“Our collaboration with Daviess County has provided meaningful experience for our students who are stepping into the leadership roles of tomorrow,” said Denny Spinner, Center for Rural Engagement executive director. “Sustaining Hoosier Communities boosts rural Indiana’s vitality and builds professional pathways that align with students’ aspirations."

In the 2025-26 academic year, Sustaining Hoosier Communities will hold an alumni community year, launching projects with previous partners in Lawrence, Orange, Greene, Washington, Dubois, and Daviess counties. Upcoming projects will focus on increasing access to healthcare, fundraising and grant writing for rural nonprofit organizations, business planning and strategies for future growth and engagement along the Monon South Trail corridor.

The August 28 celebration is free and open to the public. Dinner will be served by Gasthof Amish Village. Those planning to attend should RSVP at events.iu.edu/rural.

The IU Center for Rural Engagement improves the lives of Hoosiers through collaborative initiatives that discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. Working in full-spectrum community innovation through research, community-engaged teaching and student service, the center builds vision, harnesses assets and cultivates sustainable leadership structures within the communities with which it engages to ensure long-term success.