We often hear from our alumni, “I graduated CDI and loved the experience! I wish I could do it all over again.”
…. your CDI journey doesn’t have to be over!
If you are a graduate of CDI (no matter what year you graduated), we encourage you to attend the CDI Advanced Year, a one-of-a-kind experience where you can further develop and put the skills you learned during CDI into action. You also get to directly uplift and positively impact a local Arkansas community.
During the CDI Advanced Year, you will learn best practices and sharpen the following skills:
- Community research (utilizing online research, community demographics, and surveying)
- Facilitation of focus groups and small group or one-on-one interviewing
- SWOT analysis
- Asset-based community development
- Public speaking
- Consensus building
- Community goal development
You will also have the opportunity to dive deep into learning about a unique Arkansas community and connect with local leaders and citizens in that community. Communities that have participated as the CDI Advanced Year community in the past include: Paris, Heber Springs, Lonoke, Alma, Sheridan, Camden, Beebe, Monticello, Mountain View, and Murfreesboro (learn more about those communities below).
The Advanced Year class completes a First Impressions Tour assessment of the Advanced Year community, including: online research, driving and walking tours, community focus groups, and survey analysis. The class shares their first impressions with citizens and community leaders and their insights are compiled into a report for the community to utilize for future planning and development.
CDI 2024 Advanced Year in Greenbrier, Morrilton, and Vilonia
The CDI Advanced Year class will travel throughout Central Arkansas to explore three communities: Vilonia, Morrilton, and Greenbrier. The class will hear from local leaders and state experts, deep-diving into topics such as education, workforce development, outdoor recreation, infrastructure, and more. They will also provide these communities with strategic recommendations.
CDI 2023 Advanced Year in Murfreesboro
The 2023 Advanced Year community is Murfreesboro!
Murfreesboro leadership will work directly with a small group of CDI graduates (community and economic development experts) to develop a high-level community assessment. To develop the assessment, during the week of the CDI (July 31 – August 4), the CDI 2023 graduates will conduct online research, interviews with community leaders, an online focus group, a driving tour, and informal interviews with residents.
Through their work, they will develop and share a community presentation that outlines key opportunities and community leaders and develop a report that the community can utilize in future planning efforts.
Murfreesboro is located in the southwest corner of the state around 2.5 hours from Little Rock. The area is known for tremendous geological diversity and is home to Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond site in the nation open to the public. For a small fee, visitors can dig for diamonds and other gemstones at the park and keep what they find. The city is also the gateway to Lake Greeson and the Little Missouri River. Lake Greeson was formed when the Narrows Dam was built on the Little Missouri River in 1950. The dam and lake were the result of the efforts of Martin White Greeson for whom the lake was renamed around 1976. Until that time the lake was known as Narrows Lake. Lake Greeson has great fishing for striped bass, black bass, crappie, bream, catfish, white bass and smallmouth bass. Lake Greeson is also stocked with northern pike and walleye. The Little Missouri River, above and below Lake Greeson, is stocked with rainbow trout.
UCA staff has been working with the community of Murfreesboro to develop a community survey and garner citizen interest in the Advanced Year process. More details will be coming soon!
CDI 2022 Advanced Year in Mountain View
Mountain View is famous for the preservation of folkways and traditional music. It was natural for the Arkansas Folk Festival to be founded here in the early 1960s, and the Ozark Folk Center State Park followed in 1973. The town, located deep in the Ozarks is surrounded by mountains and rivers, offers many outdoor activities that include caving at Blanchard Springs Caverns and fly fishing on the White River. The 50-mile Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail is also nearby. Mountain View is also home to Ozarka College.
Mountain View leadership worked directly with a small group of CDI graduates (community and economic development experts) to develop a high-level community assessment. To develop the assessment, during the week of the CDI Advanced Year the CDI 2022 graduates will conduct online research, interviews with community leaders, an online focus group, a driving tour, and informal interviews with residents.
Through their work, they shared a community presentation that outlines key opportunities and community leaders and were provided with a report that they can utilize in future planning efforts.
You can view the report here:
CDI 2021 Advanced Year in Monticello
The CDI 2021 Advanced Year traveled to Monticello, AR to work directly with community leaders to develop a high-level assessment of the community. The Advanced Year conducted online research, interviews with community leaders, an online focus group, a driving tour, and informal interviews with residents during the week of CDI 2021.
Through their work, they shared a community presentation that outlined key opportunities and the city was provided with a report that they can utilize in future planning efforts.
You can review the 2021 Advanced Year Report here:
Contact Shelby Fiegel at sfiegel@uca.edu for more information.
CDI 2020 Advanced Year in Beebe
The CDI 2020 Advanced Year traveled to Beebe, AR to work directly with community leaders to develop a high-level assessment of the community. The Advanced Year conducted online research, interviews with community leaders, an online focus group, a driving tour, and informal interviews with residents during the week of CDI 2020.
Through their work, they shared a community presentation that outlined “Badger Bites” (short term goals) and “Vanguard Vision” (long term goals).
You can review the PowerPoint presentation here:
You can read the report here:
CDI 2019 Advanced Year in Camden
The CDI 2019 Advanced Year with their Class Directors Lorie Robertson of Chaffee Crossing and Amy Williams of the Cabot Chamber of Commerce traveled to Camden, AR to work directly with community leaders to assess the city. The Advanced Year conducted online research, focus groups, a driving tour, and informal interviews with residents during the week of CDI 2019.
Through their work, they shared a community presentation that outlined key opportunities and the city was provided with a report that they can utilize in future planning efforts.
You can read the report here:
Kick Start Sheridan
The 2018 Community Development Kick Start community is Sheridan, AR!
The Center for Community and Economic Development worked with University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension’s (UAEX) Dr. Mark Peterson and Chaffee Crossing’s Lorie Robertson in Sheridan during the CDI 2018 Advanced Year class. During CDI 2018, a group of professional community and economic professionals and CDI graduates assessed the city. Through their work, the city was provided with a report that will be used as the foundation of their community wide strategic action planning effort.
UCA’s Center for Community and Economic Development and UAEX will assist Sheridan for an additional nine months by holding community forums, constructing a core leadership group, and guiding the community through a planning process. The end result of the Kick Start Sheridan initiative will be the development of a strategic action plan for the community.
View the Kick Start Sheridan Action Plan here:
Read the report prepared by the CDI 2018 Advanced Year Class here:
Kick Start Alma
Follow Alma’s progress here: Kick Start Alma
Watch the “Kick Start Alma” promotional video here.
View the final Kick Start Alma Action Plan here:
Read the printed/abridged report prepared by the Advanced Year Class here:
Read the full report prepared by the Advanced Year Class here:
Kick Start Lonoke
Follow Kick Start Lonoke’s progress here: Kick Start Lonoke
Watch the “Kick Start Lonoke” promotional video here.
View the final Action Plan here:
Read the report prepared by the Advanced Year Class here:
Kick Start Heber Springs
Learn more about Kick Start Heber Springs through the community’s Kick Start video, found here.
Read the report prepared by the Advanced Year Class here: Advanced Year Report
The Kick Start Heber Springs Action Plan: A Blueprint for the Future can be found here:
Kick Start Paris
Teaming up with Dr. Mark Peterson of the U of A Cooperative Extension, the Center for Community and Economic Development launched the 2014 CDI Advanced Year into the community of Paris, AR. Through months of community forums and intensive planning, the community created a plan for success that would drive them into a successful future.
Learn more about Kick Start Lonoke through the community’s Kick Start video, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqqrbXSWPn8
The Paris Action Plan can be found here: Paris Action Plan