Fulfilling the Land-Grant Mission in a Modern Context: Ensuring Equitable Education via Cooperative Extension

Wednesday, January 24, 2024
10am - 11:30am PT | 11am - 12:30 pm MT | 12pm - 1:30pm CT | 1pm - 2:30pm ET

Jump to: Resources

Facilitator

Dr. Antonio Silas, Baltimore City Extension Director, University of Maryland Extension
Email: silas7@umd.edu - Please feel free to reach out to chat!

Dr. Antonio Silas is a strategic administrative leader with nearly 18 years of experience in the realms of higher education and the federal government. He currently serves as the Baltimore City Extension Director for the University of Maryland Extension. In this role, he leads an office of talented faculty that are dedicated to supporting the residents of Baltimore through educational programming and impactful partnerships. He views education as a catalyst in creating impactful, engaged, informed, and resilient communities.

Antonio received his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Tennessee State University, his Master of Public Administration from Arkansas State University, and his Ph.D. in Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education from Virginia Tech. His doctoral research focused on the challenges faced by historically underrepresented students in agricultural fields at 1862 land-grant institutions. He leverages the knowledge gained from his collective personal and professional experiences to build partnerships, provide strategic leadership, and find sustainable solutions to emerging community-based challenges.

Description

In this workshop, Antonio Silas, the Baltimore City Extension Director for University of Maryland Extension, will provide an overview of how his faculty and staff work to ensure that the office's educational offerings are accessible and equitable to the communities they serve. This will be discussed within the context of accomplishing the land-grant mission in a large urban locale. The presentation will also include examples of:

• Ensuring that research findings are equitably shared
• Touching on how programming and offerings are intentionally shared and made accessible
• Building trust within communities and addressing relevant challenges with research-based solutions

Resources

• NC_FEW Jan24 webinar slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 14.8MB Jan30 24)
• Jan24 NC-FEW virtual workshop summary (Acrobat (PDF) 238kB Mar15 24)
• National Archives about the Morrill Land Grant Act
• List of Land Grant Colleges and Universities
• Neith Little, Extension Agent, Urban Agriculture
• Cultural Transformation in the Geoscience Community 
  • Related to the question about community engagement timelines vs research timelines, NSF has a newer program called Cultural Transformation in the Geoscience Community that allows up to 2.5 years for planning grants that can prepare for implementation grants. Dr. Romulo is co-PI on one at the moment and they are using the 2.5 years to engage with the community and help them identify the project topics that they want to work on/questions they want answered: 
    • Happy to answer questions about our grant and experiences! Chelsie.Romulo@unco.edu 
• Volunteer opportunities with the University of Maryland Extension 

Logistics

Duration: 90 minutes
Format: Presentations will take place through a Zoom Meeting screen-sharing session. The virtual workshop will be recorded.
Accessing the Virtual Workshop: Instructions for joining the virtual workshop will be emailed to participants the day before the event.
Code of Conduct: Participants in all NC-FEW meetings and events are expected to abide by the NC-FEW Code of Conduct, which applies in all venues, events, and on-line forums associated with NC-FEW. Please read the full Code of Conduct Policy for details.
Questions? Please contact Rory McFadden (rmcfadden@carleton.edu) if you have any questions about this event.