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Gathering Stakeholder Input to Redefine the County Extension Delivery System
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| Presenter(s):
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| Nick Fuhrman, University of Georgia, fuhrman@uga.edu
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| Abstract:
As state Cooperative Extension units tighten their financial belts to compensate for reductions in funding, determining the value of programs and justifying the use of resources through evaluation becomes an even more relevant practice. Some Extension organizations have begun involving their own employees and other key stakeholders in determining the most viable and realistic options for redefining the county Extension delivery system. The purpose of this presentation is to share the process used by Georgia Cooperative Extension to gather employee and stakeholder input. Extension administrators first identified a team of key informants to determine the most appropriate data collection methods and questions. An online questionnaire was developed and sent to every Extension employee in Georgia and a 90% response rate was achieved. Responses were then presented to employees during district-level listening sessions. Finally, snowball sampling was used to identify and interview legislators and commodity group officials for additional input.
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Innovation and Diversity in Extension Long-Range Planning: A Case Study
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| Presenter(s):
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| Diane Craig, University of Florida, ddcraig@ufl.edu
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| Abstract:
Universities, like business and industry, are affected by an increasingly complex and global world. To stay relevant it is necessary for leaders to utilize open innovation strategies that lead to successful community engagement. This presentation outlines a strategic planning process that incorporates diversity and technology to engage citizens and faculty.
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Extension's Evolving Alignment of Programs Serving Youth and Families: Organizational Change and its Implications for Evaluators
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| Presenter(s):
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| Marc Braverman, Oregon State University, marc.braverman@oregonstate.edu
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| Nancy Franz, Iowa State University, nfranz@iastate.edu
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| Roger Rennekamp, Oregon State University, roger.rennekamp@oregonstate.edu
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| Abstract:
How can evaluation contribute to successful organizational change? A growing trend within Extension at the state and federal levels is a closer integration between its programs serving youth (primarily 4-H Youth Development) and families (primarily Family and Consumer Sciences). This presentation will examine the scope and reasons for the trend, and focus on the implications for Extension evaluation. Evaluation can facilitate closer interdependence between formerly separate programs in several significant ways. First, through the creation of more inclusive program logic models, it can promote broader conceptualization of program operation and outcomes, and reduce program redundancy. Second, it can engage a wider group of program stakeholders and help them view the evolving programs in less traditional ways. Third, evaluators can guide the organization's assessment of the success of the changes. Specific recommendations will address how evaluators can help Extension adjust purposefully to its new organizational configurations while maintaining high program effectiveness.
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