Social scientific research has demonstrated that increasing racial or ethnic diversity can reduce overall levels of social solidarity in a community. Yet many community development organizations, including Extension, are deeply committed to creating a broader sense of cohesion in rural communities. This article highlights a recent interagency…

In January 2003, the Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) contacted land grant universities in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington to involve them in a program initiative to address rural poverty. After a strategic planning process, NWAF had shifted from traditional grant making to operating programs that…

The "CURA Reporter" is published quarterly to provide information about the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), an all-University applied research and technical assistance center at the University of Minnesota that connects faculty and students with community organizations and public institutions working on significant public…

In response to a state budget deficit, the University of Minnesota Extension restructured its field staff, establishing a new regional and county delivery system, shifting all supervision of field staff to campus faculty, and encouraging greater field staff specialization, program focus, and entrepreneurial efforts. Nine economic concepts and…

Minnesota high school students and teachers are learning the technology of simulation and integrating it into business and industrial technology courses. Modeling and simulation is the science of using software to construct a system within an organization and then running simulations of proposed changes to assess results before funds are spent. In…

This article features Woodland Hills's Neighborhood Youth Services. The Neighborhood Youth Services (NYS) program is a community-based program created by Woodland Hills, a residential program for troubled adolescents in Duluth, Minnesota. Principles for building respectful adult and peer relationships developed in the treatment environment were…

From 1979 to 1982 an extension education program provided assistance to the tourism industry in rural communities adjoining northeastern Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Program activities involved needs assessment, educational and technical assistance to communities and tourism-related firms, marketing programs, grants management…