Extension and International Programs February 3, 1988 9-1.0 Introduction The Self-Study Committee on Extension and International Programs was appointed in the spring quarter of 1986. The committee included one representative from each college in the University, with two members designated from the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, two at-large members were appointed by the committee chair and two members of the Steering Committee were appointed to provide liaison. Charge to the Committee The charge of the Steering Committee established the basic framework and direction for the Committee's inquiry. This charge directed initial attention to the specific criteria delineated in the SACS Criteria for Accreditation (Section 4.3.1, pp. 16-17). These criteria were selected to pinpoint areas of concern for continuing education, extension, and other special educational activities, often referred to by the generic term "public service." The conditions listed in the SACS criteria appear relevant to the extensive interna- tional programs of this University, as well as to extension and continuing education. At the first full meeting of the Committee in May 1986, the following conditions were speci- fied as being relevant subjects for committee scrutiny of the University's Extension and International programs: * Clear and explicit goals for these programs * Effectiveness in achieving these goals * Necessary resources to support these activities, includ- ing: - Adequate administrative support - Sound financial base - Access to a competent faculty - Appropriate support services - Adequate facilities for each program * Faculty serving in these special programs should be given the same consideration in matters of salary, promotion, tenure, and other benefits as faculty teach- ing in other areas. * Administrative responsibility must be clearly defined for each activity. * These programs must be coordinated and governed by the policies of the institution. * Contracts for educational services and programs must be consistent with the purpose, policies, and procedures of the University. The Committee was further instructed by the formal "mission and purpose" statement endorsed by the Board of Visitors and the Steering Committee to guide this self-study. This statement directs VPI&SU to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the international community by generating and disseminating knowledge in the humanities, arts, social sciences, scientific, and professional disci- plines through instruction, research, and extension. The Steering Committee recognized explicitly in verbal communication at the initial meeting in May 1986, and later in correspondence of September 15, 1986 to the Committee, that the formal SACS criteria "are minimal standards for accreditation purposes . . ." and are not sufficiently comprehensive to cover the activities of major comprehensive universities like VPI&SU. The expectations of the Steering Committee were that this Self-Study would be characterized by greater breadth and depth of inquiry. Perhaps the need for significantly broadening the SACS Criteria for Accredi- tation is most evident when considering the comprehensive international program of VPI&SU. Only brief mention of study-abroad programs appears in section 4.3.2. Other significant program components, such as the international technical assistance and the academic and student-oriented programs related to these, are not mentioned in the SACS Criteria. The 1975-76 Self-Study suggested, for example, that the Famine Prevention and Freedom from Hunger Amendment (Title XII) to the Foreign Assistance Act, passed in 1975 by the 94th Congress, was "likely to have a major impact on relationships between land grant universities and their counterparts in other nations."* This statement anticipated ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, The University Self-Study 1975-76 (Blacksburg, 1977), 291-292. ------------------------------------------------------------ only one important dimension of the significant growth in international involvement over the ensuing decade. The foreseen "major impact" extends into the academic dimensions of the campus and the statewide extension and continuing education programs of the University. The extension mission of VPI&SU has sought to address the emerging needs of the Commonwealth in economic development, international trade, urbanization, and in the value-added aspects of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The social repercussions of the continuing agricultural transformation and unique problems associated with environmental degrada- tion in the Chesapeake Bay and in the coal fields of south- west Virginia are being addressed in a forthright manner. Marshalling the scientific and educational expertise of the University to serve the emerging needs of the Commonwealth has and will continue to enhance the stature of the exten- sion mission of the University. 9-1.1 Objectives and Methods The University is currently at a juncture where the adminis- trative, fiscal, and authoritative framework for both the extension programs and the international programs must be carefully examined to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in generating and disseminating knowledge to the state, national, and international communities. One major task of this Committee was to describe clearly the growth, adminis- trative organization, and resource base for the University's extension programs and its international programs. The rapid growth in international programs over the past decade and the changing public clientele have been a source of intellectual and programmatic stimuli, while simultaneously creating some points of fiscal and administrative stress. The approach of the committee was to analyze critically the extension and international programs over the past decade to determine the strengths and weaknesses that could help guide the University into the future. Needed program modifica- tions became obvious in the process. New challenges emerge from the broader social and political milieu of society that the University must address. These aspects of a modern land grant university must also be explored as it seeks to build new knowledge, ensure its dissemination and application, and monitor its consequences and implications for further schol- arly attention. To conduct a sufficiently comprehensive assessment of both the Extension programs and International programs of the University, the full Committee invited the principal admin- istrators of these programs to share their perspectives during a series of meetings in the summer of 1986. The principal administrators who made presentations were: * David P. Roselle, University Provost * Mitchell R. Geasler, Vice-Provost for Extension and Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service * P. Howard Massey, Jr., Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Director of Interna- tional Development After these presentations and related discussions, the Committee divided into two subcommittees, an International programs subcommittee and an Extension program subcommittee. The full committee met 22 times during its self-study process. The International and Extension subcommittees met 7 and 11 times respectively. Each subcommittee in turn worked with a number of faculty, administrators, and other resource personnel. In addition, three prominent off-campus individuals were invited to present campus-wide seminars on extension and international programs in land grant universi- ties: Mr. James J. O'Connor, a charter member of the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD) and former special advisor to the Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Dr. Azim Nanji, Direc- tor of International Programs, Oklahoma State University; and Dr. G. Edward Schuh, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development for the World Bank. Dr. Schuh is particularly known for his insightful article, "Revitalizing the Land Grant University."* Each subcommittee developed a list of ------------------------------------------------------------ * Choices, First Quarter, 1986. ------------------------------------------------------------ issues to be addressed during this self-study as a first order of business. 9-1.1.1 Extension Subcommittee Assignment The following areas of need were identified for assessment by the subcommittee on Extension programs: * The need for increased commitment to the tripartite mission of the land grant university system. * A need for standards and criteria to guide the Univer- sity community in its evaluation of extension, continu- ing education and international programs * A need for a comprehensive, high-quality, staff develop- ment system, which will address through a faculty committee the changing needs and opportunities that face the University, particularly in extension, where the need for ongoing evaluation of staff roles is a major requirement. * The relationship of extension to consulting requires study of the consulting policy throughout the University and a study of the ethics of consulting practices as they might relate to the land grant mission. * A need to evaluate the shift of extension agents and some other positions from the classified system to a more performance-driven system (associate-level positions). * A need to critically appraise the recommendations contained in the most-recent continuing education study. * A need for the organization and funding arrangements of the University to be structured so as to encourage multidiscipline problem solving. * A need to define the role of the University in economic development. * A need to explore current and future programming in off-campus university facilities, particularly those in Northern Virginia. * A need for an in-depth examination of the model for delivering extension information. * A need to broaden the funding base for cooperative extension work and continuing education activities to provide more program stability. * A need to increase the level of operating funds, support staff, graduate assistants, and other resources for the University to deliver programs more effectively. * A need to study the feasibility of an on-campus location for administrative offices for extension. * A need to examine the role, structure, and function of the Commission on Extension. * A need to establish an appropriate relationship with Virginia State University. As these issues were addressed, concerns were expressed in regards to such aspects of University policy as the follow- ing: * Appropriately equitable consulting policy * Appropriate recognition by administration and faculty for promotion and tenure of service in continuing educa- tion and international programs. * An effective staff development system for both extension and international program activities, particularly the need to assess language and cross-cultural training programs. * The stability of funding to effectively support the University's extension mission. * The administrative structure for program development, implementation, and incentives. 9-1.1.2 International Subcommittee Assignment The following issues were identified as areas to be assessed by the subcommittee on international programs: * Administrative support for international programs is a source of faculty concern. What role will international programs play over the next 10 years? Will a financial commitment be made to back it up? University support for international studies in the College of Arts and Sciences is an important component of this process. * Identification and clarification of the mission of international program activities on campus will be undertaken by the Committee. * Internationalizing the curriculum of the University has been identified as an important priority (i.e., identi- fying the appropriate range of international concerns and applications that should be brought into course content, emphasizing the need for courses that address cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity, and determin- ing the range of depth of foreign languages in the curriculum, etc.). * The organization/administration of international programs on campus will be explored in detail. (A wide range of views on this issue has surfaced in committee deliberations; some opt for more centralized coordi- nation, particularly of linkage agreements, and others emphasize the need to maintain a department-based approach to international programming.) Alternative models of funding for international programming at other universities will also be assessed. * The University Committee on International Programs (UCIP) will be assessed as to its appropriateness in the administration and coordination of international programs on campus. * Effective programming and utilization of the Cranwell International Center and its relationships to the Donaldson Brown Center for Continuing Education should be addressed. * The relationship between technical assistance, research, and extension work will be explored more fully. The future of technical assistance programs in an era of increasingly sophisticated information systems remains an important area for further deliberations. * The importance of an international extension thrust to provide intercultural awareness and public policy educa- tion in the state is an important issue that will be addressed in the future. * The issue of focusing on geographic areas of the world and drawing on the most effective strengths within the University in international work remains an important concern for discussion. * Effective use of off-campus University facilities, particularly those in Northern Virginia, for interna- tional program activity needs to be explored more fully. * The appropriate scope and level of student exchanges, study abroad, and internships (such as that developed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) are continuing issues that need to be addressed. * Faculty development for international work is a high priority. Cross-cultural awareness and language train- ing are two critical components of this process. Appro- priate support is needed for foreign languages both on campus and in informal training through language tapes, special intensive short courses, etc. * The structure of inter-university relationships for international programs may be important factors influ- encing the working environment between VPI&SU and Virginia State University. 9-1.2 An Historical Perspective Since 1975 This section of the report briefly summarizes the Universi- ty's responses to the recommendations of the 1975 Self-Study that pertain to the extension programs and international programs of the University. Extension and Continuing Education The 1975-76 Self-Study included three specific recommen- dations for University action in regard to extension programs. These recommendations are listed with a summary of the response by the University. "Recommendation 1: That in the future, the University give increased attention to the potential for growth of its programs and activities in extension and continuing educa- tion." Evidence of increased attention and support given by the University to the potential for growth in extension and continuing education seems to be mixed. In spite of the re-organization of extension, program initiatives in new areas such as economic development, and an expressed need for relatively greater emphasis on non-agricultural clientele, there seems to be a narrowing, rather than a broadening, of scope and clientele in extension. Over the past 20 years, approximately 40 percent of extension faculty were in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, leaving the bulk of the extension faculty in other colleges of the University. Agriculture and veterinary medicine had grown by 1986 to over 50 percent of total faculty in exten- sion, from 40.6 percent in 1976 and 38.9 percent in 1965. A major shift in the nature of society in Virginia from an essentially agrarian, agricultural-based society to an urban/suburban society, and especially, the economic shifts that have occurred, have not resulted in major extension reallocations. Extension programs directed toward the agricultural sector have undergone changes to reflect continued scientific advancements and technological changes. Increasing urbanization and a changing ethnic mix of the state's population requires further sensitive responses from all extension specialists and program designers. The population diversity in the Commonwealth reflected in new immigrants into Northern Virginia and other parts of the state are illustrative. Accordingly, programs, such as home gardening for example, have greatly increased over the past 10 years and now represent a major thrust of extension. Agricultural programs reflect a growing emphasis on greater levels of expertise. The result is a gradual shift from direct extension agent-delivered programs to programs that involve direct contact between campus-based specialists and the agricultural community. The University's initiatives to broaden the scope of exten- sion since the 1975-76 Self-Study were sharply curtailed by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) of the General Assembly of Virginia. According to the JLARC Report of 1979, the broader scope ran the risk of seriously duplicating the work of other state agencies, including other colleges and universities in the Commonwealth. The University appears to have interpreted the JLARC report as encouragement to restrict its attention to those areas where it had historically served so effectively, namely agricul- ture and home economics. Extension allocations since then appear to be consistent with these JLARC directives. Clearly, agricultural clientele must continue to be a mainstay of support for the University's extension mission because of the critical role of agriculture in the state's social and economic life. Recent agricultural diversifica- tion initiatives and attention to value-added industry and strategic resource planning, as reflected in the Universi- ty's study of the Future of Virginia Agriculture, Forestry, Food Industries, and Rural Communities in Virginia, will serve to strengthen this orientation. This committee has heard no arguments suggesting that any less attention or resources should be devoted to the agricultural sector or to human resource program areas. On the other hand, expert consultants, extension personnel, and needs expressed to the University through both formal and informal assessments point to areas of significant social and economic concern for which more resources and program development efforts by extension will be essential in the future. The state is changing and the University is expected by the public to address its critical social and economic concerns. The extension and continuing education arm of the University is looked to as the door of entry through which the public can draw on scientific-based knowledge and problem-solving expertise. Unlike any other university in Virginia, VPI&SU has the historical mandate and administrative organization to marshal resources from each college and to direct these toward appropriate clientele. While available data reflect a strengthening of program focus toward agriculture, partic- ularly through continuing education programs and audiences, extension re-organization is poised to deliver a broader range of program content to new and diverse audiences both within and outside the state. Computer technology and satellite communications systems have opened up a new poten- tial that is rapidly being tapped by the Extension Division. Reflecting these shifts, the number of field staff and campus-based faculty has decreased slightly over the last decade, while emphasis on telecommunications and satellite systems has greatly increased. The installation of satel- lite down-link sites across the state represents significant advancement in communication potential at rather modest costs. The University's role in economic development is recognized as an area of significant potential. Attention is being given to the technological and communication advances growing out of the University, which in turn can serve the state's economic objectives. Off-campus educational programs have grown significantly, particularly in Northern Virginia, and will most likely continue to grow to meet state needs. The Alexandria Center and the Telestar Center are recognized by the University as a areas with potential for continued growth in the future and as areas that should receive careful study. Both extension and the international dimensions of the University could be enhanced by more emphasis on further development of these centers to serve the urban corridor of the state and training needs associ- ated with the federal government center of activities. "Recommendation 2: That the Provost initiate further study of the University's policies regarding, and of faculty concerns for, the following: (a) the rewards and recogni- tion to faculty for instruction off campus; (b) the determi- nation of alternatives for personal compensation to replace the dislocation allowance; and (c) the appropriate rewards and recognition to faculty for non-credit instruction. The results of these studies should be communicated to the faculty." Responsibility for courses offered off-campus has been centralized and shifted from Extension to the graduate school and will be addressed by other committees of the Self-Study. The central coordination in the graduate school fulfills one suggestion made to this effect in the 1975-76 Self-Study. Five of the 13 suggestions made in that report concerned such off-campus offerings. Consequently, they will not be further addressed in this section of the report. A comprehensive study has been undertaken of the continuing education program of the University. If a program of the University is sponsored or co-sponsored by the University, University policy mandates that it must be administered by the Continuing Education Program. Teaching and research faculty can now receive direct payment for teaching non-credit programs as defined by University policy. In addition, a mechanism has been developed that allows planned surplus to be built into conference plans for return to the sponsoring college. While the above policy changes have been implemented to encourage the expansion of continuing education at VPI&SU, many faculty still do not perceive it to be in their best interest to get involved in these programs. Many feel that continuing education activities do not count in decisions concerning tenure promotion and salary increases. "Recommendation 3: That the University strengthen its efforts to secure additional funds to support extension and continuing education programs in the fulfillment of a state- wide land grant mission." State support for Virginia Cooperative Extension Service has tripled from $7.8 million in 1976 to $23.9 million in 1986. The increase in local and federal dollars has been substan- tially less. Local dollars have grown from $1.7 million to $4.4 million, while federal dollars have increased only from $5.2 million to $9.0 million. Total spending has increased from $14.8 million to $37.3 million. At the same time, the annual total of Extension Division grants and contracts have grown from $1.1 million in 1976 to $4.7 million in 1986. These grants and contracts were above $5 million in both 1982 and 1984. The emphasis within the Extension Division has been to provide personnel with significant salary increases while not increasing operating allocations at the same rate. These factors, as well as additional communi- cation expenses over the past 10 years as the mission of the Extension Division has shifted toward higher levels of faculty expertise, has resulted in the lack of growth in Extension personnel. Since the 1975-76 Self-Study, the Commonwealth mandated that the continuing education program must be self-supporting. Consequently, funds for continuing education have not been included in the University's budget requests. Nevertheless, University funding has continued to provide partial support for the continuing education program of the University. Demands for continuing education have grown steadily. The growth of private sector emphasis on employee development has enabled the University to help design the programs and, in many cases, conduct continuing education training for the private sector. Aside from the suggestions made in the 1975-76 Self-Study about off-campus graduate instruction, seven additional suggestions were made. Three specific suggestions appear to have received immediate response: 1. expansion of the facilities of the Donaldson Brown Center, 2. further development of the learning-resource centers around the state, and 3. faculty appointments that combine research/extension and instruction/extension responsibilities. The latter suggestion now appears to be commonly accepted for extension specialist