Commitment To Our Mission And Core Values

K-State Research and Extension – Douglas County is as poised as ever to deliver on our mission as the front door of the state’s land grant university. Our core values direct us in how we achieve that mission as follows:

Integrity – to develop and deliver credible information

Communication – to provide common understanding

Scholarship – to foster lifelong learning

Leadership – to serve as an agent of change

Empowerment – to encourage active participation

Certainly, like you, we have been operating with an unprecedented air of uncertainty surrounding our activities over these past six months, but we’ve also demonstrated our ability to adapt – we understand that successfully fulfilling our mission today may require different strategies than we’ve relied on historically. COVID-19 merely accelerated our implementation of these strategies and of our audience’s appetite for them.

Our communities need us now more than ever – and we’re delivering. From our work to direct residents toward food resources for their families, helping business owners navigate support programs, ensuring that our youth develop the necessary tangible and intangible life skills for success in an increasingly competitive career environment, and providing backbone support to community-wide efforts aimed at moving the needle on social determinants of health, we are far from resting on our laurels.

Unfortunately, uncertainty promises to remain a hallmark in the short-term at best, perhaps the long-term, too. Despite this, we maintain our commitment to our mission and core values. We continue to evolve into more effective service providers; this era is better described as a curve of adaptation than a singular pivot point for how we conduct business.

As we enter into the final quarter of 2020, we have much weighing on us as an organization. From the wonderfully positive developments like exponential increases in engagement through digital programming and our community’s selection as a Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant to the more concerning realities of remaining relevant in a socially distanced world and a budget shortfall that will impact our programs and staff.

Regardless of the impact that internal and external forces have on what our organization ‘looks’ like, our core will continue to remain unchanged. We are dedicated to a safe, sustainable, competitive food and fiber system and to strong, healthy communities, families and youth through integrated research, analysis and education. We remain committed to our core values and have paid special attention to our efforts.

We invite you to our table. Whether you are looking for an opportunity to give back to your community, have a skill that you are eager to share and teach or simply just want to learn more – we are here for you, just like we have been for over 100 years.