Throughout the strategic planning process, many issues and aspects of our mission and roles were explored. It was an extensive evaluative process. In developing a vision for the unit, in contexts of who we are now and how we are adapting to future needs and opportunities, we identified eleven strategic issues (SI-1 through SI-11) we will vigorously address. They are outlined as:

SI-1: Educating our audience about our mission.
SI-2: Increasing undergraduate agricultural education enrollment.
SI-3: Developing leadership and communications service courses.
SI-4: Measuring educational outcomes.
SI-5: Developing, expanding, and refining the delivery of the undergraduate degree in general agriculture off-campus.
SI-6: Developing, expanding, and refining the delivery of the graduate degree in agricultural education off-campus.
SI-7: Advancing distance education/outreach initiatives, programs, and activities for the Department, College, and University.
SI-8: Providing in-service education to education professionals in the food and fiber industry throughout Idaho and the Pacific Northwest.
SI-9: Developing an Agricultural Education Northwest Consortium.
SI-10:Structuring the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the next five years.
SI-11: Accommodating the increasing demands made upon individuals within the unit, and facilitating personal and professional development, while respecting personal differences and individual needs.

Strategic Issues

SI-1: Educating our audience about our mission.

• secondary agriculture science and technology instructors
• undergraduate and graduate students
• Idaho State Division for Vocational Education
• College of Agriculture faculty, staff, and students
• College of Education faculty, staff and students
• Inservice and off-campus students
• FFA members
• University of Idaho faculty, staff, and students

Goal

To better educate our audience about the mission of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education.

Objectives

1. Provide current information about the Department's mission, programs, and services.
2. Design new marketing tools to inform all potential and current undergraduate and graduate students about educational opportunities through Agricultural and Extension Education.
3. Deliver multi-media presentations to SDVE, College of Agriculture and College of Education faculty, and others to increase their awareness of Agricultural and Extension Education's mission, programs, and services.
4. Develop promotional materials for potential inservice and off-campus students to inform them of educational opportunities available from Agricultural and Extension Education.
5. Inform all secondary agriculture students and FFA members about career opportunities in the food and fiber system.
6. Distribute informational materials on Agricultural and Extension Education's mission, programs, and services to all Colleges and support units of the University of Idaho.
7. Present informational programs, using the national FFA Partners format, about career opportunities in the food and fiber system to school board members, administrators, and counselors.

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SI-2: Increasing undergraduate agricultural education enrollment.

Goal

To double the number of undergraduates majoring in agricultural education by the year 2001.

Objectives

1. Develop recruitment packages for secondary agricultural science and technology teachers to promote agricultural education careers with their high school agriculture students.
2. Conduct an annual recruitment campaign, in cooperation with ongoing University recruitment efforts, to identify and contact potential agricultural education majors from the ranks of secondary agricultural science and technology students and FFA members.
3. Offer more service courses to undergraduate students in the Colleges of Agriculture and Education and the University.
4. Recruit undergraduates majoring in other disciplines in the College of Agriculture; Education; and Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Sciences to become certified agricultural science and technology instructors.
5. Develop efforts to recruit minority students to major in agricultural education.
6. Present recruitment information to postsecondary agriculture, horticulture, and science students at community colleges in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Montana.
7. Recruit professionals in the food and fiber system to return to the University of Idaho to become certified agricultural science and technology instructors.
8. Academic advisors will conduct exit interviews with students transferring out of agricultural education to determine their reasons for leaving the program.
9. Develop a non-teaching option within agricultural education, which includes a professional internship, to expose students to non-formal educational opportunities within the food and fiber system.

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SI-3: Developing leadership and communications service courses.

Goal

To expand existing, and develop new, leadership and communication service courses for undergraduate and graduate students both on-campus and off-campus.

Objectives

1. Expand the awareness of the existing leadership service course offered to students within the College of Agriculture and the University.
2. Deliver the existing leadership service course to off-campus students using distance education delivery methods.
3. Develop an introductory course in agricultural communications for students majoring in the College of Agriculture.
4. Develop an advanced agricultural communications technology course for students interested in multi-media presentation skills.

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SI-4: Measuring educational outcomes.

