Integrating Research and Extension in in an Academic Department: Opportunities and Challenges - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Integrating Research and Extension in in an Academic Department: Opportunities and Challenges

Invited Seminar

Department of Agricultural Economics

Mississippi State University

Starkville, MS

J

. Matthew

Fannin

Associate Professor, LSU

AgCenter

and LSU A&M

January 21, 2014

Slide2

Who am I?

Southern native: Rural North Louisiana (Jackson Parish)

Local Influences

Elementary and High School: Agriculture and Manufacturing Dep. EconomiesUndergraduate and Graduate School: Non-Ag. Rural Development / Public SectorEducation: B.S. and M.S. Ag. Economics – LSUPh.D.: Ag. Economics- Univ of MissouriAssistant/Associate Professor/ Rural Development, LSU 2003 - Present

Slide3

Outline

Research-Extension Continuum

Planning a Joint Program

Example: Financial ResiliencyGoing from State to RegionalChallenges SRDC Director/MSU Faculty MemberDirections

Slide4

Rural Development CriticismsResearchWhere are the experiments? Where are the controls?

Is policy analysis actually research?

Social science isn’t real “science”

ExtensionYou aren’t touching enough skin!Extension is about helping people not places.You can’t measure success!Research-Extension Continuum

Slide5

Quality RD research and extension at intersection and constantly crossing boundaryDistinction blurred by many funding sourcesE.g. Sea Grant

Research-Extension Continuum

Research

Extension

RD

Scholarship

Slide6

What is the rural/community problem?Cliché – Begin with the “end” in mind

What are your proposed outputs, impacts, and outcomes?

How will they be measured?

Does (or will potentially) anyone value program?Does program have public value?Planning a Joint Program

Slide7

Identify unit(s) of analysisDecision makers – household, business, government

Aggregates – industry, geography

Planning a Joint Program

Slide8

Problem: Parishes/municipalities financially unprepared for Hurricane GustavEnd Deliverables

Output: Decision tool for reducing financial vulnerability/improving capacity

Impact: Public sector incorporating policy to increase financial capacity / reduce vulnerability

Outcome: Lower costs incurred during next similar hurricane; fiscal health maintained / improved following disasterExample: Financial Resiliency

Slide9

Measuring vulnerabilityFannin, J.M.,

J.D

. Barreca

, and J.D. Detre. 2012. “The Role of Public Wealth in Recovery and Resiliency to Natural Disasters in Rural Communities.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 94(2): 549-555. January.Measuring capacity/resiliencyFannin, J.M. and J.D. Detre. 2012. "Red Light Ahead: Preparing Local Governments Financially for the Next Disaster."

Choices

. 27(1). Available online at

http://www.choicesmagazine.org/magazine/pdf/cmsarticle_209.pdf

.

Brown,

K.

,

J.M. Fannin

, and

J.D

. Detre. 2013. “Fiscal Health Revisited: Evaluating County Government Finances as Local Government Vulnerabilities Increase.” Presentation Made at Annual Meetings of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, August 4

th

-6

th, Washington, DC.

Financial Resiliency (Research)

Slide10

Financial Disaster Resiliency Case StudiesTangipahoa Parish, LA (2009-10)Calcasieu Parish, LA (2011-12)

Foley, AL (2013)

Waveland, MS (Expected 2014)

Financial Resiliency Extension

Slide11

Train-the-Trainer Manual (2011)National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Workbook (2014)

Webinars

NADO (July 2013)

National Association of Counties (NACo) (Nov 2013)Financial Resiliency (Extension)

Slide12

Total Funding in Program Theme (2009 to 2013): $519,305Fannin

, J. Matthew

. “Educating Stakeholders on Regional Financial Resiliency.” Rural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri. $19,230. (

05/01/2013-12/31/2013). (100% LSU AgCenter).Fannin, J. Matthew and Carol Franze. “Delivering Decision Support to Local Governments to Financially Plan for Future Natural Disasters.” Smith Lever Special Needs Competitive Grant Program. National Institute for Food and Agriculture, USDA. $53,826 (08/15/2012 – 08/14/2014) (100% LSU AgCenter).

Fannin, J. Matthew

, Jody Thompson, Carol

Franze

, Joshua D. Detre, and Ashok Mishra. “Measuring the Relative Financial Vulnerability of Municipal Governments to Tropical Natural Disaster Risk.” Coastal Storms Program, Multi-State Sea Grant Consortium administered by Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. $99,283. 02/01/2012 – 01/31/2014. (LSU

AgCenter

Portion $87,494

)

Financial

Resiliency Funding

Slide13

Detre, Joshua D., J. Matthew Fannin, Ashok K. Mishra, R. Wes Harrison, Rex H. Caffey

, and Kurt M. Guidry. “Improving the Economic Resiliency of Rural Communities Under Natural Disaster and Environmental Risk.” USDA/NIFA/ Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program. $238,500. 01/01/2012 – 12/31/2016. (100%

AgCenter

)Fannin, J. Matthew, Carol Franze, Joshua Detre, Thomas Hymel, and Kenneth Savoie. “Decision Support to Local Governments in Budget Planning Under Coastal Risk in Louisiana.” Louisiana Sea Grant College Program. $100,280. Feb 2010 - May 2012. ($88,000 LSU AgCenter).Fannin, J. Matthew

and Carol

Franze

. “Decision Support to Local Governments in Budget Planning Under Coastal Risk.” Coastal Storms Program: Community Risk and

Reiliency

. Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. May 2009 – Apr 2010. $19,975. (100%

AgCenter

).

