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Services Management

Notes its major sub-units and the association between UF and local Extension programs appears
tenuous (Breeze & Poucher, 1999).
Alternately, IFAS/Extension’s weaknesses can be seen in its slow reaction to changing
community needs. Agents need to be aware of the changing population and demographics
in Florida and offer programs accordingly. Programs that are outdated but still offered to
low numbers of participants are costly, a waste of an agent’s limited time, and provide a
false impression about the need for Extension programming. It reduces the impact of
agents’ efforts. In conjunction with that, agents who cannot establish themselves as their
community’s leading authority, or become known for providing uninteresting programs,
can also be detrimental to the overall Extension program.
Extension Agents are asked to track several statistical data points throughout the fiscal
year and report their impacts annually in a Report of Accomplishment (ROA). They keep
records on the number of programs they offer and the number of participants at those
programs, as well the number of fact sheets they distribute, how often they use mass
media, and how many clients they assist, whether at the office or on a site visit.
Agents are also required to submit an annual Plan of Work (POW) outlining the focus of
their next year’s programming efforts. Agents are evaluated on the measurability of their
goals and objectives, as well as their intended program impact, and number of participants
who indicate they will change their practices based on information they gained. Agents
receive instruction on Affirmative Action guidelines and requirements, and must report
annually on their efforts to include minority participation in their programs.

UF staff in Gainesville compile data from agents’ annual ROA’s to develop statewide
statistics on Extension participation. Programmatic impacts are measured, and this
information is used to determine the need for certain programs. Given that Florida’s state
population in 2000 was over 15.4 million, the corresponding year’s statistics indicate that
only a very small percentage of state residents were participating in Extension programs,
especially since many participants take part in multiple programs.
In reviewing the annual data reports, one must realize that, due to the way that contacts
and impacts are recorded, one person’s contact with Extension can represent many data
points in the report. For example, a gentleman enters an Extension office with a question
about his landscape. Before that person leaves the office, the Master Gardeners and each
agent who speaks with him will count him as a contact, and each publication he is given
will be counted as a publication distributed. A class of 30 participants becomes 60 contacts
after the second day. A 5-day, 4-H summer camp with 15 participants will become 75
contacts by the end of the week, and even more if other agents provided a segment during
the program. This method of reporting can lead to misleading numbers on which to
measure demand for services, but impressive numbers on which to request state and
county funding.

The Florida FIRST Program: Dr. Mike Martin has been spearheading a strategic plan
called “Focusing IFAS Resources on Solutions for Tomorrow” (FIRST) since 1998. He has
stated that “at the time of implementation, the plan was intended as a road map for
growth, but because of the economic changes felt throughout the state over the last three
years, the plan has now become a road map for protection.” Dr. Martin is aware that not
everyone likes Florida FIRST, but he’s adamant that there has to be some method of
measuring effectiveness and accountability.

In developing the Florida FIRST program, stakeholders across the state identified areas of
importance on which they felt IFAS should focus. Studies had shown that a booming
economy had triggered an impressive growth in the Florida labor market in the past 20
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