Regionalization of the Iowa State University Extension System: Lessons Learned by Key Administrators

The cyclical economic downturn in the United States has forced many Extension administrators to rethink and adjust services and programming. The Cooperative Extension System (CES), the organization primarily responsible for governmental Extension work in the United States, at Iowa State University responded to this economic downturn by restructuring its organization from county based to a regional model. This paper shares the experiences of key administrators in planning this restructuring process and the lessons learned. This experience and the restructuring processes used have implications for administrators in all organizational settings.