Southern Utah University plays host to this annual gathering of rural Utah leaders each August. The Utah Rural Summit, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012, is administered and presented by SUU's Office of Regional Services and the Utah Center for Rural Life at SUU.
The 2011 Utah Rural Summit took place August 11 & 12 at the Hunter Conference Center at SUU. This preview article of the Summit provides information about the program and speakers. Keynote presentations by former Utah Senator Robert F. Bennett and Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell headlined the agenda.
Additional plenary session speakers included former Snow College and current SUU President Michael Benson, and Sanpete County Commissioner and Governor's Rural Partnership Board co-chair Spencer Cox.
Robin Phelps, the foremost expert on Rural Economic Gardening, highlighted Thursday's schedule. Our special Friday closing Keynote speaker was Dr. Richard Gardner, Senior Fellow at the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, and principal consultant at Bootstrap Solutions, a firm specializing in rural development, economics, strategic planning and group facilitation.
Breakout sessions included diverse topics such as public lands and natural resources, energy development, renewable energy opportunities, Utah agriculture, rural economic development, community planning, higher education, and rural success stories. Here you can find a final agenda for the 2011 Summit as well as details about breakout sessions and speakers.
Special recognition goes to the 2011 Rural Honors Award recipients:
Robert F. Bennett, former Senator from Utah;
Maloy Dodds, long-time Garfield County Commissioner;
Utah Partners for Conservation & Development;
and the Candy Mountain Whistle Stop Trailhead project in Sevier County.
Thanks to our friends at Utah Public Radio, here are links to two live broadcasts from the Summit:
Robin Phelps and Craig Isom, Executive Director of SUU's Business Resource Center, discuss economic gardening and rural economic development on UPR's Access Utah program: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/upr/.jukebox/media/upr/981993/mp3/accessutah/podcast/359/981993.mp3
Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell on UPRNewsline: http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/upr/local-upr-982333.mp3
Planning for the special 2012 Silver Anniversary Utah Rural Summit, August 9 & 10, is already underway. For more information, to inquire about being a speaker, or to reserve your vendor or exhibit booth space, visit the official Utah Rural Summit website or contact Kathleen McDowell at Mcdowell@suu.edu or 435-586-7738.
We look forward to seeing you at the Utah Rural Summit--Where Rural Utah Meets!
