Washington County is a rural community in southern Indiana with a population of 28,036. Several towns and cities comprise Washington County, including Campbellsburg, Hardinsburg, Little York, Livonia, New Pekin, Salem, and Saltillo.
Residents and tourists alike enjoy the recreational and cultural resources of Washington County, home to the historic Beck's Mill, Delaney Park, Knobstone Trail, John Hay Center, Depot Railroad Museum, the Salem Speedway, and the Pekin 4th of July celebration, which proudly claims title to the oldest consecutive 4th of July celebration in the United States.
IU students and faculty worked with Washington County leaders and residents on projects ranging from exploring agritourism models to increasing performing arts opportunities.
In 2008, with the support of Bill and Gayle Cook and Pritchett Brothers Construction, the historic Beck's Mill was returned to restored and operational condition to the directors of the Friends of Beck’s Mill, Inc. Beck’s Mill is a historic grist mill operated by volunteers and dedicated to offering the public a working grist mill as an accurate recreation of pioneer life in Washington County.
Students from the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington and The Media School will work with Friends of Beck’s Mill to enhance visitor engagement through new programming and documentary media. The project will support the mill’s mission and improve its educational impact.
Community Partner Friends of Beck's Mill
IU Instructor Brian Forist, School of Public Health Susanne Schwibs, Media School
Project Course SPH-R 391 Ind. Study, Readings in Rec Park Tourism, MSCH-T 583 Introduction to Documentary Practice, SPH-R 221 Creating Sense of Place through Design, fall 2025
As the Monon South Trail continues to develop, there is a need to document its transformation and community impact.
Students from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design will conduct plein air painting sessions along the trail as part of an annual effort to capture the evolution of the trail and trail communities over time.
Community Partners Radius Indiana
IU Instructors Amanda Smith and Caleb Weintraub, School of Art, Architecture + Design
Project Courses SOAD-S 330 Painting 2: The Landscape, SOAD-S 530 Graduate Topics in Painting (Painting the Landscape), SOAD-S 430 Painting 3: The Landscape, SOAD-S 230 Painting 1, fall 2025
Communities along the Monon South Trail are seeking ways to boost local economies by tapping into the trail’s potential to attract visitors and support small businesses.
Students from the Kelley School of Business and the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs will assess opportunities for small business development and offer recommendations to help trail communities leverage the trail for economic growth.
Community Partners Radius Indiana
IU Instructors Keith Dayton and Doug McCoy, Kelley School of Business
Mitch Berg and Scott Burgins, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Project Courses IU Center for Real Estate Studies, BUS-A 569 Field Consulting, SPCN-V 551 SPEA Connect Week, SPEA-L 563 Planning and Community Development, fall 2025 and spring 2026
Graduate students from the online graduate program SPEA Connect will create a strategic plan to convert an existing structure in Salem, IN into a place for children (focusing primarily on ages 10-14) to connect and play. The converted structure could house an indoor play area, dynamic climbing wall, lounge area, game tables, seating areas for parents, study area, theatre area, and concession stand.
Community Partner Washington County Community Foundation
IU Instructor Trent Engbers, O'Neill School of Environmental Affairs
Organizations in the Uplands region seek an assessment of their strengths and areas for improvement concerning cybersecurity risk and management.
To improve digital resilience across the region, student teams from the IU Cybersecurity Clinic will assess risks, provide recommendations, and host community sessions on safe practices.
Community Partners Lawrence County Economic Growth Council, Washington County Community Foundation, Washington County Family YMCA, Bedford Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation Partnership of Lawrence and Martin Counties
IU Instructors Isak Nti Asare, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies
Students from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs will identify and prepare grants with the City of Salem to install a downtown mural.
Community Partner City of Salem
IU Instructor Bridget Anderson, O'Neill School of Environmental Affairs
Project Course SPEA-V 481 Grant Writing, fall 2025
John Milton Hay was a diplomat and noted statesman, serving as a private secretary to Abraham Lincoln and as the Secretary of State under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley. The John Hay Center wants to increase public awareness about the Washington County Historical Society and the center.
Students from the Kelley School of Business will develop marketing strategies and content to assist the center in reaching new audiences and strengthening community engagement.
Community Partner John Hay Center
IU Instructor Jennifer Riley Simone, Kelley School of Business
Project Course BUS-M 470 Content Marketing Practicum, fall 2025
Community leaders in Washington County are working to launch Wisdom Works, an intergenerational initiative that will include housing, a trades training center, and a senior center.
Master of Public Affairs capstone students from the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs will develop strategies and offer recommendations to help bring the initiative to life.
Community Partner Washington County Community Foundation
IU Instructor Laura Littlepage, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Project Course SPCN-V 600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs, spring 2026
Homelessness remains one of the most challenging social and public policy problems in the United States, affecting urban and rural areas. Graduate students in Laura Littlepage’s Capstone in Public Affairs course worked with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce to recommend the next steps to prevent and care for residents experiencing homelessness in Washington County, using interviews conducted by students in the Homelessness in America course.
Kelley School of Business students from Shaun Fleener's field consulting class partnered with CAST Washington County to create a growth and expansion plan for the development of a dyslexia resource center in southern Indiana. Students set up processes and trained teachers and families on the Orton-Gillingham phonetics system. This system along with a tutoring hub of tutors and mentors will assist kids with dyslexia and their families.
