ETSU Students Present At Appalachian Symposium

From East Tennessee State University:

December 8, 2021

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – East Tennessee State University students earned valuable professional experience and contributed important research while participating in the 21st annual Appalachian Teaching Project Symposium, an economic development conference sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The Appalachian Teaching Project is administered by the ETSU Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, and students in the Appalachian Community Engagement course taught by Dr. Rebecca Adkins Fletcher carried out ETSU’s project.

The students in this year’s class – Jeremy Dubhros, Krystiane Evans, Richard Lloyd, Nathaniel McMullen, Kayla Rose and Ada Sloop – worked with community partners, RISE Erwin and Tyler Engle, director of the Unicoi County Economic Development Board, to design a “Southern Potteries Heritage Trail” event for the 105th anniversary of the Southern Potteries factory. The well-known regional factory operated in Erwin for decades from 1916 through 1957.

Students selected an initial group of dinnerware designs, and the community selected the final eight patterns through a Facebook poll. In addition, students conducted oral histories in support of historical markers for the Heritage Trail. Through their work, students gained firsthand experience of the process of cultural heritage event planning and the community organizing necessary for long-term sustainability of a non-profit organization.

Appalachian Community Engagement, a core course in the ETSU Master of Arts degree in Appalachian Studies, teaches students to design and lead research projects in Appalachian communities to assist in economic development and address regional challenges. Each project reflects one of four themes, program leaders said: addressing community needs and challenges, economic development, tourism and capacity building. As a capstone to this work, students normally travel to Washington, D.C. to present their work in a formal peer-to-peer conference setting hosted by the Appalachian Regional Commission. This year, due to COVID-19, the symposium was held online.

“I am so pleased that our Center is able to continue leading the Appalachian Teaching Project. This is such a unique program for bringing faculty, students, the ARC and community members together in a common cause for our region. I am grateful to the ARC for its strong support of this initiative,” said Dr. Ron Roach, chair of the ETSU Appalachian Studies Department, who has directed the project since 2015. “I want to also thank our community partners in Unicoi County and Dr. Fletcher and her students for their good work.”

Since 2001, more than 2,650 college and graduate students from across Appalachia have participated in the Appalachian Teaching Project. ETSU was one of the founding participants in the project and has participated each year since 2001, Roach said.

“Appalachia needs young leaders, like those participating in the Appalachian Teaching Project, to bring forward-thinking economic development plans to life,” said Gayle Manchin, Appalachian Regional Commission federal co-chair. “This group of change-makers is capable of creating positive impacts in our communities, and I am excited to see the lasting effects these innovative projects will have on our region long-term.”

The ETSU Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, founded in 1984, includes the Regional Resources Institute, the Archives of Appalachia and the Reece Museum. It is part of ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies, which offers the renowned Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program, graduate degrees in Appalachian Studies and in Heritage Interpretation and Museum Studies, as well as an Appalachian, Scottish and Irish Studies program with a study abroad experience, and several undergraduate minors.

For more information, contact the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies at 423-439-7494 or email Roach at ROACHR@etsu.edu.

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.