appointments in most departments. It also appears to be an essential requirement for consist- ently hiring high-quality faculty and, more importantly, linking the extension mission into the intellectual thrust of the University. Four other suggestions dealt with long-standing concerns of the extension mission: 1. the need for problem-oriented, interdisciplinary programs, 2. more funding for high-priority programs, 3. more effective communications of the extension mission to faculty and clientele, and 4. more effective communications to faculty of promotion and tenure policies and procedures with weight given to extension activities. This self-study suggests that most of these concerns remain among the faculty and field staff. Close scrutiny by state government, reductions in the real dollar value of federal support, and changes in program priorities related, at least in part, to the changing nature of program oversight, have reduced morale among some extension personnel. Moreover, many extension faculty feel that non-extension faculty view extension involvement as having second-class status in the University. There appears to be no hard evidence that extension activities personnel receive any less-favorable consideration in regular promotion and tenure considerations or in rates of salary increases. Extra-collegiate extension faculty have a separate promotion and tenure process that provides more explicit recognition of work. The persistence of this negative self-image appears to stem from a combina- tion of factors, including ineffective articulation of the extension mission and the internal organization of exten- sion, which differs from the other University missions (resident instruction and research) because of historical circumstances that link it more directly to federal, state, and local governments. These problems must be addressed over the next decade by effective program development, and more effective communi- cations and coordination on campus between the extension mission and the other dimensions of the University. Exten- sion faculty must participate fully in University governance and in the intellectual development of the University. The committee believes that a re-examination is needed by the administration of each college to determine whether the college reflects an appropriate land grant philosophy. The Committee feels that these steps are absolutely critical to the next decade of growth of the University. Progress in International Programs The brevity of the section on International Programs in the 1975-76 Self-Study reflected the limited degree to which the University had at that point become involved programmat- ically in international activities. The single recommenda- tion made in that report was the following: "Recommendation 4: That the University plan and implement the further growth and development of its international program." The University's response to this recommendation has been strong and multifaceted. Both faculty and administration have taken a number of steps that place the University's international programs in a favorable position. Enormous progress has been made since the 1975-76 Self-Study in international instruction, research, extension, in programs of technical assistance abroad, and in faculty exchanges. These efforts have been sustained by strong individual leadership and successful extramural funding and have not in the main depended upon increased funding support from the University. The 1975-76 Self-Study suggested an active recruitment of international students; this has been accomplished. In 1975, international students accounted for 1.9 percent of the student body; by Fall 1986, they represented 5.5 percent. The 1975 report argued the need for housing, and of the social, cultural, and academic services which are now available to international students. Because of increased housing construction in Blacksburg during the past ten years, there is now ample housing for all students. There is also an on-campus dormitory reserved for graduate students. A fall orientation for international students has been undertaken and cultural and social activities have increased, particularly through programs of the Cranwell International Center. The operation of this center, begin- ning in the Spring of 1986, partially fulfills the need suggested in the 1975-76 Self-Study for a facility to house internationally oriented activities for students, faculty, and members of the community. The Cranwell Center addresses many needs of the students and community, but does not adequately serve as an intellectual center for faculty with international interests. The 1975-76 Self-Study also suggested that attention should be given to further development of undergraduate and gradu- ate programs of study with specific application to interna- tional needs. Several colleges in the University have since taken steps to add new international courses and to intro- duce international concerns into existing courses. Progress in this area may be less dramatic, but no less important, than the growth in numbers of international students on campus. The undergraduate major in International Studies has been restructured and has grown from 43 students in 1975 to 140 today. It offers options in business, development, and diplomatic-historical studies. A minor in International Studies has been developed for students in other fields. The program gained specific funding only in 1987 in spite of proposals made by review committees in 1979 and in 1984. Until 1987, the program was supported by extra effort and goodwill provided by interested faculty. Over the past decade, international technical assistance work of the University involving research, teaching, and extension has greatly expanded and has provided a source of revenue for further enrichment of campus-based programs. From very limited involvement at the time of the 1975-76 Self-Study, University programs have grown to over $10 million in volume and represent work in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Over 20 faculty members have served in long-term positions abroad and more than 50 have served in short-term assignments. By drawing on permanent, tenured faculty, the University's technical assistance programs have provided a significant source of intellectual enrichment for campus-based instruction, research, and extension programs. More than $600,000 has been received by the University under Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act. These funds have been used to provide two permanent chairs in International Development and to further enrich language instruction and research programs of the University. In addition, the student internship program in agricultural development was initiated in 1985 with the support of private sector funds. This program provides additional enrichment of the under- graduate curriculum of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Under its auspices, 13 undergraduates have gained practical knowledge and cross-cultural experiences in Zambia and Kenya. The program has also brought three Kenyan students to Virginia for similar experiences for a six-week period. 9-1.3 Discussion And Recommendations Faculty and Administrative Commitment The University's commitment to the extension mission and international programs was perhaps the most persistent issue raised by faculty during this self-study. The concern about extension was principally that fellow faculty and many administrators placed lower value on extension activities and did not really understand the extension mission of the University. The principal concern about international programs was that hard resource support was not forthcoming despite rhetoric that appeared to support international programs. Faculty perception of the importance the Univer- sity places on research and resident teaching is very high and seriously different from either international or exten- sion efforts. The self-study survey revealed that faculty think that the extension mission in particular should receive greater emphasis at VPI&SU. The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service is the oldest and the largest of the University's off-campus programs, with 107 offices. There is an extension office located in each county of the Commonwealth and several independent cities also have an office. More active involvement of the faculty in the extension mission will strengthen the University's role in improving the future of the Commonwealth. Faculty commitment must be heightened in the extension area to: * maintain a high level of responsiveness among University faculty to help solve social and economic problems of the Commonwealth, * communicate research findings to audiences at all levels, including international audiences, and * strengthen research programs. While many administrators indicate that extension programs are in fact important to the promotion and tenure process, the perception exists among faculty that these are not nearly as important as research and resident teaching. The committee attempted to find objective evidence on this point, but met with little success. Since each personnel decision is based on an independent examination of a faculty member's activity and since these assessments are confiden- tial, administrators are not inclined to generalize about the treatment of Extension any more than they are likely to generalize about research. Consequently, no hard evidence can be provided to ascertain the importance of extension activities in the peer review processes of the University. Similar concerns persist regarding the evaluation of faculty on international technical assistance assignments, although evidence in recent promotion and tenure decisions indicates that this situation may have improved. The Committee believes that faculty should be evaluated on the basis of what the University asks them to do. If faculty are asked to accept responsibility for University programs, then evaluation criteria should reflect credit for performance in those positions. Clearly, a standard program of research, teaching, and extension cannot be maintained by a person on a long-term international assignment. Both faculty and administrators should have a clear understanding of the standards of performance for faculty on such assignments. The importance of faculty involvement in international assignments was recognized in VPI&SU Policy Memorandum No. 59 of May 21, 1985. Whereas the University has faculty and staff engaged in international assignments that strengthen this institution, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation, And whereas the University recognizes and encourages appropriate international involvement of its faculty as a mission of the University which cuts across the three traditional missions of extension, research, and teaching, And whereas the University recognizes that interna- tional assignments can be an important stimulus to the professional growth of its faculty, And whereas the University must assure that individ- uals on international assignments are given appropri- ate consideration for tenure, promotion, remuneration, and other matters, And whereas the University's recognition and encour- agement of international activities and the associated guidelines should be noted in the Faculty Handbook Therefore be it resolved that the following text should be inserted as the fifth paragraph under Section 2.7.5 of the Faculty Handbook: The University recognizes and encourages appro- priate international involvement of its faculty as a mission of the University which cuts across the three traditional missions of extension, research, and teaching. Occasionally, faculty members are placed on international assignments at full salary from the University, with respon- sibilities which require their residence far from the campus for a considerable period of time. Under such circumstances, faculty members should be given the usual consideration for tenure, promotion, and salary advancement, with the recognition that international assignments can be an important stimulus to professional growth. The University Committee on Interna- tional Programs has developed a guideline on the "Employment and Evaluation of VPI&SU Personnel on International Assignment" which should be recognized by all evaluation committees. Unfortunately, this memorandum and the related addition to the Faculty Handbook are not well-known among faculty members and administrators. The memorandum fails to stress the relative importance of an international perspective in the promotion and tenure process. Because the issue of faculty and administrative commitment applies both to the extension mission and to international programs, the follow- ing two recommendations are made: Recommendation 9-1: That the University design a plan to strengthen the commitment of the University and all faculty to the extension mission and to international programs. Recommendation 9-2: That the University adopt a policy stating that a demonstrated commitment to the extension mission and to international programs is evaluated when peer reviewers and administrators make decisions concerning faculty promotion, tenure, continued appoint- ment, and salary increases. The remainder of this chapter reports the findings of the two subcommittees of the Extension and International Programs Committee. In each case, a historical background is provided, an assessment of current status is presented, and the perceived future for the University in each area is described. 9-2.0 Report of the Subcommittee on Extension Programs 9-2.1 The Extension Mission The extension mission of land grant universities involves conducting not-for-academic-credit educational activities for members of the general public. This mission sets such institutions apart from non-land-grant universities in terms of educational philosophy, administrative structure, and sources of funding; this mission can become fully effective only when it is clearly understood and embraced by the entire university community. The foundations of the exten- sion mission, and a discussion of the commitment of the University to meet emerging social demands for research- based knowledge are presented in this section. The extension mission of the University is rooted in the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, as amended. This act provides block-grant funds, on a minimum one-to-one matching basis, to states having state extension service programs, such as the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service. The result is a federal/state endeavor conducted in cooperation with local governments "to aid in the diffusion among the people of the United States, useful and practical information on subjects related to agriculture, uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy, and to encourage the application of the same"* This mandate has ------------------------------------------------------------ * P.L. 87-749, as amended, U.S. Code 1964, Title 7, et sec. ------------------------------------------------------------ been broadly interpreted to encompass the effects that changes in agriculture have on the fiscal, social, and political structures of rural communities, the interactions among rural and urban communities, and the interactions between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors of the economy. Thus, the Congress and the state legislatures have directed that appropriate information be disseminated as the necessary condition and that the application of such infor- mation be encouraged as a sufficient condition of a land grant university's extension mission. This policy directive is undergirded by the belief that both the individual and the society will benefit by effective application of practi- cal and useful information that meets multiple tests of credibility. Members of the target clientele of extension must both receive and accept the disseminated information before testing it for credibility. To assist clientele in receiv- ing the appropriate information, the extension mission is conducted, in part, through certain University faculty and through field agents housed in offices located within counties and cities of the Commonwealth. When the dissem- inated information meets the clientele's standards for credibility, the information can be applied (provided that, as the decisionmaker, the clientele possesses access to the required complement of resources, the requisite managerial skills, and the authority to implement the necessary decision to act). These requirements for fulfilling the extension mission apply uniformly to each aspect of exten- sion work conducted through the University. When clientele apply the information disseminated, the extension work involved has produced the extension productggthe implemented decision to act. By linking the extension mission to the land grant universi- ties, the state legislatures have sought to ensure that the data and information disseminated are based on credible state-of-the-art research knowledge. This linkage also enhances the flow of research-based data and information and diminishes the role of political intervention in the flow of such data and information. This linkage of the extension mission with research universities that generate knowledge for addressing the problems of society has been recognized as one of the important institutional innovations created in the United States. As global interdependence has become more widely recognized, the extension mission has encompassed international aspects of knowledge application. This change reflects the increas- ingly clear evidence that the social and economic well-being of the Commonwealth and of its rural, agricultural-based communities is determined to a significant degree by inter- national trade, by international capital and labor flows, and by foreign aid. At the same time, the need for cross- cultural sensitivity and international understanding confronts the University's extension mission. In response, the mission must evolve and continually adapt its conception of methods of information delivery for appropriate clientele and its monitoring and evaluation of program benefits. As societal needs change in response to the development of agriculture and the increase in research-based knowledge, the demands on the University, on extension administration, on University faculty, and on extension field personnel have become more complex and multi-faceted. Growing from its earlier base in agriculture and home economics, the exten- sion mission now seeks to respond to the public demand for information within the entire knowledge base of the Univer- sity. Accordingly, the University is faced with the need to marshal research-based knowledge from every one of its on-campus departments, to disseminate the information to targeted clientele, and to monitor the acceptance and use of the disseminated information. Each faculty member in a land grant university is expected to be sensitive to the role of the university in conducting the extension mission and to contribute to the extension mission either directly or indirectly through program- related research, program support and delivery, peer review and evaluation, and the development of an intellectual atmosphere that generates respect for the applied aspects of the University's mission. In addition, the University faculty employed with extension funds and the University personnel employed as extension agents are, in particular, expected to conduct activities designed to achieve the mandate of the extension mission. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Resources traditionally provided the base for extension programs. Even though demands on the knowledge bases of these colleges have changed over time, the needs of the Commonwealth and the broader society now call for a much broader range of resources to support the University's extension mission, conducted through the Extension Division. 9-2.1.1 Recent Background The 1965-66 Self-Study report recommended establishment of an Extension Division (Volume 1, pp. IX-1 to IX-38). The 1965-66 report also noted that the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, which was at that time headquartered at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), maintained some super- visory staff at VSC and that dual offices were maintained in some localities, especially in localities with a substantial percentage of blacks in the population. In these jurisdic- tions, one office was staffed by whites and one was staffed by blacks. These offices were merged in 1965, and efforts to establish a unified program were initiated. The exten- sion agents who were in the local offices previously manned by blacks were placed under supervision of the supervisory staff associated with VPI. The supervisory staff located at VSC assumed new roles both at VSC and at VPI. In 1966, the General Assembly of Virginia enacted legis- lation establishing within VPI a division to be known as the Extension Division.* This legislation also provided that the ------------------------------------------------------------ * Code of Virginia, Title 3.1, Section 40-46.1. ------------------------------------------------------------ Extension Division encompass the Virginia Cooperative Exten- sion Service, State Technical Services (which later became Technical Services), and General Extension (which included the off-campus, for-credit graduate program). The 1975-76 Self-Study report stated that: "As the Director of the Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean of the Exten- sion Division is responsible for the Cooperative Extension programs at both Virginia State College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University."* The Director's ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, The University Self-Study 1975-76 (Blacksburg, 1977), 263. ------------------------------------------------------------ responsibility then included employing faculty to be housed at what was then Virginia State College (VSC) and allocating funds to support the faculty and the required staff. The General Assembly enacted legislation during the 1970 session to change the name of VPI to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU). Later and in response to the 1975-76 report, the University established the Office of the University Provost, effective July 1, 1977. Actions by both the federal and the state government impacted programs, funding, and personnel levels of the Extension Division in the late seventies and early eighties. The Director's responsibility to employ staff and allocate funds for Cooperative Extension work at Virginia State University (VSU) was removed upon enactment in 1977 of P.L. 95-113 (Title 14, Subtitle G, Section 1444(c)). This legis- lation provided that: "The state director of the Cooper- ative Extension Service and the administrative head for Extension at the eligible [1890] institution...shall jointly develop by mutual agreement a comprehensive program of extension for the state." As a consequence, the Director of Cooperative Extension work at VPI&SU and the Administrator of Cooperative Extension work at VSU hold equal authority over the resources each has available. Congress also directed in P.L. 95-113 that a portion of the federal funds appropriated for Cooperative Extension work would be allocated to and provided directly to each qualifying 1890 institution (which in Virginia was VSC). Federal funds started going to the 1890 institutions effective October 1, 1978. To enable the comprehensive program to develop, a memorandum of understanding between VPI&SU and VSC was mandated by P.L. 95-113. (The name of VSC was changed by the General Assembly in 1979 to Virginia State University (VSU).) A memorandum of understanding between VSU and VPI&SU was prepared in 1984. Of the states that have 1890 funds for Cooperative Extension work, Virginia is widely recognized as an appropriate model for cooperation between 1890 and 1862 institutions. While the Virginia model has been relatively successful, most observers agree that it could be improved. Recommendation 9-3: That the University act to assure that the memorandum of understanding with Virginia State University be regularly updated and renewed in accord- ance with an established schedule. The Federal government acted in 1979 to conduct, through the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a civil rights compliance audit of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service. Non-compliance was found, primarily because of matters involving membership in clubs sponsored by extension. Several actions were taken to achieve compliance. Another audit began in April 1982. This audit involved three teams that worked for more than a year. A follow-up audit by the Office of Economic Opportu- nity of the USDA was completed in mid 1983. This audit resulted in a positive review, and few recommendations were made concerning the matter of civil rights compliance. Extension agent salaries have increased significantly since the mid seventies. Before 1980, extension agents had been in three grades in the State Classified Salary System. An argument was presented to the state that all extension agents had the same level of responsibility.