Full text (pdf)This article reports findings from an evaluation study of the USDA Science and Education Impact Fact Sheet Program. The program was established in 1995 to communicate tangible effects of USDA-Extension programming to help maintain investment in land-grant and USDA research and educational programs. The single-page Impact Fact Sheets, which address such topics as agriculture and the environment, parenting, and waste management, have been distributed to stakeholders through mail and personal visits and distributed to states for their own use. Impact information is also maintained on the National Impact Database. This paper reports results from both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods among congressional aides in June 2000. Results revealed that the average respondent was a 27-year-old male who had served in his current position for one to three years. While the fact sheets included in the survey mailings and interviews received generally positive evaluations on the basis of content, writing style, and format, less than half of the respondents reported having seen or used the fact sheets prior to the study. Respondents also tended to rate land-grant universities as excellent information resources for agricultural topics, but significantly lower for less traditional topics such as child care and parenting. Respondents preferred to receive information from land-grant universities through personal contacts, e-mail and the World Wide Web. The results of the study are discussed in the context of improving the Impact Fact Sheet Program and enhancing the image and awareness of land-grant universities among congressional aides.
The authors would like to thank the Farm Foundation for its contribution to
this study. Appreciation is also extended to Becky Johnson, Jill Stafford, and
Tracy Bridges for assistance with data collection and analysis. Kansas State
University Agricultural Experiment Station contribution no. 02-135-J.
