To sustain Extension for all times, leaders at every level in the land-grant university system must have certain attributes beyond general leadership traits. These attributes include the integrity to provide selfless service, putting the best interests of the system, including Extension, above personal positioning. Our leaders must fully understand the Extension mission and model; equally value all components of the land-grant system; and be able to effectively and proudly communicate the impacts of Extension education. Land-grant leadership also requires commitment to preserving Extension’s capacity for local program delivery, as well as Extension’s standing as a source for non-prescriptive, alternatives-and-consequences-oriented education. Finally, these attributes must be combined with active listening and an eye to developing a strong succession-ready leadership team.
Only leaders with these attributes can ensure that the land-grant system will serve the American people as intended, through Extension education, to yield the system’s greatest potential for improving our nation’s prosperity.