* This resulted ------------------------------------------------------------ * P5A, June 16, 1981. ------------------------------------------------------------ in a review, which showed that agents were on three grades, grade 7, grade 9, and grade 11. The reviewer recommended that all extension agents be placed on the same grade level in the classified system. All agents in grade 7 and grade 9 were then moved to grade 11, effective November 16, 1981. This action had the positive effect of increasing the start- ing salary of agents to a competitive level and of making a significant increase in the Division's salary commitment. The result has compressed salaries so that extension agents reach the top of the scale in seven years. The Division was significantly affected by the Joint Legis- lative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report of Septem- ber 1979. This report assessed the charge that extension had strayed from its original mission of serving agriculture and rural communities and now duplicated "many programs of community colleges and local government agencies."* While ------------------------------------------------------------ * Joint Legislative Audit And Review Commission, Report on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Extension Division, September 1979, III. ------------------------------------------------------------ some duplications of effort were identified, the report noted that: Extension has attempted to satisfy a wide range of new demands in recent years, without losing touch with agriculture and rural communities. . . To a great extent, the changes that have occurred have mirrored national trends, or are a reflection of changes in the demographic, economic, and social characteristics of the Commonwealth. Although the 'urbanization' of Extension is an ongoing trend, rural areas continue to receive substantial allocations of field staff resources. In response to a recommendation in the JLARC report, the University's off-campus, for-credit graduate program was transferred from the Extension Division to the Graduate School, effective July 1, 1980.* ------------------------------------------------------------ * Joint Legislative Audit And Review Commission, Report on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Extension Division, September 1979, III. pp. 75-80. ------------------------------------------------------------ The General Assembly acted in 1981 to amend the legislation establishing the Extension Division. The legislation now provides that: The Extension Division shall encompass the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and [the] Continuing Education Program with appropriate supporting programs, and . . . . shall administer the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and disseminate useful and practical information to the people of the Common- wealth of Virginia . . . . The Cooperative Extension Service Program within Virginia State University, hereafter . . . . referred to as "the Service," is hereby recognized. The Service shall also conduct educational programs and disseminate useful and practical information to the people of the Common- wealth of Virginia.* ------------------------------------------------------------ * Code of Virginia, Title 3.1, Section 3.1-40. ------------------------------------------------------------ The legislation provides further that "[t]he Division and the Service shall provide the people of the Commonwealth information and knowledge through instruction and practical demonstration in agriculture, including horticulture and silviculture, agribusiness, home economics, 4-H club work, and subjects relating thereto" through various processes and in various forms. The Division was authorized to administer the Continuing Education Program "on a 100% cost-recovery basis."* The Code also states that the "'[c]ooperative ------------------------------------------------------------ * Code of Virginia, Title 3.1, Section 41. ------------------------------------------------------------ extension service' is the function traditionally associated with the term 'extension'; it is the joint federal, state, local program designed to aid transfer of information and research capabilities of land grant universities to citizens."* Both the Division and the Service were author- ------------------------------------------------------------ * Code of Virginia, Title 3.1, Section 43. ------------------------------------------------------------ ized "to conduct work with both adults and youth through local units to be known as 'departments of extension and continuing education'" [i.e., departments of local govern- ment].* ------------------------------------------------------------ * Code of Virginia, Title 3.1, Section 45. ------------------------------------------------------------ The University responded to the more critical charges raised by the JLARC report by viewing the extension mission in more precise terms. This adjustment resulted in a reordering of program priorities. Some readjustments in priorities in extension work appear to have occurred recently as the Governor and the General Assembly recognize the need for the University to have a strong role in economic development. In a major move to strengthen the linkage among its missions of instruction, research, and extension, the University established, effective September 1, 1982, the position of Vice Provost for Extension, thereby recognizing the academic linkages of extension work with the University. Today, the Extension Division operates two parallel efforts: the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and the Virginia Tech Continuing Education Program. Faculty commitment to the extension mission of the Univer- sity appears to be low. As stated in the previous section, the self-study survey revealed that faculty think that the extension mission in particular should receive greater emphasis. Support for faculty participation in these activ- ities is weak at the administrative levels in some depart- ments and colleges. More significantly, many members of the University community simply do not understand the role of extension in the land grant university. The committee feels that this is a serious impediment to the effective function- ing of the University and seriously hampers its ability to fulfill the educational responsibilities that have been placed on the University. Modifications in program content and in the administrative and fiscal structure of extension may be needed to ensure continued emphasis on the delivery of research-based knowledge and the monitoring of its use. Recommendation 9-4: That the University take concerted steps to ensure that its extension mission is fully integrated into the academic environment of the Univer- sity. 9-2.1.2 Administration The University administers the Extension Division through the Office of the University Provost. Reporting to the Provost, the Vice Provost for Extension also holds a federal appointment as Director of the Virginia Cooperative Exten- sion Service. The Vice Provost for Extension administers the Cooperative Extension Service through a staff of two associate direc- tors, five assistant directors, and an assistant to the director. There is an Associate Director for Administration and Operations, and an Associate Director for Programs, who also serves as an associate dean in the College of Human Resources. The Vice Provost's staff also includes a person- nel officer and a budget officer. The Vice Provost for Extension administers the Continuing Education Program through the Director of Continuing Education Programs. An assistant director heads each primary program area: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Home Economics, 4-H, and Community Resource Development. The Assistant Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources is also an associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. There is also an Assistant Director for Field Operations, who is responsible for working with the directors of each of the six extension administrative districts across the Common- wealth. A number of decisions that relate to the Cooperative Exten- sion Service require the direct involvement of the President of the University. Also, the Director of the Cooperative Extension Service, officially acting for the University, is required to maintain close contact with the "United States Secretary of Agriculture, the United States Secretary of Commerce, and other participatory bodies."* ------------------------------------------------------------ * Code of Virginia, Title 3.1, Section 41. ------------------------------------------------------------ 9-2.2 The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service has a statewide mission. The mission is directed toward meeting the infor- mation needs of individuals, businesses, industries, commu- nities, and government. The mission is conducted by disseminating information and providing assistance through individual contacts, group meetings, printed material, and electronic communication. The comprehensive program is supported by faculty located both at VPI&SU and VSU. Programs are delivered by extension staff located in 107 county and city units throughout the Commonwealth. Each unit reports to one of six district offices (see Figure 9-1). Where Virginia's international interests are involved, and when appropriate grant funds are available, selected specialists, agents, or administrators will work in international programs. 9-2.2.1 Extension Program Areas Cooperative Extension field staff in the 107 county and city units conduct educational programs through workshops and seminars, provide technical support, and serve as informa- tion links between the campus and clientele throughout the state. The content delivered and the clientele served are diverse. The full resources of the University are drawn upon for this service to the state, usually through campus- based extension specialists. Programs are developed to be consistent with four-year plans of work and are based on both formal and informal assessments of clientele needs. The following discussions of major program areas illustrate the scope and content of these field programs. Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) This program serves as a bridge between the University and the agricultural community for the dissemination of information. ANR work is based upon the philosophy that people will improve their family's standard of living, as well as the state and national economy, through more efficient farm production. This multidisciplinary area reaches out, through workshops, seminars, publications, and direct consultations. The goal is to apply knowledge in the solution of problems that people face as they work to make agribusiness more productive while safeguarding the environment. Emphasis is given to conservation of natural resources and the environment, marketing and farm business management, farm safety, and the application of mechanical science and engineering technology to solving agribusiness problems. ANR serves the educational needs of organizations such as federal, state, and local governments; state, regional, and local farm production associations; state and local agribusiness associations; volunteer associations and other citizen organizations that are concerned with the environment. Community Resource Development (CRD) This program area provides information and transfer of knowledge to assist community leaders and organizations in their collective efforts to develop better communi- ties. Community problems receiving recent attention include hazardous waste disposal, regional economic development, ground water management, downtown revitalization, pollution management in the Chesapeake Bay, and community growth management. Over 900 persons have enrolled in a leadership correspondence course. The CRD area provides leadership with emergency and disaster assistance for the Commonwealth. In this role, it works with 1,700 officials of 141 local governments. Other programs include conducting intensive programs in economic development, in comprehensive planning, and in government operations and finance. Home Economics This program area provides educational experiences that address critical concerns of individuals and families in a way that enable them to prevent or solve persistent problems, thus enhancing quality of life. The areas of focus include improving nutrition, diet, and health; managing and utilizing resources; developing supportive and effective human relationships; and enhancing home and community environments. Programs are delivered by University faculty, professional extension home econo- mists, para-professionals, and trained volunteers. Appropriate educational technology and methodology are used to deliver the educational opportunities, often in small groups or in at-home self-study settings. Four-H The Four-H Youth Development program area provided informal learning opportunities for 125,000 Virginia youth, ages 9 to 19, in 1986. Four-H is a community- centered, volunteer-led, extension staff-supervised, research-based, home- and family-oriented, public- and private-funded extension program. The "learn-by-doing" emphasis incorporates projects in 47 subjects, predominately related to agriculture and home economics, but also including subjects such as international under- standing, leadership, and health. The program should strengthen its traditional resource base with support from other University disciplines and greatly expand participation by volunteer leaders. Four-H profes- sionals will need to be trained in disciplines related to youth development if they are to direct programs focused on the critical social problems of youth. The content and number of extension field programs were not explored by the committee. More detailed information is available and is monitored and evaluated by extension admin- istration. The Committee recognizes that program content must continue to change to meet emerging societal needs. The growing internationalization of the state's economy, changing ethnic composition, and new forms of information dissemination are among the many factors, to which extension must adjust. Addressing the needs of low-income segments of the population and diverse ethnic groups must receive continuing attention in order to be consistent with the land grant philosophy. Recommendation 9-5: That the University act without delay to establish a committee charged with the responsibility to identify subject matter disciplines (and specialties) that can contribute effectively to both continuing and evolving program thrusts of the Cooperative Extension Service, the Continuing Education Program, and the University's extension mission. This committee should have an administrative representative from each college and other appropriate units, and the committee should submit a formal report to the University Provost. Recommendation 9-6: That the University evaluate the contribution the above-recommended committee can make to the extension mission and determine whether such a committee should be a permanent University operational committee. 9-2.2.2 Funding Cooperative Extension is jointly funded by the federal government (through the U.S. Department of Agriculture), by state government, and by local governments. Currently the Commonwealth funds 64 percent of the total budget, with SgggggggggggggU SgggggggggggggU SgggggggggggggU SggggggggggggU SgggggggggU local governments and the federal government contributing 24 | | | percent and 12 percent respectively (see Table 9-1). From Tgggggggggggggd Tggggggggggggd Tgggggggggd 1976 through 1986, the share of funding by state and local |Home Ecomonics ANR Specialist Unit Directors governments steadily increased from 65 percent to 76 | Specialist | | Unit Staff | | | percent, and the share funded by the Federal government SgggggggggggggU SggggggggggggU SgggggggggU steadily decreased from 35 percent to 24 percent. As state support has grown, so has state scrutiny of extension programs. The Virginia General Assembly has chosen to follow the concept of level-funding for operating allocations while Figure 9-1. Organizational Structure of Virginia Cooperative Extension Service providing personnel with significant salary increases. All employees of the Extension Division are state employees entitled to salary increases authorized by the General Assembly. The Division expends funds other than state appropriations to meet salary obligations authorized by the state but not fully funded by it, because the state supports only that portion of increases related to state funding. For example, the state-approved salary increases in FY 86 totalled $2,372,270 for the Division. The increase in appropriation from the state to cover those obligations was $1,822,310; the remaining 35 percent was funded by the Division from funding appropriated by local and federal sources. At least one personal computer has been installed in each unit office since 1984 as an aid to office management and program delivery. As a result, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service has one of the most sophisticated comput- erized management systems among its peer state extension services. This computerization has increased efficiency to compensate, in part, for reduced staff levels. Additional changes to improve efficiency in program delivery include installation of lines of the State Controlled Administrative Telephone System (SCATS) to each unit office with appropri- ate linkage to the University's computer. These two actions have accounted for an increase in cost of over $550,000 annually to the Extension Division. The Cooperative Extension Service budget for FY 86 totaled $35,599,380 (see Table 9-2). These funds were allocated among two basic sets of expendituresggsalary obligations and operations. Of the total, salary obligations, formed of faculty salaries, classified salaries, and fringe benefits, comprised 83.6 percent, and operations 16.4 percent. Among the innovative projects funded were these: the Powell River Mined-Land Reclamation Project, the Center for Volunteer Development, and the project for Computer Use in Electronic Marketing. In recent years, faculty and staff have become more active in seeking outside funding to support innovative projects, and have been very successful (see Table 9-3). 9-2.2.3 Personnel Status Because federal appropriations have not increased propor- tionally to state funding, the Cooperative Extension Service has experienced a significant erosion of its ability to fill critical vacancies and to provide increased allocations for non-personnel service operation. These conditions were intensified in 1985-86 when the application of the Budget Deficit Reduction Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law) resulted in a 4.3 percent reduction in the federal appropri- ation. An employment freeze was in place for FY 86. There has been a significant change since the 1975-1976 Self-Study in the number of field staff and the number of campus-based faculty. Agent Positions: The number of extension agent positions filled by the Cooperative Extension Service declined by 65 between 1976 and 1986, decreasing from 434 agent positions in 1976 to 369 agent positions in 1986. This latter number is significantly below the core staffing level of 418 positions developed in 1985 and may require a reassessment of the standard established. The core staffing plan for the field units calls for a base staff per unit of one agent each for agriculture and natural resources, home economics, and 4-H. One of these agents is also designated unit direc- tor and conducts the community resource development work. The number of agents in the core staff increases depending on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the overall population, the school-age population, and the number of farm. Local governments have the opportunity to increase staff beyond the core level by fully funding additional positions, and 20 have done so. The Committee learned that the number of extension field staff with 4-H responsibility dropped from 135 in 1980 to 91 currently, which represents two-thirds of the decrease in total positions in the field staff. The Extension Division should examine these trends and program needs in order to address the needs for effective youth programs. University support will be needed in this vital area. Faculty Positions: Changes have also occurred in faculty positions. With the JLARC-recommended transfer of the off-campus graduate program to the Graduate School, 39.0 faculty positions were transferred off the extension budget as of July 1, 1980. The College of Veterinary Medicine has received funding over the last two bienniums for 13.34 faculty positions (and 22.8 classified positions). There were 254.76 faculty positions authorized for the Extension Division on July 1, 1976. On July 1, 1986, there were 216.72 faculty positions authorized and 213.96 positions were filled, distributed among the colleges and within the Extension Division (see Table 9-4). The Cooperative Extension Service has expended considerable effort to gain approval of a performance-based personnel system for extension agents. An internal study conducted in 1984-85 by the Extension Division revealed what is called the "seven-year-top-of-the-scale problem" and showed that the currently effective salary system for extension agents has become a "lack-of pay-for-performance" system. Until extension agents reach the seventh step on the scale, each agent receives the same merit percentage pay increase, unless they are on probation for poor performance. Each agent receives any "cost of living" increases as well. After seven years, the only salary increase an agent can receive is the cost of living increase that goes to all classified employees regardless of performance (see Table 9-5). Currently, 59 percent of extension agents are on the top step of the scale, and none are on step 1. This latter condition is the result of a hiring freeze during FY 87. Extension agents are hurt not only by the lack of performance-based increases, but by the unrealistic salary ceiling imposed on them after seven years of employment. The Extension Division, established in the sixties, had an agreement with local governments that permitted a local government to provide salary supplements to agents who had reached the top of the scale. The conditions under which supplements could be approved were significantly restricted by the Extension Division in the early eighties in response to civil rights audit recommendations made to ensure salary equity. A proposal to install a performance-based salary system has been forwarded to the state Department of Education. A second proposal, recommending a new classification for extension agents that would be an associate level between classified and faculty, has been discussed by the Vice Provost for Extension with the state Department of Personnel and Training. Recommendation 9-7: That the University continue strong efforts to secure a performance-based salary system for extension agents. 9-2.2.4 Faculty Performance/Accountability The Extension Division receives funding to support faculty who devote their knowledge-based expertise to non-fee- supported education activities in furtherance of the Univer- sity's extension mission. Among these faculty are some who conduct activities identified as Cooperative Extension programs and some who conduct activities identified as General Extension programs. The Committee concludes from concerns expressed to it that faculty on funding allocated for General Extension work are perceived to contribute relatively less to the extension mission of the University than do faculty on funding allocated for Cooperative Extension work. Faculty in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Resources, and Veterinary Medicine are held accountable to their funding through federally required formalized plan of work and reporting procedures. Faculty in the other colleges are neither in the accountability system currently applicable to programs of the Cooperative Extension Service programs nor in a similar accountability system applicable to programs of the Extension Division. Moreover, the Extension Division has no program accountability system specifically applicable to the University's extension mission. Recommendation 9-8: That the University assure that all faculty funded by the Extension Division are accountable to formal planning, evaluation, and reporting systems applicable to the University's extension mission. 