PURPOSE
The Center for Rural Leadership (Project CENTRL) is all about cultivating passionate educated leaders who provide a voice for and serve rural communities in Arizona. Project CENTRL is an intensive two-year educational program that gives selected individuals an exceptional personal and professional leadership development experience that:
· Strengthens and expands personal leadership skills
· Accelerates lifelong learning and abilities to problem-solve on complex contemporary issues
· Creates a statewide network with over 500 alumni in communities throughout rural Arizona
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Project CENTRL was developed by The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension under a seed grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Project CENTRL is a 501(C)3 organization that continues to operate in close partnership with the University of Arizona.
The seminars are the cornerstone of Project CENTRL and provide a comprehensive and diverse sequence of leadership experiences. The two-year program consists of twelve highly interactive seminars in Arizona, an international study tour, and a final national seminar in Washington D. C. An assigned internship project, which is designed to apply the leadership skills learned in Project CENTRL, is also an integral part to the CENTRL experience.
TIME AND FUNDING INVESTMENT
During the two-year program, participants commit to a total of 47 days to Project CENTRL. Attendance at all seminars is mandatory. The 12 Arizona seminars are held in communities throughout Arizona. Seminars convene between the months of September to May of each year with no seminars held during the summer months. A typical Arizona seminar will start on Thursday evening, continue all day on Friday, and adjourn mid-day on Saturday. A five-day international study tour is taken at the end of the first year and a six-day seminar to our nation’s capitol is the capstone of the two-year program. Participants are responsible for providing transportation to and from the Arizona seminars and to the point of departure for out-of-state seminars. Upon arrival , Project CENTRL covers expenses incurred for meals, lodging, airfare, and ground transportation during the seminar.
Project CENTRL relies on an endowment received from the Marley Foundation, University funds, and contributions received from alumni, organizations, and individuals for operations support. This broad base of program support received allows those selected to participate at a fraction of the actual program cost for the two- year program, which currently exceeds $17,000.
Click on a link below.
May 2013 
