North Dakota State University
NDSU Extension Service
Preface
Introduction: The NDSU Extension Service in 2004
Extension to the 21st Century: The Leadership
Restructuring Extension - County Organization
Restructuting Extension - Integrating Specialists with Academic Departments
Responding to Disasters
Adopting and Using Technology
Making an Impact
NDSU Extension Service Employees (88KB)
In 1985, Ronald Reagan was in the first year of his second term as president and George Sinner was starting his first term as governor of North Dakota. In world headlines, Mikhail Gorbachev took power in the Soviet Union. His policies of glasnost and peristroika would soon follow and, before the end of the decade, the Berlin Wall would fall and the Soviet Union begin to crumble. Disasters struck, as a major earthquake in Mexico City and a volcano eruption in Colombia caused heavy loss of lives. On the lighter side, the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl and the Kansas City Royals were World Series champions. "Out of Africa" won the Academy Award for best movie, and "We are the World," recorded to aid famine relief in Africa, won the Grammy Award for best record.
At North Dakota State University, Dr. Laurel D. Loftsgard was serving as president, a position he held from January 1968 to his death in October 1987. (Loftsgard was the first native North Dakotan and NDSU alumnus to serve in that position, having received a B.S. degree in agricultural economics in 1954. He earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Iowa State University, served on the NDSU agricultural economics faculty and was vice president for academic affairs before being appointed acting president of NDSU in January 1968. The appointment was made permanent six months later.) Also on the campus, the Bison football team won an NCAA Division II national championship, defeating North Alabama in the title game at McAllen, Texas. The women's basketball team would start a season that finished as national runner up in 1986.
On the agriculture side of the campus, H. Roald Lund was dean of agriculture and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. Myron Johnsrud was director of the extension service.
A North Dakota native from the Watford City area, Johnsrud received a B.S. degree at NDSU. He served as an assistant county agent in Williams County, then took study leave to complete M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Wisconsin. He then returned to NDSU as director of program and staff development for the extension service. In 1971 he went to Washington, D.C. as coordinator of program and staff development for Extension Service USDA. Following the death of director Arthur Schulz in 1972, he was named associate director of extension in March 1973 and became director in July 1974.
While eminently qualified for the position, Johnsrud did not necessarily fit the mold that some perceived for the director of extension. He had served only briefly in a county extension positionas an assistant rather than an agentand his post graduate degrees were in extension education and administration rather than in a subject matter area. Recent directors had gone "through the ranks" from county agent to state specialist positions before entering administration. Skepticism from some traditionalists was soon overcome, and Johnsrud's appointment was an early example of a nationwide trend toward more diversity among extension directors, some coming from other parts of the university, some from the private sector.
Johnsrud describes the mid 1980s as a good time for extension, and a good time to be at NDSU. He says the university had a very compatible administrative team, from the president's office, to vice presidents, to deans and directors. Collegiality ran high, with an administration that included Katherine Burgum, Les Pavek, James Sugihra and Don Stockman. The university and extension were in reasonably good financial condition and enjoyed a good relationship with the state legislatureno lavish budgets, but comfortable. President Loftsgard was "...not necessarily good in Bismarck, but Don Stockman was," according to Johnsrud.
Loftsgard was excellent to work with, Johnsrud says. His style was to lay the groundwork but to not give much specific direction, allowing deans and directors latitude to work things out.
In particular, Johnsrud had good working relations with his closest counterpart, H.R. Lund, dean of agriculture and director of the experiment station. As the two top agricultural administrators, at that time both reporting directly to the president, it would have been very easy for a strong rivalry over resources and turf to develop, but the two instead worked together for mutual benefit. Johnsrud says he and Lund were very different people, but they respected each other and cooperated in such matters as joint appointments to create the greatest benefit for the university and clientele. They were always able to present a united front for research and extension to the legislature and other interest groups.
Johnsrud says the tenor of those days contributed to upgrading the extension staff, both in adding new positions and being able to recruit experienced, well-qualified people for a variety of positions, including newly created area agent positions. More of the new hires were people from outside North Dakota, which did not meet with complete approval. At a 1986 meeting of the North Dakota Association of Extension Agents, a motion was passed to recommend that administration give preference to hiring North Dakota residents.
