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Creating a Digital Meeting Place to Foster Rural Design

In January 2010, the Center for Rural Design at the University of Minnesota held the First International Symposium on Rural Design. Symposium attendees from 17 academic disciplines, government, nonprofit organizations, Extension, and professional practice came from across the Midwest and Canada—including from nine NCRCRD member institutions—to lay the foundation for this new field. The symposium focused on issues of rural areas in the three ecoregions comprising the entire Midwest, parts of other US regions, and most of populated Canada (the Temperate Prairie Parkland, Continental Eastern Broadleaf Forest, and Laurentian Mixed Deciduous-Coniferous Forest provinces).

In a post-meeting attendee survey (82% response rate), 85% of attendees were either satisfied or very satisfied with the symposium. A frequent comment heard was “I didn't realize there were so many other people interested in this!” To sustain the momentum created by the symposium the development of a web-based social networking site will nurture the beginning construction of an organization dedicated to rural design. The site is a space for members to initiate discussion around topics of interest; form research teams around those topics; share data and knowledge; problem solve; post publications, event information, and information about members’ work—among other uses.

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About the Extension Foundation

The Extension Foundation was formed in 2006 by Extension Directors and Administrators. Today, the Foundation partners with Cooperative Extension through liaison roles and a formal plan of work with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) to increase system capacity while providing programmatic services, and helping Extension programs scale and investigate new methods and models for implementing programs. The Foundation provides professional development to Cooperative Extension professionals and offers exclusive services to its members. In 2020 and 2021, the Extension Foundation has awarded 85% of its direct funding back to the Cooperative Extension System, 100% of funds are used to support Cooperative Extension initiatives. 

This technology is supported in part by New Technologies for Ag Extension (funding opportunity no. USDA-NIFA-OP-010186), grant no. 2023-41595-41325 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation. For more information, please visit extension.org. You can view the terms of useat extension.org/terms.

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