The Change Agent States Project, initiated by Cooperative Extension, is a catalytic step in beginning the transformation of the land grant system. It is a consortium of land grant institutions in 13+ states bringing the needed technical skills and training to each of the member states. Through this multistate collaborative approach, the consortium is developing successful models & systemic change strategies to support greater diversity & welcoming climates throughout the system. Ohio became a member of the Change Agent States in 2007.
Goals of this national initiative include:
- To build the capacity of the land grant system to function inclusively and effectively in a multicultural world;
- To set standards and implement a vision for supporting healthy, thriving, culturally diverse communities through Extension, research and academic programs.
Objectives are:
- Establish a national mechanism to support ongoing, sustainable change in Cooperative Extension and its research and academic partners in the land-grant system.
- Enhance effective state leadership for addressing diversity issues.
- Improve the diversity profile of employees, volunteers and clientele at county and state levels.
- Foster a system that values differences.
- Manage diversity skill development.
- Establish strategic diversity management
The project is developed around a framework for diversity. Each element of the framework is highlighted below.
- Leadership Development-Extension administrators, project coordinators and other selected leaders from the project states participate in strategic leadership for diversity workshops to identify state specific goals for change.
- Diversity Coordinators-The project provides training and support for the state coordinators to manage and facilitate the change process with their catalyst teams by sharing strategies and resources among the participating states.
- Diversity Catalyst Teams-Each state has a catalyst team as the state level work group for coordinating and implementing organizational change on diversity.
- Assessments
- Demographic Profile Assessment in each state (repeated after 5 years).
- Diversity Climate Survey conducted in each state (repeated after 5 years).
- Research based project evaluation conducted for each group of states.
