Welcome to the official website of the 2008 Summer Joint Session of the Northeast Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Directors, and the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) Delegates!

This year's host is the District of Columbia Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service.

The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel located in Bethesda, Maryland
on July 13 to 15, 2008.   

 

Theme - "Delivering the Land Grant Mission in an Urban Setting:
Best Practices for the Northeast"
{Monday morning session}

Expected Outcomes:

• Participants will gain access to best practices for developing and delivering sustainable programs in urban settings
• Participants will gain knowledge of programs offered in other states
• Participants may identify potential opportunities for cross state and cross functional collaboration
• Participants will gain a better understanding of the funding opportunities for supporting sustainable, high impact programs
• A commitment to continue the dialogue beyond the meeting

Format:

• Plenary Session:
  • Green communities as a vehicle for community and economic development, environmental quality, health and improved quality of life will provide a broad focus for understanding current and emerging opportunities for the land grant system in urban communities. A speaker will provide an overview of current programs and how these tie to community needs. This session will also provide a glimpse of future needs and opportunities, with specific emphasis on:
    • Framing urban opportunities within the capacities of the Land Grant System
    • Understanding research and educational opportunities
    • Potential (sustained) public and private funding opportunities

• Program Presentations:
  • Two or three speakers will present examples of successful, high-impact programs that demonstrate integration of at least two areas (teaching, research and/or extension), are multi-departmental or multi-disciplinary, and sustainable in terms of organizational commitment and funding
  • Issue areas might include successful programs relating to workforce development, community and economic development, youth at risk, environmental quality, and food, nutrition and health

• Breakout Issues:
  • Replicating existing programs versus developing new sustainable programs to meet the needs of urban populations
  • Balancing current program needs and expanded mission needs
  • Developing alternative delivery mechanisms
  • Attracting expertise that often resides outside SAES
  • Developing new partnerships with non SAES units
  • Identifying new funding opportunities
  • Recruiting undergraduate and graduate students from increasingly nontraditional urbanized and/or underrepresented populations

• Breakout Reports and Recommendations:
  • What have we learned?
  • Where do we go from here?
  • What opportunities do we have to move forward with collaborative, sustainable programs?
  • Next Steps and Assignments