Measuring the Public Value of a Land-Grant University

Abstract

Land-grant institutions are dependent on public funding to achieve their tripartite mission of teaching, research, and extension. The purpose of this study was to gather the perceptions and opinions of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences' (IFAS) key stakeholders regarding its public value. The sample (N = 707) included community leaders and agricultural producers across the state. Nearly two-thirds had used IFAS programs or services and the majority reported being either very familiar or somewhat familiar with IFAS. Public value was measured using a constructed index. Results found that respondents who used IFAS programs or services provided a higher public value score than those who have not. Also, as respondents indicated higher levels of familiarity, the public value score increased. The type of respondent (i.e. producer or leader) was not a significant predictor of public value score. Introduction/Theoretical Framework Agriculture has a long standing tradition of valuing information and technology transfer—it the basis of the land-grant system itself. But the dawning of the information age and the knowledge economy has changed the needs of rural citizens, stakeholders and society as a whole. In addition to safe and secure food production systems, members of the general public now must look to the land grant for solutions to a wide variety of complex problems, such as the growing need for information-literate citizens and globally-ready graduates, more sustainable agricultural production, environmentally sound stewardship of natural resources, ongoing development of rural citizens, and greater provision of economic opportunity. While many believe the land-grant system remains uniquely positioned to address these needs and provide innovative solutions, doing so today requires the ability to generate a sense of the value of its programs and services among its many publics—both traditional and nontraditional (Kellogg, 1999). When land-grant institutions were first established by the Morrill Act of 1862, they were intended to provide education in common professions of the time such as agriculture, home economics, and mechanical arts. In following years, the establishment of agricultural experiment stations (Hatch Act of 1887) and the cooperative extension service (Smith-Lever Act of 1914) further emphasized the role of land-grant institutions to provide teaching, research, and outreach. The integration of these three areas is extremely valuable because of the linkages it can engender among science, learning, and public service and must therefore be renewed and strengthened (National Research Council, 1996, p. 37). Herren and Hillison (1996) stated that the academic field of agricultural education has been influenced by its inclusion in the tripartite land-grant mission because educators and students have exposure to both agricultural researchers and extension professionals. Regarding the research component of the tripartite mission, Martin (2001) said land-grant institutions should be instrumental in acquiring public support and trust in