Goal

To measure outcomes of all educational programs, including courses, workshops, and inservice activities, conducted by the Department.

Objectives

1. All instructors will conduct both formal and informal evaluations, during the course and immediately upon the completion of the course, of their courses and teaching.
2. All non-formal educational programs conducted by the Department will be evaluated using instruments developed by the instructor and reviewed by the Department faculty.

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SI-5: Developing, expanding, and refining the delivery of the undergraduate degree in general agriculture off-campus.

Goal

To increase the access to degree programs available from the University of Idaho College of Agriculture.

Objectives

1. To institutionalize the general agriculture degree program at CSI.
2. To create additional collaborative arrangements with other institutions through which the general agriculture degree program may be offered (such as NIC, TVCC, Ricks, LCSC, IFCHE).
3. To assist in the creation of additional degree program offerings (e.g., animal science, agribusiness, horticulture).

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SI-6: Developing, expanding, and refining the delivery of the graduate degree in agricultural education off-campus.

Goal

To strengthen the graduate degree program.

Objectives

1. Develop a five-year plan for courses to be delivered.
2. Define the statistical/research component required for the degree.
3. Redefine and develop an adult and extension option.
4. Define and develop a leadership and development option.
5. Print and disseminate graduate degree guidelines.
6. Develop a marketing plan for the existing and new graduate degree options.

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SI-7: Advancing distance education/outreach initiatives, programs, and activities for the Department, College, and University.

Goal

To increase the number and quality of educational opportunities available to clients not on the Moscow campus.

Objectives

1. Provide a center of assertive services to the College of Agriculture (e.g., advertising and marketing, registration, budgeting, technological assistance, evaluation).
2. Consult with faculty regarding instructional design and technology of intended educational programming.
3. Introduce faculty to new communication and education technologies.
4. Provide group instructional opportunities in educational methodology to College of Agriculture faculty and staff.

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SI-8: Providing in-service education to education professionals in the food and fiber industry throughout Idaho and the Pacific Northwest.

Goal

To increase the number and quality of inservice opportunities in the food and fiber industry for educational professionals.

Objectives

1. Offer inservice workshops for secondary agricultural science and technology instructors and related educational professionals.
2. Develop and offer a College of Agriculture new faculty induction program.
3. Assess the inservice workshop needs of secondary agricultural science and technology instructors, extension educators, and other client groups.
4. Develop a marketing strategy to increase awareness of inservice opportunities to all targeted groups.
5. Continually enhance the existing New Teacher Induction Program for beginning teachers of agricultural science and technology.

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SI-9: Developing an Agricultural Education Northwest Consortium.

Goal

To actively participate in the discussion about and development of the agricultural Education Northwest Consortium.

Objectives

1. Explore the current nationally-defined regional boundaries identified by the National Council for Agricultural Education's Reinventing Agriculture Education for the Year 2020 Task Force.
2. Position the Department for a leadership role in the development of the Agricultural Education Northwest Consortium.

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SI-10: Structuring the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the next five years.

Goal

To reform the departmental emphasis areas to include agricultural education, extension education, agricultural communications and technology, and youth and adult leadership development.

Objectives

1. Research the advantages and discuss the disadvantages of restructuring the Department to include more emphasis on agricultural communications and technology.
2. Research potential linkages with the state 4-H Program to improve youth leadership education for 4-H and FFA members in Idaho.
3. Develop new academic thrusts in the area of adult leadership development.
4. Develop educational support services for extension educators.

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SI-11: Accommodating the increasing demands made upon individuals within the unit, and facilitating personal and professional development, while respecting personal differences and individual needs.

Goal

To nurture mutual support mechanisms within the Department to allow individuals to grow personally and professionally.

Objectives

1. Respect personal priorities while fulfilling professional responsibilities.
2. Support individuals in their personal and professional growth through education and scholarly activities.
3. Assess through monthly reviews, progress towards completion of individuals duties as outlined in the Department Activities and Responsibilities and adjust accordingly.
4. Complete personal and professional responsibilities that benefit colleagues, the Department, College, and University.
5. Develop social and recreational activities to foster a collegial atmosphere among the faculty, staff, and/or students within the Department.

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