Council members travel to university
Two St. Francois County residents joined extension council members from across Missouri recently to learn about emerging research at the University of Missouri and how it connects to citizens.
Jim Howard, former St. Francois County University of Missouri Extension Council chairman and member, and Dolores Howard, State University of Missouri Extension Council member and St. Francois County University of Missouri Extension Council secretary, attended the seventh annual Council to Campus conference in Columbia.
“MU’s research and extension programs have public value and improve citizens’ quality of life by reducing costs to society, empowering citizens to implement change, protecting the environment or building the economy,” said HC Russell, chairman of the State Extension Council.
University of Missouri system President Tim Wolfe spoke to the group by video and discussed the value extension has to the state. He said that UM Extension is core to higher education and is a critical part of the land-grant mission.
Programs presented at the conference included “Council Members’ Role in Communicating Impact of MU Extension Programs,” “Taking Care of YOU: Body-Mind-Spirit,” “Electricity Generation Sustainability Index,” “Creating Entrepreneurs, Enterprises and Employment,” and “Food and Ag Industry.”
Participants took a tour of the Bond Life Sciences Center and heard reports on ongoing research, which will help them share information in their home communities about MU Extension’s benefits to all of Missouri.
The attendees also heard from Michael Ouart, Rhonda Gibler and Bev Coberly about federal and state budgets. They discussed work that the campus does to support local programs and staff levels.
