Changes are ahead for Iowa State University’s Extension to help it keep up with the growing need for information.

“We recognize the need to preserve the great traditions of extension while positioning for a new future,” Stanley Johnson, vice provost for ISU Extension, said in a review for the Iowa State Board of Regents.

Extension programs have become more competitive to keep up with new private- and public- sector participants that have entered the market, Johnson said.

In order to keep up, he said, services will need to be marketed better and the needs of the people must be anticipated.

As an information service provider and public education sector, Extension also should help the private sector grow in the information market, Johnson said.

To better serve people, Extension will go through a four-part restructuring program that will include more entrepreneurship, addressing competition, more participation in distance learning and programming through projects.

“Extension is restructuring to become a more integral part of ISU,” Johnson said. “The result will be more focused, with high quality education and information services at lower cost.”

Extension is an important part of ISU that began in 1903 in a partnership with the state, county and federal governments as a way to apply research findings to help Iowans. The ISU Extension program was expanded to use the full capacities of the university to help serve Iowa, and using cooperative extension has brought a wider range of responsibility and funding, Johnson said.

During 1996, ISU Extension provided services for more than 1.75 million clients through one-on-one consultations and various events, according to the review.

In accordance with recommendations by the Pappas Consulting Group, Iowa State reviews its extension system and plans for its future.

One of ISU’s goals, as stated by President Martin Jischke, is to become the best land-grant university, to which end extension and outreach programs are viewed as essential.

Extension is used to connect the people of Iowa to the university through its 107 field offices used to research, teach and extend university information.

It also is connected through an advanced communications system that includes the Iowa Communications Network and the Internet, Johnson said.

Agriculture and natural resources, business and industry, communities, extended and continuing education, families, 4-H and youth are some areas on which the program focuses.

When problems arise in these areas, the Extension program is designed to meet these needs.

The new system, Johnson said, will allow Extension to be more flexible and more able to tailor projects to fit what the public wants. These projects may last a year or longer and will increase the focus, depth of education and information services supplied to citizens, as well as build professional links between the campus and field staff.

The resources of Extension constantly will be redistributed as new projects are developed and put into effect.

Low cost combined with high- quality education and information services will be used to address the competition.

This will mean ISU Extension will have to increase efficiency and the field staff will be more involved in specialized research, Johnson said.

In addition, by making the Extension program more entrepreneurial in the way of grants, contracts and partnerships with public and private sectors means it will better be able to provide its services, Johnson said.

“The plan emphasizes the integration of teaching, research and outreach efforts within and among disciplines to address existing and anticipated demands for practical knowledge and to promote lifelong learning,” he said.