Not all was rosy, however, as budget cuts at both federal and state levels in 1986 created a funding pinch amounting to $735,000, the equivalent of about 12 full time positions. An article in The Forum of April 3, 1986, by staff writer Mikkel Pates calls the immediate shortfall "the bad news," followed by "the worse news" that programs must be cut to establish reserves in anticipation of even deeper future cuts.
"This is not the kind of message a state extension director enjoys presenting to staff," Johnsrud told the annual extension service conference. "However, not making reasonable plans and not sharing what is being planned is even more distasteful."
Johnsrud's associate director in 1985 was William H. Pietsch. Other administrators were: Duane Berglund, assistant director, agriculture and community development; F.C. "Chuck" Humphrey, assistant director, communication; Thomas Martindale, assistant director, 4-H and youth; Sue Fowler, assistant director, home economics; Sharon Anderson, northeast district director; Wallace Eide, southeast district director; John Burbank, central district director; Marvin Condon, northwest district director; Harry Hecht, southwest district director and Gail Gunderson, coordinator, staff and organizational development. At mid-year, Martindale retired and Fowler resigned. Pietsch added duties of acting assistant director, home economics.
In 1986 Johnsrud went to Washington, D.C. as acting administrator for the federal extension service and was later named administrator. He served in that capacity for over seven years, then headed the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) for three years.
When Myron Johnsrud left for Washington, D.C., to serve as interim administrator of Extension Service USDA, Bill Pietsch, associate director, was named interim director of North Dakota extension.
Pietsch, a native of Casselton, North Dakota, received B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural economics at NDSU and a doctorate from Washington State University. He worked with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Denver and as an extension specialist at Washington State before returning to NDSU as assistant extension director for agriculture and community development in 1979. He became associate director in 1983.
When the Johnsrud interim appointment in Washington became a permanent one, Pietsch continued as interim director, the decision on a permanent director delayed by the death of president L.D. Loftsgard. He was named director in early 1988.
The January-February issue (Vol. 45, No.4) of North Dakota Farm Research, the bimonthly publication of the Agricultural Experiment Station, featured a cover photo of Pietsch and H.R. Lund, dean of agriculture and station director. In a guest column in that issue, Pietsch stated his intention to pursue a businesslike approach to delivering research-based educational progams and said, "To determine how you, our customers, feel about the value you're getting from the tax dollars you spend on agricultural research and extension in North Dakota, Dr. Lund and I want to hear from you."
Uncertainty and Anxiety
He had taken the reins as interim director during a period when, as he stated in a May 27, 1987 issue of his "Perspectives" staff newsletter, "...the past year has been one of uncertainty and anxiety for our organization," particularly a volatile funding situation in light of the legislature reducing the general fund allocation for 1985-87 by 10 percent and reallocating over $250,000 from wages and salaries to support electronic technology. Staff reductions had resulted in 11 county positions closed, an area agronomy/soils position closed, resignations of two county agents and one area agent, and retirement of 11 state specialists.
In a July 17 letter to extension staff, Pietsch said, "As I begin work today, I sense a change in the feel of our organization. Within about two months, more than 20 of our friends and fellow workers have been separated from us. Some of them are entering new careers or retirement with excitement and anticipation, others are anxious about the future and their ability to deal with the uncertainty it holds, and still others are struggling with the denial and anger that represents a natural reaction to forced changes imposed upon any of us."
Calling for a team effort to cope with challenging times, he said, "I think the people of North Dakota, their communities and businesses are going to experience tremendous change over the next decade. To help people experience this transition in positive ways will require the very best of us all."
About a year later he commented publicly on the strain the organization had faced. An Associated Press article in The Forum of June 2, 1988, was headlined, "Extension director says staff overworked." The article quoted Pietsch as saying the mood of the extension staff is "very positive" but that, "My concern is eventually you get to the point where people have exhausted themselves... They have put their constituents ahead of the time they would really need and prefer to spend with their families. I think that our staff have done a great job. My concern is that you can't go on overload endlessly."
A June issue of "Perspectives" was more upbeat, however, reporting that the State Board of Higher Education had approved a program encouraged by the Consultation Board that involved increased funding of $585,000 to help develop an advanced learning center, expand the self-esteem for youth effort by focusing on entrepreneurship, and initiate an intensive management development program for county extension staff.
