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We draw on interactional community theory to analyze the relationship between information technology and local development through a case study of a geographically isolated and economically disadvantaged rural school district. This district has used state-of-the-art information technology infrastructure in a broad-based community and economic development effort. We assess community outcomes across three dimensions: educational improvement, community identity, and economic development. We find that this effort has had significant positive effects on the first two dimensions, but economic impacts have been far less pronounced, raising questions about telecommunications technology as the new catalyst for rural economic revitalization. (Contains 1 figure and 2 footnotes.)

Describes the current structure and processes at Penn State designed to enhance and unify efforts to link its resources to the communities it serves. Discusses the current dialogue within this major research university on issues related to the "engaged institution" and reports on the progress of several faculty groups that support faculty involvement in outreach activities. (EV)

In his 2004 presidential address to the American Sociological Association, Michael Burawoy called for the creation of a public sociology that would be more relevant and useful to the people [...]

Rural America is' in the midst of the most far-reaching transformation in our history. Globalization and other forces are fundamentally altering the economic landscape and erasing many traditional sources of [...]

Over the past decade, the concept of social capital has become an important component of many community development strategies. In this article we argue that social capital is predicated on [...]

This article reports on a United Nations-award winning initiative, the Victoria Rabbit Action Network (VRAN), which applied a systems approach, underpinned by a democratic and participatory engagement strategy, to manage one of Australia's worst pests: the European rabbit. Over six years of the initiative there has been a shift away from a regulation-and-enforcement focused model, towards a community-led, government-supported approach. This has enabled the collective planning, resourcing and implementation of rabbit management programmes. This article outlines the learnings and implications for policy and public management. IMPACT This article provides new perspectives for policy-makers and programme managers to framing and responding to 'wicked' problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous knowledge is local knowledge aggregated by communities over generations, reflecting many years of experimentation and innovation in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, positivist thinking has become the dominant epistemic culture within the academic and professional arenas and leads to the systematic marginalization of alternate ways of knowing, learning, and doing. Educating global-minded social problem-solvers necessitates bringing knowledge and perspectives of indigenous people with different epistemologies and philosophies of life into the classroom. Penn State has produced AcademIK Connections, a series of video clips that provide engaging stories about the importance of indigenous knowledge systems in developing entrepreneurial solutions to address community challenges. The video clips feature stories by individuals that, collectively, represent decades of experience in engaging with indigenous communities. These individuals come from diverse disciplines and scholarly research traditions and are known to consciously and respectfully employ indigenous knowledge in their academic activities. This paper discusses the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge into the classroom and suggests that the video series can help transform the classroom into an engaging and intriguing smorgasbord of philosophies and epistemologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explore how faculty members from one land-grant college understand the meaning and significance of the land-grant mission, and their own motivations, purposes, roles, work, and experiences as publicly engaged scholars and educators in pursuing it. Our findings carry important implications for the emerging civic engagement and responsibility movement in American higher education, both within and beyond the land-grant system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our modified brainstorming technique is an assessment tool Extension professionals can use to generate new ideas. The modified brainstorming technique capitalizes on creativity at the individual level and helps maximize the contribution of the whole group. The technique leads to generation of useful ideas in a mutually supportive setting for a minimal time investment. This tool is effective for relatively small groups within Extension and may be applicable to other outreach and nonprofit organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]