COOPERATIVE EXTENSION STRATEGICALLY PREPARES FOR THE FUTURE
Gloria J. Mosby, program director - Communications

PRAIRIE VIEW, TX - Group interaction and discussion among staff were readily apparent at the Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program’s State Training Conference held March 16-19 in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s conference theme was “Strategically Preparing for the Future.”

Cooperative Extension Program personnel were actively involved in strategic planning activities at the conference which will guide the organization in the future. “We are preparing a new strategic plan which will better position us to implement programs that address the most critical issues facing Texans with limited resources,” said Dr. Linda Williams-Willis, administrator, Cooperative Extension Program, Prairie View A&M University.

Assisting CEP staff in the strategic planning process was Dr. Daryl Hobbs, director, Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Dr. Hobbs told staff that a very important part of strategic planning was identifying values important and common to the organization.

Dr. Gladys Gary Vaughn, national program leader, Families, 4-H and Nutrition with the Cooperative Extension Research, Education and Extension Service/United States Department of Agriculture, also said that a vital part of strategic planning was recognizing excellence in the organization. She addressed the staff about the concept of excellence and gave 10 principles to build excellence in programs. “Excellence is making a breakthrough on a priority need in the lives of people as a result of outcomes on a sustained engagement effort,” said Dr. Vaughn. “In your strategic planning process, give equal balance to three things – what to do, what not to do, and what to stop doing.”

To further assist CEP staff in their planning efforts, information was provided concerning the changing demographics of Texas. Dr. Cruz Torres, associate professor, Rural Sociology and Community Studies at Texas A&M University said that the increase of the Hispanic population in Texas over the next 35 years will definitely have an effect on education, economics, and the work force in the state.

“We can only be effective as an organization if we carefully examine the state’s changing demographics and determine how we must adapt our programs and staffing patterns in order to remain relevant,” said Dr. Willis.

In addition to participating in the strategic planning process at the conference, several CEP staff were recognized and honored for innovative programming and others were honored for blazing a trail which has led to successful Extension programming in 43 counties across the state of Texas.

State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon, District 120 - Texas House of Representatives, was guest speaker at the Innovative Program Delivery Awards Banquet. Representative McClendon encouraged CEP staff to talk about solutions to problems, talk to the legislature and build coalitions to get things done. “Taking the University to the people is what you do, and I encourage you to communicate what you do to your legislators.”

Dr. Willis presented Representative McLendon with an Award of Appreciation at the banquet and recognized her as being a true champion of Prairie View A&M University, especially her efforts in sponsoring a bill in the 78th Legislature that authorized the Medical Academy at Prairie View A&M.

Other speakers at the conference were Dr. Scott R. Cummings, assistant department head and program leader for Extension Education - Texas Cooperative Extension; Dr. Elizabeth Noel, dean, College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M University; Dr. Chester P. Fehlis Jr., director - Texas Cooperative Extension; Dr. Elaine Fries, county Extension director, TCE - Bexar County; Mr. Joel V. Williams, City Councilman, San Antonio, District 2; and Dr. Rick Baldwin, coordinator, Community Development, School of Architecture - PVAMU.

Contact the Cooperative Extension Program at (936) 857-2023 for more information about the State Extension Training Conference.