150 Appalachian College Students Convene in Washington, D.C. to Present Ideas for Appalachia’s Future
ARC will host 150 students from 15 Appalachian based colleges and universities at the 19th 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.
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New Research by ARC Finds Positive Post-Recession Employment Growth in Region, Yet Rate Lags Behind Country As A Whole
ARC released a new report examining employment and earnings across the Region. Drawing on data from 15 industry sectors, the report catalogues how the Region’s industrial make-up and earnings compare to that of the country as a whole.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Announces $44.4 Million to Diversify Region’s Coal-Impacted Economies
On October 8, 2019, ARC announced $44.4 million to continue supporting economic diversification in the Region’s coal-impacted communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Announces Appalachian Leadership Institute Fellows for 2019–2020
ARC announced 40 Fellows who will be participating in the inaugural class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute. The class draws on each one of Appalachia’s 13 states, and includes public policy, community development, education, investment, and other professionals who live and/or work in the Region.
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ARC Accepts Substance Abuse Advisory Council Recommendations for Strengthening Regional Recovery Ecosystems
ARC’s Substance Abuse Advisory Council (SAAC) presented a final Report of Recommendations outlining proposed steps for supporting a robust recovery ecosystem in Appalachia, including developing community playbooks, model workforce training programs, employer toolkits, and community navigation programs.
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ARC Announces County Economic Status Designations for Fiscal Year 2020
ARC released its County Economic Status Designations for Fiscal Year 2020, which annually ranks the economic status of each of the Region's 420 counties using a composite index formula drawing on national data. According to ARC's County Economic Status Designations for Fiscal Year 2020, 80 counties will be considered distressed, the lowest number of designated distressed counties since 2008.
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ARC Releases The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from 2013–2017
ARC released The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2013–2017 American Community Survey, also known as "The Chartbook." Drawing from the American Community Survey and comparable Census Population Estimates, the report contains over 300,000 data points about Appalachia’s demographics, income, employment, as well as education, computer access, housing, and transportation and other indicators—all presented at the regional, subregional, state, and county level with comparisons to the rest of the nation. The Chartbook also examines data change over recent years to show trends.
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ARC Announces Substance Abuse Advisory Council
ARC announced the formation of the Substance Abuse Advisory Council (SAAC), a 24-member volunteer advisory group of leaders from law enforcement, recovery services, health, economic development, private industry, education, state government and other sectors. The SAAC will develop recommendations for ARC to consider as part of a strategic plan to build and strengthen a recovery ecosystems in Appalachian communities by drawing on their own experiences, as well as community insight gathered during ARC’s six recent Regional Recovery-to-Work Listening Sessions.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Issue Brief Offers Practical Recommendations to Address Opioid Misuse
The final reports in the Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia research initiative are a set of three issue briefs created to help inform community efforts related to the specific, prevalent Appalachian health issues of obesity, opioid misuse, and smoking.
This brief summarizes relevant health statistics, offers key strategies and resources for communities to explore, and provides recommendations for community leaders, funders, and policymakers aimed at reducing health disparities in the Appalachian Region related to opioid misuse.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Offers New Training Program To Build Long Term Community Capacity
On April 8, 2019, ARC began accepting applications for the inaugural class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute a new leadership and economic development training opportunity for community leaders who currently live and/or work in Appalachia. The Appalachian Leadership Institute is an extensive nine-month program focusing on skill-building, seminars, best practice reviews, field visits, mentoring, and networking. The curriculum will be anchored by six multi-day seminars around the region, followed by a capstone graduation in Washington, DC.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Announces $3.3 Million to Continue Economic Growth in Region’s Coal-Impacted Communities
On April 3, 2019, ARC announced announced $3.3 million to continue supporting economic diversification in the Region’s coal-impacted communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. These investments focus on strengthening responses to the substance abuse crisis Kentucky and Ohio, and building a sustainable local food system in North Carolina.
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Appalachian Regional Commission’s $125.6 Million Investments Made During FY 18 to Attract $1.5 Billion in LPI and Create/Retain 26,600 Jobs Region Wide
In February 2019, ARC released a state-by-state overview of the Commission’s fiscal year 2018 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 Announces $22.8 Million To Diversify and Strengthen Region’s Coal-Impacted Communities
On February 21, 2019, ARC announced announced $22.8 million to expand and diversify the economy in Appalachia’s coal-impacted communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. These 33 awards are projected to create or retain nearly 1,000 jobs, benefit over 3,300 students and workers, and leverage more than $21.8 million in private investment into manufacturing, agriculture, technology, substance abuse recovery, broadband development, and other industry sectors across coal-impacted communities in nine Appalachian states.
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New Research Documents Economic Resilience Across Appalachia
Strengthening Economic Resilience in Appalachia, identifies factors common across communities experiencing persistent economic growth in the aftermath of the 2008 Recession and other economic disruptions. The research includes a statistical analysis of key factors common to economic resilience, as well as a guidebook featuring ten communities that have rebounded after experiencing significant economic shocks.
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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to Serve as 2019 Appalachian Regional Commission States' Co-Chair
Chosen by his fellow Appalachian governors to serve as the Commission's 2019 states' co-chair, Cooper 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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