Sandy Scofield
Nebraska Rural Initiative
University of Nebraska
110 Ag Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0710
(402) 472-7091, (402) 472-2374 fax

Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Panhandle Research and Extension Center
4502 Avenue I
Scottsbluff, NE 69361-4939
(308) 632-1234, (308) 632-1365 fax

Connie Francis
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Nebraska Rural Initiative
West Central Research and Extension Center
461 W. University Dr.
North Platte, NE 69101
(308) 532-3611 ext 127, (308) 532-3823 fax

Connie Hancock
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension—Cheyenne County
Nebraska Rural Initiative
920 Jackson St.
Sidney, NE 69162
(308) 254-4455, (308) 254-6055 fax

Dennis Kahl
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Nebraska Rural Initiative
Southeast Research and Extension Center
107 Mussehl Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0714
(402) 472-5602, (402) 472-3858 fax

Phyllis Schoenholz
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension—York County
Nebraska Rural Initiative
2345 Nebraska Ave.
York, NE 68467
(402) 362-5508, (402) 362-5509 fax

Dewey Teel
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Nebraska Rural Initiative
Northeast Research & Extension Center
601 E. Benjamin Ave., Suite 104
Norfolk, NE 68701-0812
(402) 370-4027, (402) 370-4010 fax

“If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got”. This familiar phrase fits a lot of situations, including community development. So what happens if an institution tries a new approach?

A team of seven Nebraska Extension Educators and three Specialists started in December 2003 to develop an 18-month pilot program focusing on community development. By pooling expertise, skills and talents, the group’s goal was to target and reach selected communities in a more holistic and intensive manner, ultimately assisting them in reaching goals of their own choosing. A wide variety of University resources, some new to community outreach, have been deployed to meet specific community needs.

Sponsored by the Nebraska Rural Initiative, the Communities of the Future effort developed several educational resources including a community benchmark tool, a system for completing informant interviews, a “wishioning” community goal setting process, and community case studies.

The group will share their initial lessons learned in organizing and implementing the pilot effort and discuss opportunities and challenges of working in dynamic community settings.