Programming in Extension is where we do our work. We develop our programs through a series of program planning steps that include information gathering, needs assessments, issue identification and prioritization. We design and develop our outcomes and indicators, utilize curriculum, and eventually engage, dialogue and teach our clientele in an effort to change actions, behaviors, and conditions. We evaluate whether that has happened and share our stories and successes all while deciding how to redesign, redeploy, or sunset the work.
These efforts are our programming plan, and we do this in Nebraska Extension by living and executing around our Extension values. These values are what we believe enable us to be most effective in our work. We strive to be uniquely local, serving Nebraska in every corner of the state. We collaborate with our clientele and each other to deliver relevant, innovative, and research-based information. We are inclusive, responsive, and accountable to each other and across greater systems in which we operate. These values are the core of how we do our work and through the following program responsibilities you should consider how you are ensuring these values are consistently fulfilled.
Office Support Staff
1. Demonstrate positive and professional behavior and attitude towards colleagues, clients,
and partner organizations.
2. Serve as Extension's "front door" ambassadors for local office clientele, connecting them
to Extension professionals, programs, and products that meet their needs.
3. Manage local programming finance operations in accordance with County and UNL
business center policies and procedures.
4. Enhance online presence through websites, social media, and e-learning.
5. Manage daily operations of the Extension office.
6. Support revenue-generating strategies that contribute to the viability of individuals,
teams, and the system.
7. Engage in collaborative team programming efforts.
8. Offer extensive support for Extension operations, including educational programs, fairs,
volunteer support, advisory groups, and local Extension professionals providing
programs.
9. Participate in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to your role.
10. Connect local residents to Extension information, resources, educational opportunities,
and professional expertise.
11. Develop and manage local Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) and Continuity of Operations
Plans (COOPs).
12. Promote and market local, regional and statewide Extension programs and products.
13. Assist with program planning, organization, logistics, delivery, assessment, and
reporting, including data management for 4-H, PEARS, CRMs, and other platforms.
14. Cultivate inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning environments.
Assistant/Associate
1. Exemplify positive and professional behavior and attitude towards colleagues, clients,
and partner organizations.
2. Teach and deliver contemporary Extension education programs in assigned region.
3. Recognize emerging issues and provide programming accordingly.
4. Take the initiative to serve new and underserved audiences.
5. Foster partnerships with local youth-serving organizations (when appropriate) that focus
on community program priorities.
6. Manage educational programs and events, including promotion, coordination, support,
and delivery.
7. Manage volunteers and volunteer programs, and train local volunteers to implement
programs.
8. Participate in collaborative team programming efforts.
9. Provide responsive, innovative, and engaging educational programs and products by
employing methods and strategies that have broad reach and impact.
10. Employ entrepreneurial practices to obtain funding and partnerships, enhancing
Extension's program reach and impact.
11. Contribute to implementing program evaluation plans by collecting impact data.
12. Cultivate inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning environments.
13. Engage in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to your role.
14. Create individual action plans and complete the corresponding Individual Action Plan
Outcome Reports annually.
15. Complete an annual IANR Individual Impact Report
Educator (Includes Instructors)
1. Exemplify positive and professional behavior and attitude towards colleagues, clients,
and partner organizations.
2. Develop and deliver proactive, innovative, and engaging educational programs and
products, using teaching methods and strategies that have significant reach,
engagement, and impact in your county, accountability region, and, as appropriate,
statewide and nationally.
3. Establish and sustain a strong local and regional clientele base and programming
portfolio that is documented and shared with colleagues.
4. Employ innovative strategies and technologies to design, develop, implement, and
assess programs for a strong Extension education program/engagement at the county,
accountability region, and statewide levels.
5. Engage and teach in a collaborative learning and problem-solving environment,
working with Assistants, Educators, and Specialists to encourage learners to adopt
research-based decision-making information.
6. Deliberately engage and work closely with one or more Extension specialists to fulfill
your Extension responsibilities.
