Number of distressed counties in Tennessee fall to lowest in state history wIth the help of the rural reimaged initiative

The Governor of Tennessee, BIll Lee, recently announced that the number of distressed counties in his state has fallen to eight, which is the lowest number in the history of the state. This feat is due in part through the support and collaboration of the Rural Reimagined initiative at Tennessee Tech University. Distressed counties in Tennessee rank in the top ten percent most economically distressed counties in America.

Tennessee Tech started its Rural Reimagined initiative back in 2019 so that it could leverage all of its resources in order to support the improvement of the state’s rural communities. Now, Rural Reimagined is involved in 65 of Tennessee’s rural counties, and is actively engaged in nine ongoing local tourism projects. It has also helped 200 small businesses in the last year alone, while never charging them for anything. Students at Tennessee Tech have also gotten involved with Rural Reimagined and have contributed a collective 113,000 hours of volunteer time in the past four years.

Rural Reimagined has been part of the improvement of seven distressed counties, and plans to assist each of the remaining distressed counties as well during the 2024 fiscal year. So far the impact of Rural Reimagined is particularly noticeable in the Upper Cumberland region, where the school’s campus is located. Since 2019, Morgan, Jackson, and Fentress counties have been removed from the distressed counties list, and White, Overton, and DeKalb counties have improved their designations from at-risk to transitional counties.

In the recently approved budget for the 2024 fiscal year, Tennessee allocated $1 million for Tennessee Tech’s Rural Reimagined initiative, solidifying its role as a valuable partner when it comes to adding new investment and ideas into the most disadvantaged communities in the state.

In an article posted on Tennessee Technological University’s website, Michael Aikens, Ph.D., who serves as the director for the Center for Rural Innovation and the administrative chair of Rural Reimagined was quoted about the school’s dedication to the community, saying, "Tennessee Tech students and faculty believe in our state and want to do their part to ensure its continued success. We launched Rural Reimagined because we know that Tennessee thrives when every community is afforded opportunities to rise. Our rural counties and towns are rich in talent, opportunity and scenic beauty that deserve to be explored. Rural Reimagined comes alongside these communities and their local businesses with our free services and support to help them put their best foot forward. From tourism branding and marketing campaigns, to research funding, computer literacy and grant support, Rural Reimagined is deeply planted in these communities and committed to their success. We count it a privilege to partner with Governor Lee's administration and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to deliver better outcomes for rural Tennessee." 

More about the work of Rural Reimagined can be read in a recent op-ed in The Tennessean written by State Senator Paul Bailey and Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. In it, they explain that "Rural Reimagined has plans to expand its reach into all remaining rural counties in the state and to partner with more small businesses in distressed and at-risk counties that need its free services. In each project it takes on, Rural Reimagined offers the talents of one of our state’s greatest exports: Tennessee Tech students." 

More information about Tennessee Technological University can be found at the school’s website.