David Hillock, OSU Extension’s consumer horticulture specialist and master gardener program coordinator, answers many of the questions sent to the Extension network.

OSU receives $1.5 million grant to develop Extension network for public

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Oklahoma State University has received a second year of funding worth nearly $1.5 million to further develop the national Enhancing Electronic Extension project for improving Extension’s capacity to serve the public with new programs and digital tools.

The funding is available via the New Technologies for Ag Extension cooperative grants program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Enhancing Electronic Extension, or E3, is a collaborative effort of OSU, the nonprofit eXtension Foundation, Eduworks and North Carolina State University. Thomas Coon, OSU vice president of agricultural programs, serves as the principal investigator for the project; Damona Doye, director of OSU Extension, is project co-investigator.

“We are honored to host the NTAE partnership for our Cooperative Extension colleagues across the Land Grant systems,” Coon said. “The need to shift to more online delivery during the pandemic reinforces the importance of having Extension professionals ready to deliver programs using the latest technologies. And being able to share online content across these universities shows the full impact and efficiency of having an integrated network of Extension professionals.”

According to Chris Geith, chief executive officer of the eXtension Foundation, “Oklahoma State University continues to be a strong partner in leveraging the eXtension Foundation’s ability to incubate and accelerate Extension programs. Together, we are strengthening Extension’s local impact nationwide.”

Coon thanked the eXtension Foundation as a critical partner in the public-private partnership: “They are lean, agile and quick to adapt to emerging needs,” he said.

“The E3 project, under the leadership of Oklahoma State University, will build upon the strengths and capacities of the eXtension Foundation and its 57,000 active users,” according to the USDA-NIFA’s progress report. “OSU and its partners are committed to using NTAE funding to enable a technology-conscious nation to make use of the valuable information and education that the Cooperative Extension Service has to offer.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Brus | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-6792 | BBrus@okstate.edu