diversity initiatives in community development, family & youth development, education, and agriculture. Deadline for submitting proposals:  May 15, 2007.   To receive a copy of the proposal format or for more information, contact:  Gae Broadwater, 502-597-6325, gae.broadwater@kysu.edu  

The Tri-State Diversity Conference is designed for Land Grant Universities, including administrators, faculty and staff from extension, research, and academic programs; private and public university representatives; K-12 educators; community outreach program developers; health and social services professionals; and anyone wanting to support community diversity change is invited to present and attend. 

Sponsoring organizations:  PurdueUniversity Extension (host institution), Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program, The Ohio State University Extension, and University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

E-COMMERCE STRATEGIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES & COMMUNITIES NATIONAL WORKSHOP -- SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

The SRDC is working with its sister Regional Rural Development Centers in hosting a national e-commerce roll out conference June 4-6 in Nebraska.  The conference is targeted to Extension educators across the nation who are interested in strengthening their educational outreach activities in the e-commerce arena.  Several new curriculum products will be showcased at the conference and made available for attendees to use back in their states.  More information on registration, agenda, and meeting facilities is available at: http://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce/07training/index.html .
 
 
E-COMMERCE PRE-PROPOSALS DUE MARCH 15:  The SRDC-sponsored e-commerce competitive grants program is seeking two-page pre-proposals by March 15, Those submitting viable pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal for the possible award of a $ 25,000 grant.  More information on the e-commerce grants program can be found at:  http://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce/07rfp_pre.pdf . 

‘Ohio Night Out’ – NACDEP

The NACDEP Annual Conference is only about a month away.  Cindy Torppa, our Philly native, needs to know ASAP if you plan to participate in Ohio’s Night Out on Tues evening, April 17^th.  The location is The City Tavern (http://www.citytavern.com/)  If you plan to attend, and haven’t indicated to Cindy already, please let Cindy Torppa know! (torppa.1@osu.edu)

Designing and Leading Successful Public Participation Initiatives - A Workshop for Extension Professionals

Designing effective public participation efforts enables people to have a voice in community issues.  This workshop, scheduled for March 22, 2007 from 9-3:30 p.m. in Kottman Hall, Room 333, is designed to help you understand and create meaningful public participation initiatives.

This in-service is particularly applicable to:
•        Foundations of Practice I participants
•        New Extension professionals
•        Professionals wanting to improve community initiatives (e.g., public advisory groups, county land use planning efforts, farmland preservation task forces, economic development committees, watershed management groups, etc.).

Through lecture, small group activities, and peer learning, participants will gain:
•        Knowledge of best practices for designing public participation initiatives
•        Skills for creating, managing, and evaluating ideas in a public setting
•        Methods to ensure all voices are heard
•        Tools for identifying and recruiting stakeholders
•        Personalized feedback on public participation designs and approaches
All participants will receive Foundations of Practice public participation curriculum including slide sets and learning activities ready for use in future programs.    

This workshop is part of the Foundations of Practice Community Development Core Competencies for Extension Professionals framework on successful community initiatives.  http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/projects/corecomp/index.html 
To register, go to http://comdev.osu.edu/doc/reg_fop_workshop.doc
For registration questions, contact Shirley Cook (614-292-6232)
For program questions, contact Anne Baird (614-292-8603)

Regional Sustainability Forum: How Communities Can Leverage Rural Growth

WOOSTER, Ohio - The Ohio State University Extension Center at Wooster will host "Building a Sustainable Rural Ohio: Leveraging Growth Through Community Cooperation," 10-11:45 a.m. (registration starts at 9:30 a.m.), Friday, April 13, in Wooster.  Part of an ongoing series of regional sustainability forums, the program takes places in Fisher Auditorium on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's (OARDC) Wooster campus, 1680 Madison Ave.  Admission is free, but register in advance if you can. Contact Sue Beasley, (330) 263-3799, beasley.37@osu.edu.

OhioState professor Mark Partridge, holder of the C. William Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy, and Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht will speak. Questions and group discussion will follow.  Partridge, previously Canada Research Chair in the New Rural Economy at the University of Saskatchewan, joined OhioState Oct. 1, 2006. The Swank program, he said, conducts research and education on issues that occur where "city meets country." 

 Links: Swank Program, http://www-agecon.ag.ohio-state.edu/programs/Swank/. OSUExtensionCenter at Wooster, http://woostercenter.osu.edu/. OARDC, http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/ (click "About OARDC" for maps and directions).

Sustainable Development Center Offers Cost Recovery Opportunities

Interest in planning based on sustainability principles is growing markedly among communities throughout the state of Ohio, providing many opportunities for the OSUExtensionSustainableDevelopmentCenter.  We are now at the point where there is more work available then we can deliver given our current staffing.

We are looking for Extension professionals who would be interested in partnering with us on the delivery of these highly demanded programs.  Cost recovery dollars are available. 

We plan to hold an in-service on the Sustainable Planning approach sometime in the near future and would urge those who have an interest to come join us.  If you would like further information, please contact the SustainableDevelopmentCenter:

Phone:740-732-2381  E-mail:grunkemeyer.1@osu.edu (Bill Grunkemeyer)  or  moss.63@osu.edu (Myra  Moss)

Community Outreach and Assistance Program Request for Applications

The Outreach and Assistance Program (Notice of Funding Availability) announcement was released in the Federal Register on Monday, March 12th, (Federal Register/Vol. 72, No. 47 /Monday, March 12, 2007 / Notices Pg 10973).  The closing date is May 1, 2007, and the agency will not consider applications received after the deadline.

Program application materials for the Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program under this announcement may be downloaded from http://www.rma.usda.gov, or may be requested by mail from Washington, D.C.

If you have any questions, you may contact me, or David Wiggins in Washington as stated on the announcement.  David can be contacted at telephone (202) 690-2686, facsimile (202) 690-1518, and e-mail: david.wiggins@rma.usda.gov.  I can be reached at (217) 241-6600, ext. 101, Michael A. Alston, Director, USDA, Risk Management Agency.