Cooperative Extension

Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Faculty and Staff Governance -- Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Administrative Policy -- Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Organizational Structure -- Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Funding/Grants/ Revenue -- Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Program/Program Development -- Significant Issues from District Resource Management Plans

Partnerships/Collaborations -- Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Faculty and Staff Governance
Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Note: The following questions were given to the University Committee on ???, 19??. The Committee chose to respond to questions #1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8, and not respond to question #5. The Committee also decided questions #6 and 9 are academic staff questions and are better suited for a committee dealing with those types of affairs. Ad-hoc committees have been formed for each of the responsive questions and the answers are in the process of being developed. Updated answers will be posted as they become available.

Is there a desirable tenure density goal given the financial resources of the institution? Can UWEX cap the number of tenured positions? Should the institution do so and if so, how?
Can UWEX test or implement an employment model which allows newly hired employees to select tenure track or non-tenure track appointments at time of hire? (the Ohio model).
How do UWEX departments encourage affiliation of academic staff with departments when academic staff have similar program responsibilities? Do all departments rules presently allow for granting "faculty status" on a yearly basis to academic staff? If so, does this occur?
Should UWEX be able to offer non-tenure track faculty appointments? What changes would need to take place for this to occur?
Should the Cooperative Extension division return to one academic department instead of five?
How can we strengthen the governance structure for the academic staff within the division?
What structures and processes are or should be enplane to allow faculty and academic staff positions to move between the faculty and academic staff?
How are faculty positions allocated in counties? What are the statewide implications?
What kinds of longer term contracts, beyond year to year, are available for academic staff?

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY
Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Draft responses

What are the benefits and disadvantages of offering more flexible work options such as telecommuting, reduced appointments, or flexible hours?
How can extension change the organizational culture to be more "family friendly and healthy"?

Cooperative extension encourages flexibility in the workplace. Divisional Guidelines titled, " Flexible Scheduling" are used with county partners to help encourage flexibility in local offices. A number of districts have provided professional development opportunities to encourage educators to let go of lower priority program efforts. Every administrator in the division is committed to making our workplace as family friendly and healthy as is possible and stand ready to help our faculty and staff to balance their work and family. The greatest impact in effective management of time and workload will occur on a county office by county office basis and will continue to require difficult decision making by individuals faculty and staff.

What is the process for reallocating campus based resources? How do districts have input into such reallocations?

Campus resources are allocated based on need for the position. This need is identified by priorities identified through county planning processes and by industry and other stakeholder groups. Program leaders negotiate with the Dean’s office for reallocation on a case by case basis. Like county positions, many campus positions involve tenure and involve long term financial commitments. In the last two years, Cooperative extension has explored and is implementing new approaches with some campuses to maintain an agreed upon level of funding to the campus and develop a flexible set of deliverables based on specific program needs.

What is our agenda for use of educational technology? What resources should be available to implement that agenda?

The used of educational technology is of significant importance to us as we look to the future. The University of Wisconsin-Extension has positioned itself within the UW System as a leader in distance education and educational technology.

This is an interest area of the Governor’s and an area where the UWS expects to be able to successfully acquire new funds. The advent of digital television and the capacity to develop web-based asynchronous learning opportunities provide the division significant new opportunities for the future.

As we increase funding partnerships, how stable does funding need to be to be considered base dollars?

Cooperative extension considers permanent base funds, formula federal funds and most county funds as base dollars. Grant funds, line item or initiative federal funds and short term county dollars are not considered base funds.

How will RMT’s and district directors work together in the future? What is the role for each?

District Directors represent the Dean and Director in administrative matters in the district. They retain the final decision making authority within the district. With the implementation of district resource management planning, district directors have more autonomy for budget decisions than in the past. Resource management teams provide advisory input to District Directors.

How can the division provide greater support for professional development related to diversity?

Extension faculty and staff are involved in developing Cooperative Extension professional development programs offered by program areas, through district meetings, and by work teams. Faculty and staff are encouraged to work with program leaders and district directors to include diversity or other topics of special interest in those on-going opportunities. Resources are available for individuals to self- select professional development experiences of their own choosing. This year, special institutional emphasis is being placed on EEO/civil rights training in all districts and a system for county reviews is being developed.

We need to review our present salary levels for field based positions. How can we change the salary system for new hires without disadvantaging more experienced faculty/staff?

Dean O’Connor has commissioned a study of salary levels in county government across the state. This study is nearly complete and will be shared during this year. Policy changes relating to salary levels will result from the study. Being realistic, we must expect that to as we adjust entry level positions, some compression will occur. We have not received, nor should we expect to receive any new funds to support raising salaries. Any funds we use for this purpose must come from internal sources. Compression is an unfortunate but common occurrence in business and educational worlds. Finding the resources to raise all salaries would require significant reduction in the number of positions in the organization.

