Appalachian Regional Commission to Welcome 150 Students to Appalachian Teaching Project Symposium in Washington, D.C., November 30–December 1, 2018
ARC will host 150 students from 15 Appalachian based colleges and universities at the 18th annual Appalachian Teaching Project Conference in Washington, D.C. Supported by ARC and organized by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), ATP is an applied-research training program for college and graduate students to design community based economic development initiatives across the Appalachian Region. As a capstone to this work, students and their faculty sponsors present their work to other student delegations from ATP participating institutions, ARC leadership, and community leaders in a formal peer-to-peer symposium in Washington, D.C. Since the program began in 2001, over 2,250 college and graduate students from across the Region have participated in ATP.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Announces $26.5 Million To Diversify and Strengthen Region’s Coal-Impacted Communities
On October 11, ARC announced $26.5 million to continue expanding and diversifying the economy in Appalachia’s coal-impacted communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. These 35 awards are projected to create or retain over 5,400 jobs and leverage more than $193 million in private investment into 59 of the Region’s coal-impacted counties by supporting workforce training and education in manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and other industry sectors. They also invest in infrastructure enhancements to continue developing the Region’s tourism, entrepreneurial, and agriculture sectors, as well as increase access to community-based capital, including impact-investing funds, venture capital, and angel investment streams.
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New Research and Resources Available to Appalachia’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
A suite of new research reports and resources to support entrepreneurial development in Appalachia outline core elements necessary for a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, analyze community case studies to provide insight into the unique challenges faced by communities in Appalachia, and offer recommendations to support future economic development across the Region. A companion website at www.arc.gov/ecosystems documents and compares entrepreneurial activity in each of Appalachia’s 420 counties, and includes a working inventory of over 1,000 support services available to entrepreneurs across the Region.
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New Research and Website Highlight Health in Appalachia
Three new resources released by ARC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky offer a fresh approach to understanding health in Appalachia by focusing on community strengths and identifying local factors supporting a Culture of Health. The resources include case studies of ten “Bright Spot” counties, which have better-than-expected health outcomes; the performance-focused research methodology that helped identify these counties; and HealthinAppalachia.org, a website that explores extensive county-level health data for the Appalachian Region.
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New Data Visualization Tool Enables In-Depth, County-by-County Look at Impact of Opioid Epidemic in Appalachian Region
Developed by NORC at the University of Chicago and ARC, the Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool integrates overdose mortality rates for Appalachia's 420 counties with data on socioeconomic factors including unemployment, poverty, disability, and others.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Releases FY 2017 State-by-State Investment Overview
In February 2018, ARC released a state-by-state overview of the Commission’s fiscal year 2017 economic development investments in the Appalachian Region. The overview includes 13 state investment fact sheets, as well as a companion fact sheet outlining ARC’s regional investments during the fiscal year.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Issues Request for Proposals to Help Appalachia’s Coal-Impacted Communities Diversify and Grow Local Economies
On February 1, ARC issued a request for proposals (RFP) for 2018 POWER Initiative funding to help Appalachia's coal-impacted communities create a more vibrant economic future. The Commission is making up to $20 million available through the RFP.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Announces Research Series Examining the Impacts of Declining Coal Production on the Region’s Economy
The January 2018 research series An Economic Analysis of the Appalachian Coal Industry Ecosystem is the first comprehensive assessment of current and potential effects the changing coal industry can have on the Appalachian Region. The series' five reports explore some of the current and future economic effects of declining coal production on components of Appalachia’s coal industry ecosystem, including supply chain industries, electric power generation, and transportation, as well as funding implications for K–12 education.
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Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant Named 2018 Appalachian Regional Commission States’ Co-Chair
Chosen by his fellow Appalachian governors to serve as the Commission's 2018 states' co-chair, Bryant will work directly with the ARC federal co-chair in this leadership role to continue the agency's commitment to economic growth in the 13-state Appalachian Region.
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