Carter County, for years, enjoyed a thriving downtown and good employment options. But after the manufacturing plants closed and two major floods, residents began moving out of the county, taking jobs with them.
Determined to see a bright future for Carter County, community members set to work with The Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky and others to plan for an improved and sustainable future.

To learn more about The Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) https://cedik.ca.uky.edu

The Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) emerged as a college level unit within the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) in 2010. CAFE administration recognized the need for both an internal source of professional development and instruction for students and county extension agents, as well as an external reach to Kentucky communities with programming and research that focused on community and economic development.

The land grant mission of instruction, extension, and research form the three main goals of CEDIK: to provide all Kentucky Cooperative Extension Personnel professional development and training in community, economic, and leadership development topics regardless of program area; to assist Kentucky community leaders, organizations and extension personnel directly with economic and community development efforts; and to produce quality research that supports innovative community, economic, and leadership development programming.

A distinguishing feature of the initiative is that CEDIK is not just the work of one department in the College. CEDIK’s extension and research faculty are housed within several different CAFE departments (Agricultural Economics, Community and Leadership Development and Landscape Architecture), as well as the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management in the School of Human and Environmental Sciences. CEDIK faculty collaborate on innovative community and economic development programming, training and research that serve audiences across the state and the South.

Statewide, CEDIK has ongoing partnerships with the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, the State Office of Rural Health, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, Kentucky Association for Economic Development and Kentucky Hospital Association. Regionally, CEDIK works closely with the Southern Rural Development Center and Purdue Center for Regional Development.

Three broad themes characterize the work of CEDIK; Building engaged communities, Building vibrant economies, and Building strong healthcare systems throughout Kentucky.

CEDIK conceptualizes engaged communities as:

Communities where creativity is cultivated.

Communities with a strong sense of place and identity.

Communities with people who are proud and eager to share what their community is about with others.

Communities that engage their youth with planning and projects, and really listen and support their unique
vantage point.

Communities willing to “roll up their sleeves” and tackle the tough issues together.

CEDIK characterizes vibrant economies as:

Communities with a vibrant main street.

Communities that support entrepreneurs and businesses at all stages of their growth.

Communities that recognize the importance of a diverse local economy.

Communities that have strong, citizen-driven leadership.

And CEDIK believes that strong healthcare systems include:

Healthcare that is responsive to the changing needs of the communities served.

Healthcare systems that coordinate and collaborate across facilities and regions.

Healthcare systems that address both acute crisis care and preventative care.

Healthcare systems that educate and are educated by the communities served.

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Produced by Brian Volland at The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. For additional questions or for more information on this story, please contact: Lori Garkovich - [email protected]

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