7. Collaborate with specialists and research faculty to conduct applied and validation
research (e.g., on-farm, ranch, or community) that can be amplified via multiple
engagement platforms.
8. Show robust contributions to multidisciplinary team settings with Extension
professionals and other internal and external partners to translate and convey the
latest research-based information.
9. Engage local, regional, and statewide partners to identify and address high-priority
issues where Extension is particularly well positioned to contribute.
10. Foster a culture of collaboration with local, regional and statewide leaders that
nurtures and strengthens positive relationships among the University, its partners, and
the people we serve.
11. Employ entrepreneurial practices to obtain funding and partnerships, enhancing
Extension's program reach and impact.
12. Create ongoing programming revenue that supports the viability of individuals, teams,
units, and the System.
13. Lead and contribute value to high-performing Extension programming teams.
14. Engage in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to your role.
15. Support youth development programs by contributing to areas related to your specific
assignment.
16. Conduct needs assessments, identify priorities, develop various program and
engagement platforms to connect with diverse audiences, measure program impact,
and report the results in your annual report as well as to Extension boards, County
Commissioners and Supervisors, State Senators, key stakeholders, at professional
meetings, and in professional and Extension publications when appropriate.
a. Educators will collaborate with lead educators, Extension specialists, Extension
advisory committees, and local stakeholders within their accountability region
to assess needs and offer access to engagement opportunities through various
platforms (e.g., focus groups, surveys, stakeholder meetings, etc.).
b. Participate in teams comprised of Assistants, Educators, Specialists, other staff
or faculty, industry, and community leaders. These teams focus on current or
future needs or strengths and strategize in program areas where you
contribute.
17. Foster a culture of collaboration with local leaders and accountability in the region that
nurtures and builds positive relationships among the University, its partners, and the
communities we serve.
18. Cultivate inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning environments.
19. Create individual action plans and complete the corresponding Individual Action Plan
Outcome Reports annually.
20. Complete an annual IANR Individual Impact Report.
Specialist (Includes Professors)
1. Exemplify positive and professional behavior and attitude towards colleagues, clients,
and partner organizations.
2. Develop and deliver proactive, innovative, and engaging educational programs and
products by employing teaching methods and strategies that achieve significant reach,
engagement, and impact in your assigned region, as well as statewide and nationally
when appropriate.
3. Statewide responsibility for developing proactive, innovative, and accessible educational
programs of excellence.
4. Conduct needs assessments at the state level, identify priorities, develop various
programs and products to engage diverse audiences, and measure and report on the
impact.
5. Employ innovative strategies and technologies to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate
important statewide programs that demonstrate exemplary Extension education and
engagement.
6. Collaborate with Extension, IANR, and UNL personnel to develop educational programs
and products.
7. Engage local, regional, and statewide partners to identify and address high-priority
issues where Extension is particularly well positioned to contribute.
8. Contribute to collaborative team environments with IANR faculty, including Extension
educators and staff, to promote, develop, and deliver Extension's educational programs
and products that have a statewide impact.
9. Deliberately engage and work closely with one or more Extension educators to meet
your Extension apportionment responsibilities.
10. Foster a culture of collaboration with statewide leaders that nurtures and strengthens
positive relationships among the University, its partners, and the people we serve.
11. Establish and sustain a strong regional and statewide clientele base and programming
portfolio that is documented and shared with colleagues.
12. Demonstrate strong contributions to multidisciplinary team environments alongside
Extension professionals and other internal and external partners to convey and teach
the latest research-based information and education.
13. Employ entrepreneurial practices to obtain funding and partnerships, enhancing
Extension's program reach and impact.
14. Create ongoing programming revenue that supports the viability of individuals, teams,
units, and the System.
15. Develop and provide professional development in priority program areas and topics
relevant to Extension faculty and staff, enhancing and maintaining their professional,
technical, and Extension pedagogy and andragogy expertise.
