Iowa's five ISU Extension areas are represented on the Iowa Association
of County Extension Councils (IACEC) board of directors. It's a partnership
of citizens and Extension.
Displays featuring
ISU Extension's Iowa Concern hotline and health screenings have been present
at health fairs and other events around the state.
Partnerships bring opportunity for Iowa and Extension
Partnerships are what will allow Iowa State University
Extension to accomplish its mission, according to Fred Sick, Iowa
Association of County Extension Councils (IACEC) president. He calls
this opportunity.
The opportunity Sue Tew sees is what she calls the “big picture.”
Tew works with the Youth Policy Institute of Iowa and serves on the Iowa
Collaboration for Youth Development with representatives from ISU
Extension 4-H Youth Development as well as other organizations and
state agencies.
“Extension’s involvement is vital because of the presence in
all the counties. It brings a perspective from across the state to the
organizations and agencies involved in the collaboration,” she said.
An added value comes in the wealth of information and resources ISU Extension
brings to the table.
For example, with funds received through federal legislation, ISU Extension
has brought together a partnership of professionals in or related to mental
health in areas across the state. Each provides education and information
on mental health issues and connects farm and rural families to mental
health counseling. One of the goals of this rural mental health initiative
is to eliminate the stigma often associated with a person having mental
health needs, according to Jim Meek, special projects manager for
ISU Extension to Families.
In the past year, ISU Extension partnered with the Governor’s Strategic
Planning Council to offer citizens around the state an opportunity to
review the council’s Iowa 2010 plan and discuss implications at the
local and state level. More than 3,000 citizens joined in discussions
about Iowa’s future all across the state and established plans for
continued partnerships.
Extension’s Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) is a diverse group of
volunteers who provide counsel to ISU Extension’s vice provost and
administration. CAC member Craig Hill said now is the time for Extension
to hold a clear-eyed view of what constituents want and how best to deliver
it. The CAC assisted Extension administration in looking at revenue generation
approaches this past year.
The IACEC is another partnership of citizens who represent the county
extension councils and provide input to ISU Extension. The association
has been involved in defining the agreements on sharing costs between
the counties and the state. Fred Sick, IACEC president, said, “Because
of budget concerns, ISU Extension will not look the same as it has in
the past. Our challenge is to capture this opportunity and make ISU Extension
a better resource for all Iowa citizens.”
Hill concurred. “Partnership is the future of the organization. We have an important mission and to make sure the job gets done, Extension will need to be creative and find synergies that exist between private and public organizations.”
Contact Laura Sternweis, editor, lsternwe@iastate.edu.
Visit the ISU Extension homepage.
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Last update: January 2002