Welcome!

You have arrived at the Initiative for the Future of Rural Oklahoma (IFRO) web site at Oklahoma State University.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Initiative is a new outreach effort to develop community-level and county-level leadership training programs that will directly benefit Oklahomans living in rural communities.

To read more about the program's philosophy and goals, please read the message from the Associate Dean.

The Goals of the Program

Enhance and develop the effectiveness of community leaders and Extension Educators to identify and address critical issues confronting the community and county, especially those relating to leadership and community economic development.

Demonstrate to the community/county the full range of assistance available from OCES through Oklahoma State University, the land-grant university of Oklahoma.

Provide a long-term commitment to selected communities in order to aid implementation of development efforts.

Document impacts of the pilot projects with thorough evaluation.

Set the stage for an ongoing program.

How to Use This Site:

This web site has been created to keep you informed about the IFRO grant program, help you create an effective proposal for your community, and provide a virtual community where your questions can be answered and you can share ideas with leaders in other communities.

At present, there are a number of resources and links already on the web site. Areas of interest include an electronic version of the Request for Proposals document that you can use to submit a proposal for your community, and a list of the members of the Initiative task force. Additionally, there are a number of links to useful resources you may find helpful as you prepare your proposal, as well as a collection of program evaluation resources that will become important as you plan how to evaluate the success of your community's project.

As a companion to the Initiative, this web site will be active for at least the next three years. So you can expect to see enhancements in the coming weeks and months, including information on other communities' projects, announcements, more resources, and opportunities for you to interact with Extension professionals and others involved in the program.