New Governance for a New Rural Economy: Reinventing Public and Private Institutions focused on the need for new approaches to regional governance in rural America.  The conference highlighted useful cases of new governance models, featuring examples from higher education, government, and the private sector, including the business and nonprofit communities.  One of these institutions served as the catalyst in the stories told at the conference, but participants agreed that cooperation across all institutions is essential for rural regions to build a new economy.  The conference was hosted by the Center for the Study of Rural America on May 17-18, 2004 in Kansas City, Missouri.