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Winter
2001 Volume 3, Number 2
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 Penn State, Ohio State and University of Wisconsin form partnership By Celena E. Kusch Three Big Ten universities have forged a partnership to support university outreach and engagement. Penn State University, Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin–Extension will sponsor a series of national conferences to share and explore best practices for institutions of higher education that conduct outreach and public service. Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension at Penn State, explained the importance of this partnership, noting, “For centuries colleges and universities have met society’s needs by pushing the limits of research and by educating generations of professionals. In today’s information society, we must do more. Our universities are adopting new community-focused models to fulfill our social responsibilities, communicate new research directly with the audiences who need it and ensure that our scholarship is relevant to current challenges facing individuals, organizations and communities. The partnership between our three institutions and the conferences that come out of it will help all colleges and universities achieve these goals.” According to Dr. Bobby D. Moser, vice president of agricultural administration and co-chair of Ohio State’s Outreach and Engagement Steering Committee and Council, “Ohio State is pleased to be a partner with Penn State and UW–Extension in sponsoring this national conference on university outreach and engagement. Colleges and universities across the United States, from metropolitan colleges to international research institutions, are reaffirming their commitment to the communities they serve. We are proud to be a partner in bringing together university leaders and community partners to share and discuss the critical issues around this important topic.” The conference series is targeted to college and university leaders and faculty interested in engaging their expertise with those outside the academic community through cooperative extension, continuing education, distance education, technology transfer, governmental affairs, university relations, public broadcasting and other activities. The goal will be to provide practical tools for implementing this change in higher education. Dr. Kevin P. Reilly, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Extension, noted, “By bringing together some of the most respected outreach scholars and practitioners in these areas, we can share our most successful approaches and learn how other institutions are facing today’s emerging challenges. The University of Wisconsin–Extension anticipates that this will be an excellent forum for discussing new technology and educational methods, and we are excited to co-sponsor such an important event.” The first of the sponsored conferences, Outreach Scholarship: Learning, Discovery and Engagement, will take place Oct. 14–16 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel at University Park campus. This is the second conference focusing on best practices in outreach and public service to be held at Penn State. More than 300 people attended last year’s conference, which included more than 70 sessions, keynote addresses and a variety of special events. For information about the 2001 Outreach Scholarship conference, contact Dr. Jeri Childers, program chair, at (814) 865-7679 or jyc4@outreach.psu.edu or visit the conference Web site at http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/OutreachScholarship2001. Future conferences will be held at Ohio State in October 2002, at the University of Wisconsin–Extension in October 2003 and again at Penn State in October 2004. 
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U.Ed.OCE 01-8002/mkm/GSM