Extension Specialist's Role and Responsibility Statement
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Extension Specialist's Role and Responsibility Statement

   

Extension Specialist's Role and Responsibility Statement1

John T. Woeste, Christine T. Waddill, and Larry R. Arrington2

The Statewide Extension Specialist has three major responsibilities in the State Extension System.

The first is to synthesize, evaluate, integrate, and apply research information and expertise from within the land-grant university system in support and as an integral component of the educational programming activities of the Extension system.

The second is to provide leadership for the county faculty, the department, and the Cooperative Extension System in the development, implementation, and evaluation of county, statewide, regional, national, and international Extension education programs relevant to the specific subject matter area of expertise.

The third is scholarship. Extension specialists draw heavily on existing knowledge and contribute substantially to the knowledge base. Extension specialists generate new knowledge through studies, transmit new knowledge through educational and professional programs, and materially add to our knowledge base through electronic databases and publications.

In carrying out the major responsibilities, the Extension Specialist performs the following duties:

  1. As Extension Team Leader, provides interdisciplinary program leadership by coordinating and communicating the planning, implementation, and evaluation of state and county major programs.

  2. As a member of Extension Teams, identifies plans and develops materials to support extension programs and provides leadership to major program evaluation efforts.

  3. Stays up-to-date with the latest research and technologies within and associated with the field of expertise.

  4. Maintains an understanding of the problems and concerns of clientele and the opportunities for applying expertise, relevant research information, and emerging technologies to those needs and concerns.

  5. Creates awareness among county and statewide faculty of opportunities for new program initiatives and provides leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of new initiatives.

  6. Synthesizes, integrates, evaluates, and applies research information and expertise into educational programming materials (fact sheets, software, computer files, publications, videos, etc). To support the statewide Extension education program.

  7. Provides technical subject matter assistance to county Extension faculty in the conduct of county Extension programs and to statewide faculty in the development, implementation, and evaluation of statewide Extension program efforts.

  8. Identifies funding sources to further the effectiveness of Extension programs and aggressively initiates efforts to acquire external support.

  9. Team teaches with county faculty in support of county Extension programs and conducts educational programs (workshops, short courses, demonstrations, etc.) at the regional and state level to address clientele needs as defined in the statewide educational program plans.

  10. Provides feedback to departmental faculty and program leaders on materials and expertise needed to address the problems of clientele and/or to achieve new levels of personal and group accomplishment.

  11. Articulates the mission, commitment, and accomplishments of the Florida Cooperative Extension System, the IFAS academic departments and administrative units, the University of Florida and the land-grant university system to clientele, state and national leaders, and governmental officials.

  12. Encourages the involvement and participation of other university faculty and community and industry experts in the development and conduct of educational programs serving the publics of the state.

  13. Participates as a faculty member within the university, assisting with the internal and external service activities incumbent on a university faculty member.

  14. Participates in disciplinary and professional activities and is active in state and national professional societies.

  15. Effectively contributes to national and international Extension programs and informs Florida clientele of emerging relevant international trends and development.

Footnotes

1. This document is Circular PE-63, one of a series of Program Evaluation and Organizational Development, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published: July 1995. Revised: April 2005. Please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. John T. Woeste, former dean for Extension, Christine T. Waddill, former dean for Extension, and Larry R. Arrington, dean for Extension, Extension Administration, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.


Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.