Elevate and Amplify Extension
While extension has, in the past, been essentially viewed as the activities of the Cooperative Extension Service primarily out of the Ferguson College of Agriculture, a wide array of CAS programs (e.g., Audiology, Speech and Psychology Clinics, community music programs, NGWAU) reach out to the local and state communities. These programs provide services and expertise to assist with local problems. The outreach division of CAS Deans office is the focus of many, but not all, of these activities. CAS aims to bolster efforts already underway in order to aid OSU’s imperative to “elevate and amplify Extension.”
Initative 7
Build on and expand Extension efforts housed with the College, including clinics, industry partnerships, high school dual enrollment and more.
Objective 1: Assess best practices
CAS will assess best practices in extension/outreach for colleges of arts and sciences nationwide by reviewing available research literature and professional guidelines. As appropriate, the College will apply those practices to the activities of CAS Outreach.
Objective 2: Rebrand CAS Outreach
The College will rebrand CAS Outreach and produce an inventory of all the current outreach programs within the college. This will include renaming CAS Outreach to CAS Extension, developing an online list of activities with links to more information, and revamping printed and online materials.
Objective 3: Increase CAS online presence
Through the Outreach office’s activities, the College will increase access through its online presence including expanding Cowboy Concurrent online and developing new online degree programs. We aim to double the number of fully online degree programs by 2030 and double the number of high school students taking Cowboy Concurrent classes by 2028. This will be achieved by encouraging departments to evaluate the possibility of online degrees and propose programs; increasing seat availability in Cowboy Concurrent by hiring additional faculty; increasing marketing; and identifying other concurrent course needs through discussions with Oklahoma high schools.
Objective 4: Amplify broader impacts of federally funded grants
Outreach will work with faculty with federally funded grants to leverage the broader impacts requirements to extend the impact of these activities to the community. To do so, Outreach will begin by providing a list of services and costs for areas where they can add value to broader impact activities.
Objective 5: Create connections with Cooperative Extension Service
Partnering with the Cooperative Extension Service, the College will identify issues of local importance that can be addressed by the skills and resources within the college. As these connections are made, a clear mechanism will be created to obtain stakeholder input and feedback, including establishing a CAS liaison with Cooperative Extension Service. CAS will also work to create a new college-level award for people or programs that leverage CAS expertise to address community problems.
Objective 6: Establish K-12 outreach programs
The College will work with all CAS departments to develop K-12 outreach programs that are available regularly and in an ongoing manner. It will begin by surveying departments for examples, with the aim of creating a catalog of K-12 Extension programs within CAS.
Objective 7: Build collaborations with K-12 educators
The College will encourage CAS faculty to share their research passions with K-12 teachers and collaborate with K-12 teachers to incorporate these research topics into their classrooms across the state using video lessons or other methods in order to meet their curricular goals and generate student excitement for their future at OSU.
Objective 8: Build new industry partnerships
Using the collaboration with the National Groundwater Association as a model — NGWA University Powered by OSU — the college will develop short courses and materials to support business and industry needs both within the state and nationally. The goal is to identify at least one other industry that could create a viable training partnership with CAS Outreach by first surveying departments about relevant industries, trade groups or professional associations that may be approached for such partnerships and for which CAS faculty expertise exists.
Objective 9: Revise A&D and RPT guidelines
Revisit A&D and RPT guidelines to ensure that outreach activities are valued and rewarded as a significant part of faculty workload. These updates will include a flexible workload model to recognize and reward each faculty member’s strengths while maintaining a balance in responsibilities (teaching, research, scholarly activities, extension activities, etc.).