Focusing upon the emergence of multidisciplinary action on southern campuses involved in rural development activities, this newsletter traces the southern rural development efforts from their inception to present times and offers projections regarding the future. Specifically, this document presents information on: the development of the land grant institutions and subsequent campus involvement in rural development; recent state action (attempts by southern states to train local manpower for jobs with incoming industries); Federal action (the Rural Development Act of 1972 and resultant research and extension programs); private action (the joint efforts of private organizations and colleges prior to 1972); current campus action reflecting multidisciplinary approaches in agriculture, medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, mental health, law, engineering, social work, librarianship, child care, and adult education; and a new era for education (the new emphasis in rural development is quality of life improvement, rather than economic improvement, and the implementation of this task is perceived as involving careful planning, cooperation, and coordination on the part of government, universities, and other interested groups). Also included in this newsletter is a list of rural research centers at southern institutions (University of Texas, University of North Carolina, University of Georgia, University of Florida, North Carolina State University, Tuskegee Institute, West Virginia Wesleyan, University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, etc.) (JC)