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| navigate: home: magazine: spring 2001: article | |
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Program develops leaders for rural communities By Deborah A. Benedetti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Every two years, a new group of Pennsylvania citizens from rural areas embarks on a journey to become leaders in their communities, the state and even nationally. Along the way, they attend 10 study institutes to learn more about the myriad of issues and challenges facing communities today — water quality, land use, economic development planning, health care, human services, taxes, education, energy, transportation — and how these issues affect public policy. These citizens also spend a week with Pennsylvania legislators and officials in Harrisburg, Pa., and a week with federal representatives in Washington, D.C. Since its inception in 1971, the Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program, known as RULE, has prepared nearly 500 rural Pennsylvanians for leadership roles, J.D. Dunbar, chief executive officer of RULE, said. “The RULE Program is important, because Pennsylvania is the most rural state in the nation,” she said. “Rural areas have fewer resources than urban areas, but they have similar problems. This program is open to anyone interested in assisting their community who needs to enhance their leadership skills.” Dunbar, a RULE graduate, has headed the program since 1989. The College of Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology hosts the program, which is funded by the state legislature and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Dr. Drew W. Hyman, professor of public policy and community systems, is faculty adviser to RULE. Originally called the Public Affairs Leadership Program, this first program ran from 1971 to 1977. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided initial funding to both Pennsylvania and California to create a program enabling rural residents to study the basic structure of their community, state and nation. Pennsylvania’s program was restarted in 1985. “Adult Pennsylvanians are eligible to participate in the Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program,” Dunbar said. “Our participants come from all walks of life, including farmers, homemakers, business and chamber executives and elected officials. They all share a common commitment to solving the problems of rural Pennsylvania.” State legislators, RULE alumni, Penn State faculty members and local leaders frequently nominate candidates for the program. Applications are open to citizens throughout Pennsylvania. The current RULE class, number eight, has 32 members. The next class will begin in November, and applications are now being accepted. RULE also is affiliated with the International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leadership, Dunbar said. There are 28 RULE programs in the United States and several other countries, including a counterpart program in Australia. The goals of RULE are to provide participants with:
“The Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program is critical to the quality of life of rural America,” Hyman said. “As society becomes more complex, we find ourselves confronting global situations, and it is increasingly important for people in our communities to have training and experience in leadership roles to deal with these challenges. “We idealize rural America as the place to live and work,” he added. “Yet, rural America has lower average levels of income, education, employment, health, nutrition and community services than urban areas, and it is home to one-fourth of the population. Moreover, most people living in nonmetropolitan areas are not farmers, most farmers are not in the high-production units, and most farm income is not from farming. Such contrasts challenge us to find ways to support high levels of agricultural and industrial production while assuring a high-quality natural environment and viable rural communities.” Hyman has been faculty adviser to RULE since 1996. In this role, he provides conceptual leadership for the program and assists with management and administrative issues. He also provides content for RULE study institutes. In addition to Hyman and Dunbar, the Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program staff includes Ruth I. Weber, executive assistant, and Teri Rudy, program assistant. During the seventh study institute for the current RULE class, held at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, class members focused on the theme “A National/International Confluence in a Leadership Paradigm.” Speakers addressed a wide range of topics. Tim Potts, director of the Pennsylvania School Reform Network, discussed “The Secret Key to Rural Prosperity.” He talked about Pennsylvania’s school funding system, which creates a “Catch-22” situation, he said. “If you raise taxes high enough to create high-quality schools, businesses won’t locate in the area, and if you have low taxes and poor-quality schools, businesses won’t come in. Without changing the way Pennsylvania pays for education, the job of rural educators will be difficult, if not impossible.” He encouraged RULE participants to talk with their legislators about increasing state funding support for public education. Bob Klugiewicz of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, who also is a graduate of RULE, presented a session on “The Graying of the U.S. Population: Issues and Awareness.” He noted that of the state’s 12 million people, 2 million are over the age of 60. “Our