What does this research mean for the field?

Integrating Extension field faculty into traditional academic departments creates ongoing tensions and role confusion due to the incongruent demands of traditional academic reward systems and public service commitments. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This article explores the integration of Extension faculty into academic departments and the challenges they face.

May 28, 2026

The Scholarship of Application

Key Points

This article explores the integration of Extension faculty into academic departments and the challenges they face.
Historical overview of the engagement movement in higher education.
Description of current dilemmas faced by Extension faculty regarding scholarship and public service.
New faculty members are uncertain about the commitment to the threefold mission of research, teaching, and Extension.
Existing faculty maintain traditional views on academic rewards, causing frustration among Extension faculty.

Abstract

In the late 1990s, Oregon State University brought its Extension field faculty into academic departments where they are evaluated for promotion and tenure. This was intended to promote better collaboration and integration of research, teaching, and Extension. Research and teaching faculty, however, continue to respond to the traditional academic reward and recognition system. Newer faculty members are unclear about the meaning of our commitment to the threefold mission. Extension field faculty are frustrated by the apparently incongruent demands of scholarship and public service. This article provides a brief history of the engagement movement in higher education and describes current dilemmas.

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