ERIC ED508420: 2009 Strategic Opportunities for Cooperative Extension. Executive Summary

2009·0.34 MB·English

by  ERIC

2009 strategic opportunities
for Cooperative extension
ExEcutivE Summary
Cooperative extension seCtion
national assoCiation of state Universities
and land-Grant ColleGes
Strategic  Increase the skills of assist in effective
homeowners, business decision-making
Opportunities
owners, farmers, ranchers, regarding environmental
individuals and families to stewardship.
The Cooperative Extension implement conservation and
 Improve water quality and
Section represents the directors efficiency practices related to
accessibility through seasonal
and administrators of member energy use.
management, watershed
organizations. The following
 Increase knowledge through protection and enhancement,
represents CES’s view of strategic
science-based energy efficiency water- and chemical-sensitive
opportunities for Cooperative
technologies and energy agriculture and horticulture
Extension in 2009 and beyond.
conservation to develop greater production systems, xeriscaping,
energy independence among and responsible irrigation.
Sustain profitable plant
consumers (youth and adults in
and animal production assist communities in
households, farmers/ ranchers,
systems. becoming sustainable
and small business, industry,
and resilient to the
 Increase the sustainability and and government sectors).
uncertainties of economics,
profitability of agriculture,
 Reduce U.S. dependence weather, health, and
forestry, and green industries.
on fossil fuels through the security.
 Increase and diversify effective implementation of
 Increase civic and social
the number and success renewable energy production,
responsibility among youth
of profitable alternative transportation, and marketing
and adults in urban and rural
agricultural and forestry and distribution systems.
communities by developing
enterprises, value-added and
Ensure an abundant and and enhancing leadership,
niche markets, and organic
safe food supply for all. citizenship, and public
production systems.
participation skills through
Prepare youth, families and partnerships which lead to
individuals for success in sustainable communities.
the global workforce and
 Improve community economic
all aspects of life.
capacity through retaining and
 Increase the number of youth growing wealth opportunities
selecting science, technology, by developing and providing
engineering, and mathematics tools in marketing,
(STEM) courses, majors and entrepreneurship, risk
careers by providing multiple analysis, and decision-making
ways to engage youth in  Reduce food borne illnesses for both adults and youth.
STEM experiential activities. and diseases by improving
Help families, youth and
food preparation, processing,
 Increase financial literacy and individuals to become
and handling practices at the
financial independence of physically, mentally, and
individual, family, production,
youth and adults. emotionally healthy.
and supply system levels.
create pathways to energy  Improve overall health and
 Increase the use of locally
independence. decrease obesity in children,
produced food to maximize
youth, and adults.
quality and minimize long
distance transport.  Improve the health and well
being of the growing senior
 Increase limited-resource
population.
families’ and communities’
access to local, safe, nutritious,
and affordable foods.
 Evaluate and modify staffing
patterns and expectations to
be more flexible and agile; this
may include contracts, sub-
contracts, and project-based,
multi-county and multi-
institution employees.
 Increase capacity within
Extension for building and
working in multi-cultural
communities by hiring diverse
and multi-cultural employees,
and by providing language and
cultural training and intensive
immersion experiences.
Current  America’s rural communities  Enhance programs targeted
to the baby boomer/aging
face many challenges as do
Capacities
generation.
many urban communities.
Extension’s involvement in all
Strengthen and diversify
Use of these statements in the communities will build on past
the funding streams for
implementation of Extension experiences and expertise,
Extension priorities.
programs will be done in a and on emerging research
context of current capacities and and knowledge to provide  Increase effectiveness in
internal opportunities and will leadership in building a strong packaging and selling federal
vary from state to state, as needs future for all Americans. funding initiatives:
and opportunities vary from one
• Increase formula/capacity
area to another. Internal
funds to the highest of either
 4-H and other youth are Opportunities five percent per year or the
incorporated into all of the rate of inflation/population
above opportunity categories. growth.
In developing this set of strategic
Youth should be viewed as
opportunities, it is important • Increase the Smith-Lever
resources, as well as learners,
to keep in mind the following 3 (d) line for eXtension to
in helping address all of these
internal organizational challenges $2.95 million (short-term)
opportunities.
that must be addressed. and to $10–$12 million
 Our strength in agricultural (long-term).
Become more flexible and
and human sciences
agile in identifying and • Ensure that at least 25
and natural resources is
serving residents with percent of increased funding
fundamental to Extension
diverse backgrounds and for bio-products, regardless
both in the present and in
needs. of source, is dedicated to
the future. These disciplines
Extension.
will be essential in addressing  Eighty percent of the U.S.
opportunities related to population now lives in urban • Sustain or increase
economic productivity, areas. To remain relevant and Expanded Food and
sustainable environments, accessible to all, Extension Nutrition Education
resilience, and security. must enhance employee’s skills Program (EFNEP) funding.
and develop programming
that addresses issues of urban
and nontraditional audiences
in addition to maintaining its
strength in rural areas.
• Expand Agriculture and
Food Research Initiative
(AFRI) funding available to
Extension led stand-alone
and integrated projects
and expand Extension
participation in all projects.
• Provide staff development to • Increase internal training of
• Develop a strategy to show
become confident and savvy younger faculty to be better
the value of formula/capacity
entrepreneurs. prepared for upcoming
funds to those influencing
employee losses through
federal funding decisions, increase the rate of
retirements.
emphasizing the leveraging, transformation of cES.
value and accountability of • Communicate with
 Develop a strategy to diversify
these funds. traditional constituencies
and improve program delivery
to seek support for new
 Expand funding partnerships methods:
directions.
to allow the CES system to
• Fully implement eXtension.
serve as the outreach arm of • Promote eXtension as a
