Introduction/Theoretical Framework/Review of the Literature:
Extension nationwide has been building capacity among program and staff professionals to better understand and communicate the public value of our research, outreach, and education work (Kalambokidis, 2011). Being able to better articulate the benefit of our work beyond the individual benefit to our program participants is recognized as a means to build support for our programs, which is especially important in the face of decreasing public funding for higher education (Franz, 2011). Conveying how our measured program outcomes contribute to longer-term economic, environmental, and social benefits also helps us better meet the expectations of stakeholders who are more and more interested in impacts rather than activities. As Harder (2019) suggests public value, along with partnerships, are critical to “increase Extension’s visibility and value as a community asset” and thus success in the future. Methods and/or Data Sources: In response to this need and demand, our land-grant institution worked with a diverse group of our program leaders led by a well-known public value scholar to develop seven public value statements. Subsequently, the institution identified 24 respective condition changes through a participatory process.
Results, Products, and/or Conclusions:
Currently the institution collects data on effort towards the 24 condition changes and has local project/program outcomes tagged to the condition changes. To date we have several years of data that captures Extension academics’ and Community Educator Specialists’ percent effort toward condition changes, measured in FTE. In addition, we now have new statewide impact stories, one for each of the 24 condition changes, which use measured program outcomes as evidence of how our institution contributes to overall public benefits. Evaluation/Research Questions: At this time our institution is exploring how can we better connect our measured program outcomes to condition change indicators? During the summer of 2019, we have been providing training across the state on how individuals can connect their work to the organization’s condition changes and where to find condition change indicator data. We are gathering this data from three main sources: 1) our academics who actually have collected data on change in conditions from clientele or partners; 2) existing research conducted by us or others that provides a safe inference to how our work contributes to public value; and 3) larger scale data from other agencies or organizations that measure condition changes. We are in the process of creating a repository of this condition change indicator information to enable academics and staff to better utilize existing data and research to better communicate how our Extension work makes a difference to the broader public.
In this conference session, I will share our approach to identifying and using condition changes to unite our efforts, attract funding, and focus our activities for greater impact. I will share our responses to common concerns and challenges. I will also actively engage participants. The implications for this workshop are as Franz (2013) wrote, all Extension professionals can use “public value statements and stories in their work on a daily basis in a variety of ways to enhance their effectiveness and the transformative impact of their programs.”