Regionalization Recommended
The 1989 legislative session acted on a recommendation by Gov. George Sinner to create eight regional extension centers to replace county extension offices. The legislature modified Sinner's recommendation, but it budgeted and reallocated funds to create the centers. Following the session Pietsch appointed a team of extension staff to recommend locations for 14 to 18 centers and a staffing pattern. The session also passed increases in income, sales and gasoline taxes. These taxes were then referred, creating uncertainty regarding funding. In a message to extension staff in August, Pietsch said, "At our Extension Cabinet meeting we spent a great deal of time developing contingency plans to continue our organizational transition regardless of the outcome of the pending tax referral."
In the December 5 special election, the three tax measures, along with five other referred bills, received a resounding "no" vote. Said Pietsch in an issue of "Perspectives," "Despite yesterday's resounding rejection of eight actions of our elected representatives by the citizens of our state, daylight came to Fargo at its normal time today. I'm sure it did the same wherever you live." He also prophetically observed, "The impact of state funds no longer covering many of the costs of local service delivery will certainly be felt in property taxes or service reduction -- or both. I believe the combination is likely to lead to rapid consolidation of functions and services in primary and secondary schools and county government. As these changes take place, what we in extension do and how we do it will certainly change as well."
In the February "Advisor," a newsletter for extension advisory councils, he pointed out that the recision of $836,986 from the 1989-91 biennial budget meant a delay in implementation of area centers until at least 1991. Other plans to deal with the reduced budget included reducing equipment expenditures and leaving positions that would have staffed the area centers vacant. "We do not intend to terminate any current staff in order to live within the funds available." (Salary adjustments scheduled for July 1, 1990, were also eliminated.)
In the midst of this turmoil, there had been a positive development for NDSU and the extension service. At its October 1998 meeting, the Board of Higher Education gave approval to establishment of the Institute for Business and Industry Development, intended to make the technology transfer model of the land grant university available to non-farm industry and manufacturers. The institute was designated a joint venture of the NDSU president's office, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the NDSU Extension Service. Former extension specialist and district director Wally Eide was named as director. IBID offered advice, business and technical assistance, training and research to firms needing help manufacturing or marketing a product, using the extension model to tap areas of the university besides the traditional agriculture and family science.
This idea of the university system participating in economic development through extension-type activities led to a special assignment for Pietsch. In late 1991 he was appointed temporary assistant for economic development to Douglas Treadway, chancellor of the North Dakota University System. During the one-year reassignment he was to inventory what the system was doing in economic development, form an advisory panel to guide development activities, and act as a liaison between the system and other agencies. He retained his director title during the year-long assignment, but day-to-day duties were shifted to Sharon Anderson and Darnell Lundstrom from extension administration and J.W. Schroeder, who served as an assistant to the director.
A New President
During Pietsch's tenure as director, changes were taking place within the university that would ultimately affect the structure of extension and the career of Bill Pietsch. Following the death of L.D. Loftsgard in October 1987, Robert Koob, long-time faculty member and administrator at NDSU, served as interim president and became a candidate for the permanent position. Other finalists for the job were Richard Sauer, interim president of the University of Minnesota; Averett Tombes, vice president for research and dean of graduate studies at Wichita State University, and James L. Ozbun, dean of agriculture and home economics at Washington State University.
Both Ozbun and Sauer had degrees from NDSU and ties to the region. Sauer's candidacy was troubled by accusations of plagiarism when he failed to attribute material used in a campus speech. Tombes was noted for his business approach to education administration; Koob was recognized as the insider who had spent most of his career at NDSU, advancing from assistant professor to vice president for academic affairs. Much was made of NDSU's agricultural tradition, with a headline in The Forum stating, "Ag man, or not an ag man, may be the question." James Ozbun, the ag man, was the successful candidate.
Like most new presidents, Ozbun came to NDSU, in August 1988, with an ambitious agenda to place his own mark on the university. Many of his efforts were well-received by the faculty and the public; unfortunately, others resulted in great controversy. A series of events that ruffled feathers on campus, with the public and with legislators included a proposal to build a new president's residence, use of federal agricultural research grant funds to help fund construction of a campus street, a skyway linking two campus buildings, and expenditures of over $27,000 to create a new university logo.
