Abstract

The Appalachian Leadership Clearinghouse at Auburn Project will develop and test a model for university support of leadership development in ARC counties. A key element will be the linking of university students from Alabama's ARC region with leader/mentors in community service projects for selected ARC communities. The service projects are intended to begin building community leadership teams by demonstrating the value of service and the impact that volunteer efforts can have on a community. The mechanism for linking students, local leader/mentors, community needs, and leadership training resources will be the Appalachian Leadership Clearinghouse at Auburn, which will be maintained at Auburn University. The students will receive special training before the projects begin, apply that training in the projects, and then share the lessons learned with other student and mentor participants via Website information system. The Website will contain a list of available leadership programs for the benefit of communities that do not already have them and a list of graduates from this ARC leadership program and other (local) programs for the purpose of identifying community leaders in the ARC.

Objectives

1. The percentage of Appalachian residents participating in leadership development programs aimed at community improvement will substantially increase.
2. All communities and community organizations will have access to capacity-building activities to enhance their ability to marshal resources, plan, and develop solutions to local problems.

Leadership of the Program

The Student Success Center, a division of Auburn University Student Affairs, will provide the leadership of the Appalachian Leadership Clearinghouse at Auburn Project. Partners in the project will come from across campus in a joint effort to train, identify and match students with mentors, community leaders in Appalachian Region Communities, in order to participate in and build civic capacity. This collaborative effort will use the energies and expertise of the ARC residents, communities, community organizations and Auburn University resources to meet its goals.

Regional and Local Benefits

1. Students from Alabama's ARC region will receive special leadership training at Auburn University and practical experience in the region.
2. Involvement of local leader/mentors will help to stimulate local interest in community service.
3. Networking and successful service experiences will increase the probability that the students will return to the region after graduation and become active in civic affairs.
4. Communities can then use the database of leadership programs to select the ones most suitable for them.
5. The graduates of these programs will be asked to allow their names to be included in the database of leaders, thereby building a mass of identified community leaders and potential leaders who may serve as mentors for university students in the future
6. Most importantly, the Web based available data developed by this project will enhance the ability of communities to marshal resources, plan, and develop solutions to local problems.

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