by Samantha Schneider
Defining the future of rural areas and rural people is essential, not only for Nebraska, but for humanity itself.
And the mission is urgent.
Chuck Schroeder is the founding executive director of the Rural Futures Institute at the University of Nebraska. “Building broadband access for rural people in Nebraska, across the country and around the world may be the achievement that defines this era of humanity,” he said. Broadband — high-speed internet service — is commonplace in cities, but not in rural areas. Broadband means jobs, education, health care and connectivity to the global marketplace. “Opportunities today for someone in a rural setting to have contact with folks in dozens of other countries on a daily basis is a genuine reality,” Schroeder said.
“Today, the person with the big idea who is creative and who tries to understand the marketplace and use the tools available, can launch businesses with global reach,” he explained. “But it’s not just a marketplace for goods and services; it’s for educational offerings. It’s for sharing of ideas.”
In his three years heading the Rural Futures Institute, Schroeder and his team have traveled and connected, held an annual Rural Futures Conference — and created a vision for rural areas.
Strategy of hope
“My overarching goal is to create a world-class center for exploring and impacting all things rural,” Schroeder said. His strategy, first, is to assemble a team of people committed to being a part of an internationally recognized center for helping rural people. He expects to “attract and sustain financial and moral support for this enterprise that we believe may be the most important thing happening on the globe to save our species,” he said. Finally, he said, “I want to be a part of changing the narrative about rural people from one of despair to one of genuine hope and opportunity.” Access to broadband creates global access that is unprecedented for entrepreneurs, businesses and young families to become involved in communities where they can make
a difference.
Capacity, confidence, leadership
The Rural Futures Institute vision is to be internationally recognized for building capacity of people living in rural communities while also building the confidence they need to address challenges in a unique world, he said, building more resilient and sustainable futures for rural communities. A collaborative, innovative approach is being used to encourage people from all sectors, public and private, to come together to make a difference. “We hope we will be successful in building genuine hope in rural people for the kind of future they would like to have for their communities,” he said.
Much of building confidence and capacity in rural communities involves leadership. Local leaders can build communities that are “legitimate best choices” for young families. Communities can be strong economically, socially, culturally and environmentally, and strong leaders can accomplish that, Schroeder said. The Rural Futures Institute is working with its partners to create that environment. “Their vision, their notion of where they would like to be with their community is absolutely achievable,” he said.
Goals, actions, partners
Public-private partnerships are at the core of the
Rural Futures Institute; Schroder noted the Rural Futures Institute already has developed projects and partnerships throughout Nebraska:
- Competitive Awards Program encourages the faculty from the four campuses of the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis, as well as partner institutions across sectors, to partner on projects that address specific issues and opportunities in innovative ways.
- Rural Serviceship Program is a partnership with the Rural Futures Institute, the UNL Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, UNL’s Nebraska Human Resources Institute, the UNL Office of Civic Engagement and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development. High-capacity university students are recruited to go into communities for 10 weeks during the summer to solve real-world community problems.
- Rural Opportunities Fair is a partnership between the Rural Futures Institute, UNL Career Services, and chambers of commerce, economic development entities and other community organizations throughout Nebraska. They come together in one location so students can investigate career opportunities outside metropolitan areas.
- Rural Futures Fellows Program will bring together national experts — faculty, emeriti faculty, undergraduate and graduate students from around the world, plus nonprofit and rural community leaders. The fellows will consult and engage in research and education initiatives designed to make a difference in rural areas everywhere.
- Connecting Young Nebraskans is a network of nearly 600 young professionals outside of Lincoln and Omaha drawn together to share ideas and issues and to partner on projects. The Rural Futures Institute provides the group with professional development opportunities to help them build skills to be successful in today’s economic, social and cultural environment.
RFI: reflection of strength, infinity
Schroeder wears a pin wherever he goes that signifies the Rural Futures Institute. It’s a diagonal ribbon of green, intersecting with a swirl of gold. It is symbolic of infinity, but also of the environment in which rural communities are located, Schroeder said.
“From our perspective, if we want to be green as a planet, as a society, as a culture — if we want to sustain the resources that sustain human life on this planet, we’d better be worrying about strong communities in the midst of those resources,” he said. “People who are making decisions about those resources, who care about those resources, who understand those resources in their very DNA,” he added.
“That pin, that symbol is a daily reminder that we are involved in the cycle of life while we talk about entrepreneurship and building businesses. We are also in the business of trying to see that humanity can be around for many more generations and in order to do that, it takes a whole mix of things. Yes, communities have to be strong economically, but they also have to be places where people want to live, where they believe that who they are as human beings has an opportunity to grow and blossom, to be nurtured in the education system, that their health care is going to be taken care of, that they have access to the humanities. They are seeing one another in that community for the power of their differences and the things that they bring to the table.”