Regional Rural Development Centers Issue Urgent Call for Investment in Rural Broadband

Rural areas still struggling to recover from the 2008 Great Recession may face even greater economic fallout as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While broadband access was critical to the pre-COVID-19 economy, the current crisis dramatically highlights the implications of this digital divide in rural areas. The Regional Rural Development Centers have issued a research-based explanation of why investments in broadband access and education are critical to ensuring that rural areas will be able to compete in the post-COVID-19 economy, and that rural-urban differences and inequities do not become even more pronounced. Read more and respond here.




May National Activities - Be sure to know your regional representatives here.

• Chair Jon Boren (New Mexico State University) will preside on Tuesday, May 12, during the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC). Chuck Ross (University of Vermont), ECOP Chair-elect, serves as Vice-Chair. Be sure to know representation by Region. 

• Thursday, May 14, the ECOP Executive Committee holds an enhanced meeting with all ECOP voting members. On the agenda is the 2021 Cooperative Extension Section/ECOP Budget Process and 2020-2023 Strategic Directions. Chair Mark Latimore (Fort Valley State University) will preside.
• The National Office, EDA Team and APLU are gearing up for the arrival of Caroline Crocoll as Executive Director of Cooperative Extension System/ECOP on June 1. 

For more information contact Rick Klemme rickklemme@extension.org.



Summit on Virtual Programming - On the first 2 days of eXtension's recent Impact Collaborative Summit, dozens of small groups from across the system identified immediate needs for Virtual Programming and priority issues. During the Summit, they and looked deeply at ways to progress on key topic areas including Digital Engagement Strategies; Low/No Tech Engagement Strategies; ADA/Accessibility/DEI: Equitable Access Strategies; Virtual/Online Impact & Evaluation Strategies 98% of participants stated that they recommend the Impact Collaborative Summit to their colleagues. On May 15, 2 PM - 3 PM ET, the Summit continues with strategies for working during and post-crisis, Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building tools, and connecting participants with their locally trained Innovation Facilitators. All member insitutions are invited to participate in the final day regardless of past participation. To register for a free account go to connect.extension.org. 




Thrive Rural Awareness - Last month, with the support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (also funding source of land-grant Well Connected Communities), the Aspen Institute and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute launched Thrive Rural. The two-year project will address the issue of vast diversity of rural expertise and help to modernize rural legislative policy. Due to the initiative's strong emphasis on Public Health, Directors and Administrator should contact either Health Extension Director Roger Rennekamp rogerrennekamp@extension.org or ECOP Member Jason Henderson (Purdue University) jhenderson@purdue.edu, Thrive Rural Steering Committee, for more information.