IU Center for Rural Engagement

Recordings from the 2026 IU Rural Conference are now available online!

Watch opening remarks, keynote presentations, lunch conversations, and the IU Center for Rural Engagement awards ceremony from this year’s conference.

Sessions explored community-engaged learning, rural social infrastructure, student mental health, resilience, and the partnerships strengthening rural Indiana.

View the playlist at go.iu.edu/tWIf9A.

For many Hoosier students, a field trip to the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University is their first opportunity to experience a museum up close. By creating fun, welcoming experiences for learners from across the state—including many from rural communities—the museum is inspiring the next generation of lifelong museumgoers.

Eskenazi Museum of Art creates engaging field trips for K-12 students from across Indiana For many Hoosier K-12 students, a visit to the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at IU Bloomington is their first experience coming face-to-face with...

Graduate students from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington shared their ADA-accessible pathway designs for the Orange County Community Gardens with community partners during a presentation at Lost River Co-op & Cafe in Paoli.

Through a Sustaining Hoosier Communities (SHC) partnership, students collaborated with community leaders to explore ways to improve accessibility and increase participation in the garden for visitors of all abilities.

The collaboration was recently honored by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (IUB), with Dr. Becca Lassell and community partner Brandon Query receiving the 2026 Community-Engaged Learning Partnership Award and Ph.D. student Pezhman Raeisian Parvari receiving the 2025–26 Excellence in Community-Engaged Learning Student Award.

Learn more about SHC at shc.indiana.edu.

IU Department of Health & Wellness Design

IU students are helping Indiana communities address rising utility costs.

The Indiana Energy Playbook, created by students in the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, is designed to help communities reduce energy costs, improve public facilities, and support residents and businesses facing rising utility expenses. It's been distributed to Indiana cities and towns with populations above 1,000.

Learn more and download the playbook:

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Can you guess where this is? Hint: This rural Indiana town is famous for its spring festival celebrating the flowering trees that line its streets, parks, and neighborhoods each year.

The McKinney Family Foundation has launched the Robert H. McKinney Legacy Prize, a new $250,000 award that recognizes partnerships in rural Indiana that are working together to strengthen their communities.

Priority will be given to applicant partnerships and projects that bring together nonprofits, farmers, businesses, healthcare providers, educators, and community leaders to create lasting impact and improve quality of life across their region.

Applications are open through July 31.

Learn more and apply:

Robert H. McKinney Legacy Prize Made with Framer

Student musicians from rural communities across Indiana came together through the Jacobs Virtual Academy this year, culminating in a day of collaboration, learning, and performance at IU’s Musical Arts Center.

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Beech Grove City Schools Brown County Schools Brown County High School Brown County High School Bands Brown County High School Choirs

Through his work at Beck’s Mill, IU senior Barry Swigart discovered how interpretation can help people connect more deeply with place and community. This summer, he’ll continue that work through a National Park Service internship at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin.

Read Barry's story at go.iu.edu/Wt7CGf.

Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington

At the 2026 IU Rural Conference, the IU Center for Rural Engagement honored five outstanding individuals and partnerships for their collaborative impact and commitment to strengthening rural communities across Indiana.

Meet the awardees at go.iu.edu/7cisR8.



IU College of Arts and Sciences Washington County Community Foundation Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Daviess County Historical Society Museum Odon Town Hall Department of Art History, Indiana University Bloomington

IU Center for Rural Engagement honors five awardees for contributions to rural Indiana The awards recognize excellence in student engagement, community partnership, faculty-engaged teaching, faculty-community engagement, and collaborative pa...

"Friday marked the dedication of the town’s new Montgomery Park, a project that began in 2025 after town leaders worked with Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement’s Sustaining Hoosier Communities program to develop a vision for turning an empty gravel parking lot into a focal point and place where the community could gather."

Town of Montgomery,IN

Community transforms empty lot into Montgomery Park; creates a new focal point for growth A large crowd gathered for the dedication of the new Montgomery Park Friday. The park has created a new focal point on the town's Main Street.