Since its establishment through the Smith-Lever Act, the Cooperative Extension Service has sought to use non-formal education programs centered on community needs to provide research-based information. However, the onset of the information age has transformed the way knowledge is shared and as a result altered the way people access information.…

This article presents the unique approach to university-community partnerships developed and practiced at Michigan State University (MSU). We have established a model of campus-community partnerships that builds a wide-reaching system of networks connecting the university to communities. Our approach is "developmental",…

Nonprofessional members of a school staff may facilitate the availability of the school's facilities and in so doing may influence members of the community to become more involved in community affairs. Administrators may have the opposite effect. (Author/IRT)

This paper examines the power and energy needs of a small-to-medium sized (35,000), one industry, midwestern community and how that community overcame the communication obstacles which prevented fulfillment of its energy needs. The paper outlines the background on the communication situation being described, then provides a chronology of the key…

A comprehensive community approach to the problem of spouse assault involves education of a grassroots community organization, legal incorporation, establishing organizational goals and plans, publicity, state coalition of all such community groups, and new legislation. Such an approach led to the establishment of Michigan's Domestic Violence…

A university-wide coalition at Michigan State University called Families and Communities Together (FACT) offers a model for university-community engagement that is responsive to increasing public demand for relevance in higher education through a novel institutional arrangement that drives scholarship, catalyzes multidisciplinary collaboration,…

Four case studies presented in this handbook demonstrate specific techniques which can be used to build citizen participation in a community education program. Based on criteria of adaptability, evidence of effectiveness, and significance, one project for each of the following four classifications of ninety-two relevant projects was selected for…