Recommendations
These are the recommendations for future study and further work based on the findings of this study.
1. Work with focus groups across institutional groups and professional development associations to develop a plan of action related to meeting training needs in a way that addresses the specific needs of different institutional types. An approach such as a more internally driven Impact Collaborative or some other gathering may be useful to do this work. There may also be groups external to Extension that might contribute expertise in these areas. Similarly, at the institutional level, use data from this survey as a starting point to assess the situation at your home institution or within a group of institutions. What are the needs and what is being provided. What change is needed to better address needs. Again, are there internal and/or external partners you can work with to enact this change? 2. Encourage development of training programs that can be used to meet needs in Extension organizations needing training, reducing duplication, and providing resources where they are needed. Develop frameworks for courses that allow delivery of both information that is relevant to the individual organization as well as the national organization. Organizations already providing impactful training can play a key role in supporting this work. 3. Consider ways to repurpose and market professional development training to make it accessible to non- Extension faculty in Land-grants as well as external audiences including volunteers and stakeholders. The trainings can help strengthen institutional support of Extension faculty and programs while also helping others that work with Extension to better understand our role. 4. Develop a national Extension certificate that could be used by current or prospective Extension professionals. Work with universities to determine how the Extension credit can count for graduate degree and/or professional development credit. 5. Study organizational structure of Land-grant universities, identifying specific roles for all types of Land- grant institutions, to increase understanding across the national Extension organization. Develop resources that communicate similar roles across institutions to support networking in these roles across Extension organizations. 6. Conduct future study of the discrepancy between the mean years of service and maximum years of service across institutional type. Does this present opportunity for collaboration and support across Extension organizations? Likewise, does career stage data suggest greater need for professional development and purpose for Extension employees later in their career to help them progress and be successful in later career stages? 7. Use the data provided here as a baseline to consider change in future Extension Foundation needs assessments. Conduct focus groups with 1890 and 1994 representatives to identify ways to increase the number of completed responses from these groups in future needs assessment activities. Reflect changes in program areas by including new ones in future studies. Also, consider separating Agriculture and Natural Resources into three categories including Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Forestry and Health and Nutrition in half to reflect changes in specialization.
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