PURDUE UNIVERSITY AS THE HOST OF THE NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL CENTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT (NCRCRD) USES A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO BUILD THRIVING RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROGRAMS AND INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS. THE NCRCRD IS FOCUSED ON THREE INTERCONNECTED SYSTEMS: COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES, AND HOUSEHOLDS. A ROBUST NCRCRD ENABLES THE ACHIEVEMENT OF EACH SYSTEM'S GOALS BY CREATING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIES, DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND PROMOTING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS. THIS PROPOSAL ENHANCES USDA'S CURRENT (2018-2022) STRATEGIC GOALS OF FACILITATING RURAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; FOSTERING PRODUCTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF OUR NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEMS LANDS; AND PROVIDING ALL AMERICANS WITH ACCESS TO A SAFE, NUTRITIOUS, AND SECURE FOOD SUPPLY.OUR SYSTEMS APPROACH WILL SEEK TO ENGAGE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION AT ALL OF THE LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE NCR. ENGAGEMENT WILL BE FACILITATED AND SUPPORTED THROUGH A REGION-WIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENT; MULTI-STATE WORKING GROUPS; A SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM; AND A CONFERENCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. A NCR PANEL DATASET WILL ALSO BE DEVELOPMENT TO BE USED BY NCR RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FACULTY AND STAFF. THE NCRCRD INCREASES THE VISIBILITY OF RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FROM THE NCR THROUGH WEBINARS AND NEWSLETTERS AND PROMOTING THE IMPACT OF EXTENSION THROUGH THE COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION OF REGIONWIDE IMPACT INDICATORS.