University of Southern Indiana - Extended Services: Regional Outreach

Regional Outreach and Economic and Workforce Development

The University of Southern Indiana identifies service to the region and the state as important components of its mission. Many of USI's diverse outreach efforts are managed by Extended Services, including:

Center for Applied Research
The Center for Applied Research, a department within Extended Services, serves as a "front door" for businesses and organizations wishing to work with USI. The Center mobilizes the resources of the University, including its faculty, students, and staff, to help regional businesses and organizations thrive.

Connect with Southern Indiana
Connect with Southern Indiana is sponsored by the University of Southern Indiana and funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment to boost Indiana’s retention of intellectual capital. Its purpose is nurturing citizenship to enhance the quality of life in the region. At the heart of the program is strengthening critical thinking—helping participants learn about and strengthen their skills, their options, and their opportunities for involvement in community and regional projects. The application deadline for the 2008 program is October 8.

Workforce Development
The Organizational & Professional Development Group (OPD) works with area Chambers of Commerce to enhance workforce development by creating and analyzing surveys, leading strategic planning sessions, conducting workshops, and consulting on human resource issues.

The 2007 President's Task Force on Workforce and Economic Development recently completed its work of gathering information on USI's leadership and responsiveness in regional economic development. Click the link above to read or download the report.

Heritage Tourism
Historic Southern Indiana (HSI) is dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and promoting historical, natural, and recreational resources of the twenty-six counties in the southern portion of Indiana. As a community outreach program of the University of Southern Indiana that focuses on economic and educational development, HSI hosts workshops, produces publications, conducts visitor research, and facilitates and coordinates with many groups and agencies with the goal of creating a sense of regional identity and pride.

Historic New Harmony works to preserve and promote the special historical resources of New Harmony, Indiana. Programs include tours for the public and educational groups as well as special events such as Heritage Week and Holiday in Harmony.

Other USI Outreach Initiatives
USI is an active participant in a wide variety of regional educational, cultural, and economic development efforts. Some of these include:

USI is the education partner at Innovation Pointe, Evansville's Certified Technology Park headquarters.
See USI classes available at Innovation Pointe.
USI manages the Southern Indiana Japanese School, a Saturday program for children of Japanese employees of several area corporations. The school is open to any child fluent in Japanese.
The New Harmony Theatre presents an annual summer season of plays featuring both equity actors and area talent.
The RopeWalk Writers Retreat will celebrate its 20th anniversary in June 2008. RopeWalk annually brings nationally prominent writers who are also excellent teachers to work with small groups and individuals in New Harmony.
Service Learning, an approach to pedagogy that links classroom teaching with real world experiences, benefits both students and the community. This program is just beginning at USI in fall 2007.

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