Community Impact

July 6, 2022 | Stacey Stearns, UConn Extension & Jessica McBride, PhD

Who You Gonna Call? UConn Extension!

Part of a national network of Cooperative Extension Systems at land-grant universities across the country, UConn Extension reaches every community in the state to help real people solve real problems

A family out on a trail ride on a summer day.

(Photo courtesy of Joe Gaylor Photography)

If there’s something strange in your backyard – or flock, or water, or garden – who you gonna call? You could try Ghostbusters, but Connecticut residents might have better luck with a UConn Extension office. Part of a national network of Cooperative Extension Systems at land-grant universities across the country, UConn Extension reaches every community in the state to help real people solve real problems.

“It’s something UConn Extension is extremely good at and has been doing for over 100 years – empowering people with the information and training they need at the pace of innovation,” says Indrajeet Chaubey, dean of College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) and director of UConn’s Cooperative Extension System.

UConn Extension’s reach is bolstered through extensive collaborations with state agencies, non-profit organizations, and municipalities to serve Connecticut communities. The collective strengths lead to innovative programs and more benefit for state residents.

“The key is that we all work in a complementary fashion,” says Mike O’Neill, senior associate dean for Extension and diversity in CAHNR. “We augment and enhance the services our partners provide, and this offers residents solutions and services to the challenges they face.”

UConn Extension’s partnerships aren’t just strong, they’re varied too, says O’Neill. In alignment with the needs of state residents and CAHNR’s research expertise, UConn Extension and their partners offer programing in agriculture and food, climate adaptation, enhancing health and well-being, and sustainable landscapes.

Agriculture and Food

Many organizations and agencies have a unique role to play in serving the agriculture and food audiences.

    • The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is one of UConn Extension’s most important partners. The Department of Agriculture focuses on regulatory oversight of agricultural products and promotes the Connecticut Grown brand.
    • Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is another valued partner. UConn Extension implements their research findings to enhance our educational outreach.
    • The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Farm Service Agency are a few of our other partners.
Number of jobs supported by CT Sea Grant through 46 aquaculture companies involved in shellfish restoration work:

Climate Adaptation and Resilience

UConn Extension engages and educates citizens in climate adaptation through programs that promote resilient and well-adapted coastal Connecticut communities and economies. Climate adaptation and resilience is a strategic initiative that cuts across all Extension program areas. Connecticut Sea Grant and the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) lead our climate adaptation initiatives.

    • Both of these UConn Extension programs partner with Connecticut DEEP, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Long Island Sound Study, the National Science Foundation, and municipalities across Connecticut, among others.
    • DEEP is an important partner on UConn Extension’s climate adaptation and sustainable landscapes initiatives as it is the state regulatory agency for climate and environmental issues. Extension's educational outreach helps municipalities adapt to and follow DEEP’s regulations.
acre forest preserve in Stonington in development to improve forest health and adapt to climate change.

Enhancing Health and Well-Being

UConn Extension uses interdisciplinary approaches to enhance health and well-being locally, nationally, and globally. This work strives to prevent disease in humans, animals, and the environment. Extension incorporates “One Health,” into their approach. One Health emphasizes the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. Partnerships with other agencies and organizations again enhance all of Extension’s health initiatives.

    • The Connecticut Departments of Education, Public Health, Children and Families, and Social Services are a few of our partners. These agencies are critical to the healthy lifestyle and nutrition programs Extension provides.
    • The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory collaborates with these and other partners across multiple levels to address human and animal health.
Low-income families served through community nutrition programs.

Sustainable Landscapes

UConn Extension works to inform the public of issues and allow residents to become environmentally aware. These initiatives improve the state’s landscapes at the urban-rural interface in collaboration with partners, stakeholders, and community members.

  • Connecticut DEEP is one of Extension’s primary partners. Sea Grant, CLEAR and CAHNR’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment lead Extension’s efforts to address sustainable landscapes. Other collaborators, including Eversource Energy, help create solutions for all kinds of real-world challenges.
visitors to the Connecticut Trail Finder website where they explored over 100 trails statewide.

Regardless of the topic, UConn Extension and their partners keep the communities they serve and their future at the forefront of everything they do. UConn Extension is the home of the nationally recognized 4-H youth development program, which teaches informal STEM, health, leadership and community service programs to K-12 youth in after-school and in club settings.

Part of Extension's core mission also includes working towards ensuring their programs support underrepresented populations and advance justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity.

“These are values we promote no matter what,” says O’Neill. “Promoting diversity and justice through antiracist approaches has to be a more explicit part of the land grant mission, and we’re meeting that call for the residents of the state.”

No matter the challenge, UConn Extension is “who you gonna call” when you’re in need of expert advice with the research power of a top public university and their dedicated partners.