Editor's Page

Studying Our Grassroots

We call them "users," "clientele," "audiences," or "learners." People, and their needs, are the rationale for the Extension System's existence. So it seems appropriate to begin 1992, and the 30th year of publication for the Journal, with a focus on clientele.

The key clientele group of agricultural producers provides the topic for the To the Point section. Peter Bloome argues for a mature relationship with agriculture in which Extension serves as a public policy educator rather than an advocate. Orrin Smith sees obstacles to this role coming more from within the university department structure than agricultural clientele. In his response, George McDowell questions whether the relationship can be changed without a strong endorsement from agriculture on the grounds of self-interest.

The special section articles apply to all Extension clientele. What clientele think about Extension is critical for accountability, marketing, and program development. Warnock shows how faculty in Florida counties determined client satisfaction with their information services and shared the results with legislators. Black and his colleagues studied how county advisory council members are selected and found that the process may not be the best for involving diverse clientele groups in issues- based programming. How Extension clientele think is significant to us as educators. McKenna and Martin describe a tool for understanding individual differences that affect motivation and change in adults. Jones describes how Extension educators can foster critical thinking skills in learners.

To expand the Extension knowledge base about clientele, or any other subject, faculty must continually share ideas. We hope you'll contribute to this enterprise by writing about your research, study, or practice for the Journal.

Dynamic institutions are constantly in transition. The Journal is no exception. After eight months on the job, this is my first published issue. I thank former editor Michael Patton and assistant editor Colleen Schuh for making my transition into the role of editor go so smoothly. Other changes in our editorial team began with the new calendar year.

Two members of the Editorial Committee completed their terms in 1991. Terry Mikel of Arizona and Kristine Saunders of Utah served the Journal with dedication and distinction. Emmett Fiske of Washington and Donna Iams of Arizona join the committee this year. The 27 Editorial Committee members, who are named on the inside back cover, perform the invaluable service of evaluating manuscripts. They're your peers in the Journal peer review system.

Our thanks and recognition for a job well done also go to J. David Deshler of New York and Gregory Nolting of Missouri who completed their terms as Futures and Tools of the Trade editors, respectively. Michael Duttweiler of New York will take on the task of Futures editor.

To accommodate both the increasing interest in global Extension and manuscript submissions from other countries, I've established an International section for the Journal. William Rivera of Maryland will serve as editor of this section. The International section will alternate with the Futures section in coming issues. We inaugurate the International section in this issue with an interesting article from Australia about new approaches to information transfer on sustainable agriculture.

EMR

This article is online at http://www.joe.org/joe/1992spring/ed1.html.

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