In my first nine months as your Dean and Director, I have been thoroughly impressed by the quality of the Extension programs we are delivering across Nebraska. I am continuously reminded by stakeholders about the importance and value of our Extension work. It is really fun to be part of something this good. At the same time, I don't think we can rest on our laurels. We need to keep pushing forward, defining excellence and committing resources to make it all happen.
So, why talk about UNL Extension in the next 100 years? On May 8, 2014, we will celebrate the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act, the founding legislation for the Cooperative Extension system. From my perspective, what we have accomplished in our first 100 years is important, what we will accomplish in the next 100 years will be absolutely unbelievable!!!
With this in mind, I will be touring the state in October to meet and visit with you and listen to your thoughts about UNL Extension in the next 100 years. I very much look forward to our conversations. The following thoughts will frame our discourse.
Why is this important?
Nebraskans trust, value and use the unbiased, research-based knowledge of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to solve important problems and create real-life opportunities. UNL Extension is uniquely positioned, as a part of the land-grant university system, to create robust learning resources delivered across our statewide network of Extension professionals that improve Nebraskan’s lives and livelihoods helping all of Nebraska grow and prosper.
In this time of rapid change and economic stress, UNL Extension aspires to be more relevant, more effective and more valuable to Nebraskans. We challenge ourselves to think about and design our future in ways that can make this happen.
Why now?
We want to take UNL Extension to the next level, we aspire to be the best and most effective Cooperative Extension organization in the country…we believe that Nebraskans deserve this. And, we believe that we, as UNL Extension professionals, deserve this.
Economic forces are driving Nebraskans to make difficult choices about individual, family and organizational investments. We want UNL Extension to be financially sustainable, to be supported by elected officials, to be a go-to organization for funding agencies and to be a priority within the University of Nebraska system.
We want to be crisper and more efficient in our work, more strategic in our planning and implementation and known for quality Extension work and relevance to Nebraska’s emerging issues and opportunities.
We want to clarify our ‘hedgehog’ in the Good to Great context by answering the following questions:
- What are we better at than anyone else?
- What are we passionate about?
- What drives our ‘economic’ engine?
The 2014 Smith-Lever Centennial Celebration gives us a wonderful opportunity to think about UNL Extension’s next 100 years.
Schedule (you are welcome to participate at any location):
Friday, September 27
* 8:30-10:30 am – Campus Extension professionals
Monday, September 30
* 9-11 am – ARDC
* 1-3 pm – Columbus
Tuesday, October 1
* 9-11 am – Wayne
* 2:30-4:30 pm – Ainsworth
Wednesday, October 2
* 9-11 am MDT – PHREC
* 3-5 pm – WCREC
Thursday, October 3
* 9-11 am – Kearney
* 2:30-4:30 pm – York
Friday, October 4
* 9-11 am – Beatrice
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Civil Rights Review
Our USDA/NIFA Civil Rights Review is September 9-13, 2013. We have been working to collect important data and information for the review. Recently, we asked Unit Leaders for important information about your programs and the composition of your advisory groups and volunteers. We also provided current US Census data on your county. This is a really important time to compare the diversity of our program participants, advisory groups and volunteers relative to the diversity of our counties. Department Heads, Chairs and District Directors will be receiving a similar request yet this week.
One of the key questions was focused on "Special Programs". These are projects or initiatives that you have developed and/or delivered that are designed to engage new or emerging audiences. So, this is not a request for a summary of every program that you deliver. It is more focused on special programs that engage new or emerging audiences.
Please let me know if you have questions about any of this.
-- Chuck