Team Coordinator
Brian Whitacre
504 Ag Hall
405-744-9825
Team Administrator
Mike Woods
308 Ag Hall
405-744-6161
CRED – TIP
Priorities (No Order Implied)
A. Develop a statewide Oklahoma PRIDE certification program. This will target both businesses and communities. While the PRIDE program is a successful hospitality and customer service program, it needs to be customized for specific communities. There is a high demand for this type of program and we currently do not have the materials or program format to respond. A potential research topic from this priority is program evaluation.
B. Develop a twofold approach to agritourism. One is to develop a management and entrepreneurship program for land owners. Second is to approach agritourism from the standpoint of hospitality training. The latter or some combination of the two programs may evolve to a certification curriculum. This may also involve the Food and Agricultural Products Center. One related research effort within this area is the economic impacts of a hospitality tax (at the city, county, or state level).
C. Identify traits and characteristics that lead to successful entrepreneurial efforts. In Oklahoma, what does an “entrepreneurial community” look like? Rural communities across Oklahoma are facing serious challenges to sustainability and economic vitality. Increasingly, local leadership is called upon to face these challenges in new and creative ways. Entrepreneurial communities have been described as communities where significant social and entrepreneurial activity exists and where there is an effective system of entrepreneurial development. What tools and techniques work in building an entrepreneurial community? What are the traits and characteristics that lead a community to successful efforts? Assistance can take the form of business incubators, micro enterprise programs, angel capital networks, revolving loan funds, technology transfer programs, youth entrepreneurship programs, and much more. Which tools are most effective and how should the tools be chosen and utilized? These are all questions posed by this research project.
D. Build Community by Linking Leadership Development and Economic Development. Citizens give shape and vision to their communities. Today’s rural communities are challenged to address the social and economic issues facing them. These challenges are diverse and fast changing, requiring local adults and youth with skills and abilities to identify and position rural communities to function and survive in this environment. Such a challenge requires dynamic and skillful leadership. This leadership requires a basic understanding of the internal and external economic forces that affect a local economy. There is also a need to understand the past and current economic trends and how to utilize current and emerging technology to expand and enhance jobs, income, and quality of life, and to maintain and enhance local services and infrastructure such as fire, water, medical, an etc. Community board members (both elected and volunteer) require training as well.
E. Develop and expand eXtension program materials both for county educator training but also have a public-oriented (community of practice) section of the website. It may include sets of FAQs. Then make the website readily available throughout Oklahoma.
F. Community economic development curriculum with a “certification” or even degree-based program targeted to educators and our community partners. This program builds on previous successful efforts to provide intensive training efforts on community development within an “institute” framework. Continuing education credit would be offered at a minimum but college-credit may be considered.