2018-2019 Annual Report
Mission To have a positive impact on communities by equipping leaders with economic tools and resources, building consensus to achieve community goals, and bringing UCA resources and communities together.
Vision We envision communities with robust economies, a flourishing quality of life, and diverse and engaged citizen leaders.
Values The Center strives to develop relationships with leaders and communities that are based on:
• Trust and respect • Local action that fosters consensus-building, community ownership and empowerment, transparency, and inclusion
• An asset-based approach focusing on local strengths as the foundation for success
21
Message from CCED Staff We hope you enjoy reading the University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) 2018-2019 annual report. The work outlined in this report was made possible because of our partners and colleagues that contributed their time, resources, expertise and advocacy to further our mission of community and economic development in Arkansas and the Mid-South. Thank you for all you do! Major highlights from the past year include our work with Kick Start Sheridan and Hot Spring County Conversations. The community-building activities through these grassroots, citizen-led initiatives will have positive, long-lasting effects on the citizens of Grant and Hot Spring Counties. Other highlights include hosting several Poverty and Newtonia GO! Simulations throughout the state of Arkansas. We have found these hands-on learning experiences to be valuable growth opportunities for local leaders that are responsible for being stewards of their community’s resources and people. Walk audits, presentations, nonprofit support and capacity building, training events — it’s been a busy year! Our staff and the University of Central Arkansas are committed to connecting the resources of the campus with our state. Our focus on lifelong learning, public service and a belief that we can create places people want to "live, work and play" will continue to drive everything we do in the coming year.
Amy Whitehead, PCED
Shelby Fiegel, PCED
Moriah Bruner
UCA Chief of Staff
CCED Director
CCED Project Coordinator
2
Year at a Glance
687 1,255 395 15 61 $100,000+
ATTENDEES AT CENTER TRAINING EVENTS ATTENDEES AT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE EVENTS
ATTENDED PRESENTATIONS BY THE CENTER'S STAFF
CITIES AND COUNTIES RECEIVED DIRECT ASSISTANCE ARTICLES FEATURED THE CENTER
3
RAISED
MOUNTAIN HOME SILOAM SPRINGS BATESVILLE NEWPORT GREENWOOD
CONWAY
HOT SPRINGS HOT SPRING COUNTY
BEEBE CABOT
SHERIDAN
DE QUEEN
CAMDEN EUDORA
2018-2019 Trainings & Technical Assistance Kick Start Sheridan Sheridan, Arkansas
Business Climate Survey Cabot, Arkansas
Hot Spring County Conversations Hot Spring County, Arkansas
Poverty Simulation Newport, Arkansas
Conway Area Leadership Institute Poverty Simulation Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Leading For Change Conway, Arkansas
Nonprofit Training Workshop Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Strategic Doing 101 Conway, Arkansas
Thrivers & Strugglers: A Growing Economic Divide Conway, Arkansas
Conway Area Youth Leadership Institute: World of Work Conway, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Walk Audit Beebe, Arkansas
First Impressions Tour Presentation Mountain Home, Arkansas
Walk Audit De Queen, Arkansas
Nonprofit Development Eudora, Arkansas
Socio-demographic and Economic Data Support Greenwood, Arkansas | Greenwood Chamber of Commerce
Newtonia Go! Simulation Batesville, Arkansas Conway, Arkansas
Camden, Arkansas | City of Camden and OPED
4
65
Partners Thank you to our partners! • AEP SWEPCO
• Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas
• Association of Arkansas Development Organizations
• Entergy
• Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
• Grant County Chamber of Commerce
• Arkansas Community Development Society
• Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
• Arkansas Community Foundation
• Fort Smith Regional Alliance
• Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
• Heifer International
• Arkansas Economic Development Commission
• Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce
• Arkansas Economic Developers and Chamber Executives
• Hot Spring County Economic Development Corporation
• Arkansas Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Office
• Hot Spring County Judge’s Office
• Arkansas Municipal League
• Innovate Arkansas
• Arkansas State University - Newport
• Interfaith Arkansas
• Arvest Bank
• Metroplan
• Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Mississippi Economic Development Council
• Bear Spear Films
• Newport Area Chamber of Commerce
• Beebe Chamber of Commerce
• Newport Economic Development Commission
• Cabot Chamber of Commerce
• Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development
• Camden Area Chamber of Commerce
• Rural Community Alliance
• Center for Household Financial Stability
• Sheridan School District
• City of Beebe
• Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce
• City of Camden
• Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government
• City of De Queen
• UCA College of Liberal Arts
• City of Eudora
• UCA Department of Leadership Studies
• City of Maumelle
• UCA Housing and Residence Life
• City of Sheridan
• UCA Poverty Studies Working Group
• City of Hope Outreach
• UCA Service-Learning
• CJRW
• UCA University Training
• College of the Ouachitas
• United Way of Central Arkansas
• Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic
• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
• Conway Area Chamber of Commerce
• University of Arkansas Cossatot
• Conway Development Corporation
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
• Conway Convention Center and Visitors Bureau
• University of Missouri Extension Service
• Crafton Tull
• Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
• Create Foundation
• Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
• East Arkansas Crossroads Coalition
• Winrock International
6
During CDI, attendees enjoyed sessions such as our Keynote presentation (above), the Newtonia Simulation (center left), StrengthsQuest (center right), Community Leadership Development (bottom left) and the CDI Advanced Year traveled to Camden, AR (bottom right).
