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Our Mission

Our Mission. Through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, all Wisconsin people can access university resources and engage in lifelong learning, wherever they live and work. Cooperative Extension Western District. Rural population 7 CNRED educators Challenge: traditional image of Extension

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Our Mission

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  1. Our Mission Through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, all Wisconsin people can access university resources and engage in lifelong learning, wherever they live and work.

  2. Cooperative Extension Western District • Rural population • 7 CNRED educators • Challenge: traditional image of Extension • Opportunity: increase visibility and build relevance • Opportunity: build CNRED resources through staff education of program area.

  3. Cooperative Extension Western District • Four 4-year universities…more than any other district • One two-year college • Challenge: distance from some counties to universities • Opportunity: building connections

  4. Cooperative Extension Western District • Commuter population • Challenge: residents leaving county • Opportunity: creating 24/7 access to education through technology

  5. Cooperative Extension Western District • County government • Challenge: diminishing authority of EEC • Challenge: diminishing resources • Opportunity: indispensable resource to county government • Opportunity: promoting entrepreneurial spirit

  6. Anticipated vacancy • District Director/Dept Head/EEC chairperson discussion to anticipate potential challenges • Strategize with departing educator • Increased visibility • Create an urgency • Review of accomplishments

  7. Leadership Values • Top values in 2000 survey of CE employees • Honesty • Competence • Fair-minded • Broad-minded • Dependable • Supportive • Forward-looking

  8. Assumptions • District Director is relatively new; developing relationships with county partners • EEC members generally supportive of continuation of the position at its current percentage • Primary resistance is coming from county executive committee • UW-Extension has a good reputation with the county partner, but there is room for improvement • Limited interest in surrounding counties for regionalizing or sharing the vacant position. No other vacancies currently exist in surrounding counties.

  9. Partners • County Extension Office Staff • Consider the bigger picture • Extension Committee • Cooperative Extension Resources • Program area • Marketing and communications • Lessons learned from other counties • Clientele & CPAG

  10. Difficult Conversations • 3 purposes • Learn their story • Express your views and feelings • Problem solve together

  11. “Learn Their Story” • Staff meeting to develop plan for gathering other perspectives: • Those proposing position cut • EEC members • County Administrator • County Board Chairperson • Other board members/committees • Clientele: visioning session • CPAG; other community partners • People external to Extension • Others? • Plan for conversations • Goal: to seek understanding…not agreement • Skillful questions that lead to understanding of root issues

  12. “Express Our Views & Feelings” • Staff meeting to develop message points • What do we want key decision-makers to learn? Develop message points based on “their story”. • What specific examples illustrate each message? • Program impacts • Resources leveraged • Data from visioning session • Examples of work from educators in surrounding counties

  13. “Express Our Views & Feelings”: Targeted Communication Plan

  14. Targeted Communication • Communicating Value Campaign Step 1: Developing Message Points • Communicating Value Campaign Step 2: Who Needs to Hear Our Message? • Communicating Value Campaign Step 3: Action Plan Resource: http://cpag.uwex.edu/how/cpagmeetingactivities.cfm Based on concepts taught by Pamela Seelman, Public Information Specialist

  15. “Problem Solve Together” • What can both partners bring? Abundance vs. scarcity. • Pros/cons of regionalization/sharing/cutting • County priorities and how Extension programming is responding • County strategic plan: Education to advance strategies in plan • What do citizens say they want from government; link to education • Fiscal challenges: leveraging • County as a client of Extension…not only a funding source

  16. Outcomes • Increased knowledge of Extension resources • Strengthened relationship with county partner • Identification of local needs for new educator to address • Unified staff team • Filling of vacancy at current level

  17. Resources • Applied Population Lab; UW-Madison/UW-Extension • “What Cooperative Extension People Value in Their Managerial Leaders”; study conducted by Buck Joseph, Ed.D. and Ramon J. Aldag, Ph.D. 2000. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/depthead/valueinleaders.html • “Connecting the Concepts: A Brief Review of our RBC Journey since September 2004.” Based on presentations by Arlen Leholm and Keith Ayres. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/admin/responsibility/documents • “Difficult Conversations. How to Discuss What Matters Most” Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen of the Harvard Negotiation Project. Penguin Books. 1999 • “Developing a Communicating Value Campaign with Your CPAG” http://cpag.uwex.edu/how/cpagmeetingactivities.cfm

  18. Our Mission Through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, all Wisconsin people can access university resources and engage in lifelong learning, wherever they live and work.

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