RELEASE: at once
WRITTEN: November 4, 1998
CONTACT: Shawn Presley, 740-427-5592, [email protected]
Establishment of Rural Life Center seeks to preserve America's heartland
GAMBIER, OHIO--Rural life? We already know all about it, don't we?
That might be true for some, but with acres of blacktop paving over grain fields every day, and the region's population increasing as never before, change is a force that must be recognized. Making sense of our community's future, as well as its past and present, is the mission of Kenyon College's new Rural Life Center (RLC), which has established itself as a permanent center to promote education, scholarship, and public projects about rural life.
According to RLC director Howard L. Sacks, who in 1994 was awarded Kenyon's first National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Teaching Professorship, education about the natural and social life of Knox County is essential to the College's mission. Building on the success of Sacks's Family Farm Project (1994-97), in which Kenyon students interacted with local farm families and presented their research in prizewinning public exhibitions and publications, the RLC provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty to engage with area residents in a way that enriches all parties.
Sacks sees rural study as a way of enhancing the lives of all citizens, not only college students. "In a globalizing world in which we connect through the Internet to everywhere, how do we develop a sense of place and relationships to others in ëreal-time' communities?" asks Sacks. "This has profoundly important psychological, social, and moral implications: it means not being simply an isolated person who could be anywhere."
The center debuts at a critical time for Knox County. Facing enormous development pressures as Columbus expands to the north, residents recently joined in a long-term planning initiative, "Focus 2100," to determine how to preserve rural life while accommodating growth. "One of the things we need to do as a community is take greater advantage of Kenyon's resources," Tom Heine, president of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, remarks on the valuable contribution the RLC will make to such discussions. "This opens an avenue for us to access the outstanding quality of Kenyon's faculty, administration, and staff. It really ties us all together."
Likewise, former county extension agent Mark Bennett sees the RLC as playing a crucial role in future planning. "Kenyon has always been viewed as an institution that is good, but also as one that wasn't that willing to associate with the community," says Bennett. "The Family Farm Project really put a dent in that kind of thinking. People now see Kenyon is a part of the community and more of a friend."
Currently, the RLC is a set of projects documenting and interpreting Knox County life, not a tangible gathering place. Coursework and extracurricular activities will provide opportunities for original research and creative work for students and faculty in the arts, sciences, and humanities. As was true in the Family Farm Project, students' work will be shared broadly by way of exhibitions, lectures, and publications about rural life.
The first project, "Living Together," part of Sack's fall 1998 "Fieldwork" course, focuses on the many different groups that contribute to Knox County's makeup. Students will present their research in a series of articles titled "Living Together," to be published in the Mount Vernon News. Also ongoing is a student photography competition, "Envision Knox County," in collaboration with Gregory Spaid, a professor of art at the College. Until February 1, students may submit photographs accompanied by brief narratives on Knox County life.
In early 1999, the RLC will host "Visits," a series of public conversations with area residents on aspects of county life. Topics will include defining identity in a rural setting, the healing arts (including lay practices), and land-use planning, among others.
Beyond the academic year, the RLC will host a summer "field school" in collaboration with the Library of Congress, to take place on the Kenyon campus June 13-July 3, 1999. Open (with an enrollment fee) to county residents, teachers, local historians, and others interested in documenting their communities, the school will feature nationally recognized experts in all aspects of fieldwork: documentary photography, interviewing techniques, media for field use, and handling of archival materials. Participants will work on a project entitled "Life Along the Kokosing," examining the natural and social history of the river. A proposed activity named in the final "Focus 2100" plan, this project promises to become a long-term effort.
Finally, the RLC is in the process of building partnerships with institutions concerned about rural life. The Bailey Scholars Program at Michigan State University's College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, a group of students and faculty members learning together as peers, plans to visit the RLC and has invited Kenyon students to visit and examine the Michigan program. Another partnership has emerged based on common interests. The Kellogg Foundation-funded Rural Sociological Society, which seeks to mainstream the study of rural issues in the college curriculum, is enthusiastic about the innovative teaching methods and mission of the RLC. "Getting out and about" is a good thing, Howard Sacks says; it enables students "to see the broader significance of their work at Kenyon."
For Christina Le Stage, a student involved in the "Fieldwork" course, perhaps nothing shapes students' experiences at the College more than its embeddedness in country life. In her view, "The value of the RLC goes two ways: it's great to learn about Knox County, and it's a great way for the community to get to know Kenyon students and to improve the relationship with the College."
If you would like to become involved in RLC projects, contact Sacks at 740-427-5850 or via e-mail at [email protected].
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