A Brief Chronology of the Futuring Process

A comprehensive futuring process was initiated in Fall of FY03. The charge to the Committee appointed by the Vice Provost (made up of Iowa citizens and staff) responsible for this effort was:

• Assess the environment in which ISUE operates and major tendencies for change in this environment,

• Develop a vision for the future of ISUE that is consistent with the new environment and the traditional mission of Extension,

• Prepare a roadmap and guidelines for change that are consistent with the evolving environment and the vision and mission of Extension, and

• Establish priorities for change given the vision and roadmap and the tendencies in our environment.

The Committee held hearings around Iowa asking Iowans what they wanted from ISU Extension Service and then completed a report during spring of FY03. This report was vetted widely within Extension, with our external and internal partners and County Extension Councils. Based on related comments, an Implementation Plan was provided by Extension Administration in fall of FY04. The Implementation Plan was again widely vetted and discussed. Task forces to define specific actions for achieving the implementation were appointed and reported in early Summer of FY04.

The actions to achieve the implementation will be formally starting in early FY05; some actions are already underway. Among the outcomes of the futuring process are actions that will:

• Connect Extension more actively with community initiatives, allocating at least 20% of the budget to this activity--changing over the years with the priorities of Iowa communities;

• Aligning programming more closely with priorities of the state government, and thereby the people of the state;

• Support different types of local offices consistent with county budgets and service demands;

• Focus on high-level content and provide training and expectations of staff and faculty to continuously improve subject matter knowledge;

• Add to the cooperation and partnerships with others in the education and technical assistance business; and

• Increase program focus on economic growth and development.

The broadband communication and LEAN initiatives were also suggested by the Futuring Committee and were begun with the receipt of the committee report in FY03/04. This document concludes with a listing of guiding principles, relative to the implementation of these goals.

A description of the futuring process and outcomes can be found at the Extension website http://www.extension.iastate.edu/futuring/.