Goal 3: Increase Land-Grant Impact

College Vision for Land-Grant Impact

Penn State Extension and the College will be Pennsylvania's most trusted and easily accessed partner for innovation and community prosperity—integrating education, research, and stakeholder engagement to deliver positive economic, environmental, and social impacts.

Strategic Investment Priorities

Priority 3.1: Maximize Program Impact Through Strategic Doing and Digital Innovation

Objective

Enhance Extension program delivery through targeted, focused programs and products, delivered through a variety of methods needed to reach all stakeholders, that address Pennsylvania's most pressing challenges across our broad mission areas.

Why this matters

Extension operates in an environment of changing demographics, budget constraints, and rapid technological advancement. Strategic focus on high-impact programs, combined with innovative digital delivery platforms like Tilva™, our newly launched AI Extension decision support tool, will maximize reach and measurable impact while building stakeholder support.  Tilva™ will become the trusted, go-to resource for five million Pennsylvania households who grow, prepare and consume food, steward natural resources (lawns, trees, water, and more), and contribute to thriving communities across the state.

Penn State Extension will use our state-of-the-art programming, coupled with a microcredentialing platform, to become the premier destination for lifelong learning, especially in workforce development.

Extension Strategic Framework

Penn State Extension's strategic plan complements the College's broader strategic planning while ensuring Extension can respond quickly to challenges. Extension organizes around four strategic goals: (1) Maximize Program Impacts, (2) Grow Our People, (3) Pursue Operational Excellence, and (4) Build Financial Sustainability. The implementation approach mirrors the Office for Research and Graduate Education's commitment to Strategic Doing, ensuring directions are not restrictive and course corrections are made through iterative self-examination.

Signature Program Focus Areas

1. Farm Business Resilience & Succession Planning: Supporting farm profitability, risk management, and generational transitions
2. Resilient Agricultural Systems: Helping producers adopt better soil health, water quality, and carbon practices
3. Precision Livestock & Dairy Management: Adopting technology for efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship
4. Local & Regional Food Systems and New Product Development — Strengthening supply chains, value-added marketing, agritourism, innovating new products, and market access for Pennsylvania producers
5. Forest Stewardship & Wood Products Innovation: Promoting sustainable and profitable forest management and economic development in rural communities

Key Initiatives

• Expand and improve our newly launched Tilva™ AI-powered decision support: Scale Penn State Extension's groundbreaking AI assistant (launched January 2026), which provides 24/7 access to trusted, Pennsylvania-specific agricultural guidance. Tilva™ offers image-based pest/disease/plant identification, soil test interpretation, localized weather and soil data integration, bilingual support (English/Spanish), and connections to Extension educators for complex questions. Built on Penn State's PlantVillage AI platform, Tilva™ expands Extension's reach to time-constrained producers while allowing educators to focus on nuanced problem-solving.
• Workforce development through expanded digital and hybrid delivery and Microcredentialing: Develop defined learning pathways leading to industry-valued microcredentials. Online/hybrid models will complement face-to-face programming while maintaining quality through Extension's peer review process and addressing changing demographics and technology-driven shifts in Extension delivery.
• Target all households in Pennsylvania with Extension expertise: Combining our broad expertise with Tilva and our robust digital capacity, bring science-based programs and products to bear on household-level issues in agricultural production (e.g., gardening, backyard poultry), food processing, canning and nutrition education, management of natural resources (e.g., streams, lawns, wells, trees) and youth development through 4-H. To be successful, this must account for the diversity of households and communities in the state.
• Implement program team effectiveness model: Establish a rubric for prioritizing programs and Program teams, ensure consistent implementation of the Program Development Process, and systematically implement review for impact. (Extension Goal 1: Maximize Program Impacts)

Responsible Units

Penn State Extension (Director's Cabinet, Associate Directors, Program Teams), academic departments, Marketing and Digital Education.

Metrics and Targets

Priority 3.2: Community- and Stakeholder-Engaged Research and Partnerships

Objective

Deepen reciprocal partnerships with Pennsylvania communities, commodity groups, agencies, and businesses to co-design research priorities and solutions.

Why this matters

Stakeholder trust and relevance require authentic engagement in which communities help set the agenda. Co-designed research increases adoption and demonstrates accountability.

Key Initiatives

• Establish Dean’s Leadership Council comprised of 20–25 experienced leaders with disciplinary expertise and committed to advancing the mission of the college (complementing the college’s Ag Council engagement model) to inform strategic priorities (Year 1).
• Refine a framework for our rapid-response capabilities to address emerging issues (disease outbreaks, policy changes, market disruptions).
• Host annual "Science to Practice Symposium" bringing together researchers, Extension educators, and stakeholders.
• Leverage Tilva™ to capture real-time stakeholder questions and emerging issues and help inform research priority-setting.

Responsible Units

Office for Research and Graduate Education, Penn State Extension, academic departments, Dean's Office

Priority 3.3: Economic Development and Workforce Pipelines

Objective

Drive economic development through agricultural innovation, business support, and workforce development aligned with the college’s mission.

Key Initiatives

• Partner with Pennsylvania agricultural businesses and with local, state and federal agencies on workforce development, internships, and applied research projects. See Keystone Ag Tech Alliance and NSF ENGINE initiatives in 2.3
• As noted in Priority 3.1, provide workforce development to individuals across the state.
• Support agricultural start-ups and small business expansions through technical assistance and partnerships from institutional entrepreneurship expertise, with Extension business management programming
• Strengthen Extension's revenue generation strategies (Goal 4: Build Financial Sustainability) through increased program fees, external grants, and philanthropic support while maintaining mission accessibility
• Track jobs created/retained and economic impact from College programs

Responsible Units

Extension, Office for Undergraduate Education, academic departments, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, Corporate Engagement Center,

Metrics and Targets