Beyond Tradition

The greatest obstacle we have to overcome in Extension is tradition. I agree with Boyle when he says, "... we're preoccupied with existing structures and traditional linkages that blind us from seeing the Extension System as it might be...."

In establishing Extension's new agenda made up of initiatives and issues, we can't focus on the past and what Extension has been. We must focus on the future and what Extension can be.

Extension will continue to focus on agriculture and natural resource issues with vigor, for we're essentially the lead agency for education in this area. However, we must also look beyond agriculture to social and human issues that concern a larger proportion of our clients and stakeholders. This will undoubtedly require new human and capital resources to adequately meet this expanded commitment. We'll also need to look beyond our traditional organizational alliances to form new partnerships as we engage in new ideas.

A major change for Extension must be to become less insular, with less of a go-it-alone attitude. While we've often talked about cooperation with other partners, we've been afraid to genuinely work with others in effective alliances to attack major issues. Sometimes we've been afraid that cooperating with others would mean sharing the credit. At other times, we just haven't been willing to go through the time-consuming process of forming genuine partnerships.

Our experience in South Carolina strongly suggests that other organizations and agencies in the human services sector are willing to cooperate. We don't have to treat those agencies as competitors. An agency providing primarily a service function is enthusiastic about joining with Extension to add prevention and education components. Our experience indicates they aren't threatened by such cooperation. We shouldn't be either.

Another important area of change is that our response time must decrease substantially. We must overcome the inertia of our system. There are all kinds of excuses for why we don't and can't respond quicker. We must move beyond those excuses and our history of slow response to new developments and concerns. Our future must include more rapid responses.

Another area where we've been bound by tradition is in the level of proof we've required before being willing to move into action. In the face of great needs and demands for response, we can't wait for the traditional process of scientific publication and academic debate to establish a firm research conclusion before we're willing to act. We'll have to take the risk of action on important issues of the day on the best data available without waiting for perfect knowledge and full scientific proof.

Finally, in moving beyond tradition, we'll need to be flexible. Our past has too often been characterized by rigid thinking, rigid organization, and rigid programming. Rapid responses to major new issues will require flexibility.

Boyle worries that Extension won't cease to exist but rather simply become "inconsequential." I couldn't agree more. Society's main needs are going to be met by somebody. Society won't wait until Extension is able to meet its needs. If we don't change to meet emerging needs, then society will look elsewhere to get those needs met. While we debate whether new initiatives are part of our mission, society will look elsewhere. The needs of society aren't bound by tradition; therefore, the Cooperative Extension System can't be bound by tradition.