The evaluation of the Syracuse University School of Nursing's masters program in nursing of the rural aging is considered. The evaluation was designed to determine the effectiveness of the training program and its impact on the rural community. Four major issues related to the effectiveness of the training program are as follows: student and faculty member reactions to the program and to rural aging courses, student achievement of the general objectives of a graduate nursing program, and students' perceptions of themselves as students and nurses and their attitudes toward the elderly and toward rural areas. Ten major issues related to the impact of the program on the elderly and to the community as a whole are as follows: acceptance of the program by the elderly, changes in the health status of the elderly, changes in their quality of life, changes in their utilization of health care services, changes in their attitudes toward nursing, the extent to which the elderly have stabilized their support networks or generated new ones, a case-by-case impact of the program, changes in the health care delivery system, community reaction to the program, and changes in the community with respect to the promotion of health and the prevention of illness. The various data collection techniques used to answer these issues, including interviews, questionnaires, and rating scales, are examined, and findings regarding the effectiveness of the training program are summarized. Among the positive student reactions are the commitment of the faculty, and the conduct of the needs assessment and site development activities. (SW)