MSU Extension MSU Campus

Michigan's biggest challenges don't fit neatly into a single box.

"Strengthening local food systems requires healthy natural resources. The resilience of any given community depends on its leadership and its economic opportunities," said Quentin Tyler, MSU Extension director. "None of those challenges exist in a vacuum, so neither can the solutions."

That recognition shaped the development of MSU Extension's Strategic Direction, released in late 2024 after more than a year of statewide listening sessions, stakeholder interviews and organizational planning.

Rather than focusing on individual programs or priorities, the strategic direction established a shared vision for how Extension can better address Michigan's most pressing challenges.

This work identified four long-term priorities for the organization: thriving Michigan food systems, strong Michigan communities, healthy, empowered and fulfilled Michiganders, and resilient Michigan and Great Lakes environments. It also outlined operational goals to strengthen how Extension can deliver that work — from communications and partnerships to organizational effectiveness and collaboration.

Less than two years later, that work is already well underway.

Turning strategy into action

To move the Strategic Direction from vision to implementation, MSU Extension created four internal “action teams” dedicated time to breaking down each of those four long-term priorities, one by one.

“Our strategic vision showed us that our greatest strengths are when we combine and complement our areas of expertise,” Tyler said. “So bringing together different educators, specialists, support staff and leaders from across Michigan, across disciplines…that was the natural way to move this work forward.”

Starting in 2025, each team examined hundreds of existing programs, assessed emerging needs and developed specific recommendations, capturing the results in four recently completed reports. This process provided the organization with one of its most comprehensive pictures to date of how Extension's work could better align across disciplines, as well as areas where the organization is already strong.

For example, the Resilient Michigan and Great Lakes Environments team reviewed nearly 2,000 Extension programs, finding that more than 60% already contributed to key priorities such as environmental stewardship, conservation, water quality, climate resilience and natural resource management.

Similarly, the Strong Michigan Communities team identified more than 14,000 program activities that MSU Extension support in the areas of leadership development, civic engagement, resilience and quality of life.

"One of the most valuable outcomes of this whole process was getting a clearer picture of both our strengths and our opportunities," Tyler said. "It helped us better understand where we're already making a big difference and where we should focus our efforts moving forward."

Across all four action teams, common themes emerged. Recommendations emphasized the power of stronger collaboration within Extension teams, improved program evaluation, deeper community partnerships, greater visibility of Extension's impact and more intentional alignment around shared organizational goals.

From recommendations to results

While the action teams were completing their work, MSU Extension also began implementing improvements aligned with the Strategic Direction's operational goals. One of the biggest areas of focus was on the first operational goal identified in the plan: "Tell our stories & market our services effectively." 

To strengthen how the organization communicates its impact, MSU Extension launched Extension in Action, a new storytelling initiative highlighting programs, partnerships and people making a difference across Michigan. The organization also published Extension at Work, its inaugural annual impact report, providing stakeholders with a clearer picture of Extension's statewide reach and outcomes.

Earlier this year, MSU Extension also launched the “Extension Does That” visibility campaign and completed a major refresh of its main website, making it easier for people to discover Extension, navigate its resources and connect with programs, experts and services.

“Our work is only as strong as how far it can travel,” said Tyler. “We've made significant progress in telling Extension's story and connecting more people with everything we can offer them to help their families, their businesses, and their everyday life.”

Importantly, many of these improvements have been accomplished through existing staff expertise and the strategic reallocation of resources rather than significant new expenditures, demonstrating the organization's commitment to responsible stewardship while continuing to improve service to Michigan residents.

"We're committed to improving how we serve Michigan while being responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to us," Tyler said. "Those goals aren't in competition with one another. They go hand in hand."

Maintaining momentum

The completion of the four action team reports and accomplishments to date represent a big step, but the work is just beginning as Extension enters the next stage of aligning its work with the long-term priorities shared by the organization, university, and Michiganders all across the state.

“The Strategic Direction gave us a shared direction for the future," Tyler said. "The reports and our achievements so far are important milestones, but what matters most is what comes next. We're already putting these ideas into practice, and we'll continue building on that momentum.”