Vice President's Summit: Conversations on the Future of Extension

Wednesday, December 10, 2014 - 12:00am
Location:
Ohio Union, 1739 North High Street, Columbus campus

Celebrating the significant accomplishments and deep impact that OSU Extension has had on communities and in the lives of Ohioans provides a great springboard for the future. A significant component of Ohio’s celebration in 2014 will be a year-long process focused on our future. The primary work this year will center on futuring – asking questions about and envisioning the long-term future of OSU Extension as well as the role the organization should play in shaping and positively impacting Ohio and Ohio residents.

A key step for the VP Conversation project was to identify the most challenging trends and issues, referred to as descriptors, for Ohioans over the next 20 years. More than 500 people contributed ideas in a participatory approach, designed to engage a wide array of stakeholders in discussions about the future. Asking the question “What will be the most challenging trends and issues for Ohioans by the year 2035?”

On August 5, our team hosted a Forum on Trends and Issues to refine and discuss the descriptors with elected officials, community leaders, industry experts, and futurists. These descriptors represent the most pressing challenges and opportunities that should be considered as we begin to think about the long-term future of OSU Extension.

See Descriptors for Trend Research for more background and a list of 17 trends or issues identified.
These descriptors will be studied and research summaries written to further articulate the issues and implications for the future. This information will help paint a picture of possible futures in Ohio that will inform our conversations about OSU Extension’s role.