Pop radio resonated not too long ago with "A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side, a little bit of Rita is all I need, a little bit of Tina is what I see...."

A group of students and faculty at EKU are putting their own twist on the top-40 hit in addressing water quality concerns in Letcher County, where the Kentucky, Cumberland and Big Sandy Rivers originate. "The Headwaters Project" brings together faculty and students from geography, sociology, occupational therapy, political science, psychology, anthropology and education to review the historical developments that have led to water quality problems along the North Fork of the Kentucky River, understand the connection between a healthy watershed and stable communities, and develop data visualization tools that can help citizens throughout the Kentucky watershed better understand the scope of water degradation.

The multi-disciplinary team, under the auspices of EKU's Center for Appalachian Studies, has entered into a teaching and research partnership with Letcher County citizens and officials that focuses on one question: "How do we build a sustainable future for Appalachian communities and Letcher County in particular?"

"We are preparing our graduates for more than just a place in the workforce," said Dr. Alice Jones, assistant professor of planning in the Department of Geography. "Ideally, we want them to be 'whole people' who become productive members of communities, and who have the skills and understanding to participate actively and thoughtfully in the economic, social, civic and political processes of society.

"Water quality is just one example of the kinds of complex and multi-dimensional problems that communities face on an ongoing basis. Understanding these problems requires an integrative, systemic approach: a little bit of history, sociology, geography, economics and political science; a little bit of chemistry, biology, geology and ecology. In essence, a community-centered and place-based class such as this drives home the importance of a broad liberal arts university education, and helps students see the value of their college education as a whole, rather than as a collection of disparate classes."

EKU's Center for Appalachian Studies, established last year, "allows us to work outside the disciplinary or department framework to apply the technical and human expertise of the institution to the real and pressing problems of our region," Jones said. "In some ways, then, what we are engaged in is re-thinking the way that universities operate. It's very exciting!"

Major environmental problems in the North Fork Watershed include habitat degradation, runoff and siltation from mining, timber and agricultural operations, illegal dumping and pathogens from untreated sewage.

"We want to build upon the North Fork Clean Water Project, a citizen-led effort begun a few years ago, and help to establish a more permanent community-university partnership for sustainable development," said Dr. Alan Banks, director of EKU's Center for Appalachian Studies.

"We are not going to Letcher County to fix their water quality problems, or even tell them how to fix them," Jones said. "We are there to help them develop their own capacity to identify their own problems, and then make decisions as a community to address those problems."

Earlier this semester, students in the Social Change in Appalachia class learned about and discussed various models for understanding social change and development in Appalachia and the approaches taken to address regional disparities. The students then were divided into teams with specific tasks and have been spending weekends in Letcher County reviewing data from the Kentucky River Watershed Watch, locating and mapping testing sites with GPS (global positioning system) and GIS (geographic information systems) tools, interviewing local residents and officials and attending a joint conference of local officials and citizens.

"We're building bridges between the University and the community," said Dewayne Sims, a senior geography major from London. "Whatever time I spend will be worth it because, I know in the long run, it's helping the community. It's like that old saying, 'Think globally, act locally.'"

Sims plans to return to the Appalachian region for a career. "I'm from Appalachia, but I want to learn more about it."

Jonathan Moore, an undeclared freshman from Waco, said he "learned more in 24 hours on the project than I've ever learned in my life."

Jason Reynolds, a senior sociology major from Corinth, said it has been helpful to meet students from other Appalachian studies programs around the region. "It was a way to see what we're doing in a wider scope."

Not all the students are from Kentucky. Amy Marshall, a graduate student in occupational therapy from Kalamazoo, Mich., said she has learned "the history of the region, some politics and, most importantly, how to go into a community and talk to people. I've really enjoyed getting to know the people."

Through the Center for Appalachian Studies, EKU now offers a minor in Appalachian studies open to all majors. For more information about the Center, call 859-622-1622.