Appalachian Regional Commission hosts
13 colleges and universities for 25th ACRI
ETSU students present community engagement initiative
A team of students from East Tennessee State University on Dec. 6 presented a capstone
research project in Washington, D.C., from an ongoing community engagement initiative
that examines intersections between economics and health care access within a neighborhood
in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The group was among about 90 students from 13 colleges and universities in eight Appalachian states participating in the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) symposium. Sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the ACRI capstone symposium is administrated by the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services at ETSU.
The findings presented by students from ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies are from the fourth year of a continuing research project conducted through an “Appalachian Community Engagement” graduate course taught by Dr. Rebecca Adkins Fletcher. Students involved in this year’s research include Tammy O’Hare, Casey Nicholson, Craig Charles, Chelsea Walters, Samuel Loyd, and Joshua Jenkins.
“Our ongoing collaboration with the Langston Community Health Task Force is gathering foundational health and economic data to better understand the assets and needs from residents’ perspectives” Fletcher said. “This year, we are conducting phase 2 of the Langston Community Health Survey to gain a better understanding of health concerns and health care barriers in this community.”
The project is in partnership with the Task Force and seeks to support one of the ARC’s strategic goals, which is to “build the capacity and skills of current and next-generation leaders and organizations to innovate, collaborate, and advance community and economic development.” Accompanying the ETSU team at this year’s conference were Dr. Georgita Washington, executive committee member for the Langston Centre Health Task Force, and Adam Dickson, supervisor of the Langston Centre.
Speaking to the students at the close of the symposium, Dixon said he was impressed by the ways that student presentations addressed the concept of community wealth by researching needs such as walking trails, health clinics, downtown revitalization projects, or heritage tourism. “Whether we’re thinking about places, … spaces, or whether we’re thinking about services that are helping individuals throughout the Appalachian region, you are providing a sense of community wealth,” he said.
Schools participating in the ACRI capstone symposium offer a for-credit seminar during the fall semester to help students develop and execute field-based research projects that address the unique economic development needs of their communities and align with ARC’s investment priorities.
“By encouraging Appalachia’s college students to present their solutions to the region’s challenges, ACRI sets the groundwork for the next generation of Appalachian leadership and prosperity,” ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin said. “I applaud this year’s participants for their hard work, willingness to collaborate, and passion for helping improve the quality of life for their neighbors across Appalachia’s 13 states. I hope this inspires other forward-thinking students to follow their lead by participating in ACRI next year.”
Dr. Ron Roach, director of the Center of Excellence at ETSU, and principal investigator for the ACRI grant, closed the program by telling the students that the goal and outcome of ACRI is getting students involved in their communities. “You are now part of a very select group,” he said. “A group of just over 3,000 students who have come across this stage in the last 25 years. And you are now all experts on community engagement and community development. I leave this conference every year filled with hope, because of all of you. I encourage you to remember that this is only the beginning of the conversation. Go back to your communities, go back to your universities and colleges and keep this work going. And keep connecting people to the Appalachian Regional Commission and the resources that they have that can help their communities."
ETSU’s students are among more than 3,000 college and graduate students from 34 institutions across Appalachia who have participated in the ACRI capstone symposium since it was established in 2001 as the Appalachian Teaching Project. ETSU’s Center of Excellence has administered the ACRI grant throughout its 24 years of existence.
To learn more about the ETSU project and this year’s other ACRI research projects,
visit arc.gov.