Contact Person: Dr. Floyd Branson, Jr. Assistant Director/CES Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service 1140 AGAD Building West Lafayette, IN 47907-1140 Presenters: Dr. Floyd Branson, Jr. Jerry Nelson Nancy Wagner West Lafayette, IN Vincennes, IN Covington, IN
Conference Objective:
Identifies innovative ways to reach new audiences as we strive to keep our careers challenging.
Abstract:
People selected to participate in National Extension Leadership Development, North Central Region are highly respected, forward thinking and among the best we have to offer. We invest in them as future leaders within our system and see the NELD experience as only a beginning. After selection, CES administration meets with all NELDers past and present routinely. Though this is somewhat a think tank discussing important aspects of Extension, sometimes specific problems are identified by this group. Their most recent activity was a result of having determined that our lay groups, to include key Extension advisory boards, needed training and resource information to assist them in doing their job, thus the creation of "Getting On Board".
"Getting On Board" is a comprehensive Web based program designed for advisory committees and boards. It consists of five modules with specific units for each module. The modules are: I. Board Leadership, II. Audience/Clientele Base, III. Program Identification and Impact Measurement, IV. Financial Resource Design, and V. Human Resources. The material used for this program is not original, but a compilation of the best resources available. It is Web based and linked for ease of movement throughout the modules and can be updated easily. Everyone involved with this program is listed by name, address, and e-mail address and were formed into development teams. These teams will continue to receive input from users whereby they may make changes relevant to their modules.
With everything you do there are benefits that are not recognized initially. Since this program was developed for internal use as a primary mission, no one realized how many people would see this as an outreach tool. Even as it was presented to staff, we began to hear how potentially valuable the material would be to other groups and organizations. We have heard that "Getting On Board" is being used with community organizations, youth serving groups, government units, and schools. There seems to be no end to the number of and kinds of people this program is touching.
Recently, we were approached by people involved with developing an Extension program in Poland. Polish leaders, while visiting Purdue University, reviewed the "Getting On Board" material in the fall of 1998. They were excited about what they saw and requested a copy of the materials and are translating it into Polish. Who would have thought that the program would reach across the ocean into a developing country? The opportunities seem endless.