Education
(2009-04-07)
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As an EKU extension agent, Professor Carol Gabbard collaborates with Randy Peffer, Assistant Superintendent of Madison County Schools.
Photo by Ron Smith, WEKU News.
County extension agents already work closely with residents on such things as agricultural issues, 4-H programs for youth and consumer services.
It is common for colleges and universities, including EKU, to work with school districts and community organizations. But Eastern is moving beyond the status quo with a not-so-common approach, called the education extension agent program.
Seven agents would be responsible for three or four counties each in central and southeast Kentucky, working closely with EKU faculty on the needs identified by educational and community leaders.
"We're not only going to look at education, we're going to look at other areas," said Bill Phillips, Dean of Eastern's College of Education.
"[EKU can] help with economic development. We've got a great business school here. We can provide resources to people down in those areas. We also have a wonderful health sciences program here. We know that some of these areas need help in the medical field," Phillips added.
An agent would work with schools on specific goals, such as to increase attendance or to reduce the need for remedial education. Goals set for communities might include the establishment of wellness fairs or CPR training programs.
Whatever the goal, Dr. Carol Gabbard said it's all about community. The only education extension agent currently on the job, Gabbard has been developing networks with community leaders and school officials for over a year.
Gabbard meets every Friday with Randy Peffer, chief academic officer for Madison County schools.
As a result of Gabbard and Peffer's work, juniors and seniors can get high school and college credit for taking selected courses. A mentoring project sends EKU student volunteers to work with struggling students, and a financial literacy project gets teenagers ready for real world experiences like buying a car or using a credit card.
Peffer is responsible for academics for 16 schools in Madison County. Prior to the education extension program he would have spent many hours cultivating relationships at EKU.
"It keeps me from having to build, not that I don't want to build,
relationships with a bunch of departments at EKU. I can simply go to Dr. Gabbard and say this is something that I'd like to see happen, can you put me in contact with a person at EKU who can make this happen," Peffer said.
What may happen in Madison County may not be possible in Bell County, for instance. The extension program customizes partnerships to fit a community's needs.
Wherever the program is implemented, building credibility and trust is critical.
"We're not here to make everything right. We're here to help you solve some of the things that you've wanted to do for a while and couldn't do on your own. We want to partner with you on this if we can," Gabbard said.
It will be easier to partner in some areas than others. Most communities in Eastern's service region don't have the advantages available in Madison County, with all the resources a state university can offer.
EKU is hoping to hear more success stories soon. A full complement of seven education extension agents are scheduled to fan out across the university's 22-county service area in August.
© Copyright 2012, WEKU