16. Lead and contribute value to high-performing Extension programming teams.
17. Engage in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to your role.
18. Conduct needs assessments, measure program impact, and report the results in your
annual report, to key stakeholders, at professional meetings, and in professional and
Extension publications.
a. Specialists will collaborate with Extension educators, advisory committees, and
key stakeholders to identify needs and facilitate access to engagement
opportunities through various platforms (e.g., focus groups, surveys, stakeholder
meetings, etc.).
b. Join teams made up of educators, specialists, and other faculty, as well as
industry and community leaders, that concentrate on current strengths and
strategize for future needs in the program areas where you contribute.
19. Cultivate inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning environments.
20. Create individual action plans and complete the corresponding Individual Action Plan
Outcome Reports annually.
21. Complete an annual IANR Individual Impact Report.
Focus Team (Assistants/Associates, Educators and Specialists)
1. Each Program Area is made up of one or more Focus Teams.
2. The number of Focus Teams is determined by the size and scope of the Program Area.
3. Focus dedicated effort, expertise, and resources on a priority area or issue vital to the
people of Nebraska.
4. Work as professional colleagues in a multidisciplinary environment.
5. Create a detailed state action plan focused on their area of concentration.
6. Specialists, educators, and assistants should collaborate on at least one focus team and
are encouraged to contribute to multiple teams, both within and outside their primary
program area, as appropriate.
Focus Team Leader
1. Offer comprehensive leadership for the Focus Team.
2. The goal is to have two Focus Team Leaders for each Focus Team, ideally one Educator
and one Specialist.
3. Engage and communicate with other Focus Team Leaders to facilitate collaboration and
cross-disciplinary awareness of the Team's direction and activities.
4. Responsible for program planning within each Focus Team, which includes needs
assessment, plan development with outcomes and indicators, recommended
deliverables, program delivery, tracking activities and success stories, and program
evaluation.
5. Collaborate with the Program Area Leader(s) to annually develop or update the Focus
Team's section of the Program Area's State Action Plan.
6. Employ entrepreneurial practices to obtain funding and partnerships, enhancing
Extension's program reach and impact.
7. Contribute to the annual Program Area Impact report and the optional Focus Team
Impact report for stakeholders.
Program Area (Assistants/Associates, Educators and Specialists)
1. Establish an organizational structure for programming.
2. A Program Area may have multiple Program Area Leaders based on its size and
complexity.
3. Multidisciplinary Program Areas (e.g., Reaching One Reaching All, Extension Disaster
Education Network, etc.) may be created or discontinued as needed.
4. Program areas should be multidisciplinary, involving extension personnel across a wide
range of subject areas.
a. Multiple focus teams may be present in program areas, which provide
concentrated effort, expertise, and resources to address a priority issue
important to the people of Nebraska.
b. Extension personnel are encouraged to collaborate across program areas as
needed or desired to enhance the co-creation of a better tomorrow for
Nebraskans.
Program Area Leader
Program Planning
1. Offers broad leadership and vision for the Program Area.
2. Create a proactive and strategic statewide staffing plan.
3. Coordinates program planning across the Program Area, including coaching, mentoring,
monitoring, mapping, team building, collaboration, needs assessment, development of
state action plans with outcomes and indicators, recommended deliverables, program
delivery, activity tracking, success stories, and program evaluation.
4. Fosters a strong connection and collaboration among specialists, educators, and
assistants.
5. Serves as a resource for extension assistants, educators, and specialists in program
planning.
6. Coaches program Area members to contribute to outcomes, indicators, and deliverables.
7. Builds and nurtures a strong network of external stakeholders who provide input and
collaborate on priority programming initiatives.
8. Develop the State Action Plan, including needs assessment, outcomes, and indicators, in
collaboration with the focus team leaders and informed by key external stakeholder
input.
9. Monitors program delivery and deployment, tracks activities, documents success stories,
and evaluates the program.
10. Utilize entrepreneurial strategies to lead team revenue generation and partnerships that
expand Extension's reach and impact.
