Dr. Craig D. Weidemann,Vice President for Outreach

This issue of Penn State Outreach marks a major change for the magazine. It is now a leaner, more tightly focused, reader friendly and cost-effective medium for sharing new Outreach developments and news about the University's engagement and outreach scholarship activities. This approach is similar to the University's efforts to support its communities within the Commonwealth, throughout the nation and around the world. While the magazine is smaller, our work is even larger. More than 1,800 Penn State faculty and staff are engaged in outreach activities with 5 million people and 7,000-plus businesses and industries annually in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, 50 states, and 80 countries worldwide.

Let me tell you about a few highlights in this issue that reflect the University's commitment to outreach scholarship and engagement.

First, there is the meaningful work of Dr. Cheryl A. Dellasega, who is applying the arts and healing to the issue of bullying among young women. Her focus on addressing relational aggression through the development and implementation of several outreach initiatives has earned her the 2004 Faculty Outreach Award.

Farming and technology is the focus of another feature. Today, Cooperative Extension educators are teaching farmers how to apply technology to a wide range of agricultural chores. Penn State's new Agricultural Innovation Center will provide them with even more ways to incorporate new tools into their operations.