Mission of Community Development

We provide timely research-based information for all Pennsylvania citizens on important current and emerging issues pertaining to agriculture and natural resources; children, youth and families; and economic and community development.

The department also is integrally involved in a range of extension programs and joint research projects with faculty in other departments. Food system (management and marketing) and natural resource/environmental policy extension specialists conduct programs with extension agents throughout the state, and work closely with faculty in other departments. Economic and community development and natural resource/environmental specialists not only support programs through the state's extension system, but also collaborate with and respond to requests for assistance from a range of governmental, private and professional groups.

These programs are designed to support public and private decision making. They are based on contemporary scholarship, pertain to current and emerging issues, and are responsive to changing informational, technical, and educational needs of Pennsylvania citizens.

The goal of the community development extension program is three fold: improve decision making in local communities empower communities to guide their own decisions improve the social and economic well-being of citizens Our focus on community and economic decision making seeks to improve the capacity of citizens, community leaders and policy makers to understand and respond to external and internal forces for change. These include the problems and opportunities that arise from social and demographic change and the dynamics of local economies. We conduct research on a broad range of community issues, and use this knowledge to provide research-based extension and outreach programs that address a broad range of issues related to community and economic development. These include: municipal finance; economic development; land use planning; environmental issues; and child, youth, and family well-being.

Penn State | College of Agricultural Sciences | Cooperative Extension & Outreach