IU Partners on ‘Sustaining Communities’ Initiative
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Indiana University and Dubois County are teaming up to expand their community development collaboration through the university’s Center for Rural Engagement. IU says through the center’s Sustaining Hoosier Communities initiative, faculty and students will work to address projects involving health and wellness, infrastructure planning, and natural resource management.
The university says the initiative represents an estimated value of $150,000 in research, inquiry and implementation hours.
“Sustaining involves helping, but most importantly, recognizing the fundamental characteristics of our community and through them, building up a community that supports growth in an equitable manner,” said Rossina Sandoval, member of the Sustaining Hoosier Communities Dubois County community committee and director of community engagement for Southwest Dubois School Corp. “The SHC partnership with the IU Center for Rural Engagement offers unbiased, expert counsel and direction towards the goals we envision for Dubois County.”
IU says Dubois County is also partnering with higher education institutions across the state through the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program, which is working on plans for federal coronavirus recovery funding.
“Education and collaboration have long been strategies propelling Dubois County forward, creating innovative approaches that drive the development of our people, culture and economy,” said Christian Blome, co-coordinator for the Sustaining Hoosier Communities Dubois County community committee and assistant vice president and dean at Vincennes University Jasper. “The SHC partnership with the IU Center for Rural Engagement recognizes how special Dubois County is, and it provides us an opportunity to leverage the intellectual property of Indiana University to achieve our individual, corporate and organizational goals — now is the time to dream big, come together and seize the moment.”
IU says it will also host a series of community meetings to gather ideas and feedback, and discuss possible projects and plans in the county. You can connect to more information about the meetings by clicking here.