7
Community Development Institute The 33rd annual Community Development Institute (CDI) was held July 29 through August 2, 2019 on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. The Institute hosted nearly 150 community leaders from across the Mid-South: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Mallorie and Jim Rasberry and Josh Nowell, stars of HGTV’s Home Town, were CDI’s 2019 Keynote speakers. They shared how community-wide preservation, promotion and economic development efforts led to the revitalization of their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Mallorie, Jim and Josh shared two presentations during the week of CDI, one for CDI participants and one open to the public. The CDI Advanced Year class traveled to Camden, Arkansas to conduct an indepth assessment of the community based on online research, a driving tour and interviews with community members. The CDI staff will continue to follow up with Camden leaders through a regional training event in fall 2019 and will help them identify key opportunities and quick wins based off a report created by the CDI Advanced Year. Debra Banks, CDI graduate, PCED holder and 13-year veteran CDI Class Director, was recognized as the Bill Miller award recipient and AEP SWEPCO was awarded the Friend of Community Development award. Visit uca.edu/cdi or our social media channels for updates, pictures, and videos of CDI 2019.
f facebook.com/cdi.uca t @cdicentral y youtube.com/cdicentral 8
Thank You CDI 2019 Sponsors!
9
CDI Advisory Board Members The CDI Advisory Board was established in 2002 to assist UCA with the development of CDI curriculum, marketing, resource development, and external stakeholder support. We are excited to announce the newest additions to our board:
Dr. Shaneil Ealy
Shelley Mehl
Patty Methvin
Dr. Ealy is the UCA Division
Mehl is the Executive Director
Methvin is the President of
of Outreach & Community
of the Faulkner County
the Arkansas Community
Engagement Associate Vice
Community Foundation.
Development Society. She is a
President.
2011 graduate of CDI.
Stacey Neal
Matt Twyford, PCED
Neal is the Director of Community
Twyford is the Director of Community Development
Competitiveness at Louisiana Economic
at the Arkansas Economic Development
Development. She is a 2010 graduate of CDI.
Commission. He is a 2016 graduate of CDI.
Thank you to all CDI Advisory Board members for their outstanding service! The complete list of board members can be found at uca.edu/cdi/advisoryboard.
10
12 11
Project Highlights
Community Development Kick Start – Sheridan, Arkansas In partnership with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension (UAEX) Breakthrough Solutions program, CCED rolled out the fifth year of the Community Development Kick Start program. Sheridan was selected as the 2018 Kick Start community. During the first week of CDI, Sheridan received an assessment report developed by the 2018 CDI Advanced Year class. This report identified issues and opportunities within the community. The community then developed a community survey and utilized the responses to form priority areas (Action Teams) for the city: Downtown Development, Recreation and Things to Do, Education and Economic Development, Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship, and Infrastructure. Sheridan citizens worked hard for more than nine months to create short and long-term community and economic development goals. With assistance from CCED and UAEX, community leaders combined the goals into a strategic action plan. In May 2019, the community, joined by Governor Asa Hutchinson and leaders from across the state, unveiled the final Kick Start Sheridan Action Plan. You can learn more about Kick Start Sheridan at www.facebook.com/kickstartsheridan and www.uca.edu/cdi/advanced-year.
12
Hot Spring County Conversations – Hot Spring County, Arkansas Kicking off its efforts in November 2017, Hot Spring County Conversations has been working directly with the Center for Community and Economic Development to create “Our Vision for the Future,” an action plan and visioning document that identifies key community and economic development goals for the county and the individual communities within it. The development of the plan came to fruition after the deployment of a county-wide survey open to all residents and in-depth, grassroots community meetings held in each of Hot Spring County’s five school districts: Bismarck, Ouachita, Glen Rose, Malvern and Magnet Cove. Hot Spring County Conversations has engaged thousands of citizens in Hot Spring County in the development of “Our Vision for the Future.” Hot Spring County Conversations unveiled their action plan in August 2019.
Walk Audits - Beebe, Arkansas and De Queen, Arkansas CCED partnered with Crafton Tull to complete walk audits in the cities of Beebe and De Queen. The goal of the walk audits is to help develop placemaking concepts and solutions for circulation (vehicular, pedestrian and bike), parking, universal access, low-impact development concepts, wayfinding, beautification and community character improvement. The walk audits included one-on-one interaction and assessment of a three-by-three-block area of each community’s downtown or other selected area. Crafton Tull provided each community with a brief summary of the audit that outlined potential opportunities.
