There is a fundamental need for the land grant system to debate and rediscover its place in society as a learning organization founded upon enhanced internal and external connectivity. Two critical connections are the linkage between research and extension, and cooperation among the states. As with any system in which the component parts are no longer functionally integrated, the land grant system is declining in vitality. Poor cooperation among states and weak linkages between the research and extension functions have reduced the capacity of the system to serve the public good. The New England Extension Consortium was created to enhance public access to the research base of the land grant universities and to increase the efficiency and efficacy of extension programs in the six New England states.
1039 THE NEW ENGLAND EXTENSION CONSORTIUM: INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACROSS A REGION