Undergraduates in Kelly Eskew’s sustainable business and law class developed an engaging curriculum to incentivize high-school students to become more involved with internships, trade school, and career opportunities. Plans include opportunities for college awareness and readiness assistance, mentoring younger students in planning for high school graduation, and developing local contacts for job shadowing and internships.
Washington County is home to many outdoor recreation sites, and there is a great opportunity to launch programs that encourage residents and visitors to enjoy the sites. In Alison Miller’s recreational sport programming course, students brainstormed creative outdoor recreation programming ideas for community members to consider implementing.
Since the Washington County Family YMCA opened in 2004, it has offered various valued programs for all age groups in the community. Dr. Julie Knapp’s students researched innovative programming ideas that meet the needs of the county youth of Washington County. Students focused their attention on programs that offer opportunities to gain social connections and build knowledge and skills about health.
Agriculture is central to the identity of Washington County and has defined its landscape, history, culture, and economy. The Washington County Tourism Board worked with student consultants from the Kelley School of Business to expand agritourism in Washington County by examining successful county-wide models, identifying potential community partners, and creating a pitch to secure those partnerships.
There are tremendous opportunities for arts and creative activities in Washington County. Arts administration students lead by Adrian Starnes worked with community partners to develop plans to grow and sustain performing arts across the county. Community partners launched the Washington County Arts Council in a downtown location on the square in Salem.
The Salem community, in partnership with students in the Serve Design program of the Eskenazi School of Art Architecture + Design and faculty member Sarah Martin, worked to develop and create highly effective wayfinding solutions that support Salem’s goals of incorporating wayfinding signs into the city landscape that visually indicate and guide visitors to Salem’s important resources, landmarks, and points of pride.
The Washington County Farmers Market is a key resource for Washington County, however, the market has no dedicated property in a central and accessible location. Students in a sustainable agriculture course taught by James Farmer will create plans to address the market’s needs, including permanent signage, a marketing strategy, staffing, and organizational assistance, and training on best practices for a thriving and sustainable market.
Student teams from Kelly Eskew’s sustainable business and law class examined how each community could better utilize its parks to enhance community development and attract visitors to the community to increase park use. Proposals include a splash pad in Campbellsburg, a community garden, youth engagement, and craft beer events in Pekin, and a community garden and playground at the YMCA in Salem.
Community partners have been looking for ways to promote activity and movement in Washington County. Students in the School of Public Health led by Beth Mooradian conducted an intervention through a partnership with the Community Health Action Team of Washington County. Together they launched “MarchOn!” a month-long step challenge during the month of March, where participants tracked their daily steps in a virtual environment.
Student teams from Kelly Eskew's sustainable business and law class partnered with community residents to develop a business plan and marketing and brand strategies for a new mobile book truck that is associated with a well-known local community bookstore.
To meet community needs, improve facilities, and expand services to serve more than 150-200 residents daily, the Washington County Family YMCA needs a long-term plan to expand its services, footprint, and funding. Dr. Bree Josefy’s graduate accounting students conducted a feasibility study to determine the scope and form of such a capital expansion plan.
Students in the Media School’s Public Relations Writing class, led by Elaine Monaghan, developed educational materials, news releases, and social media posts to promote the tutoring, youth summer camps, and dyslexia services offered to school-age readers by CAST. Raising awareness about the high prevalence of reading differences and the Orton-Gillingham approach employed by CAST tutors was an important focus. Around 20 percent of the U.S. population has dyslexia or another form of reading difficulty, and in 95 percent of cases, the Orton-Gillingham method helps readers overcome their difficulties.
Teams of students from Kelly Eskew’s sustainable business and law class examined how best to bring a business and entrepreneurial experience to Washington County high schools. Their proposals included implementing an Entrepreneurial Club in Washington County high schools through which students would run their own small business to gain work experience, business management, and financial literacy skills.
IU students teamed up with Media School faculty member Chuck Carney to produce a variety of communications and promotional assets to increase awareness of cultural and historical organizations in Washington County.
The local children's theatre in Washington County, which has been operating for 25 years, partnered with Media School students in Les Morris's public relations writing class to develop strategies for marketing, advertising, and branding, to promote a newly remodeled performance space, and broadly increase the reach of messaging to performers and patrons.
Homelessness remains one of the most challenging social and public policy problems in the United States, affecting urban and rural areas. Students in Laura Littlepage’s Homelessness in America course worked with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce to interview county stakeholders in several different sectors to understand the homelessness situation across Washington County.
Student teams from Kelly Eskew’s sustainable business and law class investigated long-standing local festivals as an engine for community resilience and sustainability. Their projects examined the histories and traditions of the Campbellsburg Country Festival, Pekin’s 4th of July Festival, and Salem’s Old Settlers Day Festival. Their proposals honor the place of pride these festivals hold in each community while using technology to coordinate volunteers, social media for event promotion beyond Washington County, and new avenues for youth involvement.
Campbellsburg is currently home to around 600 residents, and the town holds a rich history and enjoys an active community. Student consultants from the Kelley School of Business partnered with local leaders in Campbellsburg to strategize how they can attract tourists, residents, and visitors to the town.
Center for Rural Engagement resources and social media channels
