Our Mission
One of the missions of Bridgewater State College is to serve the Southeastern
Massachusetts region by working to enhance its intellectual, economic, cultural
and civic well-being. To this end, the College established the Institute for
Regional Development on September 1, 1996.
The Institute serves as the visible focal point for College initiatives related
to enhancing the quality of life in Southeastern Massachusetts. The mission
of the Institute is to serve as a resource center for the public, private, and
non-profit sectors of Southeastern Massachusetts through applied research, training,
and technical assistance programs.
IRD News
IRD Provides Valuable Workshops to Municipal Governments
April 2008-
In partnership with the Institute for Regional Development (IRD), Professor
Jodie Drapal Kluver, political science, has developed a model for municipal
training. She has presented her workshop to towns across Southeastern
Massachusetts, including Chatham, Kingston, Norwell and the City of Taunton.
Titled "Creating the Customer/Citizen Experience," the workshop focuses on
training municipal staff to reflect and understand their own predispositions in
relation to serving the public. Additionally, participants are encouraged to
explore how their own perceptual differences affect the work they do.
Participants learn tools for coping with stress and handling conflict in
challenging situations. They develop a greater awareness and comprehensive
understanding of the goals of local government and learn how to improve their
customer service to better achieve those goals.
Workshop participants are generous in their praise of the program and of the
benefits of learning how to work together as a team and to how to communicate,
essential skills in all areas of life.
Jennifer Reid, IRD project manager says, "Professor Kluver not only relates
to the challenges faced by municipal professionals in our region, but also she
shares the bigger context in terms of the importance of their roles as public
servants and gives them real tools for handling conflict and difficult
situations."
IRD to Participate in Regional Water-Usage
Study
February 15, 2008
The college's Institute of
Regional Development will play a major role in an upcoming, multi-town study of
water usage and conservation. An interdisciplinary team of BSC faculty experts
lead by
Dr. Deniz Leuenberger,
an expert in sustainable development, will work together on the project, which
is being done on behalf of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and
Environmental Affairs in partnership with the Plymouth Carver Aquifer Advisory
Committee.
The project will include the
studying of residential, business and agriculture water usage and perceptions of
water conservation issues in the Plymouth Carver Aquifer. The towns of Plymouth,
Carver, Wareham, Bourne, Plympton, Middleboro and Kingston all depend on the
Plymouth-Carver Aquifer as their principal source of water.
The faculty will implement a
citizen survey, stakeholder and citizen focus groups, and comparable community
analysis. Working closely with IRD's Project Manager
Jennifer Reid,
BSC faculty will gather data that will inform recommendations for both passive
and active water conservation methods and incentives for citizens accessing the
aquifer. The research findings will also be used to create customized,
professional water conservation education and marketing resources, tools, and
materials for use in the aquifer communities.
Other BSC participating faculty
are:
Dr. Kevin Curry,
biology;
Dr. Robert Amey,
geography;
Dr. Robert
Hellstrom,
geography; Dr. Nancy Van
Leuven,
communications; Professor
Jodie Kluver,
public administration; and
Dr. Ilter Bakkal,
economics. (Submitted)
IRD Hosts Workshop on Community Development
October 30, 2007
Anyone can plan. However,
crafting a comprehensive plan and putting it in action - especially if it
pertains to something as large as a city or town - is where things can get
tricky.
To help elected officials and
other interested citizens gain a firmer grasp on the ins and outs of municipal
planning and management, the college's
Institute for Regional Development
last week hosted the first of a two-part workshop called "Community Development:
A Blueprint for Your Future Success." During the event, representatives from
various organizations discussed topics such as strategic planning, community
revitalization, economic development and housing.
Jennifer Reid,
project manager for IRD, and,
John Fitzgerald,
urban development coordinator for the
Massachusetts Department of Housing and
Community Development,
combined efforts to create a program geared specifically for leaders in
Southeastern Massachusetts.
Part two of the workshop, to
be held on Oct. 24, will focus on project development and implementation and
finding and using available state resources.
Attendees of recent IRD workshop take it all in.
Last Modified: April 7, 2008
