THE NORTHEAST REGIONAL CENTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT - 2015

We propose to implement the programs and activities approved by the Center's Board of Directors at the Fall 2014 Board Meeting in Wilmington, DE, and build on the past programs and successes documented in the Annual Report 2014. The leadership of the Northeast land grant universities continues to seek out the Center for its expertise as is evident in an invitation to meet with Maine's Agricultural Council in February 2015 to discuss local food systems research, and a request from Penn State to assist with evaluating the impact of Extension programs, among other activities. Responding to input from the Center's Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Committee, we will continue our efforts of networking land-grant university stakeholders and other agencies in the Northeast as well as nationally. This includes exciting new initiatives to evaluate community economic development impacts and the sharing of programs across State lines. The Center's three key subject matter areas align closely with the priorities of the Northeast land grant universities, as well as USDA/NIFA as follows: entrepreneurship and job creation, including workforce development (NIFA priority 3); community, local and regional food systems, as related to childhood obesity, food safety, food access and capacity to feed the region and world (NIFA priorities 1, 4 and 5); and land use and balanced use of natural resources, addressing trade-offs between alternative forms of energy use and development, invasive species, and other issues (NIFA priority 2). This year we expect to expand our research into the area of mental health, including an assessment of the causes and consequences. In addition, we will provide support in the area of network analysis to that project, as well as to the Kauffman Foundation, which is seeking to better understand how entrepreneurs use Twitter for business purposes.