The Community Development Society has recognized the Marketing Hometown America program, a collaborative effort of a three-state team including three NDSU Extension Service educators.

Jodi Bruns, area Extension community vitality specialist; Helen Volk-Schill, an Extension agent in Pembina County; and Kathy Tweeten, retired Center for Community Vitality director and community economic development specialist, were part of the team that received the 2014 Innovative Program Award for the Marketing Hometown America program.

The program promotes dialogue among residents to help communities create a vision to grow and move toward action. For example, under this program, Edmore, North Dakota, is making plans to reopen a community cafe and Ellendale, North Dakota, is working with a college to engage its students in community life and business.

The Community Development Society presented the award at its recent annual international conference in Dubuque, Iowa. The society presents the award to recognize a superior innovative program that uses the good community development practices the society has adopted.

It is the second award for the Marketing Hometown America program this year. It also received the first-place award in the Excellence in Teamwork category from the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.