Here we are...

So here we are, Building the Big Pic. For those involved, we spend the one day we would normally have to ourselves learning how to construct an organization piece by piece, brick by brick. Creating something where there was nothing...

Let me back up for a moment and explain. My name is Marissa Stone, I am a student working on my PhD. When most people hear this they immediately think research. Well yes, that is part of it. But for my educational career I wanted more than a lab and some data. I wanted to be applied. As luck would have it, along with the insight from a very wise professor, I landed in the middle of the Cooperative Extension Service.

Wow! What an excellent place to carry out my degree requirements. I can work with the people who need community services, giving back to my community while still meeting all the requirements for my graduation portfolio. I can have my cake and I can eat it too! :)

While working in Extension however, I began to notice the absence of students. My background prior to grad school is psychology. I am used to having students everywhere, involved in everything from research to counseling. Why then do we have an absence of students in Extension? I thought maybe this was an anomaly, happening only at my institution, so the idea quickly lost out to more pressing matters.

The next thing I knew, I found myself at the Extension Family Science Network Biennial Conference in 2007. I was rather surprised to find that only 5 students attended. And the ones that did attend were working directly under the planning committee members. I looked around the room and realized very quickly that the demographics at this conference spelled retirement.

For a moment I found myself afraid. Who would carry on all the community projects these Specialists were heading up? What would happen to the people benefiting from the services being provided to the communities across the nation once those benefits were gone? It was the hard work of the Extension Specialists at this conference and beyond making things happen in their respective communities. And when they finally walked away to enjoy a much-deserved retirement, who would carry on? Again I found myself asking...where were the students? I could not get this pressing question out of my head.

So, wait a minute, is this not how it works? Do we not pull in others who are passionate about our work and teach them how to do what we have done? Do we not cater to their new ideas to help kindle the drive they have for continuing our work as well as starting their own? Do we not want all our hard work to continue after we leave the scene? Am I missing something here? I am new to Extension yes, and because of that maybe I am missing The Big Picture?

I tossed and turned all night thinking about it.

The next day I gathered the 5 students in attendance together for a lunch meeting. I asked each one in turn how they felt about the Cooperative Extension Service. I gained their input on where they felt Extension was headed. I asked if they felt there was a lack of knowledge among college students about the opportunities in Extension and we all agreed that yes, there was a serious knowledge deficit.

My next move was to speak to the leadership at the conference. I wanted to know where the students were. I wanted to know if there were plans in place for replacing the soon-to-be-retiring workforce of Extension Specialists through-out the country. I wanted to know if there was a student organization for Extension and if not, why not?

Long story short...there were no students coming to these conferences, there was no real hard core plan for replacing the work force with today's students and there was not a student organization for Extension. So the Big Picture side of me exploded to the surface and I asked if we could discuss creating one. The idea was met with open arms from the leadership.

Hence we are back at the beginning of the story...So here we are, Building the Big Pic. For those involved, we spend the one day we would normally have to ourselves learning how to construct an organization piece by piece, brick by brick. Creating something where there was nothing...

The National Future Scientists and Educators of Extension (NFSEE) was founded on July 23, 2007 by a motivated group of students passionate about the Cooperative Extension Service.

After 6 months of powerful and productive strategic planning meetings we have several things on the agenda for 2009. We developed our name (NFSEE), our logo (viewable at www.nfsee.org) and our website (www.nfsee.org).

Our NFSEE Official Launch Year 2009 begins in April (April 21-24) at the Extension Family Science Network Biennial Conference in New Orleans, LA! We will have another presence at the Children Youth and Families at Risk Conference (CYFAR) May 18-21, 2009. We are very excited about showcasing NFSEE for all to see.

As a student or new professional, if you are interested, check us out! We are on the web at www.nfsee.org! Email us, contact us, call us, and ask away!

We are, Building the Big Pic and that may just include you! If you feel the need to become involved, I look forward to meeting you and even more so, I look forward to working with you. If you simply want to follow along as we go through the trials and tribulations of Building the Big Pic, by all means enjoy!

Either way post a comment and let us know your thoughts. I am always open to new suggestions and new ideas. After all, we are Building the Big Pic, and we cannot do it alone! :)

~Marissa