MONROE - After the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents passed a resolution to restructure colleges and UW-Extension in November, now the Green County UW-Extension program should be under the umbrella of the University of Wisconsin-Madison by July 1.
Members of the county Agriculture and Extension Education Committee heard the news from Area Extension Director Paul Ohlrogge during a meeting Wednesday at the Green County Justice Center. Ohlrogge oversees educator teams in Green, Lafayette, Grant and Iowa counties.
"This will be a significant shift for Extension," Ohlrogge said.
The change essentially moves UW-Extension into UW-Madison where it would be headquartered on the four-year campus. Each of the five divisions that make up Cooperative Extension, the program which helps support agriculture education, family living resources, 4-H and youth development and other community practices, will be run through UW administration. The divisions of Business and Entrepreneurship, Broadcasting and Media Innovations - including Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio - and Continuing Education, Outreach and E-learning will all be combined with UW-Madison administration.
As another facet of restructuring to accommodate funding gaps, two-year Extension campuses will be partnered with neighboring universities within the system, such as the transition of UW-Rock County to UW-Whitewater.
Through the ultimate goal of cutting expenses, the provost of Extension will no longer oversee the program. Instead, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will be in charge of the program, likely to be more like a "school of Extension," Ohlrogge noted, similar to other sub-entities of the university, such as the Wisconsin School of Business.
Green County Supervisor Betty Grotophorst, a committee member, asked how much the change will affect the program.
"It's pretty scary hearing what you're saying," Grotophorst said.
In a statement made while announcing the plans to merge Nov. 9, Regent President John Robert Behling said UW System President Ray Cross would be allowed to implement the change with "a path forward to serve students and communities more effectively."
"Our chancellors have stepped up to the challenge, and I applaud all of our institutions for embracing reform," Behling said.
While change may be instituted at the beginning of July, Ohlrogge informed committee members that there are some elements which remain uncertain, like human resources, finances and promotion.
But the system embraces the shift, he said. And though July 1 is the official date, Ohlrogge noted he had been told by different staff that it would likely take at least the following half of the year to actually complete a transition. The outlook remains positive, he said.
Members of the county Agriculture and Extension Education Committee heard the news from Area Extension Director Paul Ohlrogge during a meeting Wednesday at the Green County Justice Center. Ohlrogge oversees educator teams in Green, Lafayette, Grant and Iowa counties.
"This will be a significant shift for Extension," Ohlrogge said.
The change essentially moves UW-Extension into UW-Madison where it would be headquartered on the four-year campus. Each of the five divisions that make up Cooperative Extension, the program which helps support agriculture education, family living resources, 4-H and youth development and other community practices, will be run through UW administration. The divisions of Business and Entrepreneurship, Broadcasting and Media Innovations - including Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio - and Continuing Education, Outreach and E-learning will all be combined with UW-Madison administration.
As another facet of restructuring to accommodate funding gaps, two-year Extension campuses will be partnered with neighboring universities within the system, such as the transition of UW-Rock County to UW-Whitewater.
Through the ultimate goal of cutting expenses, the provost of Extension will no longer oversee the program. Instead, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will be in charge of the program, likely to be more like a "school of Extension," Ohlrogge noted, similar to other sub-entities of the university, such as the Wisconsin School of Business.
Green County Supervisor Betty Grotophorst, a committee member, asked how much the change will affect the program.
"It's pretty scary hearing what you're saying," Grotophorst said.
In a statement made while announcing the plans to merge Nov. 9, Regent President John Robert Behling said UW System President Ray Cross would be allowed to implement the change with "a path forward to serve students and communities more effectively."
"Our chancellors have stepped up to the challenge, and I applaud all of our institutions for embracing reform," Behling said.
While change may be instituted at the beginning of July, Ohlrogge informed committee members that there are some elements which remain uncertain, like human resources, finances and promotion.
But the system embraces the shift, he said. And though July 1 is the official date, Ohlrogge noted he had been told by different staff that it would likely take at least the following half of the year to actually complete a transition. The outlook remains positive, he said.