We Get Questions
How Does Extension's Long-Range Planning For 2000-2003 Relate to Florida First? What Is the Link Between the Two?
Florida FIRST and the Extension four-year planning effort for 2000-2003 are concurrent and complementary processes with the purpose of establishing future direction in the fulfillment of the broad mission of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). The two processes have a great deal of similarity, but yet key distinctions.
Florida FIRST
Florida FIRST is a strategic planning process that focuses on the total IFAS mission and responsibility of teaching, research, and extension. Emphasis is placed on identifying and predicting the future behavior of forces within the organization's environment that could potentially affect its character, focus and long-term direction. From a thorough analysis, adjustments in structure, role and programs could be identified that would enhance IFAS's capacity to carry out its state mandate of service to the food, agricultural and related natural and human resource sectors in Florida.
Consequently, Florida FIRST is a comprehensive and broad-based assessment of the capabilities of the IFAS organization in light of future projected needs, priorities, and factors influencing the people that it serves, ultimately resulting in adjustments in structure, focus and programs as necessary to more effectively fulfill its mandated role. The grand strategy that emerges from the strategic planning process will be utilized with industry and legislative leaders as a basis for funding and programmatic change.
A key phase of the Florida FIRST strategic planning process is the development of base papers containing an analysis of major trends, status, and determinants of change for major commodity and cross cutting sub-sectors in the State. The major determinants of change include technological, institutional, human capital and natural resource forces affecting each sub-sector. The base papers will be prepared by an interdisciplinary faculty team. Utilizing the base papers as background material, a state conference of IFAS faculty and major stakeholders will be convened in May, 1999, to identify major research and extension imperatives. The information in the base papers will also be provided to the Extension faculty in early March, 1999, for reference and use in their development of four-year programs of work for 2000-2003.
Extension Long-Range Plan: 2000-2003
There are two primary focal points of Extension's long-range planning effort for 2000-2003. The first is at the individual county level in the development of a four-year Extension educational program of work to take effect January 1, 2000. The second is at the state level in the development of programs and resources in backstop and support of the county programs identified. The planning process at the county level focuses on the identification of current high priority issues, concerns, and needs of people, the identification of relevant target audiences, and the development and implementation of major educational programs directly addressing the priority issues, concerns, and needs of those audiences. The process involves state Extension specialists and other IFAS departmental and center faculty in the analysis and update of situational information on major problems, issues and concerns affecting the people of Florida, and providing this information to the county faculty for their use and guidance in program development. County Extension faculty will utilize this information, as well as that contained in the base papers prepared for Florida FIRST, with Extension advisory committees, county governmental bodies and other key groups and stakeholders in the determination of local program priorities and the design of educational programs addressing those priorities.
Based on the program priorities and educational programs identified, some state major programs will be modified with shifts in emphasis reflecting new priority needs, new state major programs may be created to meet new and urgent emerging needs, and some state major programs may be discontinued because their goals have been fulfilled.
Summary
In summary, Florida FIRST is an effort to chart IFAS's long-term course for teaching, research and extension, along with the identification of the organizational structure and resources necessary to accomplish the particular strategic roles identified. This is accomplished through analysis of external forces believed to affect major agricultural commodities and other groups served within the IFAS mission, and consequently the role and structure of the organization. The Extension long-range program for 2000-2003 is a plan for focusing present organizational and educational resources on problems and needs of the people of Florida during the next immediate four-year time span. This is accomplished through analysis of current problems, needs, and concerns of people at the county level, and the development of major educational programs and resources at county and state levels addressing those issues, needs, and concerns.
The Florida FIRST base paper information will serve as an important resource to Extension faculty in the determination of program priorities. And, the work of the county faculty with advisory committees and other groups in identification of Extension program priorities will serve as an important source of input into the ultimate determination of the research and extension imperatives of Florida FIRST. Consequently, although the goals, focus and processes differ somewhat, there exists a clear and definitive linkage between Extension's four-year planning effort and the Florida FIRST strategic planning effort.
These pages are maintained for archival purposes only. Please see the current Extension Long-range Plan for the latest information and updates.
Last update: March 9, 1999
