Month: May 2014

Develop Future Public Leaders with Local Government Leadership Academy

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Wyandot Leadership Academy 2014 Blog Post #1

Strong communities are led by talented and passionate residents. Take these folks and teach them about issues, requirements and expectations associated with public office and now you have individuals better qualified to serve in local government. What community doesn’t want a deep pool of potential local leaders? Strengthen your local community by strengthening its local leadership via the Local Government Leadership Academy. The course is designed for individuals who currently are or aspire to be public officials and has been used by state-level organizations such as the Ohio Township Association for more than the past ten years. Click here to read more about curriculum topics, getting a Local Government Leadership Academy started in your community and the newest group of graduates in Wyandot County!

(Submitted by Joe Lucente, Assistant Professor and Extension Educator, Ohio Sea Grant Program and Greg Moon, County Extension Educator, Wyandot County)

OSUExtension@COSI – the link to OSU and COSI collaboration

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OSU COSI Research Symposium 2014-03-21

Photo credit:
Ohio State @ COSI Symposium Album
(flickr.com 5/15/2014)

What do you get when you partner The Ohio State University and COSI (the large science center in Columbus)? A complex and far-reaching relationship involving a variety of unique endeavors.

Take, for example, the OSUExtension@COSI office. This is a collaborative effort that better informs the field of museums and cultural institutions in how they do their work.

Another one of the current efforts involves celebrating the many ways that the University and COSI collaborate. The first of these events, held on March 21, was a symposium on the research conducted by OSU researchers at COSI. The symposium shared insights from researchers involved in a wide array of research efforts such as:  Labs in Life (research labs behind clear glass walls where real studies are being conducted using COSI visitors), hallway data collection, and using COSI for recruiting participants. OSUE’s unique embedded researcher/outreach specialist role was also presented. Click here to view photos from the first research symposium and poster reception.

Future symposia include various aspects of communication of science to the public efforts, public media and collaborations between formal and informal institutions.

(Submitted by Joe Heimlich, Professor and Extension Specialist, OSUExtension@COSI)

EDA Grant secured to help Shale Communities

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Carroll County Well - Oil & Gas Symposium 5-25-12

What do you do when you’ve just been informed that you’ve won the mega-millions jackpot? You say “what?!!” and then the questions really begin to run through your mind. These are the questions that many residents, businesses and local officials are wrestling with as they experience the shale play in eastern and southern Ohio. Extension is prepared to lend a hand to address some of these questions, thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). EDA funding will help support a three-year project that began in October 2013 focused on making the most of the economic upswing by leveraging manufacturing supply chain opportunities.

For an update on the progress of the grant, click here.

Project partners include:

  • Sustainable Strategic Planning Team, consisting of a multi-disciplinary group of Extension educators with expertise in community economics, energy development, sustainable community planning, community foundations and wealth management:
  • Nancy Bowen (PI): Assistant Professor and Extension Field Specialist in Community Economics
  • Eric Romich (Co-PI): Assistant Professor and Extension Field Specialist for Energy Development
  • Myra Moss (Co-PI): Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Community Development (Heart of Ohio EERA)
  • Cindy Bond (Co-PI): Assistant Professor and County Extension Educator, Community Development (Guernsey County)
  • Mike Lloyd: Assistant Professor and County Extension Educator, Community Development (Noble County)
  • David Civittolo: Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist in Community Economics
  • Joe Bonnell: Program Director, Watershed Management, School of Environment and Natural Resources
  • Polly Loy: County Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences (Belmont County)
  • Jim Bates: Assistant Professor and Extension Field Specialist, Family Wellness
  • OSU Extension Shale Working Group: Draws on Extension personnel and faculty from various departments and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to develop accurate research-based information on shale energy exploration and drilling in Ohio.
  • Regional Economic Development Organizations:
  • Eastgate Regional Council of Governments
  • Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization
  • Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association
  • Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District

The five core objectives of the grant are:

  • Advanced Industry Cluster Analysis
  • Industry Capacity Assessment
  • Asset Mapping
  • Sustainable Strategic Planning to Elevate and Expand CEDS
  • Develop Implementation Strategies

Submitted by Nancy Bowen-Ellzey, Assistant Professor and Extension Field Specialist, Community Economics)

New CD Fact Sheets: Written Documents for Community Groups

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DocumentsWho hasn’t been part of a group that feels ‘stuck’ or lacking direction? When a group’s purpose isn’t clear and there is little direction for making key decisions, being a part of such efforts can be tough. Save yourself and the groups you work with a lot of muddling later by doing a little homework up front. Check out the newly revised CD fact sheets by Cindy Bond and Joe Heimlich that have been posted to Ohioline:

Visit Ohioline for a complete listing of OSU Extension fact sheets and bulletins.

Boost Local Economy with Ohio Business Retention & Expansion Program

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BRnE Downtown BusinessInterested in giving a boost to your local economy with new jobs and investment? Learning what you can do to help the existing businesses in your community is one key place to start. To help you learn more about them consider becoming a partner in the Ohio Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) program. As one of Ohio State University Extension’s Signature Programs, BR&E engages community stakeholders in a formal dialogue to empower local officials and the community at large to act on community and economic development issues of strategic importance. As a program partner you will learn how to systematically gather and interpret information that is critical to understanding local community and economic development needs. To learn more about BR&E as well as the communities with whom we’ve partnered and their success stories, click here.

(Submitted by David Civittolo, Associate Professor & Extension Field Specialist, Community Economics)