This is the season when many of us commune together as colleagues at work and family members at home. In the best of circumstances, we trade stories, celebrate our successes and collectively reflect on circumstances that did not work out as we had hoped. Conversely, some of us find ourselves at odds with one another …

Workforce development – a commonly tossed around buzz word – but what exactly is it and what does it look like here in Indiana? For nine months, four former and current Extension educators each spent over 150 hours deeply embedded in learning about workforce development, its challenges and opportunities for improvement. In this post, I’m …

As 2019 comes to a close, the Extension Community Development team wishes you a new year filled with health, happiness and spectacular success. Enjoy reading our team’s reflections on the past year and their professional plans for the new year. Jose Valtierra, Lake County educator As 2019 is winding down, the spirit of cooperation, collaboration …

November is the month that our neighbors and friends engaged in row crop agriculture are usually finishing their harvest. In a similar fashion, our communities are collectively reaping the benefits of the impactful work that Purdue Extension’s Community Development Program has sown throughout the year. As Community Development Extension Professionals, this is the time of …

Written by Emily Del Real, Cheyanne Geideman and Roberto Gallardo Background Earlier this year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center published a report commissioned by Amazon looking at the digital potential of rural businesses. What it found was shocking: if rural businesses were to unleash their digital potential, they would add more than …

So often my travels leave me weaving alongside desolate country roads that are sparsely populated and towns that are blighted with empty, dusty storefronts. Signs that at one time proudly said “Open” now dangled by a single chain, the storefront pleading for its life for any low rent tenant that might re-inhabit, for even a …

Purdue Extension has offices in all ninety-two counties in Indiana. Through these offices, our educators are able to spend their workdays (and live their lives) in close proximity to their stakeholders. This constant contact offers insights that go beyond the data and builds networks that other institutions often struggle to replicate. Recently, one of our …

On September 24, 2019, Purdue Extension Community Development educator, Amanda Galloway, and Tippecanoe County Clerk, Julie Roush, presented to approximately 30 attendees of the pilot program, Elected Leadership: Running for Local Office. Participants learned more about the process for running for local office, and requirements and positions up for election in 2020. This program was conducted …

Dear Purdue Extension Community Development Colleagues and Partners – We have all heard the old saying, “Change is the only constant in life.” Spoken 2,500 years ago in Greek as “Panta Rhei (πάντα ῥεῖ) or “Everything flows,” I am reminded of it every year when the new semester begins and our campus is flooded with …

In the last ten years, Indianapolis has embarked on a positive economic path with initiatives such as the “quality of life” plans, “great places” initiatives “neighborhood investment plan,” “inclusive growth strategies,” light rail transit and combating structural racism. Most community development practitioners agree that for the long-term success of a flourishing community, a pipeline of …