In 1958, Washington State University President C. Clement French appointed a task force to undertake a study of the university’s Extension services. That committee’s report included recommendations for broad institutional collaboration and coordination of statewide services conducted under the auspices of Cooperative Extension. In 1967, President Glenn Terrell, considering a major reorganization of Extension, appointed the Cooperative Extension Study Council, chaired by Felix Entenmann. This Council’s report noted increasing competition from other colleges and universities in programmatic areas traditionally served by Cooperative Extension, a growing need for non-traditional education across the state in the adult population, and again argued for broad coordination of institutional outreach activities. In 1972, the number one recommendation of the University Extension Study Team was that “Washington State University adopt a concept of university-wide extension and implement administrative and budgeting changes necessary to make university-wide extension a strong program effort.” A 1980 report delivered by the task force on Continuing Education, Extension and Public Service concluded by encouraging “better interaction and mutual support among the research, resident instruction, service and continuing education functions of WSU.” In recent months, the final report from the Outreach Design Team recommended that WSU “view outreach as a university-wide function in structure as well as practice.” While these are internal reports and recommendations, they are certainly in step with what is happening nationally. As we crossed into the new century, our colleagues at the Kellogg Foundation and NASULGC (National Association of State Uni-versities and Land-Grant Colleges) talked about the “engaged university,” one that has a clear outreach focus where the entire institution is involved in bringing the comparative advantage of a university’s intellectual power to bear on societal issues.
I refer to these historical reports and contemporary recommendations to frame current transitions within Cooperative Extension at Washington State University. As you may know, I was recently named Dean and Director of Cooperative Extension at the university. This transition, supported by Dean Jim Zuiches of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, and implemented by President V. Lane Rawlins and Interim Provost Ron Hopkins is, in my view, a direct outgrowth of the work our Extension colleagues have been doing for at least forty years. I view this appointment, and the university-wide mandate it carries, as part of the evolution process of Extension, and a strategic opportunity to engage faculty and staff in all of WSU’s colleges and units. Indeed, this is a direction taken by a number of landgrant institutions, including the University of Wisconsin, the Pennsylvania State University, and Oregon State University.
When I look around the state at the issues our citizens are facing, including: health, education, the environment, energy, challenges in agricultural production, the state of our economy, changing workforce preparation needs, and an ever-increasing flow of information, I believe that WSU can elevate its contribution to solutions. I also believe that university-wide Extension is uniquely positioned to deliver educational programs that support those solutions. This is achievable because as I review our current programming, I see that Extension is already engaged in interdisciplinary efforts on many fronts. Extension supports faculty in the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Liberal Arts; we collaborate with the Small Business Development Center and the Partnership for Rural Improvement; our recent efforts with Energy and Manufacturing Extension have broadened our reach, and certainly the WSU Learning Centers, under Extension management, connect us directly with academic instruction.
While I am extremely excited about the potential of university-wide Extension, I recognize that change, even gradual change, can create challenges. Our commitment is to seek input and involvement as we move ahead and to be as clear as possible about our direction. Extension becoming a university-wide entity is a transformational process and we, in partnership with our constituencies, will learn as we move forward.
A vital, thriving organization is never stagnant, but needs to grow and re-invent itself. I view university-wide Extension as an opportunity to advance faculty and staff engagement in local, state, national and worldwide issues, and be an active partner that contributes to quality research, scholarship and the arts at Washington State University.
