The mobile food record™ (mFR™) is a novel app that allows for the tracking of individual food waste and addresses the limitations of current methods to accurately quantify food waste. Extension educators may use data from the mFR™ to create educational initiatives for food waste prevention and education that may be implemented in settings such as…

Greater engagement has been emphasized as a need for Cooperative Extension for decades. Today this emphasis is also seen in higher education. Accordingly, there is need for clarity regarding the definition and community implementation of engagement. In the study described, I sought to address this need by conducting semistructured interviews with…

Extension administrators discussed the competencies and characteristics of Extension professionals as they explored how Extension will need adapt to changing clientele, both in who they are and how they want to receive information. Extension education curriculum is not fully preparing future Extension employees in all required competencies,…

Declining government funding for higher education requires colleges and universities to seek alternative revenue streams, including through philanthropic fund-raising. Extension-based subject matter centers and other programs can benefit from the thoughtful supplementation of traditional revenue sources with individual, corporate, and private…

Selected 4-H youth participated in the Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador program. Forty-five youth participated in the 3-day program delivered by university professors and staff, Texas AgriLife Extension faculty and industry representatives. An instrument was developed and administered to the Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassadors at the end of their first…

Kentucky State University has been conducting a monthly field day known as the Third Thursday Thing for many years. This program has been successful in reaching limited-resource, minority, and underserved clients. The success of the program has indicated that a nontraditional approach can be successful when working with nontraditional clients. The…

For any organization to remain sustainable, a renewable source of faculty and staff needs to be available. The Extension Internship Program for Juniors and Seniors in High School is a new tool for recruiting and developing new Extension agents. Students get "hands on" experience working in an Extension office and earn college credit…

U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored cooperative extension systems and university programs offered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development may find themselves in collaboration or conflict as both expand urban outreach activities. A case study in Des Moines, Iowa, illustrates how collaboration can occur and redundancy…

The Nontraditional Study Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia provides opportunities to adults in farming and agribusiness to earn degrees in agriculture without returning to campus through extension courses and other independent study formats. A survey of student attitudes indicated that students were very favorable toward the program.…

Among the opinions of the deans of colleges of agriculture at the major land-grant universities in the 50 states on cooperative extension within today's changing economy are the following: extension needs a system approach; it should operate more on a regional basis; and staff should be more involved in research. (JOW)

Over 3 years, agriculture and home economics faculty were matched with 21 minority undergraduate majors for 8-week summer internships. Qualitative and quantitative assessments showed that interns developed leadership skills and career awareness and had high levels of satisfaction with the professional contacts and linkages they acquired. (SK)

Interviews with end users identified uses of the Trans Texas Videoconferencing Network: college courses (60%), continuing education, administration, outreach, scientific collaboration, and public special interest groups. Problems were also identified: scheduling difficulties, inconvenient remote facilities, teacher training, and technical support.…

An Oregon pilot effort enabled rural leaders to use computer networks and databases through the Internet. The "virtual community" thus created facilitated communication among diverse audiences separated by distance. (SK)

The Urban Planning Practicum is a capstone course engaging Michigan State students in urban outreach, working with community organizations on neighborhood revitalization. It facilitates the experiential learning needs of urban planning students while assisting Extension staff in capacity building. Faculty-extension agent partnerships make it…

A project placed health science interns in community-based education and outreach programs in partnership with Extension to provide community education in health behavior and decision making and build community capacity for health care. Evaluation of student reports and participant interviews showed that despite logistical challenges such as lack…