Linda Chalker Scott: Associate Professor and Extension Urban Horticulturist
What’s the most disappointing about WSU’s pursuit of a medical school is that at the same time it continues to diminish its statewide presence in Extension. Over the last several years WSU has cut county funding to Extension offices, meaning that counties must fund staff support for these programs or let them die. Extension specialists who once served the general public retire and their positions are refilled with faculty who focus on Extension work related to commodities (grape production/wine, fruit crops, etc.) or other special interest groups rather than programs that benefit all citizens equally. This has particularly been true of specialists who educate Master Gardeners, home gardeners, landscapers, and others interested in urban horticulture (as opposed to production agriculture).
The greatest advantage WSU has over UW is its land grant mission: it is mandated to provide county based education. Rather than trying to compete with UW in the medical school arena it should instead strengthen its presence in every county in the state. UW does not have the mandate to do this – we do. There is no better way to increase citizen and therefore legislative support for the entire institution than by having a strong educational presence at the local level.