Ironically, after his strong background in agriculture had apparently been a factor favoring his selection as president, agricultural groups in the state expressed concern that Ozbun gave too little support to agriculture.
Part of the controversy on the part of both constituent groups and agriculture faculty and administration involved changes Ozbun made in reporting lines. Previously the director of extension and director of the experiment station, who was also dean of the College of Agriculture, had reported directly to the president and were members of the president's cabinet, although for a time in the early 1970s there had been a vice president for agriculture at NDSU, a position held by Kenneth A. Gilles, that constituted a level between the directors and the president. When Gilles left in 1974 for a position with the federal grain inspection service, the position was discontinued. Ozbun, following the line used at Washington State University, where he had been a dean, and at other universities, had the two directors report to the vice president for academic affairs, Sharon Wallace.
This and other differences of opinion about the extension director's role created strain. On March 27, 1993, an item in The Forum reported unnamed sources saying that Pietsch was leaving his extension post to become executive vice president of the North Dakota Farm Bureau. The move was confirmed at a March 29 press conference. A news story by staff writer Mikkel Pates in The Forum of March 30 called the resignation at least partly due to a rift between Pietsch and Ozbun. Pietsch was quoted, "I am out of alignment with the direction I believe this president is taking the institution. It's my responsibility to consider the alternatives that I have, and I've chosen one. I can't achieve my long-term objectives within the university."
On June 24, Ozbun announced his intention to step down from the presidency following the 1994-95 school year. In August he would announce an administrative reorganization that included creation of a vice president for agriculture and university outreach that would be responsible for research and extension. Dean Roald Lund protested splitting the research and academic functions and ultimately stepped down from his administrative role to return to the plant sciences faculty.
Following his service with the Farm Bureau, Pietsch was elected to a four-year term in the state legislature. He suffered a stroke and resigned his post prior to the 2003 legislative session. His wife Vonnie was selected to complete his term.
On May 1, 1993, Robert Christman became interim director of the extension service, pending a national search for a permanent director. Christman would not be a candidate, lacking the terminal degree required for qualification. On announcing the appointment, president Jim Ozbun said, "Bob Christman is uniquely qualified to lead the extension service as it enters these crucial next twelve months. His expertise in the complexities of federal agricultural policy is unparalleled and his eagerness to work on behalf of farmers is widely known."
Christman came to the position following 12 years as director of the North Dakota Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from NDSU and had served as an assistant county agent in Wahpeton and Dickinson between 1969 and 1972. He served as an agricultural aide to United States Senator Milton Young of North Dakota from 1972 until becoming state ASCS director in 1981.
Although new to extension administration and unfamiliar with the inner workings of the university, he almost immediately found himself involved in serious issues. One was another round of budget problems. General fund cutbacks by the legislature resulted in extension taking a $1.3 million cut for the biennium. Regarding the 28 people who would be leaving extension as a result of downsizing, Christman said in a message to extension staff, "Happily, many of the staff who are not going to be part of extension after June 30, 1993, are exercising their right to retire...Unhappily, some of the staff who are leaving are doing do as a result of position terminations. This is not a pleasant situation for anyone involved -- those whose positions are terminated, management and co-workers...Terminations are a cold, harsh way to get in line with a lower budget."
He found himself dropped into another hot spot when Ozbun asked him to chair a task force to study the administrative structure of agriculture at NDSU. Christman would say later that he was uneasy about being put into this role only about six weeks into his interim assignment, new to the academic structure and not well acquainted on campus. Being a newcomer with a predetermined, relatively short tenure on campus probably actually made him a desirable candidate for the position.
The task force he headed recommended creating a new vice president for agriculture and university outreach, as well as making campus-based extension specialists answer to the department heads in their discipline, locating extension specialists at research stations throughout the state, and having the outlying centers become true research extension centers reporting to the new vice president instead of the experiment station director. According to an item in The Forum of August 18, 1993, Christman said the task force action was in response to public perception that NDSU had diminished its focus on agriculture, and that it should improve efficiency and productivity of NDSU's agriculture efforts.
