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Donald W. Fancher
Interim Vice Provost
University of Missouri - Columbia

Natural Progression: Quantum Leaps

There is considerable optimism for the future of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Extension and Continuing Education programs. Two of Missouri’s academic deans share their reflections on a new land grant mission. Dr. Bea Smith, Dean for the College of Human Environmental Sciences and Dr. Roger Mitchell, Dean for the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, present examples of how outreach is integrated into the university’s mission.

The university has examined the merging roles of land-grant institutions and has identified a series of questions that individuals are responding to:

  1. What is a progressive land-grant mission?
  2. What is distinctive about a land-grant institution?
  3. Has the land-grant concept outlived its academic and social utility?
  4. Is the concept of outreach a distinguishing function of a land-grant institution?
  5. Would most research universities have outreach as fundamental mission?
The insight and experience of these two deans, plus the insights gained from working closely with faculty and a wide range of individuals, serve to bridge the gap between the educational resources of the institution and the needs of the public.