Spanier Outlines Extension Changes

8-14-96
University Park, PA -- As part of the re-examination of the University's mission and organizational structure, President Graham B. Spanier Wednesday outlined a plan to strengthen university outreach programs including Penn State Cooperative Extension, which has provided outreach services to the Commonwealth for more than 75 years.

In a speech at Ag Progress Days before an audience including legislators, local, state and federal agricultural officials and agricultural industry representatives, Spanier shared his vision for strengthening outreach by increasing the cooperation and coordination among Cooperative Extension and other University outreach initiatives.

As part of the plan, Spanier said Cooperative Extension should have its own director, responsible for policy, program and administrative leadership. The dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences currently serves as the director of Cooperative Extension.

The president also said Cooperative Extension must remain closely tied to the College of Agricultural Sciences and maintain its historical commitments to production agriculture and other current program areas. Spanier's concept would join Cooperative Extension to other segments of the University, expanding the education and research base for extension programs. College administrative structures across the University would change to reflect a broadened outreach mission, including supportive ties to Cooperative Extension.

"Cooperative Extension programs, which serve all citizens of the Commonwealth, can gain by drawing on faculty expertise and resources in such colleges as Health and Human Development, Medicine, Engineering, Science, Business Administration and Education," Spanier said. "Cooperative Extension also can make good use of the resources of Penn State's Division of Continuing and Distance Education."

The plan, which is the culmination of a year of discussion with both internal and external constituent groups, seeks to bring together all University outreach units while enhancing the programs offered through Cooperative Extension. Cooperative Extension is a community-based educational network that provides people in all 67 counties of Pennsylvania access to Penn State, their land-grant institution.

One of the great strengths of Cooperative Extension, according to Spanier, is its delivery system - its ability to reach so many Pennsylvanians. Each year, more than 8 million people in the state participate in seminars, workshops, conferences, short courses, computer-assisted learning, learn-at-home programs and other activities offered by Cooperative Extension.

Under Spanier's plan, the role of the University's senior officer for outreach, James Ryan, vice president for Continuing and Distance Education, will be redefined. Ryan will adopt the new title of vice president for outreach and Cooperative Extension and will be responsible for creating partnerships with academic deans, administrators, faculty, staff and advisory groups. He will also administer the budget and programs of Continuing and Distance Education and Penn State Public Broadcasting. In close cooperation with the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, he will jointly oversee Cooperative Extension.

"I look forward to working closely with Dr. Ryan to strengthen our system for delivering the educational and research resources of Penn State to the people of Pennsylvania," Theodore Alter, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said. "This expansion of our support base and delivery capabilities will strengthen Cooperative Extension programming for agriculture and the food system, Pennsylvania's young people, families, businesses and communities."

The new director of Cooperative Extension, who also will serve as an associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is expected to create cooperative, coordinated programming relationships among faculty and extension staff across departments, colleges and disciplines, and to secure additional funding.

"This (initiative) will create a more integrated and coordinated statewide presence for Penn State outreach overall," Spanier said. "In addition, this new relationship will ultimately improve Cooperative Extension's capacity to address pressing issues and needs through the involvement of a broader array of University faculty and staff expertise and fiscal resources."

Once again touching on a theme that has been sounded throughout his first year as University president, Spanier said that in order for Penn State to remain true to its land-grant mission, all of Penn State's outreach and extension initiatives must be better coordinated and supported.

"Client needs are changing with demographic trends, economic conditions and more mandated programs," he said. "New electronic delivery methods also are altering the way Cooperative Extension and outreach systems are operating nationwide."

All told, Penn State's efforts to share its resources show that more than 100 major outreach and extension programs provided by various units within the University reach half of Pennsylvania's nearly 11.9 million population.

Some of the other highlights planned for University outreach and Cooperative Extension include:
- the creation of regional councils to aid communication and cooperation among Penn State outreach and Cooperative Extension personnel and programs. This change should help Penn State respond better to local needs.
- changing the titles and duties of the assistant or associate deans responsible for Continuing and Distance Education in each of the colleges to include a liaison role with Cooperative Extension.

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Contact:
Bill Mahon (814) 865-7517 (office) (814) 237-5625 (home) np3@psu.edu