Extension Excellence

I learned this morning about the Extension Excellence program and website (http://excellence.tamu.edu/) which apparently has been in existence from planning to implementation for the past 7 years now.  "About Excellence" indicates the program began through the formation of a task force by ECOP to find ways to measure excellence in Extension.  The team includes a director and evaluator for each region of the US with representatives for the 1890 schools as well.

There are seven criteria with appropriate measures identified for program evaluation.  The criteria, as listed on the website, are as follows:
1. The university recognizes Cooperative Extension as a major component of outreach/engagement
2.  Diverse stakeholder input is used to shape programs
3.  Client satisfaction
4.  Best Practices/Exemplary Programs
5.  Knowledge/Attitude/Skills/Aspirations (KASA) and Behavioral Change
6.  Economic Impact
7.  Funding for Cooperative Extension

I believe regular review and reflection on how these criteria are reflected in programming would be beneficial for all of us in Extension.  Some areas may closely relate to our role in the organization, but it is good to have an awareness of what defines excellence for the organization as a whole.

The group also provides regular webinars, newsletters and other resources to aid extension in program evaluation.  The March 2012 newsletter contains results of a survey of Extension Directors and Administrators that suggests that personnel other than directors that are utilizing the information collected by the site are in the areas of planning and reporting, program leadership, human resources and communication.  Primary challenges appear to be increasing use and the number of institutions reporting to the site.  Recommended uses for the data include:  institutional comparisons, tracking institutional change over time, grant applications, illustrating critical needs and reporting progress and use of resources (accountability). 

Make reviewing this site a personal professional development goal for yourself today.  We gain value through the collective actions of our organizations.  This program/website will help to make us more aware of our accomplishments, both individually and collectively.