By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The Darke County Commissioners showed support for Miami University’s effort to receive funding for their the Exploratory Data Analysis Build to Scale Program by approving a letter of support at the commission’s meeting on Tuesday.

According to Commissioner Marshall Combs, Miami University is starting up its Rural Plus Program. Part of that is going after funding. “They’ve asked that we write a letter of support for the Exploratory Data Analysis Build to Scale Program,” he said.

Combs continued, “We just wanted to show our support to them as they try to support our county with job growth and sending interns here and things like that. Try to get some of that funding to help rural counties like ours in Darke County.”

Commissioner Larry Holmes added the support of Miami University should ultimately compliment what the Darke County Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) is trying to do with keeping or bringing a workforce to the county.

Holmes explained that Darke County Economic Development has its Emerging Workforce program that works with high schoolers and local employers to keep students in the community and to show the different opportunities that are available in their hometown.

Although the Rural Plus program is in its infancy, Holmes said it will work similarly but from the college level back to the rural communities. The university will work with employers to determine their needs.

Commissioner Combs added, “It’s a way for rural communities to be advertised at the university level. There are students in business programs, engineering programs, whatever it might be. A lot of times at the university, Miami University tells us they are advertising larger cities to move to or internship at, but they are missing the opportunity in the rural areas. So, they are starting up Rural Plus to help get college graduates back to hometowns or rural areas like ours because they have just as much opportunity as some of these large metropolitan places.”

The commissioners credit the Dayton Development Coalition for bringing the program to the county’s attention.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].