SYMPOSIUM KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED!

The Center for Small Towns is excited to announce their 2014 Symposium on Small Towns: Understanding Rural Migration: Myths, Trends, and Opportunities Exposed which will take place on June 4-5 at the University of Minnesota, Morris campus. The Symposium will address the changing realities of small communities and debunk myths surrounding migration to and from small towns. The conference, spanning two days, will provide a diverse mix of breakout sessions, keynote speakers, and discussions.

The Symposium is built upon a core set of goals including, and most importantly, improving the dialogue surrounding migration to and from rural areas, and developing comprehensive strategies for recruitment to rural areas. The conference aims to help reshape and update the rural narrative, as well as equip attendees with the skills to better understand the narratives that exist in their own communities. The conversation will also center around retaining rural populations, and how to create strategies that best enable rural retention. Attendees will be able to network and discuss strategies they’ve utilized in their home communities and better create and solidify a network of engaged and empowered rural leaders and developers.

The Symposium would not be possible without the generous time and knowledge our partner organizations provide and bring. We thank the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, South Dakota State University – Department of Sociology and Rural Development, University of Nebraska – Rural Futures Institute, University of MInnesota Extension, University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, and the University of Minnesota, Morris for their extensive contributions.

To sign up for more information go here. You can also find us on facebook at facebook.com/centerfor.smalltowns or follow us on twitter @CforSmallTowns

The University of Minnesota, Morris Center for Small Towns (CST) is a community outreach program that serves as a point of entry to the resources of the University of Minnesota. Small towns, local units of government, k-12 schols, nonprofit organizations, and other University units are able to utilize CST’s resources as they work on rural issues or make contributions to rural society. Its mission is to focus the University’s attention and marshal its resources toward assisting Minnesota’s small towns with locally identified issues by creating applied learning opportunities for faculty and students.