11. Responsible for updating and uploading the Program Area State Action Plan(s) annually.
12. Accountable for completing the annual Program Area State Action Plan Outcomes
report.
13. Collaborates with Focus Team leaders to develop an annual Program Area team report
for stakeholders.
14. Collaborate with the appropriate Associate Dean to on board and train Extension
professionals on program area priorities, team building and collaboration, as well as
coaching and mentoring Focus Team leaders.
15. Foster an inclusive culture that appreciates and recognizes contributions to teams,
encourages collaboration and innovation, engages everyone's abilities to fully realize the
potential of teams, and ensures each team member has a sense of belonging.
Coach and Performance Consultant
1. Collaborates with Engagement Zone Coordinators (EZC) or Academic Unit Leader (AUL).
2. Contributes to coaching Extension Educators and Assistants/Associates in the role of a
program performance consultant.
a. Assists the supervisor in coaching, guiding, and supporting employees'
programming performance.
b. Develops metrics to evaluate success and inform the annual performance review
process for Extension Educators and Specialists.
c. Provides guidance focused on program area disciplines for employees.
d. Informs and participates in check-ins, performance reviews, and
recommendations for academic promotions based on employee contributions to
programs, products, leadership, and teams.
3. Serves as the hiring official for Extension Educator searches, collaborating with the
appropriate associate dean, associate dean/associate director, EZCs, and AU Ls to:
a. Develop position descriptions for Extension educators.
b. Develop requests for mission-critical Extension Educator positions.
c. Complete request to search forms.
4. Contribute to position descriptions for Extension specialists.
Engagement Zone Coordinator (EZC)
Program Planning
1. Provide clear and consistent guidance on policies, procedures, and success expectations
for Extension educators, instructors, and assistants/associates.
2. Promote effective communication among the Extension Educator Promotion
Committees, Program Area Leaders, and Extension educators.
3. Awareness of programming, outcomes, and indicators across all Program Areas.
4. Coach Program Area members to contribute to outcomes and indicators through specific
deliverables.
5. Observe faculty and staff deliver programming.
6. Offer support in extension pedagogy and andragogy to ensure successful programming
efforts.
7. Foster entrepreneurial strategies to encourage revenue generation and partnerships that
expand Extension's reach and impact.
8. Foster an inclusive culture that appreciates and recognizes all contributions to teams,
encourages collaboration and innovation, engages everyone's abilities to fully realize the
team's potential, and ensures that each member feels a sense of belonging.
Evaluation and Coaching
1. Supervise Extension educators.
2. Evaluate the annual performance of Extension Educators, including their contributions
to programs, products, and the organization.
3. Support the programming efforts in the Zone and ensure regional accountability
coverage.
4. Chair the Search Advisory Committee for Extension Educator searches.
5. Collaborate with appropriate Associate Extension Deans, Associate Dean/Associate
Director, and Program Area Leaders.
a. Contribute to mission-critical position requests.
b. Contribute to the Request to Search forms.
c. Contribute to an overall dynamic strategic staffing plan.
d. Collaborate with Program Area Leaders to develop metrics to evaluate success
and inform the annual performance review process for Extension Educators.
Academic Unit Leader (AUL)
1. Offer consistent and clear guidance on policies, procedures, and expectations for success
among Extension assistants, instructors, educators, specialists, and professors in the
Unit.
2. Ensure that the departmental Promotion and Tenure Committees have representation
from Extension and that communication is strong among the Extension Promotion
Committee, the academic unit leader, and Extension personnel within the Unit.
3. To help ensure the success of embedded extension personnel within the unit, provide
mentoring and facilitate professional development opportunities (including sufficient
resources).
4. Foster collaboration and team engagement within the unit for embedded Extension
personnel, including participation in unit governance and interaction with students, staff,
and faculty.
5. Utilize entrepreneurial strategies to obtain funding and partnerships that expand
Extension's reach and impact.
6. Serve as the chair of the Search Advisory Committee for Extension Educator searches
within your unit.
