Services Overview

The Institute for Regional Development is designed to facilitate and strengthen the practical application of faculty research, teaching, and service functions. The Institute seeks to collaborate with external constituencies of the College, including:

• Local governments in the region
• Area Chambers of Commerce
• Nonprofit agencies

The Institute for Regional Development currently provides services in the following areas:

Community Development and Planning Services for Local Government

Click here for more details

Planning and Facilitation Services

• Guide a community through strategic planning and visioning process.
• Help communities work through alternatives and reach consensus on policy issues.
• Meeting, conference planning, and facilitation for local organizations.

Training Services

• Provide affordable technology training to local government and nonprofit organization employees.
• Provide GIS training courses and/or professional development workshops.
• Provide training to local government and nonprofit management teams in the areas of vision, mission, goal setting, management techniques and other areas.
• Develop individualized training programs for local cities and towns.
• Click here for more information about recent IRD training services.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Conduct survey design, data collection, and data analysis for communities, taskforces, or other interested parties in the region.
• Conduct wide scale telephone surveys and polls using the Institute for Regional Development telephone bank and trained interviewers.

Economic Development Planning and Services

• Identify resources needed to accomplish the desired economic development future of a community.
• Assist in identification and evaluation of economic development alternatives.
• Provide guidance on downtown or neighborhood commercial revitalization.
• Assist in writing community development plans or community profiles.
• Conduct needs assessment and business and industrial surveys.

Local Government Consultation Services

• Management consulting in areas such as board/manager relations, executive recruitment and pay, performance evaluation, conflict management, and teambuilding.
• Provide technical assistance on restructuring and streamlining government.
• Analyze and enhance citizen participation in local government at town meetings.
• Planning, facilitation, and analysis of community forums, focus groups, and citizen surveys.
• Analyze and enhance management systems of local government organizations.
• Municipal Customer/Citizen Service workshops, tailored specifically for your community.

Nonprofit Consultation Services

• Assistance in mission definition, goal setting, strategic planning, and implementation of new programs.
• Technical assistance designing performance evaluation systems.
• provide assistance in board recruitment, board development, and board structure and leadership.
• Assist in analyzing and managing organizational change.
• Management training and services developed specifically to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations.

Conference Services

• Hold informative conferences for the region at the John J. Moakley Center.