Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford participated in the distinguished lecture series at Arkansas State University on Monday in Jonesboro. In a talk titled, “Politics, Public Service and Why Results Matter,” Rutherford urged young people to take a leadership role in reviving the nearby Arkansas Delta region.
The speech was front-page news in Tuesday’s Jonesboro Sun:
Rutherford said he believes in a time of tight federal and state budgets as well as a 2-year moratorium of federal earmarks, people must focus on outcomes even stronger.
He suggested area college students should meet and talk about issues they have in common.
“I think you need kids from Arkansas State University talking to students from Ole Miss, Grambling, Millsaps and Rhodes. You need people to invest,” Rutherford said. “We’ve not done a good job on that. You need young people and diversity at the table.”
He said the region — beset by population losses in the 2010 Census — could lose both political and economic clout if nothing is done.
“You cannot turn it around by government but by youth leadership,” Rutherford said.
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