The plan created some controversy and met with resistance, but after about a month of discussion and a bit of modification a model was endorsed. On October 15, 1993, Ozbun announced the appointment of Brendan J. Donnelly to the new post of vice president for agriculture.
Christman's interim directorship, originally slated to be for 12 months, would continue until the end of 1994. During that time reorganization and integration of the extension staff would be the major issue. In a December 30, 1994, farewell message to the extension staff he said of his 20 months as director, "It was a time of change and transition. Some of us were affected more than others. The change and transition will continue as extension, as an organization, and those outside forces who have a stake in what we do, define our role."
On November 9, 1994, the lead headline on the Region section of The Forum read, "Appointment makes history. NDSU names Anderson as its first female Extension Service Director."
Agriculture vice president Donnelly appointed Sharon Anderson to the post of director of the NDSU Extension Service and University Outreach. "Outreach" had been added to the title, he explained, with the intent to extend resources of the university beyond the traditional areas of agriculture, youth and family science to the people of the state.
Anderson, a North Dakota native who grew up on a Richland County farm, earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in home economics and education at NDSU and a doctorate in education administration at the University of North Dakota. She had previously taught at Mohall before coming to NDSU as a 4-H specialist. At the time of her appointment she was serving as an extension district director and acting as state leader for youth and family programs. During a one-year period while director Bill Pietsch was on a special assignment for the North Dakota University System she had carried out many of the director's responsibilities.
As well as being the first woman to hold the post, she was the first from a family life and youth background rather than production agriculture. Forum staff writer Mikkel Pates described the reaction to Anderson's appointment as "mostly positive." However, at an early point in the search process the state Association of Extension Agents had moved a resolution that the director position description should require a degree in agriculture and previous extension field experience. (The resolution never became a public issue and may have been withdrawn.)
Donnelly was quoted as saying he had "agonized" over the decision because of high quality candidates. Four finalists for the position were interviewed, but it was generally agreed that the final decision was between Anderson and extension crops specialist Duane Berglund. Berglund, a highly regarded agronomist, had tested the extension administration waters before, serving as agriculture program leader and then electing to return to the specialist role.
Anderson's administrative experience as a district director had included agriculture programming as well as other areas.
Her appointment came shortly before the 1995 legislative session, so she was very quickly exposed to a baptism of fire. At one point in the director search Donnelly had recommended delaying the process until after the session. The suggestion was not well received, as the delay probably would have extended the interim director situation beyond two years, and both staff and clientele were getting impatient for a permanent director to be named. The selection process was allowed to continue.
Another early concern was voids in the extension leadership structure, a situation exacerbated by staff cuts and campus reorganization. Anderson named Stanley Ernst director of the extension communication unit, replacing David Rice who had served in an interim capacity after the retirement of James Kenward. Other gaps were filled on an interim basis by Suzanne Fundingsland acting as program leader for human development and Roger Haugen as program leader for 4-H and youth, both on a 40 percent basis. County extension agent Morris Davidson became a part-time district director for two multicounty units as well as remaining on the Grand Forks County staff.
Studying Extension
In her March 18 "Extension Update" e-mail message to staff, Anderson reported that Governor Ed Schaefer had signed the budget bill, and that legislative intent called for special emphasis on maintaining the 4-H program and suggested that the Legislative Council consider a study of extension and the experiment station.
A letter from legislative budget analyst Chester Nelson to Brendan Donnelly on June 12, 1995, said that an organizational meeting of the Budget Committee on Agriculture and Information Services had been called for June 29 and that "The committee has been assigned the study, as directed in Section 11 of House Bill No. 1005, of the services provided by the NDSU Extension Service and the Agricultural Experiment Station, the degree of duplication, the costs and effectiveness, the necessity for continued existence, and options for consolidation." Extension participated in that meeting and in further meetings in September, December and January, presenting detailed information on extension organization, programming and budgeting. At the end of the process, Anderson says, the legislative council showed a much greater understanding of how extension and research meet the needs of the state.
At about the same time, extension was conducting a study of its own. On June 7, 1995, Anderson reported to extension staff, "We have begun the process of conducting our own internal and external study of extension. Mark Winkelman of Precision Marketing asked that a team of extension staff be put together to serve in a response mode to the instruments and materials he is preparing to use in the study."
