The focus of the Centers of Excellence (CE) initiative is to develop capacity within selected educational institutions to train rural community leaders. The institutions will serve as the foundation for community and economic capacity building by providing continuous information, technical assistance and training to representatives of EZ/EC's, Champion Communities, other rural communities and the USDA Rural Development field staff.

An anticipated outcome from this effort will be a permanent educational program in a rural-based educational institution whose focus will ensure that participants have an interest in rural America, and are more likely to stay in the rural communities with their skills.