Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin Announce Partnership
Nov. 14, 2000
University Park, PA-Three major Big Ten universities have forged a partnership to support university outreach and engagement. Penn State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Extension will sponsor a series of national conferences to share and explore best practices for institutions of higher education who conduct outreach and public service.

James H. Ryan, Penn State's vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, explained the importance of this partnership.

"For centuries colleges and universities have met society's needs by pushing the limits of research and by educating generations of professionals. In today's information society, we must do more. Our universities are adopting new, community-focused models to fulfill our social responsibilities, communicate new research directly with the audiences who need it, and ensure that our scholarship is relevant to current challenges facing individuals, organizations, and communities," he said.

"The partnership between our three institutions and the conferences that come out of it will help all colleges and universities achieve these goals," Ryan added.

According to Bobby D. Moser, vice-president of Agricultural Administration and co-chair of Ohio State's Outreach and Engagement Steering Committee and Council, "Ohio State is pleased to be a partner with Penn State and UW-Extension, in sponsoring this national conference on university outreach and engagement."

"Colleges and universities across the U.S., from metropolitan colleges to international research institutions, are reaffirming their commitment to the communities they serve. We are proud to be a partner in bringing together university leaders and community partners to share and discuss the critical issues around this important topic," Moser said.

The conference series is targeted to college and university leaders and faculty interested in engaging their expertise with those outside the academic community through cooperative extension, continuing education, distance education, technology transfer, governmental affairs, university relations, public broadcasting, and other activities. The goal will be to provide practical tools for implementing this change in higher education.

Kevin P. Reilly, chancellor of the UW-Extension, noted, "By bringing together some of the most respected outreach scholars and practitioners in these areas, we can share our most successful approaches and learn how other institutions are facing today's emerging challenges. The University of Wisconsin-Extension anticipates that this will be an excellent forum for discussing new technology and educational methods, and we are excited to co-sponsor such an important event."

The first of the sponsored conferences, Outreach Scholarship: Learning, Discovery, and Engagement, will take place October 14-16, 2001 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in University Park, Pennsylvania. This will be the second conference focusing on best practices in outreach and public service held at Penn State. Last year's conference attracted over 300 people to more than 70 sessions, including keynote addresses, and a variety of special events.

Future conferences will be held each at Ohio State in October 2002, at UW-Extension in October 2003, and again at Penn State in October 2004. Organizers are currently accepting proposals (deadline November 30, 2000) for publications at the Outreach Scholarship 2001 conference.

Contact: For information about university outreach and outreach initiatives in your area, please contact

--James H. Ryan, Penn State University's Vice President for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, 814-865-7581 or

-- Bobby Moser, Ohio State University's Vice-President of Agricultural Administration, Dean, and Co-Chair of The Ohio State University's Outreach and Engagement Steering Committee and Council,

-- David Giroux, Director of Public Information for the University of Wisconsin-Extension, 608-262-9871 or

For details about the Outreach Scholarship conference, please contact Jeri Childers, Program Chair, at 814-865-7679 or . More information about the conference is available at http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/OutreachScholarship2001.