Welcome to
the Douglas County Extension Council 2023-2025 Strategic Plan
Overview
The Douglas County Extension Council began the development of this plan in late 2021 by surveying the Council, staff and volunteers to assess the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Early work also yielded ideas for a renewed organizational vision and identified possible strategies to pursue that maximize the organization’s perceived strengths and opportunities.
While acknowledging the systemwide vision, mission, and values of K-State Research and Extension, the strategic planning process for Douglas County inspired the development of localized vision, mission and values statements.
Douglas County Extension Council
Formally established by the County Extension Council Law passed by the Kansas legislature, the Douglas County Extension Council carries on the tradition of serving the public by enhancing the quality of life in Douglas County as it has since July 10, 1918, when its first Extension Agent was hired. For over a century Extension has provided guidance and technical assistance to Douglas County residents by aligning university resources with community needs. This strategic plan intends to continue that commitment while also achieving excellence in core operational functions.
Separate discussions regarding the services that we provide to the public led to assignments for Program Development Committees to generate their own, programmatic areas of focus. Where appropriate, program area strategic plans consider the operational strategies above. Namely, Program Development Committees were asked to incorporate activities that included partnerships, communications, programmatic/operational funding and enhancing diversity as core to their plans.
All operational and programmatic strategies have been crafted through group processes that identify the following elements:
1) Situation Statement
2) Objective
3) Metrics
4) Activities
5) Outcomes
This plan is intended to guide the organization for three years beginning in 2023. The shepherds of the plan are the staff, executive board of the Extension Council, and the four Program Development Committees. The executive board intends to create semi-annual full Council meetings where updates on both the Operational and Programmatic areas of focus will be provided. Additionally, the executive board will check in quarterly on progress toward the outcomes defined by the plan.