Financial

Resiliency Funding

Slide14

Train-the-Trainer Extension EventsResearch on Fiscal Stress/Bankruptcy

Extend outreach/research to Sandy affected regions

Extend research /outreach approach to non-disaster economic resiliency

Financial Resiliency – Next Steps

Slide15

Need a local (state) problem(s) to build a regional/national programFits “applied” mission of the land-grant

More closely links research/extension functions

Allows local “cases” to build into regional and national models for research and extension

Opportunities - State to Regional

Slide16

The role/contribution of micropolitan regions on rural performance/sustainability

Why

micropolitan

? – Importance to MississippiAlmost a third of urban population in MS live in micro areas (5th highest in continental U.S.)Over a third of rural MS population resides in Micro areas– (7th highest continental U.S.; highest in South)

Opportunities - State to Regional

Slide17

Slide18

Slide19

Coastal development IssuesCurrent domain coastal/resource scholars

Environment People

Rural Development scholars bring the following perspective

People EnvironmentOpportunities - State to Regional

Slide20

Scholars need to work togetherPeople Environment

9 of 13 Southern states have

coastline

Lessons from MS to other Southern statesOpportunities State to Regional

Slide21

Integration

Low

High

Geography

Region

SRDC Support

Research/Extension

Southern

PI consortia region wide research / extension

State

Low Generalizability

Research and Outreach

MS-specific, other states

State research

model and extension program templates; highly generalizable

Intersection of State/Regional Initiatives

Slide22

Challenge: “Managing busy-overhead work / Investment in Writing”Address – Compartmentalize overhead timeChallenge: “Advising undergraduate and graduate students”

Address - Develop initial in-person relationship; move to alternative interaction methods with value-added components

Challenges to SRDC Director and MSU Faculty Position

Slide23

Challenge – “Maintaining disciplinary support/service”Address – Push SRDC research/outreach scholarship as much as possible to disciplinary outlets

Challenge – “Mentoring junior faculty”

Address – Involve in grant proposal

Challenges to SRDC Director and MSU Faculty Position

Slide24

Challenge – “Extensive travel schedule”Address – Increase intensity of travel effort – learn how to say “no” when not mission critical; use of distance technology effectively

Challenge: “Competing agendas between multiple stakeholder groups”

Address: “Who said this job was going to be easy?”

Challenges to SRDC Director and MSU Faculty Position

Slide25

Directions for Research, Extension, and Teaching

@

Mississippi State University

Slide26

Regional wealth creationDimensions(people-based vs

place-based)

(public

vs private)(local vs non-local)Measurement/priceResearch Directions

Slide27

Tradeoffs – physical vs. financialContractual arrangements – disaster services

Disaster Resiliency / Security

Slide28

Optimal “risk-adjusted” thresholds for major financial ratiosMunicipal bankruptcy analysis

Fiscal Health

Slide29

Data creation/deliveryDevelop alternatives/substitutes for discontinuing federal data series

Update/maintain community policy toolkit

Modify and deliver financial resiliency program

Leverage federal and university partnersOutreach / Service

Slide30

Regional economics taught at all levelsUndergraduate (intro to space in production and consumption; Germanic geography, spreadsheet-derived spatial metrics, multiplier interpretation)

Masters – nonparametric regional analysis, spatially granular data analysis and correlations, custom mapping

Ph.D. (I-O, SAM, CGE, Spatial Econometric (SAR, SEM, GWR, spatiotemporal,

etc)Develop undergraduate/M.S. class on “Rural Wealth Creation”Teaching innovationsFlipped classroomService learning

Teaching

Slide31

“It costs money to conduct quality research”(

Abner

Womack, FAPRI Director, August 1998)

Funding the Program

Slide32

Aggressively seek funding from traditional and non-traditional sourcesUSDA, Commerce, Interior, NSF, NIH

Previous success in competitive and non-competitive at federal level

Focus on strengthening faculty success across department

Evaluate ROI Multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborationsSmall vs large funding sourcesFunding the Program

Slide33

Leverage state and federal partners(Regional RDCs, RUPRI, RFI, NACo

, NADO,

etc

)Evaluate related to general mission and core competenciesStep out on a limb!!Funding the Program

Slide34

Thank You!

mfannin@agcenter.lsu.edu

225.578.0346