ISU Road Scholar Program top program in North America
The national Road Scholar program has named ISU Extension CED's program as the "Top Road Scholar Program in North America" from among 368 colleges and universities in North America.
The national Road Scholar program has named ISU Extension CED's program as the "Top Road Scholar Program in North America" from among 368 colleges and universities in North America.
The Maquoketa Area Chamber of Commerce and Office of Economic Development has partnered with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Community and Economic Development (CED) unit for a two-year project to develop a vision for Maquoketa’s future.
Businesses close. People move away. It happens everywhere. In rural places these losses seem more devastating, are more lamented, and can feel like a harbinger of future doom.
Facing these losses, small communities throughout the upper Midwest are trying a happier approach to retaining their quality of life and marketing the value of rural places. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Community and Economic Development (CED) unit is now able to offer the Marketing Hometown America program that has been successfully used by Cooperative Extension programs in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota to help communities home in on what people are looking for when they choose a place to live and do business.
Iowa tourism is a growing and competitive business. According to 2016 research released by the Iowa Legislature, state tourism revenues exceeded $8 billion, with communities and businesses across the state trying to carve out a piece of the pie for themselves.
Marketing Hometown America is a program that has been successfully used by Cooperative Extension programs in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and now Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to help rural communities retain their quality of life and market the value of rural places by teaching them to home in on what people are looking for when they choose a place to live and do business.
In September and October, ISU Extension and Outreach’s Iowa Government Finance Initiative is offering three-hour workshops for local elected, appointed officials (finance, planning, and economic development), and other stakeholders on issues relating to public finance and community and economic development.
Through this two-hour workshop, business managers, front line staff, and community leaders will learn how to implement the two key components of customer service to strengthen their tourism economy:
A statewide Guide Training workshop will be held April 11 from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Central Iowa Expo administration building near Boone. The new program from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is the first of its kind in Iowa, and is designed specifically for staff and volunteers who lead guided programs at Iowa’s community tourism attractions, including but not limited to museums, parks and conservation areas, historic sites, science centers and agritourism.
Small business development is one of the many services provided by the Local Economies team in the Community and Economic Development (CED) program at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
In 2018, CED specialists were recognized by the university, earning an ISU Extension and Outreach award for powerful partnerships for the Shop Healthy Iowa Initiative and a university-wide award for achievement in economic development for their work with Latino business owners and entrepreneurs (see volume 10, issues 1 and 2 of this newsletter for more information).
Rather than rest on their laurels, CED specialists continue to pursue innovative ways to help small businesses and entrepreneurs realize their goals.
Six communities are starting the Marketing Hometown America program this winter to discuss what makes their community special, why those unique assets might be attractive to new residents, and how to let potential residents know their towns are vibrant places to live.
Marketing Hometown America is a research-based extension program offered in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. The purpose of the program is to help communities address rural depopulation and the resulting loss of economic vitality caused by years of demographic change.