University of Illinois Extension faces big budget cuts, major reorganization

I'm a Master Gardener volunteer with the University of Illinois Extension, and--full disclosure--I also do some freelance work for it (editing and whatnot). I know what a powerful force the Extension and especially the horticulture educators and Master Gardeners volunteers are in Chicago-area gardening and green projects. I am nowhere near the most active among them, but in general the Master Gardeners in Chicago are the happiest, busiest beavers I know.

So it's not nice to hear that as fallout from the smoking bomb crater that is the budget of the State of Illinois, the extension is facing big budget slashing and a major reorganization.

This is not like the scare of 2008, when big budget and staff cuts were averted, in part because of outcry from Extension supporters to members of the state legislature. This is much deeper and more fundamental. It looks like it is going to bring the biggest changes to Extension since it was founded in the 19th century. I couldn't find a Chicago-area news story on the subject, but here's one from the Champaign paper.

What's not clear is exactly what form the changes will take. The Extension administrators are trying to figure that out. It seems likely that some county Extension offices, especially Downstate, will be combined, rather than having a separate unit in each county as has been the case for more than 100 years.

It also may lead to Extension re-evaluating the emphasis of its programs. In most of the state, it's still perceived as mainly a service to agriculture, with a little 4H and Home Ec. This crisis may force Extension to think harder about what its direction should be going forward.

In the Chicago area? The populous, urbanized counties in the northeastern part of the state are very different from the Downstate corn and soybean country, and have much larger and more varied Extension programs and priorities. Gardening is big in Chicago and the suburbs. But the Extension also has programs in public health, science education and many other areas that go far beyond Ag and 4-H. There are a lot of different needs and interests to balance around here.

But the Extension is holding a series of public meetings to get input. I urge anybody who cares about gardening or greening or the horticulture industry to attend one of these meetings and to call and write to the Extension and to your state officials and let them know how important its horticulture and other programs are to your community.

It seems clear to me that major change in the Extension can't be averted at this point, but the direction of change can be influenced by people who speak up for what they value.

Here's the full text of this week's press release with the list of meetings. I'm posting it in full because I can't find it online anywhere.

U of I Extension seeks public input on its future

Urbana – State budget constraints have prompted University of Illinois Extension to explore ways to cut costs and still provide high-impact programming, and Extension leaders are now seeking public input on their options.

A series of public meetings are scheduled:

· Monday, February 22: 5:00-7:00 pm – Champaign Unit Auditorium, 801 N. Country Fair Drive, Champaign, Illinois

· Tuesday, February 23: 6:30-8:30 pm – John A. Logan College, Hancock Conference Center, 700 College Road, Carterville, Illinois

· Thursday, February 25: 2:00-4:00 pm – DeKalb Unit Office, 1350 W Prairie Drive, Sycamore, Illinois

· Friday, February 26: 2:00-4:00 pm – Effingham Unit Office, 1209 Wenthe Drive, Effingham, Illinois

· Monday, March 1: 7:00-9:00 pm – Okawville Community Club Building, 511 S. Hanover St., Okawville, Illinois

· Tuesday, March 2: 6:00-8:00 pm – Kane Unit Office, 535 S. Randall Rd., St. Charles, Illinois

· Thursday, March 4: 1:00-3:00 pm – McDonough Unit Auditorium, 3022 W. Jackson, Macomb, Illinois

· Thursday, March 4: 6:00-8:00 pm – Bureau Unit Office, 850 Thompson Street, Princeton, Illinois

· Tuesday, March 9: 6:00-8:00 pm – U of I Extension Center Illini Auditorium, Illinois State Fairgrounds, 1101 E. Sangamon Ave., Springfield, Illinois

· Friday, March 12: 10:00-Noon – Countryside Center, 6438 Joliet Rd., Countryside, Illinois

“To be fiscally responsible, U of I Extension is planning for funding cuts, but we want to make these cuts in such a way as to maintain Extension’s strong tradition of high-impact educational programming, which has had a dramatic effect on the citizens of Illinois over the years,” said Bob Hoeft, interim Extension director.

It’s projected that Extension funding will decline between $2 and $5 million next year, and a rescission of state funding is expected for the 2009-10 budget year.

While a cost-savings plan is not yet finalized, Hoeft says he’s operating on several guiding principles.

“First, we want to maintain a system that produces and delivers effective, high-impact educational programming in response to local needs,” he said.

He says we are exploring the concept of multi-county units to reduce administrative costs such as facility rental and administrators. At the same time, it’s expected that the number of educators would increase for these multi-county units.

“We also want to support youth programming and 4-H at the same high level because it has a major impact on Illinois children. “This will be a priority in the reorganization,” Hoeft said.

Hoeft also emphasizes the continued use of new and effective learning technologies to deliver educational programming.

After the public meetings, Hoeft expects to finalize reorganization plans in mid-April and start implementing the plans after that.

University of Illinois Extension’s FY09 budget totaled $65 million, supporting 800 employees of all classifications. The budget is made up mostly from federal, state and local funds.

As part of the federal land-grant university system, Extension connects Illinois citizens with the University of Illinois and has a 90-year history of providing educational programs to improve the quality of life in the state. U of I Extension offers educational programming in all of Illinois’ 102 counties in response to locally identified needs. It is the home of the popular 4-H program.

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Got a garden question? I recommend you call or e-mail the Plant Clinic of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, the Master Gardeners of the University of Illinois Extension or the Plant Information Service of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe .

All contents of this post are copyright Beth Botts. Feel free to link or share a brief excerpt with a link, but please do not reproduce photos or any other part of this blog without my express permission.