Washington, D.C., – The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently hosted 150 students from 15 Appalachian-based colleges and universities at the 19th annual Appalachian Teaching Project (ATP) Symposium in Washington, D.C. The symposium’s primary framing question is “how do we build on community assets to shape a positive future for Appalachia?”

To prepare for the ATP Symposium, student delegations are enrolled in a for-credit academic course to design and lead research projects in Appalachian communities to address regional challenges. Each ATP project focuses on one of five themes: outdoor recreation & tourism development; workforce barriers, community health and the opioid crisis; community development through cultural heritage and the arts; community planning and asset development; and Appalachian waterways and parks. As a capstone for the coursework, students and their faculty sponsors travel to Washington, D.C. to present their work to other student delegations, ARC leadership, and community leaders at the Symposium.

“I am very proud of the 150 students in Washington, D.C., this week to continue their important coursework on building a better future for their communities,” said ARC Federal Co-Chairman Tim Thomas. “These students are engaged in work that benefits an entire region, and I am looking forward to their presentations. I also want to recognize the important work the 15 institutions represented this week, representing a full spectrum of higher learning institutions in our region, do year in and year out for thousands of students across our region.”

Student delegations from 15 schools in 11 Appalachian states featured at the 2019 ATP Symposium this year include:

• Alfred State College, Alfred, New York

• Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina

• Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

• East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee

• Fairmont State University, Fairmont, West Virginia

• Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland

• Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania

• Ohio University, Athens, Ohio

• Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, Cumberland, Kentucky

• Union College, Barbourville, Kentucky

• University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia

• University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, Pennsylvania

• University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

• Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

• Young Harris College, Young Harris, Georgia

For a complete list of project descriptions and participants, please click here.