BY Rural Fellows | January 27, 2021
Lincoln, Nebraska, Jan. 27, 2021 The application deadline for communities to participate in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s 2021 Rural Fellows program has been extended to March 1.
Founded in 2013, the program places Nebraska college students in rural communities for 10 weeks over the summer. Students work closely with local leaders on projects focused on economic and business development, entrepreneurship, early childhood development, marketing and promotion, and other areas critical to the sustained success of rural communities. Students typically work in pairs. Students’ work, on average, results in a $28,000 economic impact per community.
Communities that apply for the 2021 program will be eligible to receive $2,000 per student fellow to offset the $5,000 stipend each student intern receives. In some cases,
- Jonathan Jank | Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership
The Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership has hosted two sets of Rural Fellows interns who moved the needle forward for current and future county residents.
Jonathan Jank, president and CEO of the partnership, said the interns in 2013 created an entrepreneurial program for high school students that was implemented in Seward County school districts.
In 2018, Jank said the interns focused on recruitment and retention, addressing the question ‘How can we make Seward sticky?’.
He said each community-identified project helped Seward County think differently about education, entrepreneurship and community development. In addition, he said the student interns ‘planted some really critical seeds’ for bringing young leaders to local communities.
It allows [the communities] to have somebody new come in and offer completely new perspectives.
- Amber Ross | Ravenna Economic Development Corporation
Amber Ross has had four separate experiences with the Rural Fellows program, which allowed her to bring new ideas to rural Nebraska communities.
Ross, who is currently the director of the Ravenna Economic Development Corporation, was a community lead in Custer County in 2019 and Ravenna in 2020. She previously served as a student fellow in the program in 2017 in West Point and 2018 in Columbus.
“I always am amazed by how excited and passionate these students are,” said Ross.
Ross said that because she’s been on both ends of the Rural Fellows experience, she understands the importance of this program for rural communities across Nebraska.
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