other federal and state agencies: • Provide staff training on synergistic opportunity that
educational design using supports and empowers
• Increase collaboration with
new technologies. locally-based Extension
potential partners at national,
educators.
regional, state, and local • Use multiple language
levels to leverage resources resources.  Develop issue focused,
for Extension work. integrated community and
• Maximize the use of retired
economic development
• Develop grant writing, population (baby boomers)
programs involving
budgeting, and management through volunteerism to
community resources
skills needed to be successful help deliver Extension
development, agriculture
in competitive fund programming.
and natural resources, family
acquisition and development.
and consumer sciences and
improve quality and skills
 Create sustainable funding of Extension personnel. youth development; consider
building communities of
models that include
 Recruit a high quality, diverse practice where appropriate:
fees, product sales, gifts,
Extension workforce:
endowments, etc.:
• Develop an internal
• Increase use of Leadership accountability and marketing
• Develop sound business
Development for the 21st plan.
plans for new Extension
Century (LEAD 21): Linking
initiatives.
• Expand CES’s base
Research, Academics, and
of expertise through
• Conduct market analysis Extension to train CES’s
partnerships with
to identify alternative future leaders.
nontraditional departments/
sustainable funding
colleges.
opportunities.
strateGiC opportUnities the Cooperative
extension service
 Sustain profitable plant and animal production systems.
at each of the Nation’s Land-
 Prepare youth, families and individuals for success in the global
workforce and all aspects of life. grant universities and colleges is a
powerful presence in moving the
 Create pathways to energy independence.
country forward in the 21st Century.
 Ensure an abundant and safe food supply for all. As the country’s population has
 Assist in effective decision-making regarding environmental changed over the years, historic
stewardship. links to colleges of agricultural
and human sciences and the U.S.
 Assist communities in becoming sustainable and resilient to
Department of Agriculture have
the uncertainties of economics, weather, health, and security.
expanded to include partnerships
 Help families, youth and individuals to become physically,
across the educational enterprise
mentally, and emotionally healthy.
of the university and to several
other federal agencies. The deep
connections to citizens at the
primary pUrposes and Uses
grassroots level are fostered by close
Provide a base for: relationships to local and county
governments. The local-state-federal
 Developing system-wide federal budget requests;
partnerships now include new
 Prioritizing for new eXtension Communities of Practice; and
relationships that take educational
 Enhancing CES participation in the National Institute for Food efforts into all communities and
and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. neighborhoods across the U.S.
Extension’s potential is bounded
only by its imagination and creativity.
This calls for Cooperative Extension
to identify and focus on strategic
identifyinG opportUnities
opportunity areas.
Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators across
In this new century, opportunities
the country were asked to review the 2007 Strategic
exist to help advance America’s
Opportunities report and to offer additional suggestions for
greatness in the midst of many
opportunities and priorities. These suggested additions and
challenges. Energy, water, food,
the 2007 report were used to create a survey administered environment, health, economic
in the summer of 2008. This report presents the compiled productivity, global competitiveness,
and the quality of the living
results of the final survey of the CES Directors and
environments are all paramount to
Administrators. The respondents to the survey ranked the
the future. Extension is, as a part of
Strategic Opportunities in the order presented in this report.
higher education, prepared to share
Following each of the seven opportunities are listed one or new knowledge and to participate as
more strategic priorities as indicated by the respondents. The co-learners with others. Cooperative
Extension, at all levels, is positioned
rank order of the Strategic Opportunities and the individual
and prepared to engage in
priorities differ somewhat from the previous report.
education to meet the challenges—
opportunities—of this new century.
prepared by the eCop strategic priorities t ask force
ex officio members director/administrators members Cooperative extension staff
ECOP Program Subcommittee M. Ray McKinnie, North Carolina A&T University, James C. Wade, ECOP Executive Director,
Ivory W. Lyles, Chair, University of Arkansas, 1890 Region NASULGC, Extension and Outreach
Southern Region Thomas G. Coon, Michigan State University, Linda Kay Benning, Associate Director, NASULGC,
Albert E. Essel, Delaware State University, 1890 North Central Region Extension and Outreach
Region Robert Schrader, University of Massachusetts, Ronald A. Brown, Executive Director, Association
Thomas G. Coon, Michigan State University, North Northeast Region of Southern Region Extension Directors
Central Region Francis J. Wolak, Clemson University, Southern Lyla E. Houglum, Executive Director, Western
Richard C. Rhodes, University of Rhode Island, Region Extension Directors Association
Northeast Region Linda Kirk Fox, Washington State University, Mike Lambur, Evaluation Specialist and eXtension
Richard B. Standiford, University of California, Western Region Evaluation Director, Virginia Tech
Western Region
L. Washington Lyons, Executive Administrator,
program leader members
Association of Extension Administrators
Extension CARET Representative Dorothy Wilson, Langston University, 4-H Youth Robert Schrader, Chair, Northeast Extension
Marcia Hollandsworth, CARET Liaison to ECOP Development, 1890 Region Directors
Vacant, Middle Management, North Central Region Robin Shepard, Executive Director, North Central
CSREES Representative
Karen Schneider, University of Vermont, Cooperative Extension Association
Ralph Otto, Associate Administrator, Cooperative Community Resource Development, Northeast
State Research, Education, and Extension Service, Region
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Tony Windham, University of Arkansas, Agriculture
and Natural Resources, Southern Region
Board on Human Sciences
Marc Braverman, Oregon State University, Family
Jorge H. Atiles, Associate Dean, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Western Region
and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia
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1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005-4722 annually. With nearly $30 billion in research, NASULGC-member universities comprise
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