Anderson called this effort the most broad-based study ever done on extension in North Dakota, conducted by an unbiased agency using a variety of data-gathering methods and surveying a wide range of people. Respondents surveyed included a sample of the general North Dakota population, a sample of agriculture producers, businesses selected at random with additional targeted selections from the agribusiness sector, key leaders and decision makers, and employees of the NDSU Extension Service, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and a sample of other NDSU employees. The overall purpose of the study was to identify citizens' needs and to assess past programs.
The study report, Internal and External Assessment of the NDSU Extension Service (January 1996), stated in the executive summary, "A study of North Dakotans' awareness of the NDSU Extension Service revealed significant familiarity and satisfaction with the organization among agricultural producers, the general population and businesses. However, nearly half of the general population was not aware of Extension and its services."
Anderson says many very good things emerged from the study. It showed continuing support for the extension county structure and local presence, a commitment to continued strong youth programming, and reaffirmed program direction and past issues. In many ways the study pushed for continued adoption of and training in technology and indicated that clientele expect extension to lead in the use of the latest technology.
Soil Conservation
The 1995 legislature's budget bill included a mandate that the North Dakota Soil Conservation Committee consider consolidation with the NDSU Extension Service, the North Dakota Water Commission or some other agency. In her October 6, 1995, staff update, Anderson reported, "Duane Hauck and I met with the North Dakota Soil Conservation Committee to brainstorm how that agency may be merged with the NDSU Extension Service."
After investigation and consultation during the biennium, the 1997 legislative session moved the soil conservation budget to the extension service. This is a unique merger, Anderson says, and the only such relationship that exists. She says at first many on the committee were afraid that extension would take charge of funding and that soil conservation would lose its identify to the detriment of soil and water work in the state. During the transition Anderson spent some time at soil conservation committee meetings to help foster an open relationship and kept the budget separate. The effort has paid off with a good working relationship, she says. While the committee's first choice may not have been to merge with another agency, the result has not been detrimental to soil conservation efforts.
Leadership Changes
Changes were taking place in the overall leadership structure at NDSU. In March 1995 Thomas Plough was chosen to succeed Jim Ozbun. Plough did not come from an agriculture discipline, although he had spent some time in the land grant system at Michigan State University. He came to NDSU from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, a private institution. Plough was well received on the campus and by the public and was largely responsible for raising the morale of NDSU faculty and staff, who had suffered a period of recurring bad news and unfavorable publicity.
In January 1996 agriculture vice president Brendan Donnelly resigned his post, citing stress and long-term health concerns. Plough announced appointment of Donald Anderson, retired NDSU faculty member and agriculture administrator, as special assistant to the president for agricultural affairs and directed him to start considering the structure of agricultural operations. Plough did immediately remove the outreach function from the vice president for agriculture position, saying it was not fair for that position to be responsible for outreach efforts of the total university.
Only a day after the Donnelly resignation was announced, Plough spoke to a meeting of the North Dakota Ag Coalition in Bismarck, promising a seamless transition to a new vice president and requesting input from the group. In March he announced a search committee to fill the vice president post and that he had consolidated the positions of vice president and dean of the College of Agriculture. A first round of interviews failed to produce a vice president so the search was reopened in September. On May 16, 1997, Plough announced the selection of Patricia A. Jensen as vice president and dean of agriculture, effective July 1.
Jensen, an attorney and graduate of the William Mitchell College of Law, came to NDSU from her position as director of the Minnesota Agricultural Utilization Research Institute in Crookston. She had previously been an assistant secretary for marketing and regulatory programs in USDA, executive director of the Farmers Legal Action Group, director of the Minnesota Legislative Water Commission and deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, as well as having practiced law and held other positions in government.
Consultation Boards
In January 1996 president Plough appointed members to the NDSU Agricultural Consultation Board, replacing a previous board that had been appointed by the state Board of Higher Education in 1973. The purpose of the board was to "...provide an advisory link between the people of North Dakota and NDSU administration to help assure the policies, programs and budgets of the experiment station and extension service address the needs of the citizens." In March Anderson reported in her staff update, "The newly formed Agriculture Consultation Board met last week on campus. This is a group with diverse interests but are very supportive of the role we play in North Dakota."
