USU Extension empowers rural communities
USU Extension has long been at the forefront of research-based community support, dedicated to delivering education and resources to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities across rural Utah.
This dedication was recently recognized when Extension received the Rural Education Partner of The Year award from the Rural Health Association of Utah for the program’s ongoing efforts to uplift and empower rural populations.
Paul Hill is an Extension professor and the founder of the Rural Online Initiative.
“Our mission is to provide research-based programming and resources to improve the lives of individuals, families and our communities.” Hill said. “We operate through a cooperative agreement between the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] and the Utah State University and county governments. That’s Extension, and our role is to help USU fulfill its land-grant mission as part of the Smith-Lever Act that was established in 1914.”
Over a century later, Extension remains as vital and relevant as ever, adapting to modern challenges while staying true to its mission. While historically, it focused on agricultural education, today’s programs face issues such as artificial intelligence, financial literacy, mental health and remote work opportunities.
ROI supplies rural Utah residents the necessary skills to secure remote employment, allowing them to stay in their communities while earning sustainable incomes.
“We developed a training course to help people get a remote job and function as remote workers, and we’ve helped well over 600 people get into remote jobs that help them stay in their communities,” Hill said. “That was before the pandemic, and then when the pandemic happened, we helped train hundreds more so that they could keep their jobs.”
Another critical program is the E-Commerce Accelerator, currently in the pilot phase. Dominic Bria, associate program director for ROI, highlighted its impact.
“We’re helping businesses in rural Utah or agricultural businesses anywhere in Utah create websites so they can sell online,” Bria said. “Businesses that come to us either have a website and they’re not selling online, or they don’t have a website at all. Our program runs them through a six-week process where we have consultants actually help them build it, get it running and teach them how to maintain it.”
Bria emphasized the main mission of the program is to improve the economic prosperity and diversity of rural Utah by impacting USU students, both traditional and nontraditional, from such counties.
The recognition of Extension by the RHAU highlights the impact of these programs and how they have adapted to community and/or individuals needs.
“We conduct systematic needs assessments throughout our communities, and that informs our programming,” Hill said.
The assessments help identify whether there are mental health, financial literacy or job training needs in those communities and gives them an idea of what skills to teach and what information they need to get to the people in that community.
The impact of Extension extends beyond immediate economic benefits. The Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, and Training Initiative is a prime example of how the program takes care of public health concerns. Through HEART, specialists work on critical issues such as opioid addiction, mental health resilience and public health education.
“They look at helping people understand the issues regarding the opioid epidemic and also just the public health issues that are in our communities but also help with building resiliency and preparing for things that are on the horizon,” Hill said.
For college students, Extension offers lifelong learning opportunities beyond the traditional, on-campus classroom setting.
“Wherever they are in their learning throughout life, there’s a place for them to learn and to belong at USU,” Hill said. “When they go back home — in-state or beyond — they can continue their learning through USU Extension. Everyone needs information on how to live a healthy life.”
Extension also plays a critical role in youth development through 4-H, a national positive youth development program that equips young people with essential life skills.
“We’re a partner in their personal growth, their parenting and helping them raise the next generation of productive citizens,” Hill said.
As the land-grant school in Utah, USU is responsible for making sure the benefits of higher education are available to anyone who wants them.
“We do that in two ways: We make it so that you can earn a degree from anywhere in the state, and we also make it so that the research we do here at the university gets to people who need it.” Bria said.