
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 8, 1995                   TAG: 9509080062
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

EXTENSION SHAPE TO BE UNVEILED; FARMING TARGETED

The unveiling of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service's new shape will begin in the coming days, and includes a shift toward an agricultural focus.

"There will be more people committed to agriculture, not home economics," said Virginia Tech President Paul Torgersen, citing the two major areas historically served by extension.

Other changes likely will include: increased use of technology to spread information; specialists serving larger areas; reduced administration; increased outside funding sources, which could mean charging for some programs; and staffing local offices with the help of local governments. The list of changes was provided by Peggy Meszaros, Tech's provost.

The university hopes to keep the salaries of 60 workers who took the state buyout this spring. Once those buyout payments are made to former workers, the university may spend the money training field agents in the use of new communication technologies, Meszaros said.

Details of how these changes will be made are to emerge over the coming days and weeks.

Meszaros described the agricultural focus as dealing with issues "from the ground to the table."

"I think where we've had some rather deep discussion is: What's peripheral to the essential agriculture mission?" she said.

The proposals follow a long legislative battle last winter when Virginia Tech, extension's home agency, waged a successful campaign to save $12 million Gov. George Allen wanted to cut from the organization.

Ultimately, the General Assembly asked the university to review the extension service and report back on potential new funding sources by October.

Extension was launched decades ago as a way for research from universities to be spread to communities and farms, often with the local extension agent as the link between them. The agency has been under a funding assault for years during the annual legislative session, with millions cut.

At Tech, four colleges of the university, the statewide extension agents and their programs - including 4-H - and 12 agriculture experiment stations, all draw from the service. The proposed changes will be made over time, Meszaros said.

by CNB