7. Develop relationships with off-campus Extension educators and ensure proper
integration with the Extension Educator Department Affiliate program.
8. Engage in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to this role.
9. Foster an inclusive culture where every contribution to teams is valued and recognized,
collaboration and innovation are encouraged, and everyone's abilities are engaged to
fully realize the teams' potential, ensuring each team member feels a sense of
belonging.
Associate Dean
1. Collaborate with the Extension Dean and the Extension Executive Team (EET) to envision
and create strategic initiatives that will guide and enhance Nebraska Extension's overall
growth, development, and effectiveness.
2. Engage with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR), AULs, Program
Area Leaders, Hub Coordinators, EZCs, state and federal organizations, agencies,
stakeholder groups, and private partners to stay informed about evolving critical issues
and leverage Extension resources to meet Nebraskans' needs.
3. Identify and pursue opportunities for program integration and collaboration to tackle the
critical, evolving, and complex challenges faced by Nebraskans.
4. Support the creation and implementation of proactive, innovative, and impactful
Extension programs addressing critical issues for Nebraska.
5. Facilitate communication among Program Area Leaders.
6. Mentor and coach Program Area Leaders.
7. Engage with Program Area Leaders and Extension faculty to develop and plan the
delivery of professional capacity-building opportunities that build knowledge, skills, and
contemporary Extension andragogy and pedagogy and strengthen Extension
professionals' overall effectiveness with clientele.
8. Participate in the development of position descriptions and search processes for
educator and specialist positions to recruit, hire, and develop key talent that supports
Extension's mission.
9. Represent Extension at university, state, North Central Regional, and national
committees, and act as the Dean's main liaison while engaging in discussions on state,
regional, and multistate initiatives.
10. Seek resources (financial and others) and coordinate these resources with colleagues to
foster collaborative, integrated proposal development and engagement opportunities.
11. Employ entrepreneurial practices to obtain funding and partnerships, enhancing
Extension's program reach and impact.
12. Support state and federal reporting requirements.
13. Engage in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to this role.
14. Foster an inclusive culture where all contributions to the team are valued and
acknowledged, collaboration and innovation are encouraged, and everyone's abilities
are engaged to fully realize the team's potential, ensuring that each member feels a
sense of belonging.
Dean and Director
1. As a member of the IANR Senior Leadership Team, I partner and collaborate with
colleagues to ensure that IANR and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln coordinate and
promote every aspect of our land-grant mission, which involves serving 531 rural and
urban communities across 93 counties.
2. Provide leadership and oversight of all Extension programming and engagement efforts
within IANR.
3. Enhance the diversity among Extension faculty, staff, and clientele to meet the needs of
Nebraskans and promote an inclusive culture. Ensure that opportunities are available to
all and that every effort is made to engage diverse audiences, especially those
traditionally underrepresented and/or underserved.
4. Offer vision and dynamic leadership in the direction, administration, and management of
Nebraska Extension to secure its standing as a leader among Extension systems
nationally.
5. Build, develop, and nurture a strong leadership team and faculty focused on excellence
in Extension and the delivery of high-impact programming across Nebraska and beyond.
6. Engage communities in learning, identifying local needs and opportunities, and solving
problems.
7. Promote and cultivate multidisciplinary and multifunctional programs.
8. Mentor and coach the associate deans.
9. Represent extension among IANR, UNL, the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska
Legislature, the Nebraska congressional delegation, and stakeholders, both present and
future. Serve as the chief advocate for Nebraska Extension at regional, national, and
international levels.
10. Seek resources, both financial and otherwise, to boost the growth, relevance, and
excellence of Nebraska Extension.
11. Engage in personal and professional development opportunities that enhance
knowledge, skills, and competencies relevant to this role.
12. Foster an inclusive culture where all contributions to the team are valued and
acknowledged, collaboration and innovation are encouraged, and everyone's abilities
are engaged to fully realize the team's potential, ensuring that each member feels a
sense of belonging.