OSU Extension, local OHCE to celebrate 100 years

Oklahoma Home & Community Education and the OSU Cooperative Extension are hosting a Meet & Greet event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Friday at the Pawhuska Community Center, located at the intersection of Lynn and Main.

There will be displays from OHCE members’ activities spanning the decades from the 1930s through present day. Refreshments will be provided during this come and go event.

Through its relationship with the OSU Cooperative Extension Service, OHCE presents research-based information to its members to be well-informed and able to handle change in their homes and communities. OHCE membership is open to anyone and Osage County OHCE is looking to add new members who would like to join them in the many civic activities they take on in their local areas and for Osage County.

CENTENNIAL OF EXTENSION …

May 8 will mark 100 years since the signing of the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Service, a state-by-state national network of educators who extend university based, research-proven knowledge and programs into the everyday lives of Americans.

Federal extension efforts began in 1907. At the same time, Oklahoma A&M — as OSU was then called — developed a series of short courses and assigned personnel to specifically help the state’s farmers and ranchers take advantage of the latest scientific knowledge and technological advances. These programs were merged in 1914 with the passage of the Smith-Lever Act, which formed state Extension services.

OCES county offices are a joint effort by Oklahoma State University and county government. They have been called the ‘front door to the university’ and are at the forefront of OSU’s land-grant mission to help Oklahomans improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities.

OSU Cooperative Extension offices are situated in all 77 counties of the state. OSU Cooperative Extension personnel average 1.6 million total contacts with Oklahomans annually. More than 25 percent of those contacts are with identifiable minority populations. Approximately 430,000 contacts annually are with farmers and ranchers.

OCES programs encompass agriculture, the family and consumer sciences, community and economic development, environmental stewardship, natural resource management, local government education and Oklahoma 4-H youth development.

At the heart of the land-mission is the ability of county Extension educators to work with area, district and state specialists to develop science-proven programs that help residents solve local issues and concerns, promote leadership and manage resources wisely.

Oklahoma State University, U. S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local governments cooperating; Oklahoma State University in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures, and is an equal opportunity employer.