University of Minnesota Extension Service
Emily Loehr, a junior from Savage, Minnesota with a double major in Political Science and Economics
Ellery Fisher, a sophomore from Bloomington, Minnesota majoring in Political Science
Jessica Anderson, a sophomore from Mapleton, Minnesota with an undecided major
Maria Brun, a sophomore from Robbinsdale, Minnesota with a double major in Economics and Political Science
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
The University of Minnesota Extension Service (UMES) provides a number of valuable services to small towns across the state. A number of surveys are collected to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the various programs. Emily provides data entry, analysis and reporting of results. UMES program areas include leadership development, facilitation, and social capital.
Technology Team
Eric Bergeland, a fifth year senior from Madison, Minnesota with a triple major in Computer Science, History, Social Science Secondary Education
Jennifer Wermerskirchen, a sophomore from Shakopee, Minnesota with a major in English
Kjell Olsen, a freshman from Minneapolis, Minnesota majoring in Computer Science
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
Curt Bredeson, CST Staff
The Tech Team is a continuous component of CST that provides website development and training to community-based organizations. Eric is working with the Master Naturalist program that is offered by the Extension Service. His work involves the development of the online Master Naturalist Course management System. Amy is completing the University of Minnesota Extension Service Children's Garden website. Kjell is working with the Arts Meander website. A GIS mapping component will compliment the website design. On-site training is also provided to maintain the website and update information.
Data Analysis and Research
James Gambrell, a junior from New Orleans, Louisiana with a double major in Psychology and Philosophy
Curt Bredeson, CST Staff
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
The DAR unit is a key component of CST. James is primarily involved in the analysis and reporting of rural specific data. James is a data analysis "handyman" and works on a variety of community needs. Projects include an income survey for Hudson Township in Douglas County, a telephone survey of Jump Start can program recipients for the West Central Communities Action Inc, and analysis of social capital data for the U of M Extension Service.
Student Administrative Assistant
Kim Ukura, a sophomore from Lino Lakes, Minnesota majoring in English with an area of concentration in journalism
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
This is an on-going position within the Center in which a UMM student is hired to learn and assist the administrative functions of this community outreach program. Kim's responsibilities include assisting with all aspects of the Student Involvement component, including the recruitment, placement and evaluation of student employees and volunteers. Other duties include participation and recording of weekly staff meetings, assisting with special projects like the Annual Symposium on Small Towns, and working on publicity, document design and visibility efforts.
COPC - Administrative Assistant
Joe Basel, a sophomore from Mankato, Minnesota majoring in Management
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Grant Coordinator
This is an annual position for the term of the COPC grant (fall 04' - spring 07'). Joe will help with the administrative needs of the grant and its activities. Joe's responsibilities include assisting with all aspects of the COPC grant which include participation and recording of meetings, assisting with special projects of the grant, and working on publicity, document design and visibility efforts.
COPC Housing Priority Area -Administrative Assistant
Nick Peterson, a senior from Elk River, Minnesota with a double major in Political Science and History
Melanie Fohl, Community Supervisor
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Grant Coordinator
Nick's responsibilities are to assist the Housing project team with administrative and research tasks on any/all of the projects within the Housing priority area. Current activities include participation and recording of meetings, assisting with special projects, and research activities for the Morris Housing Initiative's comprehensive planning. Assist with the formation of other project teams.
COPC Elementary School Reuse Assistant
Matthew Little, a junior from Rosemont, Minnesota with a double major in Political Science and Spanish
Maria Brun, a sophomore from Robbinsdale, Minnesota with a double major in Economics and Political Science
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Project Coordinator
Matt will assist with the coordination of activities in creating a master plan for the reuse of 100,000 square feet of building space on 17.7 acres of land in the heart of Morris. The U of M's Center for Rural Design is providing support to a local Steering Committee to develop various scenarios, conduct feasibilities and present a plan to the City Council. Matt will work directly with the COPC Project Coordinator to assist in the administration and implementation of the Elementary School Reuse activities by taking and disseminating meetings notes, collecting data from similar projects and exploration of new ideas.
Milan Video History Preservation Project
Colleen Borgendale, freshman but a sophomore credit from Montevideo, Minnesota majoring in History
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
Colleen is working on the second phase of this project. The first phase consisted of converting historical Milan VHS videos to a digital format and editing them for content. These videos are a rich source of cultural and community life in the city of Milan over the past thirty years. This second phase will supplement the video with an verbal history component through interviews with people that are in the videos. This audio will be overlaid on the video for final production.
