by Mary Ann Reese

Nearly all UI colleges impact communities throughout Idaho in some way. College of Education sends blossoming teachers to intern in schools. College of Art and Architecture turns student-faculty teams loose on design challenges in towns big and small. Students from all colleges intern in Idaho businesses and agencies to learn the ropes and pass along fresh research-based insights.

But are there ways to do even more?

That’s the challenge facing Priscilla Salant, UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) agricultural economist and UI’s new coordinator for university outreach and engagement. Salant sees her role as building bridges to link UI faculty and their work with Idaho’s communities. The best way to do that, in her book, is through the historic and respected UI Extension system.

“I passionately believe our core asset as a land-grant university is UI Extension, grounded in nearly every county in Idaho,” says Salant. “Our extension educators and staff members live in communities throughout the state. They know the problems, opportunities, and the people because they live with them every day. For nearly a century they’ve been helping to address issues at the local level so they have built great trust.

“My job is to help partner this structure with the rest of the university’s resources.” It’s a tall task.

Salant has brought to UI CALS grants from the Northwest Area Foundation to create a website to help communities track changes and identify  emerging trends, and she was co-author with Lorie Higgins on the Horizons I and II grants.

She sees a first step in her new role as finding best outreach practices from other land-grant universities. Salant is also guided by the Kellogg Commission’s call in the 1990s for land-grant universities to “return to their roots” and not just teach, but engage people in communities to help them build the capacity to guide their own destinies.

“It’s about using all our resources to address challenges in Idaho’s communities where jobs disappear, social values are changing, and making a living is getting harder,” says Salant.

Contact Salant at psalant@uidaho.edu.