9-2.2.5 Faculty and Staff Development District supervisors and extension agents appearing before the Committee were very explicit in calling for a comprehen- sive, on-going staff development plan for the Cooperative Extension Service. The changing information base, the changing client base, and the need for employee development make it imperative to keep current the education system applicable to such personnel. To accomplish this, the Cooperative Extension Service has institutionalized faculty and staff development. Orientation for all newly employed extension agents is standard practice. Additionally, a mentoring system has been instituted in one extension district to provide an improved structure for communication between more-experienced and less-experienced agents. A schedule of holding an extension conference every other year with district meetings in the alternate years has been adopted. These sessions focus on training related to organ- izational development or to broad organizational interests. In January of each year, a week of in-service training is scheduled to train extension agents in subject matter and methods. It is anticipated that the University's linkage to a satellite communication system will be used extensively in the future to provide agents with timely training on chang- ing subject matter. Recent changes have tended to reduce the effectiveness of earlier faculty and staff development procedures. Extension staff seek training in * professional development and personal life skills, * extension methods and technology skills, and * subject matter updates. Because extension subject matter often has a very short shelf life, constant subject matter training is a critical need. This need is unique to the Cooperative Extension Service and applies to both faculty and extension agents. Meeting this need is essential to maintaining the credibil- ity of the information disseminated by the Extension Service. Recommendation 9-9: That the University urge the Extension Division to continually reassess its staff development plans to assure a coordinated and comprehensive staff development plan. 9-2.2.6 Structure Cooperative Extension programs have traditionally had their roots in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Resources. In addition to agriculture and home economics programs, the 4-H program has played a significant role in Cooperative Extension programs and is perhaps the most comprehensive, publicly supported youth development program in the world. The Community Resource Development (CRD) program has evolved into a significant educational program for local government officials. The CRD program is expected to play a major educational role in the future by actively fostering economic development in the Commonwealth. From 1976 through 1986, approximately 40 percent of exten- sion faculty efforts were directed to the agricultural program area. The importance of agriculture and agribusiness to the Virginia economy remains significant, and the agricultural industry and community are continuing to experience significant changes. Even though the number of persons engaged in farming is declining, the level of requests for assistance in the home horticulture area has increased substantially. As a result, many in the agricul- tural community have criticized what they perceive as a drain on the extension resources available to the commercial agriculture community. This shift has occurred as the population of the Commonwealth has changed from primarily a rural-oriented society to an urban/suburban-oriented society. Dr. G. Edward Schuh (who met with the Committee), and other authorities have recently suggested that the traditional model of delivering Cooperative Extension Programs must be re-examined. Several among this group recommend a shift in organizational strategy from the generalist extension agents located at the county or city offices to the specialist on an area or statewide basis. Embracing a shift to more campus-based specialists and fewer generalists in the field has the potential to reduce the ability of extension work to quickly shift as the needs of the agricultural community and the demands on the extension mission change. For example, a faculty member may be funded by extension as a specialist to study and conduct a program on a particular problem, may work on the problem until he/she or someone else effectively solves it, and may, during that time, be granted tenure. Once that problem is solved, however, the specialist may find it difficult to turn his/her attention to a different problem. This situation is a familiar problem in Cooperative Extension. Recommendation 9-10: That the University evaluate and implement appropriate changes in the allocation of unit, area, and state staff of the Extension Division, and give particular attention to the broadening range of demands, the changing clientele base, the impact of the information explosion, and the rapidly advancing technology for program delivery. 9-2.2.7 Extra-Collegiate Faculty in University Governance The Committee believes that the credibility of the extension mission within the University community depends, in part, upon the involvement of extension faculty in the governance system. Effective collegial links and communications are critical factors in enhancing the faculty's understanding of the University's extension mission. Collegiate-based exten- sion faculty have the opportunity to participate in the University's governance system, but the extra-collegiate extension faculty cannot elect representatives to the Faculty Senate (although they do have elected represen- tatives on the Commission on Extension and the Commission on Faculty Affairs). Members of the University Library faculty, also extra-collegiate faculty, do have elected representation on the Faculty Senate. Recommendation 9-11: That the extra-collegiate extension faculty be eligible for election to representation on the Faculty Senate and for appointment to units in the University governance system. The quality of the extension effort would be enhanced by better integration of the work of extra-collegiate extension faculty into the academic environment of the University, since these faculty do not have academic homes in depart- ments where much of the intellectual ferment in the Univer- sity occurs. And because ideas do not flow as easily from the field into research undertakings at the University, one of the important links to generate applied research is broken. At the same time, the quality of the extension program may suffer because it does not receive stringent peer scrutiny and may not draw as effectively on research- based knowledge. Recommendation 9-12: That the University strive to reduce substantially the number of extension faculty positions currently designated extra-collegiate by transferring such positions directly into appropriate academic departments. 9-2.3 The Continuing Education Program The University's extension mission is furthered by the non-credit, fee-based, self-supporting educational activ- ities sponsored by University faculty and conducted, both on and off campus, for primarily adult audiences through the Continuing Education Program. These activities include, but are not limited to, conferences, workshops, and seminars designed to serve the needs of a pre-determined clientele, usually comprised of citizens of the Commonwealth, but often of persons from throughout the United States and occasionally from foreign countries. These programs dissem- inate useful and practical information to a broad array of clientele and establish valuable linkages for the University to constituents across the Commonwealth and throughout the nation and world. The educational activities conducted through the Continuing Education Program reached 17,452 persons in FY 1986 (see Table 9-6). The number of activities conducted both on and off campus in FY 86 totalled 338, down from the 395 conducted in FY 85. These activities were divided almost equally between on-campus and off-campus sites (see Table 9-7). In 1986, the College of Business had the largest number of programs (98), and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Engineering had about equal numbers, approxi- mately 40 each (see Table 9-8). Attendance at the programs sponsored by these colleges was, respectively, 2,428, 4,818, 2,458, and 1,703 (see Table 9-6). The General Assembly's mandate that "continuing education must be self supporting" means that funds for the Continuing Education Program have not been included in University budget requests. Thus, continuing education activities can be offered only with fee structures at levels sufficient to cover costs; state funds can be requested to cover program costs as needed, and certain educational activities that meet specifically established criteria might warrant support from appropriated funds. 9-2.3.1 Functions By University policy, if a non-credit, fee-based educational activity is sponsored or co-sponsored by the University, it must be conducted through the Continuing Education Program (Policy Memorandum No. 49, January 9, 1984), subject to the legislative restraint of operating "on a 100% cost-recovery basis." As an incentive to participate in these educational activities, faculty with teaching and research appointments can now receive direct payment for teaching in non-credit programs as defined by University policy. Another incentive allows planned surplus to be included in conference budgets, with such surplus returning to the sponsoring college. These policies have been implemented to encourage the expan- sion of continuing education activities at VPI&SU. However, many faculty members still do not perceive it to be in their best interest to participate in these programs as a sponsor. Many feel that sponsoring continuing education activities receives minor weight in decisions concerning tenure and promotion and in decisions related to salary increases. Currently, the Continuing Education Program fulfills its role through these primary functions: * program development, * conference services, and * facilities management. Program development encompasses need identification, program design, budget development, and program marketing, delivery, and evaluation. Conference services assures the logistical support for a program, which includes, but is not limited to, registration services, room set-up, audio-visual services, and related arrangements. Facilities management covers hotel/restaurant services provided within the Donaldson Brown Center for Continuing Education. Often an educational activity administered by the Continuing Educa- tion Program requires some services from each of its primary functions. Many faculty and other members of the University community confuse the Continuing Education Program with the Donaldson Brown Center for Continuing Education, a building adminis- tered by the University as an auxiliary enterprise, as a site for many educational activities conducted through the Continuing Education Program. However, Donaldson Brown is not the only University-related site for such activities (see Table 9-9). Other sites are the six 4-H educational centers located across the state, the outlying research and continuing education centers (the Reynolds Homestead Contin- uing Education Center, the Southern Piedmont Research and Continuing Education Center, and the Tidewater Research and Continuing Education Center), the Northern Virginia Graduate Center in Falls Church, and the College of Architecture's Washington-Alexandria Center in Alexandria. In addition, other public and private conference facilities in the Commonwealth are sites of numerous educational activities administered by the Continuing Education Program. Partic- ipants in the various activities of the six 4-H centers totaled 787,982 between 1979 and 1986. The University should carefully evaluate the potential of these sites for continuing education offerings. The purpose and utilization appear to have expanded enormously in recent years. The Committee did not undertake a detailed assess- ment of the offerings at these facilities. With the installation, by June 30, 1987, of satellite down- links to 25 unit offices of the Cooperative Extension Service, the opportunity exists to transmit continuing education activities to clients via satellite. Such capac- ity has the potential to significantly increase the continu- ing education demand both on and off the University's campus. 9-2.3.2 Function Review Most faculty members believe that the Continuing Education Program needs to be reviewed, and possibly improved. Some faculty reported being well served, but they are in the minority. It is clear that misunderstandings about the purpose, scope, and structure of the Continuing Education Program abound and must be clarified for the sake of the faculty and the program itself. Recommendation 9-13: That the University conduct a complete review of the Continuing Education Program in order to make the program more competitive, efficient, and cost effective. 9-2.3.3 Self-Study of the Continuing Education Program In 1985, a self-study was conducted by the Continuing Educa- tion Program.* This study contained several recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Continuing Education Program, The University's Role in Continuing Education: Present and Future Directions (Blacksburg, 1985). ------------------------------------------------------------ designed to address the expanding role of continuing educa- tion for adults in the coming decade as changes in education attainment, in career opportunities, and in technology bring about adjustments within the society forming the Common- wealth of Virginia. This study should be discussed more broadly in the University community. Recommendation 9-14: That the University assign to the Commission on Extension the responsibility to evaluate each of the recommendations in the 1985 self-study of the Continuing Education Program. 9-2.3.4 Improving Space Utilization Continuing education activities offered on the University campus could be expanded if space is used more efficiently. To accomplish this, a central office must be established to coordinate and allocate all space needs for the array of extension mission activities conducted by the University. This system would permit a faculty member or event sponsor to work with a single office to locate and reserve space for an educational program or other event. Developing such a system will enable the University to modestly expand the number of campus-based educational offerings conducted under the auspices of the Continuing Education Program. However, there is substantial evidence that this program will expand and that demand will increase for either campus-based space or other space convenient to campus. The University should act promptly to seek alterna- tives to meet reasonable expectations of demand for space to provide non-credit, fee-based, educational activities. Recommendation 9-15: That the University conduct a study of demand for non-credit, fee-based, educational activ- ities and the space needs to meet the projected demands. 9-2.3.5 Faculty Achievements The University's faculty and staff engage in many educa- tional activities that might be appropriately credited to the University's extension and continuing education mission were it not for the absence of any established process by which data about such activities are reported and recog- nized. The present restriction that indicates that all fee-based educational activities "must be conducted through the Continuing Education Program" often results in a shift of such activities to alternative sponsorship, even as the University continues to provide the same level of support it would have under the Continuing Education Program. As a result, the University's extension mission is furthered but earns no credit for the resources expended. A similar condition exists with educational activities conducted by the Cooperative Extension Service. Reports are submitted to the federal government on the output of faculty and staff supported by the Cooperative Extension Service, but there is no reporting of output of faculty and staff supported by funding other than Cooperative Extension. These conditions appear to be unrealistic for an educational responsibility with the diversity, scope, and resource use of the University's extension mission. Recommendation 9-16: That the University establish a uniform procedure to assure that fee-based educational activities conducted (in substantial part) with the University's faculty and staff resources be regularly reported to the University and credited to the Continu- ing Education Program. Recommendation 9-17: That the University require the Extension Division to submit on a fiscal-year basis an annual report of structural adjustments, resource inputs, and educational outputs by program area, college, and other appropriate subdivisions to provide information on the accomplishments of the University's extension mission. 9-2.4 Some Challenges for the Future The University should devote increased attention both to strengthening and broadening its extension mission. This attention should include an emphasis that the extension mission of the University is fully accountable through the Office of the University Provost and, thereby, must be carefully aligned with other academic programs of the University. A realignment of titles assigned to the admin- istrative staff of extension should be considered as one means of communicating the full integration of extension into the academic mission of the University. Acting affirmatively to enhance the quality of faculty and staff funded by the Extension Division will make an important contribution to strengthening the extension mission. 9-2.4.1 International Extension A major challenge of the next decade will be the development of research-based extension programs to enhance interna- tional understanding and cross-cultural awareness. This is necessitated by the changing ethnic composition of the state, the growing economic interdependence of the economy of the Commonwealth, and the demands on the private sector to engage in international transactions and communications. These demands will serve to broaden the extension base drawing more heavily on the Colleges of Business, Human Resources, Arts and Sciences, and Education. At the same time, the program areas of Human Resources, CRD, and 4-H will be called on for additional cooperative work. Program coordination will be challenging and the faculty required to deliver high-quality programs must be provided with appro- priate incentives. Youth programs, such as those traditionally offered through 4-H, provide outstanding opportunities to enhance the under- standing of the next generation of citizens. These programs should be examined for their potential to further promote international understanding. 9-2.4.2 Consulting In discussions, a number of faculty funded by the Extension Division expressed concern over the University consulting policy. The general perception is that consulting is neces- sary to attract and keep highly qualified faculty, but consulting within the Commonwealth of Virginia is restricted for faculty members in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Resources as compared to other colleges. Currently all specialists within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on more than 25 percent extension funding cannot consult within Virginia. Neither the College of Veterinary Medicine nor the College of Human Resources, the other colleges with major Cooperative Extension Service responsibilities, permit consulting within the Commonwealth. Most important, many faculty feel that because consulting can be perceived to be in competition with the extension mission of the University, consulting can under certain circumstances become an ethical issue for the University. Consulting appears to strain the extension mission of the University. The consulting policy applicable in the other five colleges is quite different from the policy in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Resources because it is more closely linked to the Universi- ty's policy on consulting.* This policy implies that ------------------------------------------------------------ * The Faculty Handbook, 1983, p. 64. ------------------------------------------------------------ faculty members will have the tendency to "sell" their consulting services as opposed to offering the services of their department, their college, or the University at no charge, except certain fees established by University policy. The issues involved in the ethics of consulting were raised in the Interim Report of the Task Force on Extension Employ- ees Consulting for Pay (March 9, 1986) that was submitted to the Commission on Extension. Dr. Edward Schuh also raised the issue of consulting in his article, "Revitalizing Land Grant Universities"* In a clarification published in ------------------------------------------------------------ * Choices, Second Quarter, 1986, pp. 6-10. ------------------------------------------------------------ Choices, he wrote that "all too frequently university professors are out peddling on consulting contracts the knowledge that has been produced with [or obtained through employment supported by] public funds. This is fundamen- tally an ethical question."* Dr. Schuh also spoke to these issues while making a presentation to the Committee. ------------------------------------------------------------ * Choices, Third Quarter, 1986. ------------------------------------------------------------ Recommendation 9-18: That the University commission a study of consulting practices to determine how consult- ing affects the extension mission of the University and how equitably the policy is administered across the University. 9-2.4.3 Intellectual Work Products as Property The Cooperative Extension Service takes the position that any educational products developed as a result of an employ- ee's position (and on University time) is the sole property of the University. This policy appears to be inconsistent with policy applicable to other faculty in the University. 9-2.4.4 Economic Development Increasingly, universities are being called upon to play a statewide, and even a nationwide, role in economic develop- ment. The combination of high technology research and scientific education provided at land grant universities, and their statewide extension mission enhances the universi- ties' role in providing appropriate education to shape the future economy of states, including the Commonwealth of Virginia. During his visit with the committee, the Provost suggested that appropriate conditions existed for the University to become more actively involved in economic development. The economic development program coordinated by Community Resource Development of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service is already among the most active within the Univer- sity, which draws on, among others, faculty in agricultural economics, urban affairs, and sociology. Some economic development activity occurs in other parts of the University, but this seems not to be coordinated. For instance, two or more faculty members from the university have found themselves on occasion working on closely related economic development projects without knowledge of the other's efforts. More effective coordination would lead to more efficient and effective program delivery. Significant and diverse efforts are underway to strengthen the University's role in economic development. These efforts are found in the CRD component of extension, in the continuing education component, and in other parts of the University. Prominent examples of these include the devel- opment of an incubator system for small businesses in the corporate research park, the international trade linkage unit in CRD, faculty participation with state government to establish and provide staff support for the Rural Virginia Development Foundation, and the Continuing Education Program's links with the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) and the Virginia Community College System through the Office of Technology Transfer. The University must conduct its extension mission in a way that continues to transfer and apply the knowledge of the land grant university to the problems, opportunities, and challenges that face the citizens of the Commonwealth. The several aspects of economic development, including more effective technology transfer, comprise such a problem. Recommendation 9-19: That the University establish a procedure to coordinate effectively its broad economic development mandate and develop and implement a coordi- nated plan to foster a climate for appropriate contrib- utions by the faculty. 