This body would soon be replaced, however. During the 1997 legislative session, some legislators, frustrated with the many problems plaguing farmers (notably wheat scab), felt a need to add producer input to agriculture research decisions. On March 26, Anderson said in her extension staff update, "Perhaps the most significant amendment attached to (the research and extension budget bill) is the creation of the State Board of Agricultural Research. This board will be responsible for the budgeting, supervision and policy making associated with the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. They will also provide advice to the NDSU Extension Service."
Some of the specific duties of SBAR included: to determine the causes of any adverse economic impacts on crops and livestock in the state, develop ongoing strategies to provide research solutions, and to maximize the use of financial resources and facilities to generate the greatest economic benefit from research and extension efforts.
Anderson says that during SBAR's first two years the close relationship between research and extension became evident to board members. After working with SBAR the extension leadership team decided that extension should be part of the process, especially in light of the recent integration of campus-based specialists into the academic departments. In her October 6, 1988, update, Anderson said that SBAR and extension leadership had discussed the board's relationship with extension and how to strengthen it in the future. The board voted to pursue language that would place extension under their leadership rather than just in an advisory capacity.
At its January 6, 1999, meeting a subcommittee recommended introducing legislation to include extension oversight in SBAR's responsibilities. The full board agreed to support such legislation. The minutes of the May 14 meeting state that effective July 1, 1999, extension would be a part of the board's duties. The new board would be called the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education. The decision for the "E" in "SBARE" to stand for education rather than extension reflected the wish to take a broad view of research and extension, with extension including its whole spectrum of programs, including youth, family and community development.
Anderson believes the change was a very good move for extension. During the first two years, when extension had almost an informal relationship with SBAR, there was a feeling of being an "orphan" in the whole process, she says.
Membership of the board includes the president of NDSU or a designee, the vice president for agriculture, five persons appointed by the Ag Coalition, five persons appointed by the extension multicounty program units and two members of the legislative assembly. The director of the experiment station, director of extension and state commissioner of agriculture serve in a nonvoting capacity.
Program Review
In 1999, a program review team was invited to review North Dakota's 4-H youth development and human development and nutrition programs. Program reviews are often conducted in extension services, but this one was unique because it was a joint review of two programs rather than the usual focus on a single program.
Program leader in human development and nutrition was Karen Zotz, who had come to NDSU in 1997, filling the assistant director position vacated by the resignation of Marge Hamann. Assistant Director for 4-H Youth Programs Jeff Miller had recently resigned, so the leader role was being filled by Linda Crow, long-time 4-H youth staff member and curriculum specialist.
The review committee's report indicated that the relationship of extension specialists in the College of Human Development and Education (HDE) was conducive to integrated programming, utilizing the strengths of the resident instruction, extension and research faculty. "However," the report said, "there are continuing issues associated with an academic home for 4-H Youth Development faculty, as well as program development and program leadership for this area of work."
The committee recommended that extension review the organizational structure, develop mechanisms to assure collaboration in programs, and consider a combined program leader/assistant director for 4-H youth and human development and nutrition. If the two roles were combined into one position, the committee said it would be essential to identify parts of the two roles that could be delegated to assure the success and well-being of the person in the leadership role. The committee also recommended locating 4-H youth development faculty as a department in HDE.
The two program leader roles were combined, with Karen Zotz assuming the title of assistant director, nutrition, youth and family science and associate dean of the College of Human Development and Education.
The 4-H youth unit was also designated the Center for 4-H Youth Development within HDE with Linda Crow as chair. At this writing (2003) Brad Cogdill, Cass County extension agent, serves as interim chair following Crow's retirement.
Costs to Continue
In her December 16, 1998, staff update, Anderson reported that the budgeting process required extension to project costs to continue for the next biennium, which entailed maintaining current salaries, increased costs of operating and other costs required to maintain an organization. This amount, over $400,000, was not included in the budget but would be replaced with grants and user fees. "Costs to continue" would become a familiar phrase in the months ahead.
