BOONE—The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has designated Dr. Patricia Beaver and Tom Hansell as ARC Appalachian Teaching Fellows for the 2010-11 academic year.

They will administer the Appalachian Teaching Project (ATP) at Appalachian State University.

Led by the Consortium of Appalachian Centers and Institutes, the ATP offers students an opportunity to conduct active community-based research on their campuses. They are invited to present their findings to an audience of their peers and ARC administrators in Washington, D.C., each December.

Beaver is a professor of anthropology and director of Appalachian’s Center for Appalachian Studies, which develops and facilitates curricula and programs dealing with the Appalachian region. Beaver has conducted research in Appalachia, Wales and China, with particular interests in community, family and public policy, as well as issues related to gender, class and ethnicity.

Hansell is a lecturer in the university’s Appalachian studies program and co-director of University Documentary Film Services. He has more than 20 years’ experience teaching students and adults to create media about their communities through his work at the Appalshop media arts center in Whitesburg, Ky.

As ARC Appalachian Teaching Fellows, Beaver and Hansel will oversee local efforts to implement a five-year public arts plan for the Elk Knob Community Heritage Organization (EKCHO) and the Watauga County Arts Council. The plan is intended to promote the natural and cultural heritage of the communities surrounding Elk Knob State Park through education, the arts, natural resource protection and historic preservation.

Created by the U.S. Congress, the Appalachian Regional Commission is a unique partnership between the federal government and the governors of the 13 Appalachian states designed to improve economic opportunities throughout the region. Additional information on ARC can be found at www.arc.gov. For more information about the ATP, visit www.etsu.edu/cass/projects.

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