COPC Morris Community Design - Project Assistant
Kelly Alsdurf, a senior from Hastings, Minnesota majoring in speech communications
Carolyn Peterson, Community Supervisor
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Grant Coordinator
Kelly is working with the Morris Community Design project team by participation and recording of meetings, assisting with special projects, including a large weekend community event highlighted by a Minnesota Design Team visit in October. Kelly will alo assist the project team with activities related to the Elementary School Reuse project slated to start in November.
COPC Economic Development - Priority Area Assistant
Carrie Martin, a senior from Aitkin, Minnesota majoring in management with an emphasis in global business
David Nelson, Regional Extension Educator
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Grant Coordinator
Carrie will assist the COPC Economic Development project team with research and coordination activities. Her responsibilities include participation and recording of meetings, and assisting with special projects for the Energizing Entrepreneurship and the Business Connections projects of the COPC grant.
COPC Adopt a Grandparent Assistant
David Nelson, a senior from Rapid City, South Dakota majoring in English
Carol Mc Cannon, site supervisor
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Grant Coordinator
COPC GIS Assistant
Luke Zachmann, a senior from St. Michael, Minnesota with a double major in Environmental Studies and English and a minor in Biology
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
Luke is involved with the creating of a basemap layer of parcels within the city of Morris for Geographic Informations Systems use.
COPC Publicity - Assistant
Katie Albright, a senior from Sioux Falls, South Dakota majoring in english and a minor in history
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
Katie will assist with the coordination and documentation efforts of the publicity for the COPC grant. She will assist with the formation, implementation, and dissemination of varying types of publicity efforts for all of the COPC grant projects.
COPC Morris Development Partnership Assistant
Amanda Murphy, a sophomore from Glencoe, Minnesota majoring in Management and Music
Roger Mc Cannon, site supervisor
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
David Fluegel, CST Staff and COPC Grant Coordinator
The Morris Development Partnership will address the lack of coordination that currently exists between citizens, agencies and institutions, and government in regard to housing initiatives, changes in economy and demographics, opportunities for young people, etc. This project will explore some of the history and patterns of development and redevelopment initiatives as well as ways to make improvements to existing methods. A primary goal of the project is to directly confront the short comings related to planning and operating in isolation.
City of Morris Planning Commission Assistant
Amanda Chan a sophomore from Hopkins, Minnesota with a double major in Management and French
Ed Larson, City Manager, Site Supervisor
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
The City of Morris Planning Commission is a 7 - member citizen board appointed by the Morris City Council. The Planning Commission is the primary entity that conducts long-range planning for the city of Morris, and also serves as the board of zoning to which citizens bring requests for zoning variance. The student will work with the City Manager and the Building Official to help gather background information on several specific topics that will provide the necessary information to help the planning commission make future planning decisions.
Topics may include:
1. Review outdoor lighting standards including the lighting standards from other communities
2. Examine how to revise Morris's lawns standards to allow the planting of native prairie grasses and finding different models of ordinances from cities that allow alternative landscapes
3. Investigate standards and best practices for impervious parking surfaces.
* This project was part of the Connecting Students and Communities program that was a partnership with the Center for Small Towns and the West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.
COPC Applied Research - Student Research Assistants
Dr. Bart Finzel, Professor of Economics
Seth Arnold, UMM Student
Sam Potter, a freshman from Long Prairie, Minnesota with a double major in math and physics
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
The student researchers will work with the Stevens County Assessors office to assemble a data set on the quality characteristics of each Morris property. This information will be utilized for the COPC Applied Research - Housing Costs and Employment in Industry Sectors that examines the relationship between the cost of housing and the location of employment, the industry of employment, and the wage rate of employed residents.
Findings from this research will be an integral part of the comprehensive housing study being developed through the COPC activities. Seth and Sam will assist Dr. Finzel in further collection, compiling and analyzing of data as well and drafting report documents.
Trucking Data Analysis and Research Assistant
Dr. Stephen Burks, Professor of Economics
Matt Rousseau, a junior from Woodbury, Minnesota with a double major in statistics and mathematics
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
Dr. Stephen Burks is working on a project with a trucking firm to analyze retention patterns for the company. A student is involved with the mailing, tabulation, and reporting of survey results.
