As Ayden Carroll conducted research alongside her professor, she listened to what residents of West Tennessee’s rural communities had to say.
“I could see what people needed, what they wanted and how it impacted their lives,” says the UT Martin junior.
But the experience also revealed a deeper issue.
“Local governments just simply did not have the capacity,” says Adnan Rasool, UTM assistant professor of political science and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, who led the research project that Carroll participated in with Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval City.
In response, Rasool redesigned his international development course, focusing on rural and regional development. In 2024, he launched the Rural Government Capacity Building program—a paid internship initiative that places students in local governments.
“We provide our students to county governments—they train them, teach them how to run cities—and we pay our students through the program,” he explains.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) joined the effort after Rasool reached out.
“We believe it is a great way to support communities that can’t afford to hire staff,” says Brooxie Carlton, TNECD assistant commissioner.
Funded by a $100,000 UT System Grand Challenges grant—launched in 2023 to support K-12 education, rural development and addiction recovery—the program addressed two needs: expanding local government capacity and providing real-world experience to students.
Three UTM students, one UT Chattanooga student and six UT Southern students participated in the pilot, working 20 hours a week for 10 weeks in city and county governments on TNECD-aligned projects.
Carroll interned with the town of Halls in Lauderdale County and now wants to attend law school, focusing on public and city planning.
“It lit a fire under me,” she says. “I realized I love where I come from, and I want to give back to the place that gave so much to me.”
UTC graduate student Chaz Johnston worked for the Southeast Tennessee Development District on economic development, communications and community outreach as part of the grant.
The partnership has given students “meaningful, real-world experience that goes far beyond the classroom,” Johnston says.
“Workforce is a top concern statewide, and—specifically in West Tennessee—there are not a lot of young local leaders. This gives students a chance to see what local officials do and the opportunities available in small towns.”
—Brooxie Carlton
Those students can carry that newfound knowledge into the future.
“We need the next generation of dedicated public servants to pick up the mantle,” says Chris Acuff, UC Foundation associate professor of public administration and graduate program director at UTC.
“Any time students are in the workplace, they not only gain experience in the real world, but they’re also making connections and building their network,” says Pat Ford, who coordinated the internship program at UT Southern.
Carlton sees the program providing long-term, statewide impact.
“Workforce is a top concern statewide, and—specifically in West Tennessee—there are not a lot of young local leaders,” she says. “This gives students a chance to see what local officials do and the opportunities available in small towns.”
The grant’s impact didn’t stop there.
Five UTM students helped administer a community-needs assessment in Martin.
“This had never been done anywhere in West Tennessee,” Rasool says. “St. John’s Community Services, one of the largest nonprofits in the country, requested access to the data so they can roll out programs in Martin.”
Building on the success of these efforts, UTM opened the Center for Rural Innovation in August, dedicated to advancing rural and economic development in the region.
“For our university to grow, the city must grow, too. But, until now, there’s been no data to guide what needs to happen,” he says. Rasool plans to run a community-needs assessment every two years.
