The ISU Extension 4-H youth program is joining the College of Human Sciences.

The arrival of Nancy Franz as the new associate dean for ISU Extension and Outreach for Families and 4-H Youth has lead ISU Extension 4-H Youth Development to formally join the College of Human Sciences.

Franz will serve 4-H as an academic matchmaker, which means she will originate partnerships with people and programs within the college as well as across the campus.

While the idea of officially joining the College of Human Sciences happened before Franz was hired in May, she said that in the past 4-H worked closely with consumer and family sciences, and this joining is “going back to their roots.”

What this means for 4-H and the college

With 4-H a part of the College of Human Sciences, the youth program has increased access to research, program evaluation and outcome assessment, which allows for better documentation of both the quality of 4-H programs and the impact 4-H activities have on youth and communities, Franz said in a news release.

Franz has five goals for the merger of 4-H and the college of Human sciences.

The first is recruitment, for both parties through volunteering and students activities. 

“4-H also connects ISU students and alumni to volunteer and career opportunities. And Iowa 4-H’ers are potential [ISU] students,” Franz said.

The second is to create better programs for education on both sides to better help the College of Human Science teach and to better reach members in 4-H.

The third goal is to create better professional training for the leaders of 4-H and for the faculty and students in the college. This training will allow both programs to create the next generation of leaders.

For the fourth goal, Franz wishes to develop research. 4-H can learn if their programs are working, or how they could improve them, while the College of Human Sciences can use 4-H programs for experiments.

“Having 4-H be part of the college connects 4-H staff and volunteers more directly to Iowa State’s research base. [ISU] students, faculty and staff are potential collaborators who can help develop the educational resources that are key to 4-H hands-on learning experiences,” Franz said.

Finally, collaboration between the two parties would allow alumni of 4-H who go on to Iowa State, and the ISU alumni who move on, to become leaders in 4-H to better connect.

About the Iowa 4-H Youth Development Program

Iowa State is a “Land-grant University” which was the product of Hatch Act of 1887. This act established the foundation for experiment stations for discovering agricultural knowledge.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Smith-Lever Act, which provided the mechanism of obtaining mutual support between the federal, state and local governments to provide an educational program that would get its ideas and inspiration from people at all levels. This allowed for the development of 4-H.

4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization, serving more than 6 million young people across America with programs in leadership, citizenship, communication and life skills.

In 4-H youth learn skills by doing projects designed to fit their needs at different ages. 

In Iowa, 4-H Youth Development is headquartered on ISU campus. ISU Extension research shows Iowa youth credit their 4-H clubs with making them better citizens, leaders and communicators.

In Iowa, more than 124,000 young people, 24 percent of Iowa youth, are involved in 4-H, with more than 10,000 adult volunteers, according to the 4-H website.

4-H is supported by federal, state and county funding; private grants; and donations and fees.