Setting the Standard for the 21st Century - Strategic Directions
DRAFT - September 2005

Service and Outreach

True to our land-grant heritage and our values of civic responsibility, customer focus and access, Colorado State is committed to applying intellectual and academic resources to social, economic and community development in Colorado, the nation and the world.

Our faculty and staff have the responsibility to engage in applied research and to share their knowledge with others in keeping with our aim of setting the standard as a 21st century land-grant institution.

Colorado State’s three traditional state agencies (Cooperative Extension, the Colorado State Forest Service, and the Agricultural Experiment Station), along with the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, play a critical role throughout the state by developing and delivering practical knowledge on current problems to both industries and consumers.

Colorado State, similarly, is home to a world-class veterinary teaching hospital and diagnostic laboratories engaged in veterinary medical education, research, service and outreach. Colorado State-trained veterinarians protect animal and human health, provide society a safe and abundant food supply, and sustain the profitability of animal agriculture.

Addressing these and other challenges facing urban, suburban and rural communities requires innovative organizational structures and programs and flexible policies. New structures must improve easy access to the university and make partnerships readily achievable. Programs must address future challenges and be led by people with vision.

Our two broad objectives in this area are:

Engage Citizens through Community Involvement

Goal 24 – Cooperative Extension

Reposition Colorado Cooperative Extension county and area offices into educational service centers representing the entire university.

The new charge for Cooperative Extension will be to bring the rich resources of a great public university to the people – whether they live in urban, suburban or rural areas. Cooperative Extension’s expanded role will include serving as a portal for student recruitment and for communities to tap the full array of resources and information on contemporary concerns. Cooperative Extension will actively seek partnerships between Colorado State and counties, municipalities, schools, small business and other organizations and will reach out to diverse and previously underserved populations.

Goal 25 – Agriculture Support a modern, competitive agricultural industry.

Changing dynamics are altering modern agriculture as the role and power of the producer are being transformed by consumer concerns, by new forces in the supply chain and by global competition.

Cooperative Extension (through its Competitive and Sustainable Agricultural Systems and 4-H/Youth Development programs) and the Agricultural Experiment Station will pursue comprehensive research and outreach programs that address physical, environmental, and economic issues related to the profitability of Colorado’s livestock, food and ornamental crop industries. Their work will be supported by fundamental research on campus in areas such as plant and animal biology, genetics, ecology, biodiversity and genomics. Other support will include course offerings by Continuing Education and research support through technology transfer.

Goal 26 – Natural Resource Stewardship

Encourage responsible use and environmental sustainability of Colorado’s natural resources.

Research and outreach efforts focused on the state’s air, land, forest, water and wildlife resources include campus-based programs as well as the activities of Cooperative Extension, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Colorado State Forest Service. Among campus initiatives are the many programs of the College of Natural Resources, the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, and the Water Center.

Goal 27 – Health

Promote community and public health among Coloradans.

Ongoing efforts in this arena include the Nutrition, Health and Food Safety program of Cooperative Extension and the research and teaching activities of units in the College of Applied Human Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the Division of Continuing Education. An important new initiative involves Colorado State’s commitment to a multi-institutional program to be offered under the auspices of the new Colorado School of Public Health (to be jointly operated with UC Denver Health Sciences Center and the University of Northern Colorado).

Prepare and Empower Learners Outside the Campus Environment

Goal 28 – Service to K-14 Schools and Students

Prepare teachers and ready students for success in targeted Colorado schools.

Our commitment focuses on enhancing teacher-training programs on and off campus (especially in the areas of science, math and technology). We also will develop and deliver a set of coordinated programs for targeted high schools and community colleges to motivate and better prepare Colorado youth and nontraditional students for higher education. This goal is consistent with our commitments to access and success (Goal 2) and to compatible general education curricula at schools statewide (Goal 3).

Goal 29 – Lifelong Learning

Expand the offerings of programs and courses to lifelong learners regardless of age.

Both the Division of Continuing Education and Cooperative Extension will actively partner with colleges and departments to develop and deliver programs, courses and educational experiences via face-to-face, online and video for youth, non-traditional students, working professionals, alumni, business and industry and other groups. These efforts support Colorado State’s commitment to economic development, organizational excellence and professional development. They are part of the extension and service of a model 21st-century land-grant institution.

Goal 30 – Alumni Involvement

Engage alumni in meaningful ways in the university in order to build loyalty and support.

Alumni can be powerful ambassadors for Colorado State in communities and in recruiting students and faculty. We want to establish and maintain lasting relationships with alumni that are mutually beneficial and that enhance the perceived value of a Colorado State degree.