Summit Hosts:
The Joint International Summit is a unique event this year in that it combines the annual summer conferences of the Community Development Society (CDS), the Minnesota Rural Partners (MRP) and the National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP).  Since a sub-title of the Summit is “Working Partnerships for Viable Communities”, it is appropriate that these three organizations have successfully partnered to plan and host this joint event.  One application of this partnership was the work of the Joint Program Committee, an entity comprised of equal representation from all three Partners. Each Partner brought its unique perspectives and rituals to the table, and the Duluth Program represents the rich synthesis that emerged from this diversity. 

	Minnesota Rural Partners is Minnesota’s state rural development council and a member of the National Rural Development Partnership.  MRP builds partnerships to meet rural community challenges that no one organization can accomplish alone.  For the past three years, MRP has hosted a Rural Summit to bring partners together to focus on rural policy issues, professional development and partnership building.
	The Community Development Society is an international association whose mission is to advocate for excellence in the community development profession.  Members represent a variety of fields, including economic and rural development, urban planning, citizen groups, health care, utilities, government, the environment and nonprofits.
	The National Rural Development Partnership is a national coalition of 40 state rural development councils in the United States, committed to strengthening rural communities through the collaborative efforts of federal, state, local and tribal government, education, and private and non-profit sectors.  NRDP brings rural people and organizations together to seek coordinated solutions to local problems that meet the long-term needs of the community.

	As the fifth largest educational institution in the United States, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) is an integral part of the economic and workforce development strategy in the state. Forty of the 53 campuses, and 24 of the 35 institutions, are located Greater Minnesota communities. Often, these institutions are one of the largest employers in the area, providing leadership in a variety of ways on rural development and policy, and help set an economic development agenda that benefits rural and small communities. In 1998, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) launched five Targeted Industry Partnerships (TIPs) - manufacturing technology, health care, printing, taconite production, and information technology (software). Over the past two years, the five TIP's worked hard to better align the current realities of their industries with existing or needed educational programs, build relationships and deepen connections between and among business and education, develop national standards and certification and promote vast opportunities available to all Minnesota workers.
	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, is an institution that firmly embraces a history of putting knowledge to work. That tradition is rooted in our motto, Ut Prosim: "That I May Serve," and our land-grant missions of instruction, research, and solving the problems of society through public service and outreach activities. There is a long history of Land Grant-based rural development professionals' involvement in facilitation of the discussions surrounding rural policy at the federal, state, and community level. This on-line forum is the first attempt to harness the Internet to facilitate the rural policy dialogue. The VT AHNR IT Department provides leadership and support in integrating information technology into extension, research, teaching, and administration for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station.