University of Georgia
UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Office of Learning and Organizational Development
Menu
Close
Search

External Programs

Our office organizes and administers the following external programs:


  • Advancing Georgia's Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry (AGL) is an innovative eighteen-month leadership development program for up to 25 professionals working in agriculture, forestry and allied sectors. AGL is offered as a partnership between the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Participants complete five Georgia Institutes, a Washington D.C. federal policy Institute, and an optional capstone experiential learning trip.

  • LEAD21 is a twelve-month national leadership program intended to meet the future needs for leadership development of leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics, and extension. Each class has up to 90 participants. Leadership development competencies include: Communicating Effectively, Leading Change, Managing Conflict, and Fostering Collaboration.  Applications are accepted annually between September 1 and November 15.

  • IAspire Leadership Academy is a twelve-month national leadership program focused on the development and training of the next generation of underrepresented (URG) leaders in STEM higher education. This program will equip these individuals with skills to lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment and gain the confidence to influence institutional transformation either in their current position or as they rise to other positions of leadership. This program is open to academic leaders at both 2 and 4 year institutions and is part of the Aspire Alliance NSF INCLUDES grant. Applications are accepted annually between May 1 and June 1.

 

Internal Programs

Our office offers the following programs to our UGA employees:


  • Continuing Education/Training is provided internally to faculty and staff.  This model supports the effort of taking the expertise and research findings from research and instruction to the people in the state.  Each year trainings are proposed by state and county faculty, approved through a review process, and offered to faculty and staff the following year.  In 2015, over 100 trainings were offered (40% face to face and 60% online).  These trainings range from an hour online session to multiple day formats.  Considering agents are often expected to attend 3 to 5 sessions a year, these 100 trainings offer a wide selection of options to meet an employee’s professional development needs.

  • Extension Academy for Professional Excellence is a professional development opportunity for up to 20 select early-to-mid career Extension faculty who are dedicated to fulfilling Extension's mission and have demonstrated potential as future leaders of the organization. The program is open to both county and state faculty with a minimum of five years experience.

  • ExTEND Advanced Leadership Development Program is a follow-up to Extension Academy for up to 20 employees that offers a more specialized focus with six in-state and one capstone institute lasting over a sixteen-month time frame. Leadership development competencies include: Advocacy, Communication, Conflict Management, Expanding Extension Capacity, Interpersonal Skills, Strategic Management and Team Dynamics.

  • Extension Evaluation Team is a group of 15 agents, specialists and administrators that are leading extension evaluation efforts across the state of Georgia. The team is open to new members once a year. If interested in participating, contact your PDCs, DEDs or the contacts below.

    Extension Evaluation and Impact Network is an online network where faculty and staff in state extension system can get updated evaluation information.

  • “Foundations” is the formal title for the development program for new agents and is being expanded to include all newly hired employees.  The Foundations program is a combination of institutional-directed and agent-directed activities. The Foundations program for county agents consists of an average of 13 days of out-of-county training, an online learning module, the assignment of a mentor, completion of in-county orientation checklists, and creation of a staff development plan.  Other staff members follow the model with the exception that their out-of-county training is three days.

  • Georgia Counts is a database used by Cooperative Extension to capture educational contacts County Agents have with the citizens of Georgia. In addition to activity reporting, the GA Counts system includes programmatic outlook statements generated by the Extension Specialists and local issue plans of work developed by County Agents.

  • The CAES impact statements system is a searchable database that shows the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life outcomes of Extension programs in Georgia.  Reports include a description of the situation, response, and impact to the stakeholders.  Impact statements are often used in quarterly reports, picked up by the media, and sent to local, state, and national elected officials. 

  • Program Planning is the process used by Cooperative Extension to assess needs, set priorities, and implement programs to meet these needs.  Program planning week is a time to concentrate on internal program and professional development to nurture the overall success of the program development model. Program Planning week feeds into the county based program planning which kicks off late fall of each year. The overall program development model is a systematic, purposeful approach to program planning and incorporates the following components:  Organizational Content, Needs of the Community and Society, Planning, Design and Implementation, Evaluation.

 

Recruitment Programs

UGA Extension actively recruits employees through:


  • Employee Recruitment is a high priority for Extension. Institutional recruitment teams help us effectively recruit student and alumni applicants from universities across the southeast, including ABAC, Alabama A & M, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida A & M, Fort Valley State, University of Tennessee and UGA. Extension is represented at 16-20 career fairs and employee recruitment events each year.

    • Contact: Maria Bowie

  • Extension Internship Program serves as a key employee recruitment tool, placing 20-30 graduate and undergraduate students annually in Extension Offices and the State 4-H Office. Paid internships are primarily available during the summer.

top