Community development programming in western Nebraska
 

By Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Extension Community Development/Entrepreneurship Specialist
And Connie Hancock, Extension Educator/Technology

Community development as a focus is a fairly recent phenomenon for the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center.

From 1981-87, Arnold Bateman was the extension resource development specialist and Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Program Coordinator. As the RC&D coordinator, he worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies in providing leadership for both funded and non-funded natural resource development programs and projects in the 12 western counties of Nebraska.

Several of the funded projects in western Nebraska were recreation development, irrigation and flood control projects. He prepared project development plans on over 20 projects and assisted in obtaining Soil Conservation Service Resource Conservation and Development funds to help in construction of several of the projects.

In addition, his cooperative extension responsibilities included providing leadership to rural revitalization training and development programs in the Panhandle. Major project accomplishments include the organization of the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association, the development of the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission (check-off program), and the development of the American Dry Bean Board. Leadership programming included helping to develop the Family Community Leadership Development statewide program.

From 1987-97, Bateman moved to another role at the Center, as the coordinator for the University of Nebraska Panhandle Education Center. The Education Center, created in the late 1970s, was funded by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Extended Education and Outreach and Cooperative Extension and created a new blended community development role for the region.

As coordinator, he provided leadership for a credit and non-credit continuing education organization with four full-time and three part-time staff members that served over 9,400 people contacts per year. Credit programming, primarily delivered by telephone and later by satellite, included five graduate programs from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and one certificate program from University of Nebraska at Omaha. Community and business workshops often were focused on strategic planning, leadership, customer service, team building, and management principles.

In 1998, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel took over the coordinator role for the newly reorganized University of Nebraska Panhandle Learning Center, one of four regional Learning Centers in the state. Burkhart-Kriesel supervised the annual development and implementation of over 40 public and in-service noncredit business development workshops with two full-time and two part-time staff members. She provided leadership to offer distance delivered credit courses from UNL, UNO, and UNK and worked collaboratively as a partner with Chadron State College and Western Nebraska Community College in course delivery.

The Learning Center also coordinated satellite (Neb-SAT) technical assistance to the public for approximately 100 workshops each year. In addition to the program offerings at the Center in Scottsbluff, programs and courses were offered through distance education in Sidney (Connie Hancock, extension educator - coordinator), Alliance (Tony Merrigan, extension educator - coordinator), and in Rushville (Sheryl Carson, extension educator - coordinator).

Burkhart-Kriesel focused her extension teaching responsibilities in the area of strategic planning, customer service, and business management principles. Hancock, extension educator in Cheyenne and Kimball/Banner, also worked in the area of community development within the district during this time period. Her emphasis was in the area of technology education.

In 2001 the community development emphasis was separated from the Learning Center and a new Community Development Specialist position was created, with Burkhart-Kriesel being selected to fill the position. Since 2001 Burkhart-Kriesel has focused community development efforts in two areas, business development (primarily within the tourism industry) and new resident recruitment and retention.

Hancock has maintained her focus in information technology and has partnered with other educators, specifically Jenny Nixon (Sioux County) and Jay Jenkins (Cherry County) in the Panhandle District, to help small businesses enhance their e-commerce presence.

Burkhart-Kriesel and Hancock are currently involved in a multi-state USDA National Research Initiative grant that focuses on identifying effective ways to market rural communities to improve new resident recruitment and retention.