Dear colleagues,
The word “unprecedented” has been used too often this spring and early summer to describe current events, but there really are few other words for how dramatically Extension has shifted gears since COVID-19 arrived in mid-March.
Within a few days of all faculty and staff being assigned to work remotely and the announcement that all in-person events would be canceled or taken online, Extension employees adapted. In many cases, they did not just adapt, they thrived. For example, a workshop for sheep and goat owners that had been planned as an in-person event for a few dozen people went online and grew to an audience of more than 300 people. Educators created new online tools for buying, cooking and preserving food in isolation, and for managing finances in households where jobs were lost. Other faculty and staff created new podcasts and blogs to keep their audiences informed in the absence of face-to-face contact, and everyone learned how to conduct large meetings and dis…
The word “unprecedented” has been used too often this spring and early summer to describe current events, but there really are few other words for how dramatically Extension has shifted gears since COVID-19 arrived in mid-March.
Within a few days of all faculty and staff being assigned to work remotely and the announcement that all in-person events would be canceled or taken online, Extension employees adapted. In many cases, they did not just adapt, they thrived. For example, a workshop for sheep and goat owners that had been planned as an in-person event for a few dozen people went online and grew to an audience of more than 300 people. Educators created new online tools for buying, cooking and preserving food in isolation, and for managing finances in households where jobs were lost. Other faculty and staff created new podcasts and blogs to keep their audiences informed in the absence of face-to-face contact, and everyone learned how to conduct large meetings and dis…