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News from |
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Michael D. Chason Director of Public
Relations ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Hwy |
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For IMMEDIATE Release September 24, 2009
ABAC
Students Working on Telfair County Project
TIFTON--Students
and faculty involved in the new bachelor’s degree program in Rural Studies at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College met with leadership from Telfair County on
Sept. 22 to work on a class project which is bound to pay dividends for the
residents of the area.
According
to Dr. Bobbie Robinson, Dean of the ABAC School of Liberal Arts and one of the
faculty teaching the Introduction to Rural Studies class, “Students were asked
to divide up into three groups to research areas that representative leadership
from Telfair County felt might need work. We appreciate very much these
community leaders assisting our students with the project, and we hope our
students will be able to give back to Telfair County.”
Dr.
Niles Reddick, Vice President of Academic Affairs, co-teaches the Rural Studies
introductory class with Robinson. He was very enthusiastic about the new
Rural Studies program and the students’ project in Telfair County.
“Service
learning is a very important component for all ABAC students, but we certainly
wanted our students in the new Rural Studies program to get real-world
experience in dealing with areas they are studying in the degree program:
Social and Community Affairs, Arts and Culture, and Business and Economic
Development,” Reddick said.
Reddick
said Rural Studies is a first-of-its-kind degree program that has received
local, state and national attention.
“It
often seems like rural communities are the ones who need the most attention and
don’t get it,” Reddick said.
Reddick
said students are working on a project that focuses on issues related to
tourism possibilities for Telfair County, and the downtown communities of
Helena, McRae, and Lumber City. Another portion of the project will
concentrate on the arts of Telfair County.
“We
are proud of the dedication and enthusiasm of our students toward the project
and know they will do well,” Reddick said.
Robinson
echoed those thoughts.
“They
are already making plans for their projects and developing plans to return for
further research,” Robinson said. “They felt genuinely welcomed by
community members who were very forthcoming with information and a strong
desire to offer whatever assistance they need.”
For more information about the ABAC Bachelor’s
degree in Rural Studies, prospective students can contact Paul Willis at (229) 391-4906
or visit www.abac.edu/ruralstudies.
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