California Issues New Book on Community Intervention

How university educators and researchers tackle community problems is the focus of a new book entitled "Community and University: Case Studies and Commentary on University of California Cooperative Extension Interventions." Based on case studies of projects in six different California regions, it examines the risks and opportunities of applying university expertise to controversial local issues. It is publication 3371 of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Davis.

Several commentaries compare the six cases and offer general lessons about making the transition from traditional disciplinary knowledge to the less structured and predictable world of local conflict. The lessons are useful for outreach educators, program developers, community leaders, and field representatives of outside organizations.

Among the ricks discussed in this analysis are the career uncertainties faced by university people, especially those trained in the "hard" sciences, who get involved in public issues that are not amenable t the application of scientific information and principles. Then too, the credibility of both individual educators and their universities can be challenged by contact with community controversies.

On the positive side, however, is the realization that universities--especially land-grant institutions--have the obligation to direct their knowledge and skills to off-campus problems. Increasingly, public universities are being judged by how well they serve the needs of statewide, regional, and community constituencies.

Much of the book is focused on the strategies for engaging effectively in public policy work at the community level, including aspects of project selection, timing, and collaboration with local actors. The case studies were written by county advisors and campus specialists of the University of California Cooperative Extension, who directed recent projects. The community issues they describe deal with water quality, farm animal facility siting, public lands, Hispanic leadership, military base reuse, and Native American reservations.

Copies of the 160-page book are available for $12 from Communications Services-Publcations, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 6701 San Pablo Ave. Second Floor, Oakland, CA 94608-1239 or on the World Wide Web at http://pubweb.ucdavis.edu/documents/ccp/ccp.html