Two Birds, One Stone: Student Learning Experiences and Community Enhancement through SUNY Cobleskill's Institute for Rural Vitality
Tracks
Orange 9 Applied Learning
| Tuesday, October 29, 2019 |
| 1:45 PM - 2:15 PM |
| Orange 9 (Applied Learning) |
Speaker
Dr. Jason Evans
Assoc. Professor, Ag.Business Mgmt. and Director, Institute for Rural Vitality
SUNY Cobleskill
Two Birds, One Stone: Student Learning Experiences and Community Enhancement through SUNY Cobleskill's Institute for Rural Vitality
1:45 PM - 2:15 PMFull Abstract
Launched in 2017, SUNY Cobleskill's Institute for Rural Vitality (IRV) mobilizes the College's programmatic, faculty and student resources to the economic development and community advancement needs of the Village of Cobleskill, Schoharie County and the Mohawk Valley region. With grant and private support, the IRV funds faculty and staff fellowship opportunities through which research initiatives, student projects and course assignments are designed and executed to (a) generate invaluable applied learning experiences and (b) contribute to improved quality of life in the larger community.
The IRV is comprised of five centers: The Center for Farm & Food Entrepreneurship (houses Farm & Food Business Incubator and Schoharie Fresh Online Farmers' Market), Center for Business Development (houses START-UP NY operations), Center for Rural Legal & Policy Services (a partnership with Albany Law's Rural Law Initiative), Center for Arts & Culture (partners with a variety of non-profit arts organizations in the region) and the Center for Community Advancement (partners with various service agencies in Schoharie County).
Through projects, internships and course assignments, students are directly involved in the work of each center. For instance, students work and consult with clients of the Farm & Food Business Incubator on actual business planning, market research and product development efforts. Through the Center for Community Advancement, student interns and volunteers are dispatched to the needs of agencies serving low-income populations in the county and student projects bring the College's therapeutic horsemanship and Applied Psychology programming to area schools and at-risk populations. Student interns are utilized across all IRV Centers to assist with grant writing, needs assessment and stakeholder relations work.
This presentation will focus on the process for developing the IRV, its ongoing and forthcoming projects and lessons learned for other campuses seeking novel approaches for student applied learning and community engagement.
The IRV is comprised of five centers: The Center for Farm & Food Entrepreneurship (houses Farm & Food Business Incubator and Schoharie Fresh Online Farmers' Market), Center for Business Development (houses START-UP NY operations), Center for Rural Legal & Policy Services (a partnership with Albany Law's Rural Law Initiative), Center for Arts & Culture (partners with a variety of non-profit arts organizations in the region) and the Center for Community Advancement (partners with various service agencies in Schoharie County).
Through projects, internships and course assignments, students are directly involved in the work of each center. For instance, students work and consult with clients of the Farm & Food Business Incubator on actual business planning, market research and product development efforts. Through the Center for Community Advancement, student interns and volunteers are dispatched to the needs of agencies serving low-income populations in the county and student projects bring the College's therapeutic horsemanship and Applied Psychology programming to area schools and at-risk populations. Student interns are utilized across all IRV Centers to assist with grant writing, needs assessment and stakeholder relations work.
This presentation will focus on the process for developing the IRV, its ongoing and forthcoming projects and lessons learned for other campuses seeking novel approaches for student applied learning and community engagement.