9-2.4.5 Telecommunications The University is rapidly adopting improved telecommuni- cations technology. Some of these technologies, such as satellite-based instruction, portend major adjustments in the way the University performs its extension mission to disseminate useful and practical information to clientele. However, while the efficiency of delivery and the area coverage can be enhanced by these improved technologies, many questions remain unanswered. For instance, will these technologies finally contribute to better achieving the product of the extension mission--the implemented decision to act--in decreased time and in increased numbers? The University should continue to act prudently by slowly making adjustments in the structure of the field staff and faculty funded by the Extension Division until an objective compre- hensive analysis can be completed of the rate various clientele(s) have applied the disseminated data and informa- tion. Recommendation 9-20: That the University conduct a compre- hensive analysis of the purposes and uses of telecommu- nications technology in serving the various clientele(s) of its extension, research, and instruction missions, including international applications. 9-2.4.6 User Fees Many staff have suggested that services and publications should be offered on a fee basis, but the Extension Division has been concerned about the costs of such a move. The accounting requirements to collect funds necessitate that the collection of funds be centralized. Several studies completed within the last decade concern the implementation and collection of user fees. Generally targeted for user fees are: soil testing, certain publications, insect identification, and plant disease identification. Currently, each of these services are provided at no charge to the user. Only a select set of publications has been sold in the past. This set includes the Pest Management Guide and other fairly expensive publications. The Virginia Gardener, a monthly publication of the Horticulture Department, is on a subscription basis. Handbooks, such as The Pork Industry Handbook, The Beef Cattle Handbook, and a number of pesti- cide applicator training manuals have been offered for sale. When the College of Veterinary Medicine became operative at VPI&SU in 1980, new dimensions were added to the Universi- ty's public service programs. In particular, as well as contributing to the traditional extension and continuing education activities, the college provides a clinical service for animals on a fee-for-service basis. Similar problem-solving approaches are provided by the other colleges as extension activities for which no fee is charged. This inconsistency of approach merits consider- ation and the establishment of a uniform policy. Recommendation 9-21: That the University conduct a study of the feasibility of charging clientele for services and/or publications with an evaluation of the cost effectiveness and the impact such a change may have on programming. The study team should include represen- tatives from the budget and controller's offices. 9-2.4.7 Services as an Educational Function The University's extension mission is focused upon dissem- ination of useful and practical information and upon apply- ing the same by conducting effective educational activities. This function is more efficiently performed in some instances by providing a complementary service primarily to demonstrate the outcomes that clientele can attain by apply- ing a certain set of disseminated information; soil testing is an example. However, continuing to offer such services on a long-term basis has the effect of shifting the role of the involved organization from a product-oriented agency to a service-oriented agency. There is clear evidence that some of these service-oriented activities have become institutionalized and have placed a significant burden on the extension budget. An objective analysis of each service offered by the University as a complement to one or more extension educational activities would likely enhance the effectiveness of the extension mission. Recommendation 9-22: That the University identify each service provided by the Extension Division as a comple- ment to an educational activity, conduct an objective analysis of the current role of such service, and develop alternative sources for such service, including full-cost user-fee alternatives. 9-2.4.8 Northern Virginia Facilities Two facilities in Northern Virginia have considerable poten- tial for the University's extension and international mission, in particular for the Continuing Education Program. These facilities are the Northern Virginia Graduate Center (known as Telestar), located in Falls Church and operated by the University in cooperation with the University of Virginia, and the College of Architecture's Washington- Alexandria Center, located in Alexandria. These facilities are located in the most rapidly growing area of Virginia, where both the needs of public agencies and the changing ethnic population pose serious educational problems and challenging opportunities for extension educational programs. The research base of the University appears to provide the principal underpinnings, the comparative strength, for the Graduate School's instructional offerings currently, whereas the University of Virginia's program, which is housed jointly with that of VPI&SU at Telestar, places relatively more emphasis on continuing education programs. However, VPI&SU is in a position to offer several areas of comparative strength for continuing education efforts. One obvious area is that of agricultural and economic development education programs that could be offered to national and international agencies that address agricultural development needs abroad. There are no alter- native programs currently available in the Northern Virginia area that have the resource base to offer comparable programs. At the same time, the resource base in Washington, D.C. might be drawn upon to develop continuing education activities that could address critical social and economic issues in the Commonwealth and in the global commu- nity. Recommendation 9-23: That the University undertake a comprehensive assessment of the programs currently in effect in Northern Virginia and their role in meeting continuing education needs of the Commonwealth, the Washington, D.C. area, and the international community. 9-2.5 The Commission on Extension The report of the 1975-76 Self-Study contained the recommen- dation "That the President, with the advice of the Faculty Senate, appoint an ad hoc governance committee...to study and make recommendations to the appropriate bodies concerning...(c) other appropriate issues involving the faculty."* The University's governance system received ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, The University Self-Study 1975-76 (Blacksburg, 1977), 31. ------------------------------------------------------------ substantial criticism in the report, and it recommended "that the University take steps to identify the cause of sources of faculty dissatisfaction with governance at the University level and indicate appropriate action."* ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, The University Self-Study 1975-76 (Blacksburg, 1977), 154. ------------------------------------------------------------ These recommendations resulted in two studies. The first was initiated by the Faculty Senate. The resulting report contained a resolution that requested the President of the University "to appoint a committee including representatives from both the University Council and the Faculty Senate...(e) to formulate and recommend amendments or revisions to update the Constitution of the University Council and the Constitution of the Faculty Senate and to bring the constitutions into agreement with each other" and to consider related matters.* The second study revised the ------------------------------------------------------------ * Report to the Faculty Senate on December 5, 1978 by its ad hoc committee on University governance, p. 30. ------------------------------------------------------------ constitutions of the University Council and the Faculty Senate, and they were adopted in the academic year 1981-82 to become effective with the beginning of the academic year 1982-83. This action established six commissions; one was the Commission on Extension. The function and duties of the Commission on Extension are: To study, formulate, and recommend to the University Council general policies and procedures concerning Extension activities and the implementation of the University's Extension Mission.* ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Constitution of the University Council (Blacksburg, 1982), 9. ------------------------------------------------------------ The membership of the Commission on Extension is specified by the Constitution of the University Council. The Council's Constitution provides that "Each University Commission shall meet regularly during the academic year and at other times as called by the chairperson."* The Commis- ------------------------------------------------------------ * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Constitution of the University Council (Blacksburg, 1982), 11. ------------------------------------------------------------ sion on Extension met two times per year during the first four academic years of its existence. During the fifth academic year, 1986-87, only one meeting was held. This record stands in sharp contrast to the record of the other commissions. Each of the other five commissions met 60 times or more over the five academic years beginning with the academic year 1982-83. One reason given for the meeting record of the Commission on Extension is that policy actions taken by the University might affect extension faculty funded by the extension service located at VSU. However, the extension programs of VSU and VPI&SU are administratively separate; therefore, policies recommended by the Commission on Extension would not be applicable to the extension faculty at VSU even though they might appropriately apply. This outcome will continue in effect at least until the memorandum of under- standing required by P.L. 95-113, enacted in 1977, accommo- dates a change and is agreed to by the Division and the Service and approved by the respective universities, VPI&SU and VSU. If the Commission takes a more active posture in the University governance system, it has the potential to increase the consciousness of and the commitment of the faculty to the University's extension mission. Reorganization that has occurred within the Extension Division raises the need to study the Commission's current membership. Based on knowledge of the reorganization and input from other self-study committees, the following 22 members are proposed: * the Vice Provost for Extension, chairperson; * one district director, appointed by the Vice Provost for Extension; * one department or college-level administrator appointed by the President of the University; * one elected representative of the extra-collegiate Extension Division Faculty Association; * the Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies; * one Cooperative Extension Service assistant program director appointed by the Vice Provost of Extension; * the administrator of the VPI&SU Continuing Education Program appointed by the Vice Provost for Extension; * one faculty representative from each college, chosen as the faculty and administration of each college decide; * two faculty elected by the Faculty Senate; * two elected representatives of the Virginia Extension Service Association; * two members of the extension field staff appointed by the Vice Provost for Extension; and * one representative of international programs appointed by the President of the University. The proposed membership reduces the number of department- and college-level administrators by two. One representative each of the Continuing Education Program and the Interna- tional Programs are added. The Committee feels that these representatives will help broaden the outreach programs of the University. Recommendation 9-24: That the present Commission on Exten- sion be renamed the Commission on the University's Extension Mission and restructured to give better repre- sentation to international programs and continuing education, and given a broader mandate to: 1. review all policy issues raised in the governance system that have a bearing on the extension mission, 2. be informed on extension and continuing education programs of the University, 3. identify issues and/or problems in the Extension Division, in the extension mission, or in extension programs that need attention, 4. propose methods to increase the commitment of faculty to the extension mission of the University, and 5. assure that the Commission on the University's Extension Mission fulfills its assigned role as the representative of the extension mission in the University's governance system. 9-3.0 Report of the Subcommittee on International Programs Universities in the United States have long been criticized as parochial in their outlooks. Except for minimal foreign language offerings, occasional courses in other cultures in the humanities, and the standard non-American history and politics courses, American universities have traditionally paid little attention to the rest of the world. The increasing impact of global social, economic, and political issues requires a change. Certainly this change is visible on the campus of VPI&SU. This university community has begun to recognize the world's interdependence and the need to understand and to be involved with cultures very different from its own. We have begun to share our intellectual, cultural, and technical resources by means of aid and research projects throughout the world. We are active in the exchange of students and professional personnel both by bringing others to this campus and by sending away our own students and faculty. Finally, we have undertaken a revision of our curriculum and our on-campus programs to reflect our need and our students' need to understand and to appreciate the complex world in which we live. From these important beginnings, we hope to identify specific steps that can be taken to more fully achieve the potential contribution to international under- standing that is envisioned by national, state, and campus leadership and by the faculty and students of this Univer- sity. Our goal has been to assess the involvement of the faculty and students of this university in international activities and education and to identify alternative means to enhance this involvement in the future. This enhancement is to be brought about by raising the international awareness of both faculty and students through the content and orientation of the curriculum and through the international exchange of students and faculty. It is also to be brought about by the improvement of social, economic, and political conditions in countries of the developing world by using the University's resources to help solve global problems. These objectives must be accomplished while showing that benefits will be derived by the Commonwealth through these international activities. This goal and its objectives have been influenced by a nationwide recognition of the urgency to include interna- tional dimensions in the research, extension, and instruc- tion of universities in the United States. Several recent events in the Commonwealth of Virginia particularly have emphasized the importance of this dimension. The Governor was recently appointed Chair of the Southern Governors' Association Advisory Council on International Education. This Council produced the report, "International Education: Cornerstone of Competition." The State Council of Higher Education created an Advisory Group on Virginia's Interna- tional Education. The theme of the 1986 annual conference of the State Council of Higher Education was international education. The Association of Virginia Colleges recently invited the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia to give a keynote address on international education. The justification for international education has become conventional wisdom. Our global interests and commitments require that we understand the world in which we live. Its importance should not be underestimated or ignored, and renewed emphasis must be made to ensure that adequate finan- cial support is garnered for new and expanded programs. The economic and political well-being of the Commonwealth and of the United States is dependent upon our understanding of the varieties of world cultures and of our place within them. Moreover, as a land grant university, we have expertise and experience to offer and our work abroad addresses critical problems of world development. The leadership of VPI&SU has prominently identified the international dimension for further emphasis and program expansion. When he spoke at graduation ceremonies in 1985, Mr. Alexander Giacco, Rector of the VPI&SU Board of Visitors, charged the graduates to adopt a global perspec- tive in order to develop the language skills, cross-cultural awareness, and knowledge of international affairs that the business world now requires. "Go world, young person," he said. His emphasis was further strengthened by President Lavery's appointment as Chair of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. In his inaugural address to the annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, President Lavery argued for more concerted attempts to internationalize the curriculum of land grant universities and to strengthen the educational outreach efforts in order to promote greater cross-cultural sensitivity. Provost David Roselle also expressed commitment to these goals in a number of speeches. Unfortunately, state resources have not been matched to these pleas. The success of international programs to date has been due primarily to the dedicated and effective work of selected individuals on the faculty and their ability to attract extramural funding, particularly for technical assistance abroad. The extraordinary commitment and very hard work of these individuals has in part made up for insufficient resources. International programs on campus have also been characterized by a relative lack of formal coordinative structure. The informal arrangements of commu- nication among interested parties have worked well, however. People do keep themselves reasonably well informed about the progress of others in the University, and any efforts to create new administrative structure should proceed with caution so that the informal arrangements will not be damaged. The recommendation of the 1976-76 Self-Study for further growth and development in international programs has indeed been taken seriously. In the areas of teaching, research, and service, international programs on and off campus are now on the verge of being very significant to the Universi- ty's total mission. The planning and organizing have been done. Now it is time to make the resource commitment that will produce the expected and promised results. Recommendation 9-25: That the University take concerted action, which would include the commitment of required resources, to recognize and fulfill its global responsi- bility as a leading institution of higher education in the United States. This section is divided into four parts: a) international- ization of the curriculum, b) exchanges of students and staff, c) technical assistance, and d) organization of the University's efforts. Recommendations in the following sections articulate the more specific directions this commitment must take. 9-3.1 Internationalization of the Curriculum Attention has recently been directed to the fact that on many college campuses, students may earn a degree without ever being exposed to any culture outside the United States. VPI&SU is one of those campuses. It is possible for most students to graduate from this institution without ever having had a course in foreign languages, non-domestic politics, economics, history, or cultural studies outside the mainstream of life in the United States. This may, in part, reflect the parochial nature of some faculty and administrators. In order to develop a more broad-based curriculum, it is necessary to place greater emphasis on the recruitment of faculty who have expertise in areas of the world other than the United States. The University should seek the appointment of faculty who have undertaken significant professional and/or cross-cultural work abroad. As this recruitment takes place, the interna- tional content of courses will increase. The recruitment of interested faculty is not enough, however. Programs that already exist need to be strengthened and perhaps new programs need to be put in place. The strengthening of existing programs should take priority since those already in existence are doing a good job and should receive encour- agement to do better. Current international instructional efforts may be divided into three categories: 1. those that make available concentrations of study (majors and minors) in international matters, 2. those that seek to infuse international concerns into technical and other courses of study, and 3. those that provide students throughout the university an opportunity to gain a basic perspective on civic life and culture in countries other than the United States. 9-3.1.1 Programs That Offer Majors And Minors In International Matters Courses relevant to international studies can be found in each of the colleges of the University, but historically those courses that concentrate in this area are in the College of Arts and Sciences. They include the Interna- tional Studies Program and the Department of Foreign Languages. 1. The International Studies Program This program was established in 1968 as an undergraduate interdisciplinary major. Its curriculum includes the study of language, politics, economics, and culture. Students may specialize in international business, development, or historical studies. Enrollment has risen dramatically in the past five years so that there are now 140 majors, well above the median size for programs of study within the University (see Table 9-10). These students tend to be overwhelmingly from Northern Virginia or from out of state. They also tend to be better qualified than the average students in the University. A minor was created in 1985, but data on students who have chosen this opportunity are not avail- able. The program was left unfunded in 1968 and remained essentially in that condition until 1987, when a half- time faculty position and a graduate assistantship were assigned to it. The program is administered by, and the students are advised by, a member of the Political Science Department, who handles the assignment as an overload. Administration of the program involves 1) coordination of the courses of a variety of departments around campus, 2) offering a few courses directly when arrangements can be made to borrow the faculty to do so, and 3) encouraging students to spend some time in study abroad. Recommendation 9-26: That the International Studies Program be sufficiently funded to become institutionally sound, so it no longer relies solely on the voluntary interests of faculty members. 2. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures This department offers majors and minors in French, German, and Spanish (see Table 9-11). It also provides limited offerings in Greek, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Russian. Class enrollments have risen more rapidly. In 1979-1980, total enrollments in Foreign Language classes were 3,394; by 1986-1987, they had reached 4,284. Much of this increase is related to the expan- sion of the International Studies Program. Approxi- mately 33 percent of the students enrolled in upper level classes in Foreign Languages are International Studies students. The department's focus is clearly European languages and literatures, but it did participate recently in a program to integrate language study into an interna- tional development curriculum in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Resources, and Arts and Sciences. It has also participated in a program to teach French, Portuguese, and Spanish to faculty members involved in development work. It is currently pursuing grant support for the inauguration of self-instructional tutorial-assisted courses in languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese. If the university is seriously interested in the internationalization of the curriculum, however, objectives must be agreed upon and resources must be made available to support instruction in at least one or more of these critical languages. Recommendation 9-27: That resources be made available to add to the curriculum one or more languages of relevance to the developing world, and to enhance the teaching of French and Spanish as they are spoken in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The selection of an additional language or languages should be made by a widely repre- sentative committee that will consider possible areas of geographical or cultural concentration in the Univer- sity. 9-3.1.2 Efforts to Infuse International Concerns into Technical and Other Courses of Study Most of the students in the University will not be concen- trating in international studies. Nevertheless, at least some of them will have career or other reasons to learn about the world beyond the United States. Several attempts are underway, therefore, to introduce internationally relevant material into courses of various kinds throughout the University. 1. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Courses in several departments of this college reflect a global perspective. Examples include "World Crops" in Agronomy, "Agricultural Trade and Development" in Agricultural Economics, "Farming Systems" in Horticulture, and "World Forestry" in Forest Products. A Title VI grant recently provided funds to develop several new internationally related courses and to modify selected existing courses in Agricultural Econom- ics, Agricultural Engineering, and Horticulture. The School of Forestry and Wildlife Resources and the Department of Agricultural Economics have used their own resources to organize internationalizing efforts at both the graduate and the undergraduate levels. The college has developed a comprehensive proposal to strengthen the international dimension of its undergrad- uate program. This proposal is concerned with four areas: a. student development through international internships and foreign language training, b. curriculum development, but addressing all depart- ments in the college, c. faculty development through special seminars, train- ing visits by others to this campus, and short-term international travel and work assignments, and d. work with the colleges of Human Resources and Arts and Sciences in the internationalization process. Although the proposal has not yet been funded, it provides the basis for further initiatives. Major international research efforts are underway in almost every department of the college and these have an influ- ence on the curriculum. The technical assistance compo- nent of the college has provided seed money for some of these research efforts and in turn has enhanced the efforts to internationalize the curriculum. 2. College of Architecture and Urban Studies This college has operated a study-abroad program in Switzerland for 17 years. The program enrolled 40-50 students in the summer of 1987; some of these continued into the fall. A new facility has just been leased in Basel for this program. The college also has recently undertaken an exchange arrangement with Tong-ji Univer- sity in Shanghai, China. On campus, courses have been offered in disaster manage- ment, Third World housing, world hunger, Third World cities, and other internationally related topics. The architecture history sequence has been reorganized to include more non-Western materials. A course was recently taught at the Washington-Alexandria Center with the assistance of people from the World Bank who analyzed current practice in the Bank and spoke of problems for the future. The college would like to create a center for develop- ment planning and building that would bring together the elements in the college that are related to Third World development, so they might encourage each other and that their efforts might be given visibility. It is also asking the question: What is the role of our students in the Third World? Who are we training to do what? 3. College of Arts and Sciences Traditionally, this college has offered courses that specifically address international subjects, such as European History, Comparative Politics, Geography, International Studies, etc. Perhaps for this reason, it has not given much organized thought to the internation- alization of the curriculum, except in the International Studies Program and the Foreign Languages Department. Nevertheless, several other units in the college are directly involved in international education. The Department of History teaches large numbers of courses dealing with European, Asian, African, and Latin American histories. The Department of Geography is also concerned with many cultural and physical regions throughout the world. The Department of Sociology includes a rural development program. The Department of Political Science offers several courses in comparative and international politics. The Humanities Program, by its very nature, deals with a cultural tradition that is international. While the principal focus addresses the Western tradition, it has recently offered a course on Third World women that serves as a starting point for other efforts. The Appalachian Studies Program regularly offers courses that compare Appalachia with both the Third World and other mountain societies world- wide, and there are plans to develop additional coursework and research efforts in comparative mountain studies. The Department of Religion, on the other hand, offers a number of courses in Eastern religions. The Department of Communication Studies is increasingly interested in international communications and sponsors international students for undergraduate education, an international journalists forum, international films, and an ongoing colloquium with communications scholars in Europe. On the other hand, the Department of Geography was deemphasized and the anthropology section of the Department of Sociology was eliminated. For internationalization, the Department of Geography should be strengthened and offerings in cultural anthropology should be encouraged. Through the Department of Sociology, an active linkage arrangement with Xavier University in the Philippines remains one of the most prominent aspects of the Univer- sity's international programs. This linkage is funded under the United States Information Agency (USIA) and has resulted in several faculty exchanges, Philippine students undertaking graduate studies, and joint research projects. 4. College of Business The R. B. Pamplin College of Business offers classes with an international focus for both undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty are involved in interna- tional work in various areas. The Management Department initiated a program between VPI&SU and the Northeast University of Technology in Shenyang, China that focuses on accounting information systems, motivation, reward systems, employee appraisal, and managerial involvement in policy making. The College of Business is also working closely with universities in Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Turkey. A university-wide faculty exchange agreement was devel- oped with the Oskar Lange Academy of Economics in Wroclaw, Poland. An exchange program with the Karl Marx University of Economics in Budapest, Hungary has been established, and a cooperative series of international marketing and management conferences developed. Three recent Fulbright Fellows have been hosted in Japan, Kenya, and Taiwan. In addition, the department of marketing has been instrumental in the establishment of an exchange program with the University of Istanbul in Turkey. The College has actively supported the work of the Virginia World Trade Center and the Roanoke World Trade Club. College faculty recently worked with the Univer- sity's international efforts in Zambia through the Office of International Development. International students are enrolled in each of the college's depart- ments, and foreign scholars are often in residence. 5. College of Education This college has offered graduate courses in South America for 14 years. Funded in part by the United States Department of State, these courses provide oppor- tunities for teachers in international schools and for teachers in local colleges and universities. Cooper- ative arrangements currently exist with international schools in Chile and Venezuela. A new linkage agreement has just been completed with The Polytechnic in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and another linkage exists with the American Farm School in Greece. The college is currently examining ongoing international activities with the intent of setting more precise priorities for international involvement. This examina- tion is, at least in part, motivated by concern about decreases in University operating funds and increased demands placed upon faculty members. 6. College of Engineering Each year, the college brings faculty from around the world to spend time at VPI&SU. These international faculty teach undergraduate and graduate courses and often work on research projects with the permanent faculty. This association enhances both the faculty's and the students' understanding of other countries. The college has sponsored undergraduate exchange programs for the past 10 years. Programs with the University of Essex for electrical engineering, the University City College of London for chemical engineer- ing, and the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne for mechanical engineering allow students to study engineer- ing and the liberal arts with students from those countries. Students transfer these course credits to their VPI&SU degree. The college provides partial scholarship support for these educational exchange programs. The college also assists students who wish to work abroad in summer programs such as IAESTE and The American-Scandinavian Foundation. Typically, these students are self-supporting in these work experience programs and the college acts only as a mediator. 7. College of Human Resources The college has a history of internationally related activities. It has sponsored study abroad programs in Haiti, Finland, and Switzerland. Students in its Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program have been sent to Europe and students in the Clothing and Textiles Program have traveled to Hong Kong. The college has established a Title XII chair in Interna- tional Nutrition and the current occupant has developed an international nutrition course, integrated interna- tional dimensions in three core departmental courses and provided technical assistance in Sierra Leone. Faculty have assumed major responsibilities in development projects in The Gambia and institutional building activ- ities in Saudi Arabia. Other faculty in the college have also participated in scholarly exchanges, farming systems support project training workshops, language training, and international projects. Each department has had visiting faculty professors and post-doctoral scholars from a number of countries, including Israel, India, England, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines. 8. College of Veterinary Medicine Since graduates are accepted for the various forms of practice in countries all over the world, attention is given in various parts of the college's curriculum to diseases exotic to the United States. The college also has a study group in tropical disease. This group has a core of about 15 students. Items related specifically to tropical diseases are presented in various courses. One course in the first year offers an overview of opportunities for service abroad. Occasionally students use the one-month blocks of time in the fourth year to get public practice in Third World countries. Some individual exchanges with other countries have occurred with students in the first three years of the curriculum and several faculty members have had short-term assign- ments in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The international dimensions of the subject matter content is explicitly addressed in most courses, and special attention is given to the global environment in which graduates will work. Moreover, the internship program, similar to that in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, provides practical working knowledge of Third World conditions. Recommendation 9-28: That each college be encouraged to develop a plan for an international perspective and role consistent with both the University's and its own academic and professional objectives. 9-3.1.3 Service Courses To Provide Basic Perspectives And Skills If, as a comprehensive university, VPI&SU trains students for technical or applied work abroad or for work at home that deals with other countries, it will need to educate them in languages other than English. It will also need to teach them about other cultures throughout the world and to instruct them in economic and political theories that make sense of this varied and complex world. VPI&SU graduates must understand the contexts in which they will be working and living. They must learn that we are a global community. The present language requirement in the University is two years of a single foreign language in high school or the completion of the third quarter of the first year of a language in the University. No other internationally oriented course work is generally required of our students. Both social science and humanities requirements can be met without once encountering the world beyond the United States. These requirements do little to encourage the study of foreign languages and cultures or to foster an interna- tional understanding among our students. Far too many of our students leave the University naively unaware that capitalism is a dirty word in much of the world or that Muslims hold fundamentally different values than most Westerners. Our students need cross-cultural sensitivity and conceptual pegs on which to hang their understandings of the cultures, religions, politics, and economics of the world. They need to know how to relate to the world intellectually. A number of courses are offered in geography, history, the humanities, religion, political science, and other depart- ments that would provide some of the needed perception. The core course offered by the International Studies Program combines the perspectives of and is taught by faculty members from history, political science, and economics. A counterpart course pulling together perspectives from the disciplines of the humanities should also be developed. Recommendation 9-29: That students be required to take at least one social science or humanities course that provides a comprehensive theoretical perspective on international matters. Several courses already in the core curriculum could be used for this purpose. The normal University scheduling of classes is not conducive to language learning. To become fluent in a language, one needs significant blocks of time. This calls for creative arrangement of classes, both within the day and the week and within the course of a degree program. Fluency in a language for students who need it probably can best be achieved through intensive full-year-in-one-semester conver- sationally focused language courses. This will require additional staffing in the Department of Foreign Languages, as well as appropriate equipment, personnel commitments, and a willingness to engage in creative course scheduling. Recommendation 9-30: That the University develop the means to teach languages in concentrated blocks of time so intensive language training is possible. The effective teaching of language also requires a language laboratory with audio-visual facilities and with materials on other cultures. Such a facility should have tapes, records, videos, films, foreign satellite telecasts, computer stations, short-wave radio broadcasts, and other learning aids. It should be available for use by the Foreign Language Department, by the English as a Second Language programs, and by other members of the University community who want access to foreign language recordings, films, telecasts, newspapers, etc. Recommendation 9-31: That a central language learning and foreign culture facility be established, and foreign language broadcasts be transmitted by the new campus cable system when it is completed. 9-3.2 Exchanges of Students and Faculty The exchange of students and faculty is extremely important if the University is to be more international in its orien- tation. Students need to live abroad and study there in order to understand other cultures and to learn other languages. Other students from the rest of the world must come here, not only to take advantage of the educational opportunities of this university, but also to contribute to the learning experience of our own students. Faculty exchange programs designed to strengthen project objectives have grown from a number of technical assistance projects. These are usually managed in a different fashion than the Fulbright programs and other forms of faculty exchange scholarship programs. VPI&SU has had a scholarly exchange with Xavier University in the Philippines for the past five years. This program has taken three VPI&SU faculty members to Xavier University and has brought three Xavier faculty members to VPI&SU to teach in the regular academic programs of each university. International faculty have also served at VPI&SU on salaries provided by overhead funds from technical assistance projects. One professor from Sri Lanka taught in the Agricultural Economics depart- ment for a year as a direct outgrowth of our technical assistance relationship with his institution in Sri Lanka. Another served in the Dairy Science department. VPI&SU faculty members have worked abroad for short-term periods under a variety of consulting and non-University funded auspices such as the Partners of the Americas and Rotary International. Others have pursued research abroad through the National Science Foundation and a variety of other funding agencies whose focus grew out of technical assist- ance efforts. The sending abroad and the receiving from abroad are functionally two rather different activities. This fact is reflected in the way that these programs are handled on this campus. 9-3.2.1 Study Abroad The advising for study abroad was once a task of the Office of International Programs. When this office was dismantled, the advisor moved to the Cranwell International Center and the activities became administratively a part of the Gradu- ate School. In the Cranwell International Center, a library of study-abroad information is maintained, and students are advised on various programs of study abroad available to them. Contacts are maintained with the Institute of Inter- national Education (IIE), the Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE), and the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA). The office is closely involved in the Virginia Council for Study Abroad. Programs of the office include the following: 1. Summer Programs VPI&SU has operated a few summer study-abroad programs of its own (see Table 9-12). Some faculty members who offer these courses request very extensive administra- tive support from the Study Abroad Office, ranging from negotiations with the travel agent to disbursement of program funds. Bookkeeping is required for all programs, as the financial records are subject to occasional auditing. 2. International Student and Youth Hostel Cards International student identity cards are issued on behalf of the Council for International Educational Exchange. International youth hostel cards are issued on behalf of American Youth Hostels, Inc. This activity has greatly increased the office's visibility among students. It has also increased the workload of the office staff. Students who request the cards frequently ask for advice about travelling or working abroad. 3. International Student Exchange Program This program currently permits one-to-one exchanges with 70 overseas institutions in 30 countries (see Table 9-13). The advisor recruits students for the exchange, advises on program requirements and credit transfer, and has full financial responsibility for the program admin- istration. This includes the collection of funds from the outbound students and the securing of housing and the disbursement of funds for tuition, room and board, utilities, etc. for the inbound students. Some students, and especially their parents, require inten- sive and frequent involvement by the advisor in the individual student's program, from program application to return of students and the final transfer of credits. International Exchanges were initiated by 4-H in 1949 and have expanded to serve several youth and adult audiences. In 1987, there were 43 inbound and outbound exchanges and 52 host families involved. The 4-H curriculum includes projects in international foods and international citizenship, which has involved over 1,900 4-H youth, serving to broaden extension offerings into the international dimension. 4. Student Fulbright Advising The number of Fulbright applications has risen over the years (see Table 9-14). Winter and spring quarters require recruitment activities, followed by intensive student advising during the application process. 5. Peace Corps For the second consecutive year, support has been received for a graduate student to work as Peace Corps recruiter on campus. The current recruiter works very independently, is reliable, and requires virtually no additional staff time. 6. Faculty Grant Opportunities Occasional announcements are published in the Spectrum on faculty grant opportunities for research and teaching abroad. Some faculty members request advice on such opportunities, as well as on specific aspects of sabbat- icals abroad. Questions may range from the availability of English language schools to visas and currency trans- fer problems. The University needs to increase its support for and encour- agement of study abroad by faculty and students. This may require the relocation of the Study Abroad Office to give it more visibility; it almost surely requires a budget for advertising. Faculty and students need to be encouraged to participate in these programs and in similar international experiences through internships and international travel opportunities provided by the various colleges. Recommendation 9-32: That a study-abroad office, with its own staff and budget, operate under the Office of the University Provost, although it might appropriately be housed with the International Studies Program. This office should work closely with the appropriate academic deans and the colleges to coordinate academic credit. Recommendation 9-33: That study abroad be more fully funded; that programs be publicized nationally as well as locally; that scholarships and tuition waivers for meritorious needy students be made available; that more University-sponsored summer and year-long programs be encouraged; and that current full-cost recovery be altered to allow subsidization of these programs. 