Ask any CCE Association about program advisory committees and you may hear a different response about how they are organized, and what the breadth of their program area is…believe it or not, that is okay – how they do their work can vary, but the purpose of Program Advisory Committees is the same – advising on local needs and assessing educational program reach and effectiveness.
CCE Programs are expected to develop stakeholder engagement at the grassroots level to understand community needs and assess program effectiveness. CCE constitutions and the Association Accreditation standards set the guidance for how that will happen – but in all cases, the reasoning is the same – meeting local needs with educational programs.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Program Advisory Committees are intended to:
- identify needs/issues within a community or county,
- advise or recommend on how best to reach community audiences,
- review evaluation plans and results, and
- when necessary, to function as advocates for Extension programs and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
There is a new handbook available to help provide Cornell Cooperative Extension executive directors, boards, and lead program staff with details on how to develop, convene, and engage an advisory committee for effective program planning. Included are suggestions about advisory committee structure, membership, and function regardless of the program/issue area. The handbook will remain in draft form for a few months. Your are encouraged to check in out, discuss, try out resources, and provide feedback: https://cornell.box.com/s/xnq9rdwmars6dttztov05dgds1qn48ji
If you have any questions related to the development of your advisory committee, please contact your Executive Director, State Extension Specialist, or the Cornell Cooperative Extension Organizational Development Team cce-orgdev@cornell.edu.
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