EKU focuses on Education extension agents

This from the Times-Tribune:

EKU hopes to create a “22-county campus” in its service region through a new program modeled after the state’s county extension agents.

[Last] Tuesday, about 25 elected officials, educators and other Tri-County leaders met at the Corbin Center for Technology to list the strengths and weaknesses of their respective counties for a focus group sponsored by Eastern Kentucky University’s Office of Regional Stewardship.

EKU President Doug Whitlock has said the goal of the Office of Regional Stewardship is “connecting the dots” of community needs, community resources and university resources.

That connection might just be made by the creation of county education extension agents.

“It kind of uses the agricultural extension agent as a metaphor,” said Bob Shadur, director of EKU’s Office of Regional Stewardship. “Traditionally, within our communities, the agricultural extension agent came from the community, knew everybody in the community, knew where all the resources were located in the community, and was one of the most trusted members of the community. We would
like to take a same type of individual and have that individual coordinate the delivery of educational services to the schools.”Shadur envisions this person interacting with elementaries, middles schools and high schools on increasing retention, graduation rates and applications to post secondary institutions, all while working through EKU...