University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh, Appalachian Teaching Project Encompasses Connellsville and the Surrounding Area

The University of Pittsburgh, Appalachian Teaching Project encompasses Connellsville and the surrounding area Realizing Regional Resilience: Appalachian Bridges to the Future. University of Pittsburgh students, alongside an interdisciplinary team of faculty, collaborated with the Fayette County Cultural Trust (FCCT) to develop a pilot platform for community-engaged research and pedagogy about how to sustain and enhance the economic development of rural and small urban spaces in the southwestern Pennsylvania region. This interdisciplinary platform brings together a wide range of students and research skills to evaluate how to address the consequences of the rural brain drain in the post-Covid-19 era. At the start of this long-term partnership, students worked with the FCCT to identify the cultural, artistic, historic, and natural assets that are most appropriate for engaged research at this time. Through the partnership, students will have the opportunity to help FCCT in ongoing established efforts to curb the brain drain and to help identify new approaches and possibilities. As part of this project students constructed a Scope of Work and presented their findings to community partners. In addition, throughout the course students were asked to critically reflect on their experiences through prompts on a public blog. The desired outcome of this collaboration is for the team to serve as a valuable resource for their community partner and for the two to continue working towards building a more resilient future for the region. Through an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, a University of Pittsburgh study is looking at how Connellsville and other distressed communities in this area can use their resources to spur economic development and turn around a decadelong “brain drain” — where college-educated residents leave to go elsewhere for better jobs, higher pay or a different lifestyle. Bryan Schultz, director of Pitt’s global and experiential programs at Pitt’s honors college is heading this project in cooperation with the Fayette County Cultural Trust. University of Pittsburgh seniors will be spearheading this project to study area assets of Connellsville and the area, and the difficulties these assets face. These area assets include historical sites, national parks and other areas that attract visitors. The study is designed to evaluate the area’s natural resources, infrastructure assets and human capital, to basically enhance our competitive position and quality of life in the post-pandemic period. Appalachian communities such as Connellsville might become attractive places to live because of the lower cost of living at a time when working from home and flexible work schedules are becoming more popular. It’s always a good idea to see, from the younger individuals, what would attract them here and what would make them stay in this area. The Fayette County Cultural Trust gave the University of Pittsburgh students a tour of the city on October 19, 2021. The students then met with business owners and city officials who gave students a sense of what they can build on in the future. The challenges are daunting for any economic recovery in Fayette County. The poverty rate in Fayette County was 17.5% in 2019, about 21% of its population is over 65, the per capita income was only $27,360 and only 17% of the residents are college-educated, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The unemployment rate in the county was 8.3% in September, and there were 4,600 jobless workers, according to the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. The county’s unemployment rate typically is the highest among the seven counties in the Pittsburgh region. The students were impressed with how many people and organizations were committed to helping turn around the local economy. Their findings were presented to the Fayette County Cultural Trust at a meeting on November 19. Edwin Coffman, Payne Gabrielle and Jenna Vangellow, Pitt students, will continue to serve internships in Fayette County, with the Cultural Trust, to further this project. Their focus will be on beautification, solar power and other FCCT projects related to economic development initiatives. The project will continue with a different group of students in the fall of 2022. The first week of December, the Appalachian Regional Commission hosted 150 students from 15 Appalachian based colleges and universities at the 21st annual Appalachian Teaching Project (APT) Conference. APT is an applied-research academic program training college and graduate students to design community-based economic development initiatives across the Appalachian Region. As part of ATP, students enroll in a for-credit course and conduct field research to identify and solve community development issues during the fall semester. As a capstone to this work, students present their work to other student delegations from ATP participating institutions, ARC leadership, and community leaders in a formal peer-to-peer conference setting hosted by ARC. Normally, this conference is held in Washington, D.C. where students use the trip as an opportunity to meet with policy leaders and learn more about the city. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ATP Symposium was held online. Student delegations from the following schools participating in this year’s ATP gave presentations focusing on addressing community needs and challenges, economic development, tourism, and capacity building:

Alfred State College, Alfred, New York Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee Fairmont State University, Fairmont, West Virginia Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky Ohio University, Athens, Ohio Radford University, Radford, Virginia University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh — Bradford, Bradford, Pennsylvania University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia Young Harris College, Young Harris, Georgia

Since 2001, over 2,650 college and graduate students from across Appalachia have participated in the Appalachian Teaching Project. Many ATP alumnae have gone on to careers in public service, community development, and other related fields across the region. Summaries of each research project are available at www. arc.gov/atp. ATP is one of four academies and institutes sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Through these experiential learning opportunities, participants build networks, hone skills, and cultivate an enduring commitment to Appalachia’s future.