9-3.2.2 International Students at VPI&SU The other side of exchange is non-United States students who attend VPI&SU. The International Student program has grown from a small and relatively unnoticed program to one of major importance to the University. At the time of the 1976 Self-Study, 401 international students enrolled. For fall quarter, 1986, there were 1,252, an effective increase of 300 percent during the decade. While the size of the inter- national student population has changed during this decade, its principal characteristics have remained constant. The "average international student" has continued to be male, Asian and graduate. The greatest number of international students major in engineering-related disciplines. Administratively, the Office of International Students is charged with the responsibility to provide services for the students. Until 1979, this office was staffed by one faculty member and one secretary and was located in the Division of Student Affairs. In 1980, English language teaching was added to the office and another three-fourths- time professional person joined the staff. (This did not represent additional support from the University for the office, but rather a reallocation of existing personnel.) In 1981, the office was merged with the Graduate School and the advisor was promoted to the rank of assistant dean and given added responsibilities in the area of international admissions. In 1983, responsibilities for services to international faculty, which number from 150 to 175, were added. In view of the dollar volume of research facilitated by international faculty and researchers at VPI&SU, this added responsibility has become a very important enterprise. Additional programs and services to international faculty and students have evolved through the structure of the Cranwell International Center, which operates under the supervision of the Graduate School. While the administrative changes in 1981 did increase the operating budgets in support of this aspect of international programs, the international student program of the Univer- sity remains badly understaffed. Services of the office depend greatly on the volunteer structure that has been developed, which is housed in the Cranwell International Center. The entire "English as a Second Language" program is the responsibility of one person, who teaches as many as 27 hours a week. This program is of special importance if the University is to continue to compete for technical assistance contracts. It is also of importance if we are not to lose students who are well prepared in all respects except spoken and written English. Recommendation 9-34: That additional resources of a professional and a secretarial nature be allocated to the international student program, with particular support to the "English as a Foreign Language" program. The University has experienced tremendous growth in the number of international students, particularly at the gradu- ate level. These students bring a needed international perspective to campus life. Their interaction with domestic students on campus is an essential source of enrichment to the college experience of our students. More importantly, as a first step into the global community it provides a rich cross-cultural perspective for domestic students. More international students at the undergraduate level would help further enrich student life and course work for our students. There are relatively few undergraduate foreign students. The growing number of international graduate students creates pressures on the graduate program of the University as training needs of the state and nation are considered and as faculty members seek to achieve balance in their research projects. This may be especially important in the agricul- tural and social sciences where a significant proportion of research topics must address state and national needs. These topics may not always be of primary interest to inter- national students. The 1975-76 Self-Study recommended that the University increase the number of graduate students to 4,000. Since 1976, the actual number of graduate students has increased substantially and the target of 4,000 will be achieved. However, 80 percent of the increase in the graduate enroll- ments during the decade under review has consisted of inter- national graduate students. Presently, 31 percent of all graduate students come from other countries. The growth in the number of international graduate students stems from at least two sources: 1. the quality of international students who apply to graduate school remains very high, bringing a pool of bright, capable students into the university, and 2. graduate school stipends (assistantships and fellow- ships) have not been sufficiently competitive to attract the desired proportion of high-quality domestic students. The research program of the University has been strengthened by the high-quality international students that it has attracted. Some of these students remain in the United States and contribute their skills and cultural diversity to American society. It is also important to ensure that a significant proportion of foreign graduate students return to their home countries to enhance their economic and social conditions, particularly in Third World countries. The University must recognize the need to maintain balance in the research orientation of the University to ensure that state and national needs are met as well. This will continue to require that a sufficient number of domestic students are attracted into the graduate school. Political pressures and academic program balance will require that these issues be explicitly addressed by the University at the highest levels. Policies toward international student enrollment should be developed in full recognition of the University's global responsibilities, the importance of international technology transfers, and the potential contribution of the University to social, political, and economic progress and world peace. Recommendation 9-35: That the University, working with the Graduate School and academic departments, determine the level of support for graduate students that will achieve a desirable mix of international and domestic graduate students, and that a policy on the admission of interna- tional graduate students be formulated so that informa- tion and admission procedures are well understood and consistently followed. 9-3.3 Technical Aid and Research A significant aspect of international programs at VPI&SU is technical assistance to encourage economic development in Third World countries. This assistance may be of a research, instruction or extension nature and draws on the expertise of all three missions of our University. Efforts in this area have principally involved personnel in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Resources, but faculty from virtually all colleges have participated. Projects have been supported almost entirely by outside funding and indeed they have generated substan- tial revenue through overhead recovery that has been used to enrich research, instruction, and extension programs of the University. 9-3.3.1 Contracts for Technical Assistance Projects Abroad Technical assistance contracts have come from both private and governmental, and both national and international, sources, but the primary source has been the United States Agency for International Development (AID). University- sponsored technical assistance abroad was strengthened particularly by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1975. Title XII of the Act encourages the participation of American universities in finding solutions for the critical food and agricultural problems of the world. Food production and nutrition were central issues in the University's early involvement in the programs in Haiti and the Philippines that were discussed in the 1975-1976 Self-Study. These emphases helped create a close working relationship between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Resources. This cooperation has continued to represent a hallmark strength in the University's role in international technical assistance. Brief descriptions of the projects for the past decade follow. * Institution Strengthening, Sri Lanka In cooperation with Texas A & M University, Pennsylvania State University, and the Academy for Educational Devel- opment (Washington, D.C.), VPI&SU received a AID-funded contract from the government of Sri Lanka to upgrade the faculty of Agriculture and the Post-graduate Institute of Agriculture of the University of Sri Lanka at Peradeniya. Seven Sri Lanka faculty members were enrolled at VPI&SU for graduate degrees. One VPI&SU faculty member, a rural sociologist, served in Sri Lanka on a two-year assignment. Fourteen additional VPI&SU faculty worked in Sri Lanka on short-term assignments. * Resource Conversation and Utilization, Nepal The University served as a co-lead institution in this project obtained by the Southeast Consortium for Inter- national Development (SECID). Four VPI&SU faculty members and their families served in Nepal on long-term assignments. Two others have been to Nepal as short- term consultants. Several Nepalese students have studied at VPI&SU for advanced degrees. * Small Scale Irrigation Projects, Indonesia One VPI&SU faculty member was assigned to monitor devel- opment and operations of small-scale irrigation projects in conjunction with the Office of International Cooper- ation and Development (OICD) of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). * Agricultural Research and Training, Uruguay VPI&SU, in consortium with Michigan State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Texas A & M, helped provide technical advisors and participant training components of an Agricultural Research and Technical Assistance Project with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uruguay. * Wood Products Research Program, Brazil VPI&SU forestry experts helped develop a wood products research program at the Instituto de Pesquisas Technologicas in Sao Paulo. The project, funded by AID, brought five Brazilians to VPI&SU for graduate studies. * Nutrition and Family Planning, Dominican Republic VPI&SU conducted a four-year project in the Dominican Republic to determine the extent to which early child- hood mortality was influenced by nutritional deficien- cies and the implications of mortality on family planning acceptance. * Institutional Development, Saudi Arabia Under a contract with the U.S. Department of Treasury, VPI&SU has agreed to provide a range of specialists to King Faisal University to develop educational and research capabilities. Included are a number of techni- cal specialities in agricultural engineering. * Sahel Regional Financial Management Project, West Africa The purpose of this project was to develop alternative improved training and management development methods for financial and program management of agricultural and rural development projects in eight countries in the Sahel Region of West Africa. Six VPI&SU faculty were placed in various countries of the Sahel Region to fulfill this project. * Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Insti- tute This project has provided a horticulturist and an agronomist to help develop an effective and sustainable farming systems research and development program in the Caribbean region. * Smallholder Production Preparation Project, Guinea This project was designed to develop a strategy for increasing the agricultural productivity of smallholders in Guinea, to design a project to implement that strat- egy, and to bring to an efficient operational level previously constructed agricultural research and train- ing facilities. Two VPI&SU faculty were assigned on a long-term basis to the Guinea project. Additional VPI&SU faculty served on a short-term basis to support this project. * Farming Systems Research and Extension Project, Mali Working jointly with Auburn University through SECID, VPI&SU provided two faculty members to the Institute of Rural Economy in Mali. The purpose was to expand and increase the effectiveness of its farming systems research program in order to develop agricultural technology that is relevant to farmers needs and circum- stances and to promote the effective transfer of such technology. Additional VPI&SU faculty have served on a short-term basis to support this project. * Technical Support to Mission, Haiti VPI&SU is the lead institution working jointly with Tuskegee University to provide across-the-board support to the various AID projects in Haiti. Under this project, VPI&SU and Tuskegee will provide technical support for AID projects that are designed to develop Haiti's rural agricultural sector, including the human resource base. The project is designed to generate and diffuse new technologies, promote the efficient utiliza- tion of the plant, animal, water, and soil resources of Haiti and improve the overall socio-economic welfare of Haiti's rural inhabitants. * Agricultural Training, Planning, and Institutional Development Project, Zambia A VPI&SU faculty member in agricultural economics is working with a six-person team to conduct research and training with the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance. VPI&SU is working with the University of Wisconsin and private firms in this project. The project will be undertaken over a five-year period and will involve a wide range of faculty from several departments. The start-up phase involved faculty members in the College of Business and Architecture in team-building programs both on campus and in Zambia. 9-3.3.2 Administration Most of these projects have been administered directly through the Office of International Development (previously the International Agriculture Office). This office is directed by an associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. One additional support person for this office is provided by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and three faculty positions are supported by the Extension Division, even though they work across all three missions of the University. The equivalent of another 5.5 positions is made available through overhead funding in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Faculty for the international technical assistance and training projects come both from on-campus departments and from outside the University. Personnel from the outside are hired for specific, limited jobs. Whenever VPI&SU faculty are sent abroad on long-term assignments, the general policy of the University has been to provide salary savings and a share of overhead directly to the department that furnishes the faculty member to the project. This practice has been followed on both long- and short-term assignments. However, during recent periods of financial exigencies, salary support has often not been returned to the department, creating significant disincentives on the part of depart- mental faculty and administration for further participation in similar projects. This failure to provide salary support back to the department could potentially undermine the University's efforts to enlist high-quality faculty in international technical assistance projects. The Committee discussed a variety of funding approaches based on the administrative and financial organization of the international programs of other universities. No one model appeared superior to others. Some universities have been successful in securing state funds to support interna- tional technical assistance functions, an approach that has not been widely encouraged in Virginia. The international programs at VPI&SU have depended on faculty support, grants, and overhead from technical assistance projects. Overhead funds recovered from international technical assistance projects have represented an important resource flow for internationalizing the University. These funds have been used to provide personnel and operating expenses for the Office of International Development and to encourage faculty participation in all colleges in international meetings, workshops, and training programs. Overhead funds have provided part-time employment for a number of interna- tional and domestic students in business, education, and other departments, who work with the office on campus. The funds have also been used to provide tuition support for spouses of international students who have been brought to VPI&SU under technical assistance contracts. Travel support has been provided to research scientists to attend scien- tific meetings and to develop research projects abroad, both within the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Resources and within other parts of the University. Seed money has been used to obtain research financing from the National Science Foundation, AID, and other agencies. For example, VPI&SU faculty are currently undertaking four separate research projects jointly with Egerton University College in Kenya. This type of synergistic effect has been achieved through focusing the resources of the Office of International Development on faculty members on campus whose interests coincide with those at Egerton College. The earlier technical assistance project there resulted in a formal linkage agreement, which has further facilitated collaborative work. 9-3.3.3 Training Programs on Campus Graduate degree training has long been an integral part of international technical assistance programs. Many faculty members of institutions in developing countries have only bachelor's or master's degrees and look to technical assist- ance contracts to provide an opportunity to obtain a master's degree, a doctorate, or both, in the United States. Other faculty of contracting institutions are often desig- nated for short-term training experiences that enrich their backgrounds and strengthen their ability to function back home. VPI&SU has managed participant training of 56 degree candidates over the past seven years and has hosted a number of other degree candidates placed on campus by other insti- tutions. Approximately 160 international professionals from developing countries have participated in short-term train- ing programs designed by the faculty and managed by the Office of International Development. Many of the short-term efforts are undertaken by faculty members without financial support, but training programs lasting one week or longer usually have support from AID, USDA, or the World Bank. VPI&SU training programs have included the following: * The USDA has used the facilities and expertise of VPI&SU faculty to train participants from developing countries who manage agricultural research. * The University has conducted both long-term and short- term training for project management in public utili- ties, irrigation, and agricultural marketing for trainees from Indonesia, the Philippines, and several other countries. * The USDA also has called upon specialists at VPI&SU to train international participants who manage agricultural extension projects and training programs. * VPI&SU is currently under contract to follow-up a several-year soil conservation training program conducted in the Sahel by several of its faculty. The current contract involves developing methodology to plan and evaluate effectiveness of agricultural training. * Connected with the Nepal project, the University has trained soils and forestry volunteers who worked on the contract in Nepal. * VPI&SU was selected to be the site for training special- ists from the Republic of Botswana. The training focused on the use of renewable energy resources. * VPI&SU developed and conducted a six-week course for women from various developing regions who hold manage- ment positions in their home countries, mainly in agriculture and related fields. * Utilizing the recently established Cranwell Interna- tional Center, VPI&SU hosted 15 students from 13 devel- oping countries in 1986 for a two-week training program on campus and in field sites. * Twenty-three Tanzanians were trained at the post- collegiate level in 1983. * Twelve Portugese cooperative marketing managers were trained as part of the requirements for application for entry into the European Common Market. Such training programs are important components of interna- tional technical assistance efforts and represent sizeable investments in human resource development. Although they represent a significant resource burden on the University, they do provide international goodwill, reciprocal invita- tions, and occasionally new research or training projects. International donors, foundations, voluntary organizations, and foreign governments all indicate that training will be relatively more important in future technical assistance work. Practically all of the management of these training programs falls to the Office of International Development and a significant part of the expenses are derived from recovered overhead funds. Tables 9-15 and 9-16 provide detailed information on VPI&SU's international training experiences over the past 10 years. 9-3.3.4 Women in World Development Program This program at VPI&SU focuses on the role and status of women worldwide and the impact of development on limited resource women, especially in lesser-developed regions. The program is housed in VPI&SU's Office of International Devel- opment. A graduate assistant provides access for students and faculty members to the Women in Development Library, and assists in the implementation of program activities. The director of the program is also the assistant director of the Office of International Development. The program provides: * A library of documents, books, films, and visual aids on women worldwide. * Seminars, workshops, and conferences on development issues and women. * Development projects and internships in lesser-developed countries. * A Scholar's Forum for students and faculty members doing research on development issues. * Two courses, "World Development and Women," and "A Seminar on Third World Women" offered through Sociology and Humanities. * Integration of women in development issues into the curriculum. * Training programs for women from developing countries and U.S. personnel going overseas. * A place for both international and domestic students to exchange information and experiences. * Review of the University's projects in order to assure women are included both as agents and as beneficiaries of development. 9-3.3.5 International Professorships and Foreign Language Development VPI&SU has received $624,000 in the past seven years from the strengthening funds of Title XII of the Foreign Assist- ance Act. These funds have been used to support a variety of efforts on campus that have served to strengthen the international experience of the faculty and our foreign language training on campus. These faculty and related efforts have in turn served to strengthen the curriculum of the University by developing new courses and modifying existing courses. The strengthening grant funds have been used to support four faculty members: one each in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture and Urban Studies, and Human Resources. The Title XII scholar in Horticulture was granted tenure by VPI&SU and the Title XII scholar in Human Nutrition is in a tenure-track position. The two earlier professors in Anthropology and Architecture left the University before any formal promotion and tenure considerations of their status were undertaken. Since the purpose of the Title XII chairs, supported under the strengthening grant, was to recruit faculty with a strong international interest and to enrich the interna- tional capability of the faculty in the long term, only partial success has been observed. Funds were also provided to the Department of Foreign Languages to provide special French, Spanish, Portuguese, Nepalese, and Chinese language courses to faculty. Thirty- six faculty members have participated in language study through the beginning stages and 12 have completed a more- advanced language training program, principally in Spanish and French. Some of these faculty have gone on to gain proficiency in the language studied through long-term work experience abroad. In these cases, the initial training appears to have represented an excellent investment. In addition, tapes and training materials have been widely disseminated through the Extension Service so that more than 50 individuals have been studying languages at their own pace. This experience has not been totally satisfactory as a means of gaining competency in foreign languages and other approaches that include total immersion are being appraised. Since foreign languages are widely viewed as an important component of the international programs, it appears that a more systematic approach should be taken for foreign language training. 9-3.3.6 Linkage Agreements Technical assistance activities give rise to continuing collegial relationships between the University's faculty and faculty of other institutions abroad. In many cases, these have resulted in formal ties being established with those institutions. The strength of these linkages has varied a great deal depending upon the energy and commitment brought to the linkage by a specific faculty member and his or her department. These linkage agreements currently exist with universities in China, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. The linkages include formal university-to-university links and memoranda of understanding between departments within the University and their counterpart departments in insti- tutions abroad. VPI&SU also maintains linkage agreements between the University and agencies of governments abroad. An example of this is the memorandum of understanding between the Secretariat of Agriculture and Water Resources of the United States of Mexico and the College of Agricul- ture and Life Sciences at VPI&SU. The linkage reflects an important ideal of the University -- collegial relationships based on the common pursuit of knowledge and educational endeavors. In that sense, linkages deserve to be given appropriate recognition and value by the University. This also means they should be monitored closely and efforts made to use them as a basis for strengthening VPI&SU's own international thrusts in research, instruction, and extension. This will require a greater commitment on the faculty's part to coordinate resources among departments and with their colleagues abroad so that project support can be garnered from government and private sector agencies. 