Fitzsimmons 8/98

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

Draft Responses

Note: The District Resource Planning Committee porvided these questions to a number of administrative groups, including: county department heads, program leaders, the Cooperative Extension Budget Office, the Cooperative Extension Dean's Office, governance groups, among others.. The answers are in the process of being developed; the ones already submitted are posted underneath their respective question. As more answers come in, the page will be updated.

How do we maintain an institutional focus, which reflects the individual uniqueness of the district resource management plans?
What resources or needs identified in district plans can be shared among districts?

Districts are encouraged to review each other’s plans and identify potential areas to collaborate. The sharing session held at Chula Vista which involved team members from each DMT was a good first step. The Dean plans to have a small review team meet with each DMT to review each plan and provide ideas and feedback.

How do we ensure a strong institutional identity when working with partners?

Approaches range from very informal to very formal. For complicated partnership arrangements, formal memorandum of understanding should be developed. Such memorandums can include agreements about identification and crediting of partners. In small or informal partnerships, it is still a good idea to discuss crediting and include the discussion in minutes. These days, partnerships are the norm and learning to negotiate appropriate recognition for your agency is an important skill.

How would "district specialists" relate to regent policy on integration and campus and program area relationships?

Refer to program leader response

How can Cooperative Extension make better use of UW-System resources within the district such as the UW-Colleges, four year campuses, and experiment stations?

A number of exciting new partnerships with campus continuing education and other colleagues and with experiment stations are being developed. U.W –Parkside and the Racine and Kenosha county offices have forged a strong programming partnership. UW-Superior has invited county offices to work with the campus to develop an approach more responsive to regional needs. UW- Stevens Point is beginning this dialogue. UW_Platteville has engaged in similar discussions. A new model designed to foster relations between extension and research is underway at the Arlington Experiment Station and in the planning stages at other experiment stations. District resource management teams are encouraged to include improved relationships with campus and experiment station partners as part of their work.

What is the role of the office chair in providing input to and implementing District Resource Management Plans?

County department heads serve as a "management team" for district directors. In that role, they will provide on-going input for district resource management planning and will be involved in carrying out priorities identified in district resource management plans.

How will district RMP’s be coordinated with marketing efforts?

Districts develop marketing strategies that best meet unique regional needs. New marketing efforts can be supported by district resource management funds if identified as a priority for the district.

How will specialists respond to issues raised in resource management plans?

District plans are being shared with program leaders. They are responsible to ensure appropriate interaction with specialists. (See program leader response).

How can we ensure flexibility among program areas to respond to changing program needs?

(see program area response)

Fitzsimmons 8/98

FUNDING/GRANTS/REVENUE
Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

(McLain)

Note: The answers to the following questions are in the process of being developed. However, most of the answers are located in the UWEX Cooperative Extension's Revenue Committee report. For a copy of this report, contact Mike McLain at 608-262-9332.

What resources does each district need to expand and manage its funds?
What centralized institutional support is needed to expand increased extramural fund acquisition?
What costs are associated with successfully obtaining outside funds?
Should our compensation and rewards system reward those who successfully obtain additional dollars?
How can we create enough flexibility in compensation systems to provide fiscal incentives to ensure high quality hires for short term assignments?
How can existing revenue policies and procedures be better communicated to ensure uniform implication? What areas need additional work?
How can revenue be used? When should it be shared and with what partners?
How can fund seeking to public and private partners be coordinated?
As we increase funding partnerships, how stable does funding need to be to be considered base dollars? (county, line item 143, etc.) If what we know as base funding declines, what is the effect on faculty positions?
Under what conditions do we accept or refuse gifts or grants?

PROGRAM/PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Significant Issues from District Resource Management Plans

(Program Leaders)

Note: The answers to these questions can be found on the "Faculty and Staff Testimonies in Court Guidelines" page, located under the "Policies" page.

How do planning processes used on campuses for priority setting relate to district resource management planning?
How do " district specialists" relate to regent policy on integration and campus and program area relationships?
What processes and structures do we have or can we develop that will ensure that specialists have an opportunity to respond to local needs identification?
How can barriers between program areas be reduced?
How can the institution better respond to emerging concerns that transcend program area boundaries?
What is the process for reallocation within and among program areas? Between campus and county based positions?
Within a county, does the leadership for the work in a content area require a faculty level position? Should CES require a minimum or maximum number of faculty in each county?
How will the program planning information inform decision making in resource allocation through the resource management planning process?

PARTNERSHIPS/COLLABORATIONS
Significant Issues from Resource Management Plans

(Vasquez)

How do we ensure that we don’t compromise our mission when working with multiple partners with multiple missions?
How do we maintain a visible identity with changing multiple partners?

How do we manage the multiple reporting and accountability needs requested by partners?

How does CES monitor and negotiate the legal and personnel issues involved in developing new partnerships?

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