INNOVATION IN EXTENSION: University of Florida

The following describes an innovative person.

Region: Southern

Contact information for this innovator: Bob Hochmuth
Job title / position: Regional Specialized Agent; Center Director

Contact number: 386-362-1725, x103

Email address: bobhoch@ufl.edu

Brief description of innovator as provided in online survey: Bob has been highly innovative with FL's small farms efforts, greenhouse production, and protected ag in Extension

Notes from phone interview:

No significant additional information in the interview transcript


The following describes an innovative person.

Region: Southern

Contact information for this innovator: Jim Fletcher
Job title / position: County Extension Director

Contact number: (321) 697-3000

Email address: jhfr@ufl.edu

Brief description of innovator as provided in online survey: As a County Director, Jim is highly innovative in regards to how he is connecting with a myriad of stakeholders, agencies and organizations as well as local government to grow and build a highly successful county Extension program.

Notes from phone interview:

No significant additional information in the interview transcript


The following describes an innovative person.

Region: Southern

Contact information for this innovator: Paul Fisher
Job title / position: Professor and Floriculture Extension Specialist

Contact number: 352 273 4581

Email address: pfisher@ufl.edu

Brief description of innovator as provided in online survey: Paul has developed a highly innovative online delivery program for a myriad of floriculture topics. He offers these on a cost-recovery basis and has had outstanding participation

Notes from phone interview:

No significant additional information in the interview transcript


The following describes an innovative person.

Region: Southern

Contact information for this innovator: Libby Carnahan
Job title / position: Sea Grant Agent

Contact number: 727-453-6522

Email address: lcarnahan@pinellascounty.org

Brief description of innovator as provided in online survey: she is an innovative extension educator working in climate change, see level rise, and community resilience.

Notes from phone interview:

And she does a lot of work related to climate change and sea level rise and community resiliency. And she would be another one I would add to the list of highly innovative.


The following describes an innovation.

Region: Southern

Main contact information for this innovation: Nick Place

Main contact job title / position: Dean and Director for Extension

Main contact number: (352) 392-1761

Main contact email address:  nplace@ufl.edu

Innovation name: 1-           Strategic Staffing Plan 2- Revenue Enhancement 3- Greater Impact through Urban Programming 4- Statewide Evaluation

Brief description of innovation as provided in online survey:

1-            Strategic Staffing Plan

Looking to come up with a plan that helps with utilizing human resources in the most effective and efficient ways and that includes coming up with some new types of positions that can be implemented for addressing needs around the state.  Also partnerships with various agencies and organization that could help fund these types of positions, looking to put in core faulty around the state that can help in addressing big issues such as climate change, food system, and water issues.

2-            Revenue Enhancement

In the current situation of tightening federal, state, and local resources we made a determination to come up with more ideas to diversify our funding portfolio as well as incentives for faculty to be innovative and entrepreneurial. We are coming up with for handling fund, and remove barriers where possible.

3-            Greater impact through urban programing

As the third largest state with a large urban population we must create impact and have value with urban constituents. We came up with a plan on how we can work more closely with our urban governments and address those particular needs and show greater return in investment and results for addressing urban constituents.

4-            Statewide Evaluation:

Identifies seven big issuers/ initiatives area, we have faculties that are determined to measure outcomes and impacts. And have set of indicators that can be used to determine behavioral, economic, environmental, and social changes.

Notes from phone interview:

With the staffing one, we are looking to come up with a plan for the extension organization. That can help us utilize our human resources in the most effective and efficient way. That includes coming up with some new types of positions, that we can implement for addressing needs around the state. It's also-- one of the things we're look at, is partnerships with various agencies and organizations, that could help us fund these kinds of positions. It's also looking to put in core faculty around the state, that can be addressing some of the big issues. Such as climate change, food systems, water issues, and things such as that. And how this is innovative, is that we're taking more of a 30,000 foot organizational view for utilization of salary dollars and filling positions. As compared to the traditional view of just focusing in on a more narrow specific county need. That's [?] to one innovation.

The second related to revenue, is that in light of the current situation of tightening federal, state, and local resources. We've made a determination that we've got to come up with some strategies in regards to how we can diversify our funding portfolio. As well as incentivize faculty to be innovative and entrepreneurial. And so with that, we're coming up with some strategies to streamline processes for handling funds, removing barriers where possible. And streamlining those kind of processes. As well as trying to incentivize our faculty to go out and generate funds that they can again invest back into their programming efforts, their professional development, travel, and things such as that. That's the second organizational thing.

The third is with urban programming. And in a state like this, which is now the third largest state, we with a very large urban population. We've determine that we must make greater impact and have greater value with urban constituents. And so we're coming up with a specific plan about how we can work more closely with our urban government. And address those particular needs. And show greater return on investment and results. For addressing urban constituents. And part of that too, is to really begin conversations with municipalities. And to figure out ways that we can partner with them for addressing needs in some of our major metropolitan areas. Such as Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and so on and so forth. They are the three big organizational initiatives that we have underway related to innovation. The other one is more programmatic that we're working on, is with some state-wide evaluation. And what I mean by that, is we've identified these, what I call seven big initiative areas and big issue areas, that we're working on. And we have faculty that are determining, what are the major outcomes and impacts that we need to be working towards, collectively. And then having a set of indicators that we can use to show the behavioral changes, and economic, environmental, social condition changes, we're able to bring about in those areas. And collectively put that together. Just show organizational benefit, return on investment. They are the four big things I would mention in relation to things we're working on right now.