Business Climate Survey – Cabot, Arkansas CCED staff assisted the Cabot Chamber of Commerce in developing a business climate survey. The survey analyzed Cabot’s current business environment, gathered aggregated business data and pinpointed strengths and potential opportunities to create a better environment for businesses. The survey can be deployed every year to local businesses so the Chamber can begin to identify trends in the data over time.
Eudora Nonprofit Development – Eudora, Arkansas CCED partnered with the Founder of City of Hope Outreach Dr. Phillip Fletcher to assist the city of Eudora in the development of a nonprofit for the city. Dr. Fletcher worked with key members of the community to build the capacity and structure needed to create a successful nonprofit organization.
13
Arkansas Municipal League CCED continued its partnership with Arkansas Municipal League’s City & Town magazine to contribute articles for the Economic Development section. Articles in 2018 – 2019 covered topics such as: non-profit development in rural communities, early childhood education, asset-based community assessment, downtown development and much more. You can read current and past issues of City & Town magazine at www.arml.org/services/ publications/city-town.
Greta Hacker Jonesboro, AR Fall 2018 Fellow
Hawa Nouhou Niamey, Niger Fall 2018 Fellow
Javier Hernandez Rogers, AR Spring 2019 Fellow
Marco Ramirez Bentonville, AR Spring 2019 Fellow
Ra’Shan Stubbs Nassau, Bahamas Spring 2019 Fellow
Katie Weaver Wynne, AR Spring 2019 Fellow
Christine Nichols Conway, AR Summer 2019 Fellow
Hunter Crockett Maumelle, AR Summer 2019 Fellow
Community and Economic Development Fellowship – Conway, Arkansas The Community and Economic Development Fellowship program’s goal is to prepare UCA students for careers in the field of community and economic development. The program exposes UCA students to a variety of careers and provides networking, coaching and mentoring to enhance career preparedness. During the program, fellows participate in three site visits that showcase community and economic development activities at the local and state levels of government and in the nonprofit sector. Activities include job shadowing, organization tours, mock interviews and mentorship from CCED staff. Fellows also have the opportunity to join the Arkansas Community Development Society and attend the 2018 Community Development Institute free of charge. Two students were selected for the Fellowship in fall 2018, four students were selected for spring 2019 and two students were selected for summer 2019.
14
Training Events
The Center for Community and Economic Development hosted multiple training events throughout 20182019. For the third year, CCED partnered with UCA Leadership Studies to host a training event entitled Leading for Change. The event delved into topics such as: equity in Arkansas, leadership, community development, resilience and sustainability, and how data shapes community development. In partnership with the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, CCED hosted community leaders from across the state for a half-day workshop on Strategic Doing 101. Strategic Doing is an agile strategy for community development. Strategic Doing teaches people how to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes and make adjustments along the way. CCED hosted the "World of Work" session for Conway Area Youth Leadership Institute participants (junior and senior high school students from across Faulkner County). Students were exposed to an overview of Faulkner County's economy, entrepreneurship and met one-on-one with local business leaders. Working in coordination with the UCA Poverty Studies Working Group, Thrivers & Strugglers: A Growing Economic Divide was developed by CCED staff to explore the demographics of wealth based on research conducted by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, help participants better understand poverty in Arkansas and share promising practices that address poverty at the local level. CCED also hosted five Poverty Simulations: one in Newport, one in Hot Springs and three in Conway. A Poverty Simulation is an immersive experience intended to move community leaders to think about the harsh realities of poverty and to talk about how communities can address the problem. CCED staff developed the Newtonia Go! simulation, based off of the Newtonia simulation hosted at CDI for Year 1 participants. Newtonia Go! is a community and economic development simulation that allows participants to experience the development of a community from the ground up and some of the real-life challenges that community leaders and citizens face. Batesville city leaders and Conway Area Leadership Institute participants participated in Newtonia Go! simulations with CCED.
15
16
Staff Highlights Amy Whitehead • Appointed to serve as UCA Chief of Staff for President Houston Davis
• Named to Arkansas Business 40 under 40
Shelby Fiegel • Named CCED Director • Certified as a Strategic Doing Practitioner • Re-elected as Vice President for Membership of ACDS and Secretary of UCA Staff Senate
• Serves as a Conway Historic District Commissioner
17
Moriah Bruner • Completed Mid-South Basic Economic Development Course
• Finished CDI Year 2 • Appointed to Metroplan’s Livable Communities Regional Advisory Committee
• Appointed to City of Conway Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board
Victoria Mays • Hired full-time in the Division of Outreach
and Community Engagement as Volunteer Coordinator.
Two interns also served on the Center’s team throughout the 2018-2019 year: Jacob Holland and Greta Hacker. 18
uca.edu/cced | cced@uca.edu | 501-450-5269
f facebook.com/cdi.uca | t @cdicentral | y youtube.com/cdicentral