Strategic Plan Implementation Progress - Goal 1

Goal 1

UNH Cooperative Extension will enhance its responsiveness to significant issues facing youth, families and communities, the state’s natural resources and its economy in a changing social and natural environment.

Objective 1 – Issues are identified, prioritized and articulated in the plan of work.

• The first Significant Issue Grant RFP was announced to staff in January, 2008.  Seven proposals were received and three high-quality, outcome-driven proposals were funded in April, 2008 for a total of $100,000:
• The Issues Identification Prioritization Process for UNHCE is now complete and results have been presented to the State Advisory Council and staff in all program areas. All program areas and county offices devoted time at a staff meeting to develop key issue statements for their local/program area.  Campus specialists reviewed these lists and identified additional and interdisciplinary key issues in October, 2008.  Criterion includes mission fit, current programs that address issues, alternative coverage, extension capacity, potential partners and more
• Significant Issue Statements have been compiled, reviewed and prioritized by UNHCE’s Leadership Team and the Strategic Plan Implementation Team (SPIT), and significant issues identified for 2009.  New interdisciplinary teams are currently forming and are charged with further refinement of issue statements and to compile lists of programming efforts that address the issue. Further, program areas will update their plans of work for 2010 based on the results of these discussions and review.

Objective 2 – Staff have the time, capacity, resources and organizational support to address significant issues.

• Significant Issue Teams – Extension specialists and key staff met with program leaders in June 2009 and begin to form interdisciplinary teams to address the identified key issues.  As teams form, these significant issues will become the basis for re-framing existing programs (including the expansion of some), strategically seeking external funding resources to fund these key initiatives and for developing new programs in 2010 and beyond. In addition, teams will identify the key professional development needs of staff for each issue and in-service trainings and workshops will be developed.  Program Leaders are committed to insuring staff have the time and capacity to address key issues by working with staff to prioritize work loads.
• New staff orientation and training will prepare new educators and specialists to address key issues through educational programming.  Web resources have been reorganized and updated.  A new staff orientation Moodle course has been developed and evaluated (September, 2008).  Bi-monthly workshops designed for new staff (less than two years) have been developed and offered on topics such as program development and evaluation, grant writing, technology, volunteer management, etc.  New staff are assigned a mentor on their first day of employment.  Web-based training has been developed for mentors.