(20) Making the Most of Agency-Extension Partnerships

Session: Concurrent session A4:  Exploring Partnership Models

For Extension educators involved in natural resource management issues, creating and maintaining partnership with government agencies is integral to delivering effective programs that address priority needs.  Agencies (and agency staff) provide Extension educators with financial and technical support, staff involvement in local programs, and opportunities for participation in management efforts. Extension educators offer: leadership on public engagement, outreach and education; connections to university research; educational material development; expertise on organizational development; and more.  There are clear advantages to working together, yet there are also important challenges and considerations, including those related to navigating the cultural differences between extension programs and agency missions.

This presentation will explore experiences with agency-Extension partnerships through the example of Wisconsin’s Basin Education Initiative – a ten-year-old partnership between University of Wisconsin-Extension and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  This program supports fifteen Extension Basin Educators, working with agencies, stakeholder groups, and citizens in areas delimited by Wisconsin’s major river basins to address important statewide and local resource management needs. Issues addressed will include: recognizing joint priorities; supporting functions that contribute to successful relationships; identifying roles for individual educators, extension “teams,” specialists, and administrators; and important considerations for maintaining agency relationships.

Ken Genskow
University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension
445 Henry Mall
Madison, WI, 53706
Phone: 608-6262-8756
Fax: 608-262-2031
kgenskow@wisc.edu