University Of Georgia: Academic, Outreach Faculty Team Up On Rural Issues

Press release from University of Georgia:

Kelly Simmons

2021-07-07

Seed grants will allow them to find solutions to variety of challenges

Eight individual or teams of University of Georgia academic faculty members were awarded seed grants to conduct research in rural communities alongside faculty from Public Service and Outreach and Cooperative Extension.

The faculty members were among 20 that attended the inaugural Rural Engagement Faculty Workshop, which kicked off its first of four sessions in January.

The goal of the workshop was to encourage academic faculty to identify a challenging issue in rural Georgia and find UGA outreach faculty members to partner with on solutions to that challenge. Through a competitive process, participants were eligible to apply for $5,000 seed grants funded by the Provost’s Office to support initial research that can be used to apply for external funding.

“I’m pleased to see a good mix of academic expertise addressing diverse issues in Georgia’s rural communities,” said Jennifer Frum, vice president for public service and outreach. “Health care, an aging population, infrastructure and education are critical issues throughout the state and by pairing our academic experts with outreach faculty already working in these communities, we’re ahead of the game.”

The initial seed grant recipients include:

Twenty academic faculty members, representing 12 of UGA’s 18 schools and colleges, were participants in the inaugural Rural Engagement Workshop, which included an in-depth examination of rural Georgia’s demographics and trends; an overview of current UGA Public Service and Outreach and Extension initiatives benefiting rural Georgia communities, small businesses, farmers, governments and nonprofits; and a review of high-impact community engagement practices for rural Georgia. The College of Public Health and the School of Social Work partnered with Public Service and Outreach to deliver the program.

“These projects reflect the University of Georgia’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with communities throughout Georgia,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “They also lay the foundation for grants from federal agencies, foundations and other external funders to further advance research, scholarship and service.”

This press release was produced by University of Georgia. The views expressed here are the author’s own.