Beyond the Boundaries
Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has long been an advocate for rural Indiana and has often stated that our smaller cities and towns must flourish by choice, not by chance. To accomplish that, Lt. Governor Skillman commissioned the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) to host 12 town hall-style meetings designed to learn more about the needs of rural communities. David Terrell, Executive Director of OCRA, and Sue Ellspermann, Director, Center for Applied Research at the University of Southern Indiana will led the sessions during summer 2008.
A similar effort in 2005 brought together a broad-based group of rural-serving organizations to address issues identified by rural residents and helped determine OCRA’s priorities. OCRA will once again be partnering with other organizations around the state. The information that was collected will help all the partners understand and better meet the needs of rural areas.