Urban Serving Universities

Urban October

Urban October is an opportunity for everyone to be part of the conversation about the challenges and opportunities created by the fast rate of change in our cities and towns. Each October, everyone interested in sustainable urbanization from national and local governments to universities, NGOs and communities is encouraged to hold or participate in activities, events, and discussions.

The month began with World Habitat Day on October 5 and will end with World Cities Day on October 31.

This year’s World Habitat Day global observance was held virtually, and was hosted by the city of Surabaya, in Indonesia while other celebrations of World Habitat Day were held round the globe using the theme Housing For All: A Better Urban Future.

World Cities Day 2020 is the seventh global celebration since it was launched on October 31, 2014 in Shanghai, China. The theme is Better City, Better Life and the sub-theme for this year is Valuing our communities and cities, and the Global Observance will be hosted in Nakuru, Kenya.

Today 55% of the world’s population live in cities and towns and the number is growing every day. The United Nation’s Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Development Goal 11 “to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable” puts sustainable urbanization at the center of the global agendas for development. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: UN-Habitat

You Can Name Our Blog

We’d like your suggestions for a new name for our urban Extension blog. We will be moving the Extension in the City blog from u.osu.edu over to our website and have an opportunity to name the blog. Each week we add four articles and send them out in the news digest. The blog entries range from happenings in your county to national news impacting your work in urban communities. You are also welcome to submit peer-reviewed articles that you can count as creative works.

If you have an idea for the blog name, please send it to Michelle Gaston.6@osu.edu by October 15.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Federal, State, and Local Budgets – Panel Discussion

The Impact of COVID-19 on Federal, State, and Local Budgets will be the sixth in a series of events on “Cities and Regions in the Post-Coronavirus Era,” initiating community conversations on what lessons we can learn from this crisis to create a more resilient and sustainable world. How much have federal, state, and local budgets been (or will be) impacted by COVID-19 and what will the implications of this impact mean going forward for communities? Did we learn anything from the Great Recession of 2008 that has helped or will help us during this financial crisis? This discussion with be moderated by Harvey Miller, and is taking place on Friday, October 23, 2020 from 12-1 p.m. ET. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: CURA

Register for the 2021 Leadership in the City Course

Are you interested in Extension in urban areas and ready to improve your knowledge, skills, and results?

The Leadership in the City course will help you learn about leadership, networks, innovation, and management. The 5-month online program will prepare you, as an Extension professional, to be relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally.

The goal of this comprehensive professional development program is to improve the knowledge, skills, and results of university Extension professionals working in large cities. You will connect with peers from around the country to engage in critical thinking and creative problem solving to become better prepared to be relevant locally, responsive statewide, and recognized nationally.

The program was developed based on a foundation of entrepreneurial theory and urban Extension practice and will build upon existing leadership experiences, management training, and Extension professional development.

You will learn from experienced leaders; apply what you learn in your city, region, or state; engage in critical thinking and creative problem solving; and participate in online collaborative learning. Each competency-based module incorporates interactive digital delivery and the flipped classroom model for active learning and engagement.

Upon completion of the course, you will be better prepared to:

  • Evaluate, illustrate, and build upon their four dimensions as an entrepreneurial leader (traits and drivers; competencies and experiences).
  • Navigate as a leader working in the urban and university contexts.
  • Implement elements of entrepreneurial organizations.

The investment in the program is $500 plus a commitment to work hard and have fun investing 8-14 hours per month. The 5-month online course begins in January 2021. If you have multiple participants from the same institute, you are each entitled to a $100 discount (Promotion code: LITC21-MULT).

This course is led by Dr. Julie Fox from the Ohio State University Extension.

Complete details and registration information can be found at https://cityextension.osu.edu/leadership. The deadline for registration is November 30.

Assessing Racial Equity in Organizational Culture

Join Kirwan Research Associate Kip Holley on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 11 a.m. as he hosts a forum on assessing and cultivating racial equity in organizational culture. Follow this link to register.

Sourced from: The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

More Than a Token: Urban Agriculture Has Much to Offer Close to Home

Jodi Kushins, of Over the Fence Urban Farm, knows she doesn’t grow a lot compared to some farms. She feeds about 20 households through her CSA program, with 2,500 square feet in her yard and her neighbor’s yard. “It’s like a drop in the bucket,” she said. “Seeing a semi truck full of produce and then thinking about the very, very tiny amount of food I’m able to produce in my yard definitely gives me pause.”

Kushin’s farm is one of more than 30 in Columbus, up from about five in 2014. Urban agriculture is driven by desires for food security and fresh foods, vacant land in post-industrial areas and interest in connecting with farmers, said Mike Hogan,  Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Franklin County. “We know we’re not gonna feed the world with urban agriculture,” Hogan said. But Hogan believes that urban agriculture needs to be part of the city food systems. In Cleveland, about 80% of the vacant land could provide 20% of all the produce needed. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: Farm and Dairy

Graduate Assistantship in Urban Sustainability, University of the District of Columbia

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is the land-grant university of the Nation’s Capital. The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) embodies the land-grant tradition of UDC and offers academic programs in urban agriculture, urban sustainability, water resources management, nutrition and dietetics, urban architecture and community planning.

CAUSES seeks a graduate assistant to join its Professional Science Master’s Program in Urban Sustainability. The graduate assistant will work with a group of researchers to assess the current condition and survival of oak trees in the District of Columbia. Work will include evaluation of the presence of pests and pathogens, and measurement of abiotic factors that may negatively impact urban trees. Oak trees experiencing decline will be identified, mapped and sampled for pathogens and insect pests. Field work will be coordinated with public, private, institutional, and federal property owners across the District. The graduate assistant will collaborate with federal and District government agencies on the analysis, summary, and interpretation of data for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and for the general public in the form of blog posts and other publicly-available formats.

Applicants should first apply for the graduate assistantship through the Principal Investigator (PI) listed below. The successful applicant will then need to apply for the PSM in Urban Sustainability Program through UDC Admissions. Applicants should submit via email:
1) a letter of interest detailing their qualifications for the position (two-page maximum);
2) a curriculum vitae;
3) unofficial undergraduate transcripts; and
4) contact information for three professional references (institution, email address, and phone number).

Application deadline: Open until filled. Priority deadline is October 9, 2020.
Starting date: Spring semester, January 2021. Please note that the start date is not flexible.
Duration: One year, renewable for a second year with successful completion of expectations.
Contact: Please apply via email to Dr. Simon Bird at urbansustainabilityudc@gmail.com

2020 Ohio Master Urban Farmer Workshop

This series of 10 evening workshops is designed to help individuals learn how to produce and market all types of food products in an urban environment. While the workshop content will be introductory, individuals who already have some experience growing or marketing food products will benefit from participating. The 2020 Master Urban Farmer class will be held utilizing a hybrid model of some in-person classes, some outdoor sessions, and many classes held virtually. The in-person sessions will utilize safety protocols including reduced class size, social distancing, face masks required, and no food served. Because of this, the cost of registration will be cut in half from $200 to $100 for the general public and $50 for Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteers. Follow this link to learn more.

Sourced from: OSU Extension, Franklin County