Cooperative Extension organizational values systems include personnel values, process values, and product (program) values. The values systems are the basis for making program decisions and a source of professional satisfaction if the values are congruent with beliefs. (SK)

Cornell Cooperative Extension replaced a series of one-day seminars with a satellite broadcast, reducing travel costs, preparation, and delivery time. The audience expanded beyond New York, participants expressed high satisfaction with program quality, and videotapes of broadcasts are available for reference. (SK)

Cooperative extension sites may not meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Extension agents should evaluate the following areas to ensure compliance: facilities, marketing, decision making, faculty awareness, resources, policies, and evaluation. (SK)

South Carolina's Agricultural Service Laboratory received responses from 252 of 500 farmers who currently use the soil testing service; 97% were pleased with accuracy, 89% with turnaround time, 18% thought the fee too high. Nonusers (100 of 520) were mainly dissatisfied with turnaround time. Total quality management methods were used to improve…

For the purposes of evaluating extension programs, a list of other outcomes participants may have experienced besides acquiring new knowledge is provided. (SK)

A survey of 731 Iowa farmers received 432 responses indicating that (1) groundwater and water quality were of greater concern than soil conservation; (2) field demonstrations and county meetings were useful information sources on these issues; and (3) government agencies such as cooperative extension and state universities were useful sources of…

Wisconsin Cooperative Extension's use of strategic planning to develop programing resulted in the following conclusions: (1) strategic planning can create fears; (2) some will change and others will not; (3) county involvement reaps local rewards; (4) not everything gets done; and (5) the process must be institutionalized. (SK)

Extramural departments of university adult education have thrived in the margins. Placement in the mainstream may stifle commitment to social purpose education. (SK)

Most extension district directors (n=66) who completed the Myers Briggs Type Inventory and Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventories II preferred the integrating style of conflict management. Significant relationships appeared between personality type and management style. Better understanding of types and styles can improve group dynamics, team…

Public relations efforts of the Carroll County (Ohio) extension office included periodic reports to legislators, a toll-free number distributed on refrigerator magnets, annual calendar/report to the public, newspaper supplements, and town meetings. Long-term effects were a 116% increase in funding, used to upgrade staff, programs, and…

Discusses a survey of 178 gardeners from Newark, New Jersey, and describes Extension's role in improving the life quality and socioeconomic well-being of individuals, families, and neighborhoods through community gardening in an urban environment. (Author)

A total of 108 (of 200) adolescents completed the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and family characteristics questionnaire. Results showed that it is not the structure of the family but the degree of discord within the family that influences self-esteem. (Author/JOW)

A survey of 1,015 Florida farmers (41 percent) showed that factors influencing small farm operators' likelihood of participating in a self-study educational program included access and availability of alternatives, having a videocassette recorder, and a need for information. (JOW)

In a survey of 58 mentors and 57 proteges who participated in the mentoring system for the Ohio Extension Service to determine their satisfaction with the program, 90 percent of the mentors and 70 percent of the proteges indicated a successful experience. (JOW)

Suggests a need to examine the assumptions of the program planning model and explore new ways of meeting social needs through extension education. Argues that the reductionistic program planning model is useful but only in certain situations; new ways of approaching complex social issues need to be considered. (Author/JOW)