UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION RESTRUCTURING

In response to the $9.5 million total budget cuts university wide, Utah State University Extension has undergone significant restructuring to strive to be as efficient as possible while providing timely, research-based services and programs.

I have instituted some restructuring within Extension that should make us more efficient and at the same time save significant budget dollars as well,” said Jack Payne, vice president and dean for Utah State Extension. “The average Utahn probably will not note any changes in services. The changes are reassignments, reductions and changes of assignment at the administrative level. In all instances existing personnel have taken on additional responsibilities without any increases in salary.”

The biggest change has been the separation of Cooperative Extension and Continuing Education, both structurally and financially, Payne said. Both areas continue to be delivered under the umbrella of University Extension, but with separate reporting and accounting lines. Cooperative Extension has eliminated college Extension administrator (CEA) positions, he explained. These were created in the past to better coordinate the activities of Extension specialists within each of the colleges. There was a CEA position assigned to each college. Since July 1, these positions no longer exist, and those budget dollars have been reclaimed by Extension. Those who served in the CEA positions are outstanding professionals who did their best in serving both the needs of their college and the needs of Extension.

In place of the CEA positions, program leaders have been appointed to coordinate the needs of county faculty with subject matter specialists, Payne said. There will be three of these positions and they will be assumed by current Extension specialists and program directors.

“We have also reduced the five regions for program supervision to the three regions that formerly existed,” Payne added. “The three regions will be Northern, Southwest and Southeast. These three administrators will have the title regional Extension director. They are 100 percent assigned to Cooperative Extension and have no continuing education administrative responsibilities.”

While separating Continuing Education (CE) from Cooperative Extension and reassigning staff, the emphasis now is on blending continuing education programs with the academic programs on the main campus, Payne said. Attempts are being made to assure that Continuing Education administrators have the same academic qualifications as campus faculty. Also, unlike Cooperative Extension, which depends on federal, state and county appropriations, CE is funded by tuition and access dollars from the state.

However, due to the budget crisis in the state we are unable currently to fund access,” Payne said. “In addition to the line item center funding, the growth of CE will be done on the philosophy of a cost recovering operation and market driven needs. If the money is not generated to support the program, then we cannot afford to have the program.” 

The six Continuing Education regions within the state have now been reduced to four Brigham City, Logan Center, Southeast and Southwest, he said. The Southwest Region has been combined to include Tooele, the Wasatch Front and the former southwest region. The Southeast now includes both the Uintah Basin and the former southeast region.