Spring 2011 RSP Newsletter
Spring 2011 RSP Newsletter
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Rural Studies Spring Symposium: Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide is being planned for May 31 from 1 to 3 pm in the Journey Room at Oregon State University Memorial Union. This event is being scheduled to coincide with the release of a new book Toward One Oregon: Rural-Urban Interdependence and the Evolution of a State to be published this spring by Oregon State University Press. RSP Faculty Affiliates Michael Hibbard, (UO Planning), Ethan Seltzer (PSU Urban Studies), Beth Emshoff (OSU Extension/Open Campus) and Bruce Weber (Rural Studies Program) are the editors. A multidisciplinary team of urban and rural scholars from OSU, OU, and PSU contributed to this edited collection.
The symposium will identify the economic, social, political and fiscal dimensions of the rural-urban divide in Oregon and explore barriers to, and potential opportunities for, bridging the divide. We anticipate that about half of the two hour event will be devoted to interaction among the panelists and the participants.
- Dimensions of the Rural-Urban Divide in Oregon: Are there Two Oregons?
Sheila Martin (Director of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, Portland State University and former Economic Development Advisor for the Governor of Washington) will provide a summary of the dimensions of the divide, the things that unite urban and rural areas and potential links that could be built.
- Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide: Toward One Oregon
Andy Duyck (Chairman of the Washington County's Board of Commissioners) will provide an urban perspective on the “divide” and address the question of how urban areas might benefit from both stronger links with rural areas and a fuller understanding of the rural context.
Mark Labhart (Tillamook County Commissioner and former District Forester in Tillamook) will provide a rural perspective on the “divide” and explore how rural areas might benefit from stronger links with urban areas and a more thorough understanding of urban realities.
Peter Walker (Professor of Geography at the University of Oregon) will offer his perspective on the divide, drawing from his recently published book examining the politics of Oregon's land use laws: Planning Paradise - Politics and Visioning of Land Use in Oregon.
Shawn Morford (Regional Program Coordinator for Rural Development Initiatives, and former OSU faculty member who managed the educational partnership between the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and the OSU Extension Service at Warm Springs) will moderate the discussion.
“Powered by Rural,” the Regards to Rural 2011 Conference, is on the OSU campus from June 24 to 25. This year’s conference is again being organized by Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) in partnership with the OSU Rural Studies Program and OSU Extension Service. Rural Studies faculty affiliates are involved in four of the conference sessions: Rural Economic Gardening, Rural-Urban Interdependence, Community Indicators and Export Industries. More information is available at http://r2r.rdiinc.org/.
Rural Studies Minor Faculty Announced. Led by the Rural Studies Program, Oregon State University is the first university in the United States to offer a graduate degree in Rural Studies. Offered through on-campus and field-based experiential classes, the graduate minor in Rural Studies prepares students with the skills and competencies needed to understand economic, social, political and cultural dynamics of rural places. The inaugural Rural Studies Minor faculty are Bruce Weber, Brent Steel, Joan Gross, Hannah Gosnell, Mark Edwards, Nancy Rosenberger, Kate MacTavish, John Bliss, Yong Chen, and Roger Hammer.
Agriculture in Oregon is credited with adding more than $22 billion to Oregon’s net state product in 2009 according to a study recently published by RSP faculty affiliate Bruce Sorte. The study concludes that there exists potential to expand the impact even further, and that agriculture in Oregon offers a unique opportunity to employ semi-skilled workers who want to learn their skills on the job.
RSP Faculty Affiliate Yong Chen has examined retail trade patterns for 12 types of businesses in each county in Oregon. Specific sectors include building materials, food retail stores and health services. His report is available at http://ruralstudies.oregonstate.edu/retail-trade-analysis. Yong’s study offers a fascinating look at each counties retail strengths and also shows opportunities that exist for retail growth.
Rural Oregon is sending more high school graduates to college, despite the rougher road this can often entail. This is according to a recent article in the Oregonian that quotes RSP Director Bruce Weber.
RSP Faculty Affiliate Kate MacTavish finished 30th (5th place among all women) out of over 1,500 runners in the inaugural Corvallis Half Marathon. RSP Faculty affiliates Hannah Gosnell and Mallory Rahe also ran the 13.1 mile race.
If you are a researcher, practitioner or policymaker interested in wealth creation in rural America, consider applying (by May 15) to participate in the October 2011 National Conference on Rural Wealth Creation and Livelihoods. The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ford Foundation are convening a National Conference on Rural Wealth Creation and Livelihoods, October 3 - 5, 2011, in Washington, D.C. “Wealth” can be considered to include a broad range of assets that contribute to human well-being, including physical, natural, financial, human, intellectual, social, political and cultural capital. Fostering wealth creation that leads to improved livelihoods in rural America is a top priority for USDA and for many regional, state and local research and development initiatives. The conference will bring together researchers, rural development practitioners and policy-makers who are working on regional and rural development issues. The conference is also intended to begin to develop a practical, results-relevant dialog among the research, practitioner and policy communities and a community of practice focused on rural wealth creation and livelihoods. All those interested in attending the conference are requested to apply by responding to the Call for Participation.
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