A September 13, 1999, message to all extension staff opened, "This is perhaps the most serious e-mail update I have sent to you since I began my role as director in January 1995. It pertains to our current budget situation and future scenarios." She explained that although some sources of funding, notably grants and partnerships, had increased, federal, state and county funds had remained mostly constant and in some cases targeted to specific programs, taking away spending flexibility. "In addition," she said, "during the past legislative session, what we call `costs to continue' which includes inflation, past year's salary increases and other continuing and increasing costs were not funded. And, as of July 1, 1999, more salary increases were given than were funded through the legislative session. This move was made to help raise salary levels of NDSU faculty and staff, and to recognize exemplary performance."
As a result, she explained, a tighter operating budget was needed, but the bottom line was that salary expenditures must be reduced.
A follow-up message on September 21 addressed questions and concerns, stating, "...let us assure you that we are on fiscally firm ground. However, our expenses are outpacing our current income and we need to make adjustments to bring our budgets into line by the end of biennium." She said a long-term approach is to increase the income generated through contracts and grants. Short-term strategies would include reducing commitments to other agencies, reallocating funds from operating and equipment, not filling open positions and redirecting dollars to high-priority program areas.
Minutes of the May 11, 2000, meeting of SBARE show that chairman Jerry Doan indicated the "meeting agenda would address budget issues relating to `costs to continue,' maintenance of core programs and proposed initiatives." Anderson told the board that extension would meet budget reductions by acquiring more grants, partnering with nearby states, eliminating positions through attrition or retirement, and possibly increasing user fees. Board member Neal Fisher stated that SBARE needed to convince constituents and legislative leaders that agriculture cannot continue reducing research and extension budgets. Maynard Helgaas agreed and indicated the need to insist on support for growth in agriculture.
On April 27, 2001, Anderson reported to the extension staff, "We have received increased core budget dollars that allows us to refill the livestock marketing position and a 4-H youth development position. In addition, we have received new operating monies to strengthen our work with marketing clubs, technology, youth development and other program areas."
ECOP Chair
The national Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is made up of 15 state extension directors from throughout the land grant system, appointed for three-year terms. Leadership of the committee rotates among the geographic regions. In February 1999 Sharon Anderson assumed the role of ECOP chair, representing the North Central Region.
ECOP deals with issues related to federal budgets and extension programs. During the period Anderson chaired the committee it was looking at ways to broaden national extension efforts, including programs outside of USDA, moving toward family nutrition programs and an "engagement" concept of returning to extension's roots. Emerging issues included biotechnology and food safety, and the youth at risk effort was changing. On the fiscal side, states were starting to think about ways to secure more resources through grants and fees for service and about how to get more connected to research grants with an extension component.
During the same period Anderson was a member of ECOP, ag program leader Darnell Lundstrom was appointed to the Program Leadership Committee, an effort that had been organized by ECOP. He chaired the PLC at the same time Anderson was ECOP chair. This was a unique situation, he says, and made it easy to coordinate efforts with the ECOP chair just two offices down the hall.
In a November 8, 1999, message to NDSU extension staff, Anderson noted that her year as ECOP chair was ending and that, "It has been an unbelievable year. I have had opportunities that I never imagined I would have, and I have been involved in conversations that stretched my thinking a great deal."
Hall of Fame
In 2002 Sharon Anderson was one of 21 individuals from across the United States selected for induction into the National 4-H Hall of Fame. Announcing the selection, Rick Schmidt, president of the North Dakota Association of Extension 4-H Youth Workers, said, "She's very deserving of this award because of her long involvement in the 4-H program. From her days as a 4-H member to her current position as extension director, she has always worked to improve the 4-H program."
Her 4-H involvement spanned more than 40 years, starting as a 10-year 4-H member in Richland County who capped her membership by attending a National 4-H Congress and being one of two youth musicians featured with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fieldler. She was a charter member of the state 4-H youth workers association and as director was supportive of North Dakota hosting the national 4-H agents meeting in 2001. She was involved in the North Dakota 4-H Foundation for many years and provided leadership to the organization as it moved toward new broad-based youth education opportunities.
The National 4-H Hall of Fame, established as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of 4-H in 2002, recognizes people who have made a significant impact on 4-H and the lives of millions of members.
Extension to the 21st Century, June 2005
NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture
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