Jill Hough Leads SURTC

Jill Hough, program director of the new Small Urban & Rural Transit Center at the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, wants to see public transportation become a practical lifeline for rural and small urban areas.

Hough brings 12 years of experience in transportation research to the program. In addition to working in the area of public transportation, Hough has published numerous reports and articles in the areas of transit, roads, logistics and economic development. She has worked on several projects in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation. For four months in 1998 she was interim director for the Federal Transit Administration's Transit Intelligent Vehicle Initiative in Washington, D.C.

SURTC is ideally suited to her research interests in public transportation. Her interests tie into the overall SURTC goals of making life better for people through affordable, accessible transportation. She wants people to be able to commute to work, obtain health care, access job opportunities, shop, socialize, vote, and to attend worship and community events.

Economics has factored into Hough's work since she was a graduate research assistant in the Department of Agricultural Economics at North Dakota State University in 1988-89. From 1990 on she has been an associate research fellow at the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.

She earned her bachelor's degree in 1988 and her master's degree in 1991 from NDSU, both in agricultural economics. She is working on her Ph.D. in transportation technology and policy from the University of California - Davis.

Hegland Joins SURTC Team

When Gary Hegland joined the Small Urban & Rural Transportation Center as an associate research fellow, he returned to North Dakota State University where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1970 and his master's degree in 1972, both in economics. From 1997 until joining SURTC, Hegland worked with Job Service North Dakota.

The North Dakota native became well acquainted with rural transportation issues during his 20-plus years working on the family farm, complementing that with sales of agricultural products. His mixed-farm operation followed service in the United States Air Force as a B-52 pilot.

His focus with SURTC is on rural transit systems. Hegland's background gives him insight into many transportation issues facing small urban and rural communities. He looks at the current and future impact of transit systems and the potential impact of transit systems for elderly, low income and handicapped residents.

Miller, New Faculty Affiliate

James Miller is the first affiliated faculty member in SURTC. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of Business Logistics and the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute at Pennsylvania State University. Throughout his 30-year career, he has taught, conducted research, and consulted in small urban and rural transit systems. He knows and likes the subject matter. His Ph.D. dissertation was about small urban transit planning. Miller has performed a number of transit planning studies for rural and small urban areas in Pennsylvania, as well as conducting policy studies for the state and federal government.

While his work has been primarily in Pennsylvania, a state claiming the second most rural residents in the nation, he is excited by the idea of trying to find mobility solutions for sparsely settled rural areas.

Miller earned his B.S. at the University of Cincinnati in economics, and his MBA and Ph.D. a the Pennsylvania State University.