Public awareness evaluation uf/ifas ft. Lauderdale rec june October, 2000

PUBLIC AWARENESS EVALUATION

• UF/IFAS FT. Lauderdale REC

• June – October, 2000

• Donald W. Poucher

• Assistant Vice President

• UF/IFAS External Relations and Communications

Comparison of Faculty & Staff Perceptions with those of Various Publics

• Broward Extension Faculty

• Students and Former Students

• Clientele

• Public

PUBLIC AWARENESS EVALUATION OUTCOMES

• Recommendations…………..

• Name of Center.
• Center Positioning in Community and South Florida.
• Public Awareness/External Relations Needs (facilities, personnel & programs).

PERSONAL INTERVIEWS & MAIL QUESTIONNAIRE

• First Impression.

• Perception of Mission.

• Level of Awareness.

• Benefits.

When You Think of the Ft. Lauderdale REC, What Comes to Mind?

• Faculty/Staff: Physical Location; Place to Work.

• Extension/Clientele: Research Information in Various Disciplines.

• Students: S. Florida Horticulture Info.

• Public: Gardening/Horticulture Info.

Common Themes: When You Think of the Ft. Lauderdale REC, What Comes to Mind?

• Source of Information.

• Focus on Urban Problems.

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CENTER?

• Recurring theme among all groups with an answer to this question: urban focus and deal with problems of people in urban areas.

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CENTER?

• Faculty/Staff & Clientele: Research and Education for People of South Florida.

• Faculty/Clientele: people = industry.
• Staff: people = communities at large.

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CENTER?

• Students /*Former Students: an educational opportunity for placebound students and professional workers in South Florida.

• Extension: Source of Information for Extension.

• *Also mentioned research as part of the mission.

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CENTER?

• The majority of the general public could not articulate the mission and indicated they did not know what the mission of the Center was!!!!!!

FT. LAUDERDALE REC Faculty/Staff Perception & Awareness Levels Clientele and Public

External Levels of Awareness: Ft. Lauderdale REC

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE FT. LAUDERDALE REC ?

FACULTY: WHO BENEFITS FROM THE FT. LAUDERDALE REC ?

CLIENTELE: WHO BENEFITS FROM THE FT. LAUDERDALE REC ?

STUDENTS/FORMER STUDENTS: WHO BENEFITS FROM THE FT. LAUDERDALE REC ?

PUBLIC: WHO BENEFITS FROM THE FT. LAUDERDALE REC ?

EXTENSION: WHO BENEFITS FROM THE FT. LAUDERDALE REC ?

WHAT ARE BENEFITS ?

• The General Public said that not only they didn’t know the mission of the Center, they received no benefits from the Center’s programs.

WHAT ARE BENEFITS?

• Students/Former Students: knowledge, degrees, certifications.

• Clientele Groups/Extension Agents: information received in discipline area and interaction with researchers.

OCCUPATION OF RESPONDENTS

• Clientele/Students/Former Students:

• Professionals and managers in industry.
• State and Federal Agency employees.
• Full Time Students.

Occupations: General Public

• Retirees

• Teachers

• Homemakers

• Nurses/Other Health Care Professionals

UF/IFAS FT. LAUDERDALE REC: NEEDS FOR CHANGE

• Broaden focus to include homeowners and community; greater urban emphasis.

• Greater/broader teaching emphasis.

• Increased public awareness.

• Improved collaboration between researchers and extension faculty.

• Enhanced/improved facilities (including site clean up).

The Next Step…..

• Conduct internal educational effort regarding mission/vision of center.

• Increase/enhance REC-Extension Interaction.

• Upgrade physical facilities; mount major clean-up effort.

• Develop and implement Public Awareness effort for all audiences, including public and clientele.

• Change the name to reflect a focus on urban community.
• Increase/enhance community and public interaction and communication.
• Develop system for increasing faculty interaction with nearby educational institutions.
• Develop well-placed cadre of volunteer advocates.
• Analyze most effective/efficient resource utilization for implementing and managing public awareness effort.