Regional Outreach Agent (ROA) Program

The Regional Outreach Agent (ROA) Program was established in 2008 as part of Eastern Kentucky University's ongoing regional-stewardship efforts, which focus on building and maintaining productive partnerships between EKU and communities throughout the university's 22-county service region (view region by clicking on this link: http://regionalstewardship.eku.edu/eku%E2%80%99s-service-region). The ROA Program leverages community and university resources to improve the quality of life throughout EKU’s service region.

The ROA Program's goals are to:

• enhance leadership and entrepreneurial skills of young professionals so that communities can build their futures;
• improve EKU’s visibility and reputation within the service region to be the “university of choice”;
• increase enrollment at EKU of college and career-ready students from the region to build educational capacity;
• increase sustainable programs that improve economic development;
• increase sustainable programs that improve the health and wellness of communities; and
• increase the number of partnerships, grants, collaborations, service learning, and research projects to better understand and meet the unique needs of the region.

ROAs are typically assigned to one or more counties within EKU's service region and spend much of their time meeting face-to-face with community leaders and residents.  Through this ongoing dialogue, the ROAs facilitate programs and solutions that are tailored to the unique needs and priorities of each community.