Syracuse University students will present an overview of the Madison County Connected project (formerly Madison County Unplugged) to Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (R-23) and Madison County officials at 11 a.m. July 23 in the Madison County Office Building, in the second floor Board of Supervisors chambers. The media is invited to attend.
Madison County Connected is designed to analyze the county's high-tech infrastructure, identify gaps, and provide strategies to close the gaps and open doors to opportunities that will revitalize the county's economic and social development. Since the project began in January, students from SU's School of Information Studies have conducted interviews and surveys of businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The data will be used to determine how the organizations use technology today, where they would like to be in five years and the kind of technology infrastructure that will be needed to promote economic growth and enable the organizations to meet or surpass their goals.
The students are also trying to map the existing information technology infrastructure that is available in the county, and they have looked at how similar communities across the country have tried to increase access to technology to close their digital divide and promote economic development.
The Madison County Connected project is coordinated by Craig Watters, assistant dean of development and external affairs in the School of Information Studies; and Peter L. Cann G'79, G'95, executive director of the Madison County Industrial Development Agency.