Civic Engagement Workbook for Statistics
Dr. Engin Sungur, Professor of Statistics
Dr. Jon Anderson, Associate Professor of Statistics
Dr. Chulmin Kim, Professor of Statistics
Dr. Jong-Min Kim, Assistant Professor of Statistics
Matt Zachman, with a major in Statistics
Ben Winchester, CST Staff & Instructor of Statistics
Two courses, Statistics 1601: Introduction to Statistics and Statistics 2601: Statistical Methods, are now integrated with a civic engagement component that allows for the survey, analysis, research and reporting of rural statistical indicators. Students are involved in the compilation of variables, the analysis of rural indicators, and the creation of "media reports" that are distributed to communities and counties across Minnesota.
This workbook is used as a supplement for The Introduction to the Practice of Statistics (4th ed) by Dr. David S. Moore and Dr. George P. McCabe. This workbook will follow the textbook and provide problem sets for each chapter. The primary data source for this workbook is the 2000 US Census. The Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Administration (formerly Minnesota Planning) data repository web sites, which contain a wealth of data about the area, will be used throughout these problem sets. The student will provide guidance to students completing reports and reviews submissions for publication on the website.
Symposium on Small Towns
Amy Johnson, a junior, from Litchfield, Minnesota, majoring in mathematics, statistics, and German
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
This project involves working with the Center for Small Towns, the Minnesota Rural Partners, Minnesota Public Radio, and the West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership to help with the 2006 Symposium on Small Towns and the Minnesota Rural Summit. This combined event is a celebration of rural life through a keynote speaker, community project showcases, legislative forum, and a celebratory event.
Small Town Faculty and Student Fellows Program Assistant
Amanda Olson, a junior from Windom, MN majoring in Political Science and Sociology
Ben Winchester, CST Staff
Amanda works with Dr. Greg Thorson and the Bremer Foundation Faculty and Student Fellows program, a three-year program that connects community-based problems or issues with the research interests of UMM faculty to enhance regional community development activities. Amanda surveys faculty members, identifies research areas, and provides other logistical support for the program.
21st Century Grant
Dr. Gwen Rudney, Elementary Education Professor, program evaluator
Katie Williams, a sophomore from Stillwater, Minnesota majoring in Elementary Education
David Fluegel, CST Staff
Katie will assist in evaluation activities required in providing External Evaluations services to the participating schools (Wheaton area, Browns Valley, Clinton-Graceville and Herman-Norcross) for their "Connections: Before School, After School and Summer Programs" grant funded project. This may include collecting field data through various instruments (interviews, surveys, observation "field notes") by phone, e-mail and face-to-face methods. Katie may also assist with the transcribing data from taped interviews, analyzing collected data, and drafting of reports.
USDA GIS Mapping Project
Rachel Meiser, a senior from Circle Pines, Minnesota majoring in Biology
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
Steve Wagner, USDA office, Site Supervisor
Melissa Pawlish, Research Fellow and the CERTS Coordinator, AES Regional Partnerships at the UMN Twin Cities, project supervisor
US Fish and Wildlife Service Oral History Assistant
Colleen Borgendale, freshman but a sophomore credit from Montevideo, Minnesota majoring in History
Sara Vacek, US Fish and Wildlife, Site Supervisor
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
The purpose of this project would be to work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service staff to conduct interviews with elderly citizens about their memories of local wildlife and land use practices, and how they have changed over the years. This information will provide some historical documentation about the land managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for their records and the public interest. The final outcome will be displayed at the surrounding County Historical Museums.
* This project was part of the Connecting Students and Communities program that was a partnership with the Center for Small Towns and the West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.
Artisans on the Lawn
Kate Borman, a sophomore from Crystal, Minnesota with a major in English and a minor in Art
Randee Hokanson,
Jessica Beyer, CST Staff
Kate will work with the Stevens County Historical Society on the "Artisans on the Lawn" program that will be held during Prairie Pioneer Days in July. The Museum has held a variety of events during the Pioneer Days. She will assist in the planning, and focus on marketing of the event to people outside of the county. Kate will be responsible for reviewing photos and documentation of our past "Artisans on the Lawn" events and work with the Museum staff to develop an outline of ideas for the 2006 event. After the outline is developed a timeline will be established and the student will assist to locate participating artists and working with our Marketing Specialist to design and implement marketing strategies.
* This project was part of the Connecting Students and Communities program that was a partnership with the Center for Small Towns and the West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.
