University News
35th Annual Rural Development Conference Feb. 28-29 in Springfield, IL
February 22, 2024
MACOMB, IL - - The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University, in conjunction with the Lt. Governor's Rural Affairs Council and Rural Partners, will host the 35th annual Rural Community Economic Development Conference Wednesday-Thursday, Feb. 28-29 at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield, IL.
The conference, with the theme "Converting Opportunities into Trends," will include session speakers discussing creative strategies for the future of rural Illinois, with breakout sessions highlighting successful community revitalization strategies and innovative practices. Topics for Wednesday include workforce development, business succession planning, cooperatives, understanding the social determinants of health, measuring community development progress, affordable housing and the state of local media in rural communities.
Thursday workshops include implementation strategies and funding opportunities related to historic preservation, main street revitalization, water infrastructure development, small-scale renewable energy and broadband deployment and digital literacy in rural community well-being.
Registration is still open and can be completed by visiting https://iira.org/conferences-trainings-and-workshops/rcedc/. For more information about the event, contact Sandy Wittig at sk-wittig@wiu.edu or Chris Merrett at cd-merrett@wiu.edu. For more information about the IIRA, visit iira.org.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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