Kansas Profile - Now That's Rural - Tim Steffensmeier

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

“Help Wanted:  Bridge Builders.” No, this isn’t a want ad in response to the stimulus funding for rebuilding highways. This is the creative way which Dr. Tim Steffensmeier used to describe a grassroots process of collaborating to solve complex problems in rural Kansas. The process was initiated by Terry Woodbury in 2004. It’s today’s Kansas Profile.

Dr. Tim Steffensmeier is a professor of communications studies at Kansas State University. The following is adapted from an article by Tim which is reproduced with permission from the Spring 2009 issue of The Journal of Kansas Civic Leadership Development, published by the Kansas Leadership Center.

Tim’s research led him to a private firm called Public Square Communities, LLC created by community consultant Terry Woodbury. They recognize that Kansas needs what Tim calls “bridge builders” -- people who can talk and work across distinct parts of the community.

Public Square Communities, LLC is working to “build and rebuild the public square” in numerous communities across Kansas. The fundamental parts of the square are government, business, education and human services. The approach is based on a belief that framing, prioritizing, and solving problems must involve all parts of the public square. Such collaborative efforts are a shift from public policy that arises from experts working in a sole pillar of the square.

Tim points to bridge builders in Sheridan County, Kansas. Sheridan County has been working with Public Square Communities, LLC for nearly a year. Through a process of interviews and community conversations, a steering committee named their community development process “Working Together Sheridan County” or WTSC. The name reflects a desired collaborative relationship between communities (Hoxie and Selden) and residents (town and farm). Hoxie is a town of 1,207 people. Selden is a town of 194 people. Now, that’s rural.

In October 2008, the WTSC steering committee was brainstorming how to attract investors to fund phase two of their community development process. An idea surfaced to auction off decorated Christmas trees in conjunction with a town lighting celebration that had struggled in recent years to generate enthusiastic participation. The idea had promise but was met with skepticism because it revolved primarily around business, which is only one part of a healthy public square.

Instead of dismissing the idea, the steering committee decided to create an event that would exemplify the ideals of “working together” as a community. They settled on hosting a county wide “WinterFest” celebration.

Tim says he left the meeting in October unconvinced that such an event could be coordinated in seven weeks, but when he came back in November, his reservations began to change. WinterFest not only was scheduled, it had grown exponentially.

In addition to Santa Claus, carriage rides, town lighting, after hours business shopping, raffled prizes, hayrack rides, live music, movies, and many free refreshments, both Hoxie and Selden simultaneously were to have celebrations with transportation provided between towns. Wow.

Of course, no one could be certain how many people would show up. On a balmy Saturday following Thanksgiving, an estimated 500 people turned out on the streets of Hoxie and Selden for the WinterFest Celebration. That is more than 20 percent of the total population.

Residents filled main street. One resident said, “The streets were full of cars, the sidewalks were full of people... it seemed like Saturday night when I was growing up!" Another participant notes that the scene was like a Norman Rockwell painting. Tim says, “The collaborative energy was palpable.”

Within three months, dozens of investors had contributed to WTSC and five community-based action teams were working on complex issues that would have seemed out of reach a year ago.

For more information about the public square process, go to www.publicsquarecommunities.com.

“Help Wanted:  Bridge Builders.” No, this isn’t an ad for a highway construction crew. It is a way of describing the need for people with skills which can bring about collaboration in our communities.

We commend Tim Steffensmeier, Terry Woodbury, the Kansas Leadership Center, and most of all, the people of Sheridan County for making a difference with their collaborative efforts. For rural Kansas, the process of building bridges among our people is still under construction.

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The mission of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development is to enhance rural development by helping rural people help themselves. The Kansas Profile radio series and columns are produced with assistance from the K-State Research and Extension Department of Communications News Unit. A photo of Ron Wilson is available at  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/RonWilson.htm.  Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/huckboyd/.

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