Extension Policy
Statements on Public
Issues Education
Strengthening the Role of the
University
L. Steven Smutko
North Carolina State University
Introduction
 Creating “Strengthening the Role of the
University”, an easy-to-read guide for
developing official policy statements on
Public Issues Education
 Intent is to increase the capacity of land-
grant universities to educate citizens on
pressing and emerging public issues.
Introduction
 A product of the NPPEC Public Issues Education
Subcommittee
 Part of a set of materials for in-service training
in Public Issues Education
Introduction
 Follows work of Phil Favero and Kay
Haaland in a 2000 report titled,
Statements Concerning public Issues
Education: A Summary and Analysis of
State Extension Policies and Ideas
Introduction
 Reviewed statements and
guidelines published by land grant
institutions including those from
Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland,
Michigan, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, and Washington.
 Pulls good ideas from each
 Provides commentary to guide
land-grant PIE programs in
developing their own statements
Need for PIE Policy Statements
 While many educators are commonly
involved in public issues education, the
land-grant institution has much greater
potential to be effective in this arena. To
realize this potential, universities need to
formalize PIE networks and practices.
Need for PIE Policy Statements
 The network should work to maximize
benefits and minimize risks of doing PIE by
overcoming organizational barriers,
providing training, and helping educators
decide which role to play and at what level
of intensity.
(A Shared Agenda for Public Issues Education, Cornell
University, 1999)
Objectives of PIE
Policy Statements
 Promote quality extension programming
 Establish a rationale for the land-grant
university’s engagement in public issues
 Clarify the roles of
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Extension, research, teaching faculty
Administration
The public
 Clarify organizational support for faculty
who are involved in potentially contentious
public policy issues
Who Should Craft a
Policy Statement?
 Campus faculty
 Off-campus faculty
 University administrators
 Legal counsel
PIE Policy Statements
What might a policy statement contain?
Policy Statement Content --
Definitions
 Define what is meant by Public Issues
Education
 Provide definitions of specific terms where
needed
Policy Statement Content --
Statement of Principles
 A clear statement of principles that
specify the responsibilities, standards, and
norms that underlie the professional
activities of public issues educators and
the institutions for which they work.

“…Extension needs to be viewed by the public
as fair, balanced and inclusive.” (Ohio State
University Extension)

“PIE… assumes that…individuals are the most
appropriate judge of their interests. (U. of
Idaho Cooperative Extension Service)
Policy Statement Content --
Applicability
 Identify the stakeholders covered by the
statement

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Campus faculty (research, extension, teaching)
Off campus faculty
Professional staff
Graduate students
Administration
The public
 Identify the colleges /schools / programs
covered by the statement
Policy Statement Content --
Separability
 Policy guidelines should not conflict with
other university policies or state and
federal laws

“Appropriate guidelines concerning general
educational and research activities are
contained in disciplinary practices, the WSU
faculty manual, and relevant sections of state
and federal law” (WSU Canons of Practice)
Policy Statement Content --
Roles
 An important distinction of PIE is the
observance of appropriate roles that
participants in the education process can
and should play
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Extension educators
Researchers
Administrators
The public
 A policy statement should reflect this
distinction
Policy Statement Content --
Roles
 Define the role of the public issues
educator

“…we should raise the important questions that
citizens must ponder… We should provide, in
an understandable form, summaries of the
best science available… We can serve as
facilitators of public policy education and
discussion.” (New Mexico State U. Cooperative
Extension)
 Separate content roles from process roles
Policy Statement Content --
Guidelines
 Focus on best practices, i.e., professional
conduct
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Educators will serve as advocates for the
principles that underlie public issues education
and not demonstrate bias toward a particular
point of view (Univ. of Idaho)
Educators who take on the role of facilitator
or mediator will need to gain the agreement of
all participants to the operating principles of
the process (WSU Canons of Practice)
Policy Statement Content --
Guidelines
 Clearly define the conditions when public
issues education is appropriate, and when
other educational methods are warranted
instead (WSU Canons of Practice):
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Issue affects the larger community
Diverse and multiple stakeholders are involved
Roles clearly defined and communicated
A shared information base has been provided
Ground rules have been established
Policy Statement Content --
Organizational Support
 Based on adherence to the parameters that define
a “good” PIE program.
 Organization will publicly support the right and
responsibility of faculty to perform public issues
education (from WSU Canons of Practice):
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Administrators inform employees about concerns
and consult them about resolution
Employees to be provided with relevant information
in a timely manner
Administrators will provide written notification of
the complaint and keep employees informed
Administrators will act to assure that responses
are not biased towards particular constituents
Policy Statement Content --
Enhancing Capacity
 Organizational support can be more than a
“downstream” approach
 Statement of support for increasing the
capacity of extension educators for doing
PIE
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In-service training
Study leave
Personnel exchanges
Etc…
Policy Statement Content --
Evaluation Methods
 Accountability in maintaining the standards
set forth in the policy statement
 Specify evaluation criteria for PIE
programs
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(see Favaro and Haaland)
Number & diversity of participants
Range of policy options discussed
From Paper to Practice
 Signed and adopted by college and university
administrators

As Extension broadens university-wide, broaden
your administrative stakeholders
 Circulate among all faculty and administrators
 New faculty orientation
 Include in all PIE in-service training materials
 Review and reaffirm as administrators change
 Review and update periodically
 Update as new situations arise and the system
adapts to meet new challenges in public issues
education