FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2006
Contact: Katara Williams
Office of Public Relations
P.O. Box 10010
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813
(225)771-2242 / (225) 771-4374 Fax
www.suagcenter.com
*MEDIA ADVISORY*
Press Conference scheduled to discuss the Southern University Ag Center's Southwest Center
for Rural Initiatives
A press conference will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. to provide
information relative to the Southern University Ag Center's newest satellite center, the
Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives (SCRI). The location of the press conference will be
at the Old City Market Building in Opelousas, LA. The Old City Market Building is in the
Opelousas Court House square parking lot and is on the corner of Market St. and Bellevue St.
(currently where the Tourist Commission is housed).
The Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives (SCRI) was created from state
appropriated funds during the 2004 Legislative Session. The mission of SCRI is consistent
with the SU Ag Center's mission to conduct basic and applied research and disseminate
information to the citizens of LA in a manner that is useful in addressing their scientific,
technological, social, economic and cultural needs. The SCRI will be headquartered and
physically located in St. Landry Parish and will focus on a 10 parish region - St. Landry,
Lafayette, Vermilion, Acadia, St. Martin, Pointe Coupee, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Allen and
Evangeline- covering programmatic areas such as Economics, Marketing, and Community
Development, Family and Human Development, Sustainable Plant and Animal Production Systems
and Youth Development
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