2000 National Metting of Epsilon Sigma Phi--Concurrent Session Number 12

OSU CARES (Ohio State University Community Access to Resources and Educational Services) is a jointly funded effort of OSU Extension and Ohio State's Office of the President. This program builds interdisciplinary outreach/engagement partnerships between OSU Extension and colleges/units throughout the university. Through these partnerships, expanded and new outreach/engagement initiatives have been developed that can enhance Extension's programming with Ohioans.

This session will focus on the development of OSU CARES and the resulting involvement of OSU Extension with 15 of the 19 colleges of the university, three of the four regional campuses and over 45 departments/units. This initiative has also served as the vehicle to partner OSU Extension with the university's President's Council for Outreach and Engagement and other university-wide outreach efforts.

To build partnerships between OSU Extension and the other colleges of the university, OSU CARES' has helped

1. Communicate to the university community OSU Extension's broad mission and programs
2. Educate university staff, faculty and leaders concerning the possibilities for partnerships with Extension. This has been accomplished through one-on-one working relationships with university colleagues through OSU CARES's partnership with the university-wide outreach and engagement effort.
3. Showcase the work of county Extension agents through the Roads Scholars Tour and involvement of county staff in university partnerships.
4. Financially support partnerships between Extension and campus faculty and staff through seed grants.

Below are listed just a few of the partnerships that have developed as a result of OSU CARES' efforts:

• College of Dentistry and a county OSU Extension nutrition program have partnered to increase the oral health and nutritional health among senior citizens.
• College of the Arts and OSU Extension partner annually to present the Ohio State Sampler, a showcase of the university's talented dance, music and theatre students.
• College of Math, Physical Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Pharmacy and OSU Extension 4-H/Youth Development are developing and implementing a science education program in Columbus City Schools that will then be shared state-wide through Extension.
• College of Education and OSU Extension 4-H/Youth Development are partnering to write, deliver and assess a Spanish language program for elementary children.

This session will focus on the over all development and implementation of OSU CARES, its partnership with Ohio State's university-wide outreach/engagement movement and the impacts of OSU CARES as demonstrated by the partnerships that have been developed.