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ARC NEWS ROUNDUP | September 13, 2018 | VOLUME 3, ISSUE 36
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SPECIAL DISPATCH: Tupelo, Mississippi
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Scenes from the Appalachian Regional Commission business meeting and annual summit.
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Appalachia Works: Expanding Opportunities for Our Region's Future
TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI—Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who is serving as this year’s ARC States Co-Chair, welcomed ARC Federal Co-Chair Tim Thomas to his first official Commission business meeting with representatives of each of the Region’s 13 states to discuss priorities, funding, and other issues critical to ARC’s operations. Among the topics covered included a robust discussion on how, as an economic development agency, ARC can focus its efforts to engage in the Region’s drug abuse epidemic. Noting that overdose-related mortality for all Appalachians in their prime working years (ages 25–44) is more than 70 percent higher than the same age group in the non-Appalachian U.S., Federal Co-Chair Thomas, Governor Bryant, and the rest of the Commission agreed to make this an ARC priority for the forthcoming year. The business meeting also included special presentations from two Mississippi high schoolers who attended this year’s ARC/ORNL Summer STEM Institute, and the CREATE Career Expo engaging 7,000 Mississippi eighth-graders sponsored by the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund at CREATE and supported by ARC.
The Commission meeting was a prelude to Appalachia Works: Expanding Opportunities for Our Region’s Future, ARC’s annual conference. As part of Governor Bryant's opening remarks this morning, he reviewed how each of ARC's five strategic investment goals are being deployed successfully across Appalachian Mississippi and the rest of the state. ARC Federal Co-Chair Thomas also noted the wide range of economic activity happening across the Region. “There’s a variety of things going on in Appalachia, and that’s one of the strengths of the Region,” he said to the 350 community leaders, economic developers, and practitioners in attendance. “Every state has somewhat different needs and different approaches to economic and workforce development. That’s where the flexibility of ARC comes in.”
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Closing Tomorrow: ARC Seeks Proposals to Continue Health Research
ARC is accepting proposals to synthesize the findings of the health research initiative "Creating a Culture of Health: Disparities and Bright Spots," identify health challenges in Appalachia, and recommend practical strategies and actions to address those challenges. ARC is also accepting proposals for a separate project to conduct an assessment of the Appalachian Diabetes Control and Translation Project, a network of community-based health coalitions that use local action to prevent and control diabetes in Appalachia's economically distressed counties. Both proposals due September 14, 2018. Read the RFPs.
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ARC Seeks Proposals to Create the Appalachian Leadership Institute
Help create the Appalachian Leadership Institute! ARC is accepting proposals from partners to develop a leadership program preparing state and local leaders to work for future improvements in the Region. Proposals due October 19, 2018. Read the RFP.
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ARC is recruiting for Director, Division of Business and Talent Investment. This new leadership position will manage plan, develop, and evaluate ARC investments in accordance with the agency's strategic plan. Learn more about this position and other job opportunities at ARC.
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