Iowa State University Extension Strategic Plan Summary

ISU Extension Mission

ISU Extension builds partnerships and provides research-based learning opportunities to improve quality of life in Iowa.

ISU Extension Mission-Critical Objectives

1. Ensure that ISU Extension revenues and costs are in alignment and that all past financial commitments are completed.

2. Grow the university’s overall continuing and distance education into a completely self-supporting program through creating offerings in areas with high market demand.

3. Bring greater central control over faculty and staff ISU Extension appointments that currently are distributed within the university’s academic units to ensure that future appointments are well aligned with the university’s overall ISU Extension priorities.

4. Enhance the role of ISU Extension in student recruitment and in building taxpayer and legislative support for the university with the goal of having every ISU Extension employee serving as an effective ambassador for the university and all of its programs.

5. Bring to light Iowa’s bioeconomic opportunities and resulting challenges to communities and entrepreneurs.

6. Broaden and reinvigorate ISU Extension’s relevance to Iowans.

ISU Strategic Goal for Education:       Strengthen undergraduate, graduate, and professional education to enhance student success at Iowa State University and beyond.

Relevant ISU Extension Strategic Objectives

 Provide experiential learning opportunities for students.

 Develop and sustain evidence-based educational partnerships in Iowa communities.

 Increase clientele use of electronic-based information and program offerings.

 Collaborate with academic units to recruit new students to ISU.

 Develop an urban ISU Extension initiative for each of the six program areas.

 Develop opportunities for immigrants focusing on Latinos in cooperation with Community Colleges and K-12. 

 Develop international ISU Extension opportunities.

 Attract top-notch Extension faculty and specialists to provide leadership in research and education in agricultural sciences, life sciences, food and nutrition, and environmental and social sciences.

 Provide opportunities for faculty with Extension appointments to bring educational and practical experiences into the classroom and expand experiential learning to students.

 Empower youth to reach their full potential working and learning in partnership with caring adults.

ISU Strategic Goal for Programs:             Increase the number of graduate, professional, and research programs that are among the very best — especially in areas that build on university strengths and address local and global critical needs.

Relevant ISU Extension Strategic Objectives

 Create a profitable, university-wide continuing and distance education program that offers time and place-based students access to ISU certificates and degrees.

 Provide opportunities for youth to demonstrate their knowledge in science, engineering, and technology, and redefine 4-H club programs to be more relevant.

 Increase participation in programs by using innovative distance education technologies.

 Provide educational opportunities to help Iowans understand the importance of natural resource management, sustainability, and the economic and environtmental impacts of biorenewables.

 Strengthen outreach programs and partnerships with agribusinesses to develop research and programs that address relevant issues for producers about the bioeconomy, biorenewables, and biofuel coproducts.

 Enhance partnerships with university centers, industry, and others to take advantage of expertise both inside and outside the university.

 Secure a market position that has new relevance to our clientele, and in turn, secure new clientele segments who may not have thought of ISU Extension as a resource.

ISU Strategic Goal for Economic Impact: Translate discoveries into viable technologies, products, and services to strengthen the economies of Iowa and the world.

Relevant ISU Extension Strategic Objectives

 Help Iowa industry leverage globalization to improve their competitiveness and serve as a catalyst for campus economic development research activities.

 Strengthen educational programs targeted at work force skills for youth.

 Develop citizens and new groups of community leaders focused on strengthening Iowa communities by building individual, family, and community capacity.

 Provide education that responds to Iowa’s workforce needs in the areas of child care, strong families, and food safety.

 Enhance the performance of industry through research, education, and technology-based services.

 Augment the value and scope of Iowa's agricultural industry, increasing rural vitality, protecting the state's natural resources, and stimulating new economic development opportunities.

 Offer educational seminars, as well as technical and business assistance, to increase productivity and competitiveness.

ISU Strategic Goal for Iowa Life:                Elevate the state’s appeal as a place to live, learn, work, and play.

Relevant ISU Extension Strategic Objectives

 Serve more place and time-based students through expanding continuing and distance education.

 Improve the long-term well being of communities through research and experience-based education with a focus toward improving the Iowa community:  community government and governance, community planning and design, and community economic development.

 Expand learning opportunities for business and industry employees.

 Expand programs for new and underserved youth in urban and small communities.

 Provide educational programming that responds to the priority needs of Iowans related to financial management, family living, and nutrition and health.

 Provide educational programming that expands opportunities for Iowans to learn about wildlife and horticulture.

 Increase coordination of water and air quality collaboration among agencies, watershed residents, and producers.

 Develop productive, healthy, and sustainable communities.

 Bring new light to the breadth of ISU Extension’s relevance and impact on economic development and the everyday lives of Iowans.

ISU Strategic Goal for University Life:      Ensure that the university is a great place to learn and work.

Relevant ISU Extension Strategic Objectives

 Foster an environment in which staff perform at their highest level, feel highly satisfied, and are recognized for their successes.

 Enhance operational performance by improving quality, efficiency, and responsiveness.

 Expand the diversity of people, ideas, and cultures, and nurture an environment within which diversity thrives.

 Create a continuing and distance education business model that provides incentives for inputs.

 Develop a comprehensive set of core competencies that Extension employees should possess to anticipate and deliver quality educational programs of relevance and importance to our publics.