Rural Issues
Chair: Peggy Pittman-Munke (Murray State University)
APM Assignment: 2023–2025
Co-Chair: Cora Jackson (Walden University)
APM Assignment: 2024–2026
This Track seeks to showcase consideration of education, history, and practice related to rural issues. There is a real need to bring together people who have interest in diverse areas related to rurality. These include special issues related to education, such as recruitment and retention of faculty; development of field agencies, and values and ethical issues that are unique to rural practice. Papers related to the history of rural practice are especially important because much of this information is being lost. Other important topics are community and economic development, diversity issues (or lack of diversity), agency and board development in rural communities, the need for regional collaboration and networking, and the development of political influence regarding social and economic issues that are important to rural areas. Further areas of interest are the changing complexion of rural areas and the increasing complexity of service in what are becoming highly diverse populations in some rural areas.