A group of Bucknell University students, faculty and staff are working with Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. (MCDI) to assist in the development of the borough. Representatives from the Mother Maria Kaupas Center for Volunteerism and Community Service in Mount Carmel, the MCDI, the Bucknell Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Professor Eric Martin, management, whose managing for sustainability class is doing field work in Mount Carmel this semester, recently met to discuss collaborative efforts to improve the community.
The SBDC is hoping to help more people in the coal region who may not have a business background, but want to start a business. Prof. Martin’s class will be working with local businesses and community members to determine the biggest areas of need in the community. These new collaborations are in addition to the already existing field station that was established in 2015 and includes programs involving Place Studies, which is run out of the Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment (BCSE).