Recent Blog Posts

With high-power validation from an international colleague - London Mayor Sadiq Khan - three-dozen American mayors immersed themselves in four days of discussion and experience at this year's South by Southwest festival of technology, policy and the arts. Follow this link to read the complete article. Sourced from Governing

Today’s economy appears to be booming, as judged by continued job growth, household income gains, and historically high stock prices. Yet underneath the headline numbers America’s progress remains uneven: economic divides are growing between the coasts and the heartland, technology and other sectors, and the rich and the poor. This uneven progress reflects the accelerating pace of economic change that people and places across the nation now confront. Leaders in our major cities and metropolitan areas, centers of economic disruption and opportunity, are looking for insights and strategies to adapt. Follow this link to read the complete article. Sourced from Brookings

While white gentrification is often cited in stories about urban change, racial minorities are driving the population growth of young adults in many of America’s urban and suburban areas. Follow this link for the complete story. Sourced from Brookings

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) has entered into an agreement in partnership with US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) (National Program Leaders, Ahlishia Shipley and Brent Elrod) to help coordinate the Land-grant University system's response to the opioid crisis. Several institutions have already identified evidence-based curriculum for replication nationally in response to the first ever Cooperative Extension Section Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders Web Conference. In this new agreement a set of 9 activities will culminate in the writing of a report for ECOP within a six-month period. The formation of the Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup, a group of opioid experts from the Land-grant system will serve as a resource and provide input. Those with expertise and interest in serving on this workgroup are urged to contact Mark Skidmore (mskidmor@msu.edu) Director of the North Central Regional Rural Development Center, the lead coordinator for this effort. Last week, USDA launched a webpage highlighting resources to help rural communities address the opioid crisis: https://www.usda.gov/topics/opioids. Sourced from ECOP Monday Minute