PROPEL Rural Scholars complete research projects

The University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government is helping build relationships between Georgia’s rural communities and future leaders through the PROPEL Rural Scholars program.

In the program’s third year, 15 UGA undergraduate students learned about rural Georgia and worked alongside UGA Public Service and Outreach mentors and community leaders on applied research projects in communities across the state.

“The PROPEL Rural Scholars program provides students a unique opportunity not only to partner with their peers from different disciplines but also to collaborate with community leaders and gain real-world experience,” said Rob Gordon, director of the Institute of Government.

The PROPEL Rural Scholars program is an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduate UGA students as part of the nationally recognized PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) program, led by the UGA Institute of Government.

Over the course of an academic year, students selected as PROPEL Rural Scholars gain knowledge and experience that will empower them to take roles in economic development, community development and civic leadership. The program has received support from the Langdale Foundation, UGA Foundation and UGA Parents Leadership Council.

The 2024-2025 PROPEL Rural Scholars attended seminars throughout the fall led by Institute of Government experts on topics such as demographic trends, small businesses, and community development. They also visited Crisp and Pulaski counties, where they engaged with local leaders and learned about economic development.

During the spring semester, they split into four teams to work with participating PROPEL communities on projects focusing on workforce development, rural housing, tourism and community resilience.

“PROPEL Rural Scholars has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my undergraduate career. Being part of PROPEL has pushed me to align my career in legislative policy with that of rural development, and I could not be more thankful,” said Ansley Greer, a fourth-year agribusiness student who worked on a project in Baldwin County.

In Baldwin County, students used data from the Georgia Department of Labor and Milledgeville-Baldwin County’s Business Retention and Expansion Program (BREP) survey to inform plans to revitalize a quarterly employer forum program to address local employer needs.

“They’ve given us a completely tangible tool that we’ll use moving forward to structure these forums,” said Jonathan Jackson, executive director of the Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville-Baldwin County. “PROPEL is community-driven, and that was reflected in the student project.”

A second group of students built a menu of strategies rural communities will be able to use to address housing issues focusing on supply, stability, subsidy and sustainability.

“The PROPEL Rural Scholars program has been such a great opportunity to take what we learn in the classroom and see how it applies to communities,” said Olivia Cook, a third-year agribusiness student who worked on the housing research project. “I learned a lot about housing, including a program that my own community participated in that I didn’t know about.”

Other student teams worked with Crisp County on ideas to boost local tourism through a niche museum and with Emanuel County on community resilience following Hurricane Helene.

PROPEL, launched in 2021, guides rural cities and counties through a multi-step process to develop and implement a plan to advance their economies and helps communities build resiliency and capacity for long-term economic success. The program was awarded top honors in the Place category at the 2023 University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Awards of Excellence.

Learn more about PROPEL at cviog.uga.edu/propel.