News related to Capacity Development and Extension

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Prof. Al Lauzon has been named the interim director of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) effective November 1, 2015. 

Lauzon will assume interim director duties as Prof. Wayne Caldwell serves as interim dean of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC).

Thanks to donations from the Libro Credit Union and OAC alumni George and Lorna Roberts and George and Geri Klosler a total of one million dollars has been raised in support of the Libro Professorship in Regional Economic Development for Southwestern Ontario. The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development looks forward to embarking upon a search to fill this position.

Rural communities are experiencing a drastic shift in their populations as more and more people choose to move to urban areas in search of employment. This shift presents significant challenges to the survival of those rural communities.  Without jobs and people, rural communities face challenges of survival with decreasing tax dollars, income generation for local businesses and enrolment in local schools.

SEDRD student Faria Rashid, in the capacity development and extension program, successfully competed for one of four highly sought after Canadian student intern postings to the United Nations.

This summer Faria joined UNA-Canada's International Development & Diplomacy Internship Programme (IDDIP) as a Junior Professional Consultant. She is assigned to UNDP's Bangladesh's Poverty Reduction Cluster group.

Seven years after receiving her undergraduate degree, Ashley Honsberger decided it was time to return to school. Her career focus on farm business management was missing the international development link she longed for. To reset her career path, she pursued a Master’s of Science in Capacity Development and Extension (CDE) at the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.  Read her research story "Learning the Art of Adaptability"

Graduate Students Hosted 2nd Annual SEDRD Conference

As a unique interdisciplinary department at the University of Guelph, the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) brings together rural studies, landscape architecture, planning, and capacity development to look at rural development from various angles. Last year, the SEDRD annual conference served as a forum for student researchers from the four above-mentioned programs to present research, foster connections, and exchange ideas. The success of last year’s conference was repeated and topped this year.

Facilitation is a transferable skill that can help practitioners in many fields engage people, transfer knowledge, and reach broad audiences. Dr. Jim Mahone, Professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph, has a knack of bringing out the inner facilitator in his students.

The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development will host a Graduate Program Information Night on Wednesday, February 11th, 2015 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the Landscape Architecture Building Lobby (LA Pit).

This is a chance to learn about the graduate degrees we offer in Landscape Architecture, Rural Planning, and Capacity Development and Extension.  You can also learn about our PhD in Rural Studies.  This is a chance to chat with profs, current students & alumni, and learn about career opportunities.  You can also enjoy some free pizza!