seniors are asset-rich and income-poor,” he said. “We are growing older as a state and nation. The challenge for you will be to look at issues of aging in your decision-making and planning processes. You should be armed with the best statistics and Census information. People are living longer, and that makes it difficult to make predictions about the future.” Juan Marinez, national program leader and farm worker coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, outlined USDA’s federal initiatives for farm workers. He is on leave from Michigan State University, where he is professor and regional director for the Cooperative Extension Service and director for outreach for the Julian Samora Institute. He joined USDA in 1999 to implement programs within the department that could be more supportive of farm workers. “Hispanics are transforming if not most, I would say, all of rural America. They are the fastest growing segment of the farm community in two ways. They are both buying farms and working as farm workers. Texas leads the nation in Hispanic farm ownership, while the state of Washington ranks sixth. Our challenge is: How do we educate all of rural farm and nonfarm communities to the best farming practices that are going to lead toward a new face for rural America?” Paul Nyamuda, an industrial psychology faculty member in the Department of Commerce at Zimbabwe Open University, talked about “Organizational Transition in Zimbabwe.” He was invited to speak at the study institute as a result of meeting with Harry Carey, Penn State professor of agricultural and extension education, in Zimbabwe and expressing an interest in learning more about the RULE program. Nyamuda and a colleague established the Synergy Leadership Academy while they were studying in South Africa. The academy focuses on developing leadership skills and motivating students in township schools. At Zimbabwe Open University, he is researching the impact of culture on leadership and developing distance learning modules, including “Organizational Leadership and Power Relations in Zimbabwe.” Carmen Gonzŕlez, environmental specialist with the Agricultural Extension Service, University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez, discussed “Grassroots Leadership in Puerto Rico.” Water quality is a vital issue for Puerto Ricans, considering the high population density in the island, she said. “Balancing the needs of people with preserving our natural resources is important. Educating people is the key. We start with kids and train them in critical thinking skills, since they will be the future decision-making people on this issue, and also because they can influence their parents’ behavior. People will work on solving water-quality problems, because they are suffering, and they know they have to find long-term solutions for these problems. The challenge here, as well as with other problems, is how to diminish dependency on government assistance.” Ariel Ramírez, island-wide dairy specialist with the Agricultural Extension Service, University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez, presented a talk on “Leadership and Environmental Issues in Puerto Rico.” During his 24-year tenure, Puerto Rico’s dairy industry has grown and now represents 28 percent of the gross income for agriculture. Puerto Rico’s 400 dairy farms and 90,000 dairy cows provide milk products to residents, school lunch programs, military bases, cruise ships and airlines. In addition to working with the dairy industry, Ramírez is involved in developing leaders supporting environmental causes. One group he helped organize was successful in preserving agricultural land in the Lajas Valley. The area has been designated an Agricultural Reserve. He also is involved in environmental issues in the town of Adjuntas and the island of Vieques. Ken Trionfo, a member of the current RULE class, talked about the community design studio project he developed for his students during the Persuasive Speeches segment of the study institute. An assistant professor and director of the Department of Architecture at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pa., Trionfo created the project for second-year students. “We design a project for the community, such as a day care center, library or marketplace. The local communities really respond to the projects. I want my students to meet people and learn what it takes to get a project built. I want them to be leaders, and I hope they will get more involved in their own communities. My students like the real-world connection this project gives them. Some students even get part-time and summer jobs as a result of working on these projects.” One of the next events the Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program will sponsor is the first-ever statewide Keystone Leadership Forum: Enhancing Leadership Development in the 21st Century, planned for June 21 and 22 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The goal of the conference is to develop and maintain leadership training programs throughout Pennsylvania. “As RULE class members get to know each other during the study institutes and other program events, they begin to use each other as resources,” Dunbar added. “Class members form lifelong friendships and linkages as a result of this program.” For more information about the Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program or to request an application for the next program, call 814-863-4679 or visit the RULE Web site at http://rule.cas.psu.edu. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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