9-3.3.7 International Extension and World Trade Private sector firms throughout the state are beginning to recognize the need for greater support in technological innovation, marketing assistance, and greater understanding of the international financial and commodity markets. Both Governor Gerald L. Baliles and the former rector of the VPI&SU Board of Visitors, Alexander Giacco, have made strong public pronouncements that call for greater attention to the international dimension of the state's economy and the dependence of the private sector on students who have a global perspective, language skills, and the desire to understand the world around them. Incentives abound for reallocation of resources within the University to place emphasis on these vital issues. The Virginia World Trade Center was established at Old Dominion University, headed by former Lieutenant Governor Richard Davis. This center has made significant strides in calling the public's attention to the need for support of international trade by the extension arm of our institutions of higher education. More than any university in the state, VPI&SU is in the unique position of being able to combine technical and scientific expertise with foreign languages and cross-cultural sensitivity. This combination will be necessary to train future business leaders and leaders in the public sector. VPI&SU's Extension Division has responded by designating a unit devoted to international trade. This unit, however, has not been integrated within the international programmatic structure of the University. Since this position was assigned to the Community Resource Development program, rather than a unit with international experience and expertise, fears have been expressed that it represents another fragmentary approach to international programming. Moves are underway to link this unit into the economic development program of Extension. Its dependence on a solid research base should be recognized and effective linkages developed. It is clear that international trade and other components of international extension must be coordinated with the research and instruction missions of the University and with the international development thrust of the Univer- sity. The depth of understanding required to support the private sector and the state's initiatives in international trade can only come by drawing on faculty excellence in, among others, agriculture, engineering, business, forestry, languages, and the arts and sciences. More programmatic attention must be given by the University to ensure that there is a coordinated thrust to serve the Commonwealth. The University-wide role of the Office of International Development is evidenced by its support and strengthening of research, instruction, and extension across college lines. Also, faculty in sociology, geography, business, architec- ture, education, engineering, and human resources have been included in technical assistance projects managed by the office. Strengthening linkage agreements that are now in place and developing a university policy regarding future linkages places an increasing demand on the administrative role of the office. These growing tasks, combined with the public relations function of hosting numerous international visitors, create financial stress. Substantial growth in the technical assistance program over the next 10 years is anticipated. The state and the Univer- sity are asking for significant support for international trade to enhance Virginia competitiveness. The current staff of the Office of International Development is already spread thin over a wide range of activities. A faculty position to support the Women in Development Program and to promote curricula revisions to reflect development concerns has been ensured by recent action taken by the University. An extension position has also been added to promote inter- cultural awareness. To adequately fulfill this emerging role, the full-time faculty and staff must be assured that their positions do not rely only on support from grants and contracts. All three missions of the University should be integrated with a strong international dimension and should contribute to the support of technical assistance programs. Recommendation 9-36: That additional faculty and staff support from state funds be allocated to the Office of International Development. Additional positions would strengthen faculty support for the University's technical assistance projects, enrich the range of research and other intellectual support provided to project work in specific countries, and provide insight into emerging global trade and development patterns that would help guide the evolving institutional development of VPI&SU in the international arena. The teaching and extension missions could also be assured of further support and enrichment. In addition to support for office staff, atten- tion should be given to other needs for faculty strengthen- ing in support of the international technical assistance mission. The University has faculty in both long- and short-term assignments abroad. When these faculty return to campus, there is often a gap between their overseas assign- ment and their home assignment, creating a resource squeeze on campus. In order to fully utilize these faculty in the classroom and in the University in general, the flexibility is needed to place these faculty immediately in a position within the University. In view of the extensive range of programs that draw on agricultural sciences and the relationship of technical assistance to the economic development of Virginia, the University should move in a concerted fashion to provide faculty and staff support to the technical assistance program and its role in furthering the economic development of Virginia. Additional commitment to scientific expertise is needed. Recommendation 9-37: That the University establish professorships that support the University's expanding role in international agriculture development and in international trade. These positions could help increase a mutually supportive research, teaching, and extension program that would provide a stronger academic foundation for the technical assistance role of the University. These recommendations are made in the spirit of strengthen- ing the extension mission of the University. The interna- tional programs will enhance the relevance of VPI&SU's agricultural and technical assistance programs, enable it to serve its state clientele more effectively, and provide a strong foundation for the breadth of curriculum needed by its students for the future global community. 9-3.4 Organization Of The University's Efforts The purposes of international programs at VPI&SU are manifold. Pedagodically, the International Studies Program, the Study Abroad programs, and the Foreign Language Depart- ment are designed primarily to expose undergraduates to non-domestic issues, cultures, customs, and problems. The International Student Program is designed to offer scholas- tic opportunities to international students and to produce potential "Good Will Ambassadors" for the United States. The technical assistance, research, and faculty development programs complement U. S. international policies and encour- age faculty research. These separate programs have their own identity and their own immediate goals, which must be respected. Nevertheless, VPI&SU's international programs need a coherent sense of direction and purpose if the University is to remain a regionally, nationally, and inter- nationally recognized and respected University that contrib- utes to the long-term social and economic welfare of the world. 9-3.4.1 Structures and Personnel Visibility and effectiveness of international programs at VPI&SU could be enhanced significantly by a Commission on International Programs. This commission, which would consist of members who represent specific international programs throughout the campus as well as the deans of the colleges, should replace the current University Committee on International Programs. Such a commission should be given significant governance responsibilities and should be expected to provide policy direction at a high level. This commission would most appropriately be headed by an officer in the Office of the University Provost who would be directly responsible for the health and progress of interna- tional programs at VPI&SU. The committee discussed the issue of the appointment of an associate or vice provost for international programs who would provide a centrally placed individual responsible for identifying needs and opportu- nities in international programs, and who would be an advocate both on and off campus for international instruc- tional, exchange, research, and technical assistance programs. However, careful thought must be given to deter- mine the degree to which programs on campus should report to this officer. Direct administrative responsibility would be more appropriate for student exchange and technical assist- ance programs than for instructional programs, but even the latter could be more effectively coordinated with a commis- sion and an administrative officer in charge of interna- tional programs. It is absolutely essential, however, that the appointment of an administrative officer not be seen as a solution to the allocation of resources needed for international programs on campus. The need for teaching personnel and staff positions is very real and even effective coordination cannot overcome that fact. In somewhat less than academic language, it is now time for the University "to fish or cut bait" on inter- national programs. Recommendation 9-38: That a Commission on International Programs, headed by an associate or vice provost respon- sible for international programs, be created and given policy development responsibility for international programs in instruction, research, and extension. 9-3.4.2 Office of International Development Special attention must be given to the role and location of the Office of International Development. This office has very effectively fostered international work, especially in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Resources, and Veterinary Medicine. One of its major problems, however, is the general perception that it is essentially the property of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This close association with agriculture is natural, given the primary source of funding and the agricultural expertise needed in most technical assistance projects, and the office must continue to maintain a special relationship with this college. Nevertheless, it must also relate more effectively to the rest of the University and must broaden its interests, if it is to continue to enlarge its effectiveness across the University. Third World devel- opment is a part, but only a part, of internationalization. To maintain and strengthen its program, the Office of Inter- national Development must be able to maintain direct links with the Office of the University Provost and with the Office of the President of the University. The Office of International Development, by the nature of its relation- ships with federal agencies, foreign governments, and other organizations, must be in a position to effectively repre- sent and speak for the University's policies and its admin- istration. 9-3.4.3 Center for International Instruction, Research, and Extension A center that brought together faculty interested in inter- national teaching, research, and service from all the colleges of the University would be an enormous boost for the exchange of ideas and information on the campus. Faculty should remain members of their own departments in order to be grounded fully in their own disciplines, but they should also have instructional ties, perhaps on renewable five-year appointments, to identify with colleagues interested in international programs. Interdis- ciplinary programs should be strongly encouraged through the center. In order to work effectively, the center would need a location where people can gather. In the best of circum- stances, this facility would include various offices related to international programs and would be near the Cranwell International Center, with its somewhat more socially oriented international programs. Recommendation 9-39: That a task force be created to study the feasibility of organizing a Center for International Instruction, Research, and Extension, and of housing it properly. 9-3.4.4 The Cranwell International Center The Cranwell International Center is located adjacent to the campus. It is housed in a Georgian-style residence, the gift of the William C. Cranwell family. After extensive remodeling, this new facility provides much-needed space in which to develop high-quality programs, which, among other things, complement the curricula of such departments as Communications Studies and International Studies. One example of this cooperative effort is the International Journalist Forum, which brings correspondents for foreign newspapers and journals to the campus to present their perspectives on current events. Included in the schedule for the current year are speakers from Honduras, Switzerland, and China. The Cranwell International Center is also the focal point for a wide variety of programs for and by students, both American and international. These include the undergraduate International Studies Program, an orientation program for entering international students, and the International Club, which brings together students from 80 countries around the world with Virginia students for social and cultural programs. The Cranwell International Center also provides office and program space for several non-profit organizations that are especially concerned with international issues or service to international students. These organizations include the YMCA at Virginia Tech and UNICEF, in addition to the campus offices for both Peace Corps and the Fulbright Program. Space is also provided for the University-Community Interna- tional Council (UCIC), a volunteer organization that fosters "town-gown" relations, especially in the international area. UCIC, through its Host Family Program and its Public School International Education Program, provides a means for inter- national students and visitors to interact with the local community. The staffing of the Cranwell International Center consists of a director, a program director, and secretarial support provided through the Graduate School. A part-time extension center specialist position has been approved and is in the process of being filled. Since its opening in 1986, the center has seen the level of its programming expand exponen- tially. In the first 11 months of operation, over 11,000 persons attended lectures, seminars, and social functions at the center (see Table 9-17). Over 300 volunteers supplement the work of the staff personnel through the associated non-profit groups. With the impending two-year closing of Squires Student Center, a greater demand for program and social space will be directed toward the Cranwell International Center for the immediate future. Already, the lecture programs are attracting audiences that strain the existing facilities. With an international student body of over 1,200, the sched- uling of national cultural events is becoming very diffi- cult. The Cranwell International Center is a great success and is beset with the growing pains that come with success. Recommendation 9-40: That the University establish a broadly representative committee to prepare a five-year projection for future developments of the Cranwell International Center and propose the means to carry out these plans. 9-3.4.5 Name of the University Concern about the name of the University, particularly for its international image, was raised early in the Committee's deliberations. The principal issue is that the name "Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University" suggests a vocational or trade school in many countries. This is particularly true in Europe as well as in Africa and Asia. The present name seriously misrepresents this univer- sity with its strong liberal arts, humanities, and social science curricula. The quality of the University can not be easily communicated with the present name, an unnecessary barrier that will continue to plague the University far into the future. The use of the full name of the University on all publications and public relations materials may help alleviate this problem. Often, faculty attendance at conferences results in at least three different names being used by faculty and causes confusion in regard to the recognition of the University. The name is often abbreviated by the host institution because of the length, which results in even further misun- derstanding. A name is needed that everyone will use and that will not do VPI&SU a disservice in the international arena. 9-4.0 Executive Summary The extension mission of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in extension and international programs is to develop and implement educational programs of resident instruction, research, extension and continuing education, and technical assistance. The University's response to fulfilling this mission follows a variety of paths that have been shaped by the experience, resources, public demands, and social and economic structures of the Commonwealth, nation, and by international events. The growing trade, diplomatic, and communications networks around the world cast society's development in an international perspective. This report has attempted to deal with the implications of these global concerns for the appropriate role of extension and international programs within the University. The philosophy and mission of a land-grant university encom- pass a broader and more inclusive set of scholarly activ- ities than basic research and resident instruction. The University's mission includes the dissemination, applica- tion, and monitoring of scientific knowledge to a broader public beyond the walls of the University campus. Hence, the delivery mechanisms for new knowledge must also be appropriately organized, administered, and financed. Rewards systems for faculty participation in all components of the University's mission must reflect administrative commitment to the extension mission. The past decade has been a period of significant adjustment in both the extension and the international programs of the University. Extension programs face new clientele, demands for new content, and significantly different delivery capability brought on by computer and telecommunications technology. Severe adjustments in personnel, adminis- tration, and financing have been necessary. International programs have significantly expanded over the past decade with rapid growth in numbers of international students, technical assistance programs abroad, scholarly and scien- tific exchanges, and curricula changes designed to provide a global perspective. Evidence obtained by the committee suggests that a large proportion of the faculty perceive that an insufficient commitment to these programs is held by the administration of the University and that this is reflected in the promotion and tenure processes within the University. The committee recommends that the University plan and that actions be undertaken to demonstrate a stronger commitment to the extension mission and to international programs, and that concrete steps be taken to show how faculty endeavors in these areas will be evaluated in promotion and tenure evaluations. Supportive recommendations made by the committee include the creation of a new Commission on International Programs and a broadened Commission on Extension, which should be named the Commission on the University's Extension Mission. Other recommendations are designed to ensure more complete integration of extension programs and international programs into the academic mission of the University and to strengthen financial and administrative support for these activities. Each program area will be briefly summarized. 9-4.1 Extension Programs Transferring research-based knowledge, ensuring its applica- tion, and monitoring its consequences are essential compo- nents of the mission of land-grant universities. Effectively achieving this mission requires a continuous, substantive commitment by the University community. The extension mission cannot be relegated to a second-class status. The University faces important challenges with new clientele and new demands from a rapidly changing agricul- tural sector, demographic changes in ethnic and household composition, and economic development needs created by state, national, and international factors. The committee recommends that the extension and continuing education programs address these needs and that program efforts be planned and monitored to ensure the efficiency and quality of the programs. Specifically, the committee recommended, among others, the following: * Full accountability to the University should be estab- lished for all faculty funded by the Extension Division. * Staff development plans should be reassessed. * A comprehensive examination should be made of the allocation of unit, area, and state extension staff. * The organization, efficiency, and effectiveness of continuing education programs should be improved. * Consulting policies and user-fees for selected services should be re-examined. * A comprehensive analysis should be made of the purposes and uses of telecommunications technology in serving all clientele, including international applications. * An analysis should be made of the full potential of program offerings in Northern Virginia. * A well-coordinated plan should be established for the University's economic development program and a climate should be fostered for effective faculty participation in the program. The Committee recognizes that a changing extension clientele requires continued adjustment in organization and content of extension programs. The growing sophistication of clientele needs requires more direct contacts between researchers, extension specialists, and the clientele. This shift tends to place more emphasis on continuing education programs and the delivery of some of these programs through satellite technology. Extension organization may have to change even further and resource re-allocation occur if these emerging needs are to be met. Expanding needs for continuing education are likely to be accentuated in the future. Accordingly, the University must be in a position to ensure that quality educational programs be tailored to meet these needs. A high-quality adminis- tration in continuing education will be required to effec- tively represent University programs to business, government, and other public and private agency personnel. The administration of these programs must be knowledgeable, sensitive to clientele needs, and capable of representing the University to the public. 9-4.2 International Programs The global nature of today's society and economy and the need for greater international understanding represent the basic driving forces that call for strengthened interna- tional programs. The Committee advocates that priority attention be given to building the intellectual foundations to strengthen the University's language, area studies, and general curricula offerings in the international area. In order to ensure an effective University response, the committee recommended That the University take concerted action to recognize and fulfill its global responsibility as a leading institution of higher education in the United States; and that this action include a sufficient commitment of resources to ensure that this objective is achieved. Among other recommendations, the following were made: * Each college should develop a plan for an international perspective and role consistent with the University's mission. * Foreign language offerings should be strengthened for oral proficiency and targeted to areas of the world where the University should be active. * Support should be enhanced for international students, for study-abroad opportunities, and for technical assistance efforts abroad. * Professorships should be established in international agricultural development and in international trade. * The feasibility should be examined of organizing a comprehensive international center for research, exten- sion, and instruction. These foundations will enable the University's outreach efforts at home and abroad to be guided by sound research and academic principles. Some limited reorganization may be needed to facilitate more effective technical assistance and linkage arrangements between VPI&SU and universities abroad. Yet, the Committee recognizes the significant advances that have been achieved under the present organization. Greater stature and resource support could probably be garnered through a formalized Commission on International Programs linked directly to the Office of the University Provost. We emphasize that this is no panacea for current problems, nor will it be a substitute for essential program support at the departmental and college levels. Establishing faculty positions with principal responsibility for international research, extension, and resident instruction will be a more effective strategy. The continued growth in international enrollments at the graduate level will require careful planning to ensure that an appropriate balance is achieved in the academic programs of the University. Resident instruction, research, and extension must effectively serve state and national clientele as well as international needs. Both student and faculty exchanges must continue to be encouraged and oppor- tunities to live and work abroad be expanded. Only in this way will the interrelated nature of our global society be truly recognized and respected for its strength and vital- ity.