In many cases, Extension must broaden its staff to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the audiences it purports to serve. Of all institutions, Extension should be a leader in building a pluralistic staff. Too often its leaders are content to meet only the minimum legal requirements, and some do that begrudgingly, if at all. Faculty and staff are Extension's greatest resource. In many states, due to low salaries and lack of leadership, the most effective Extension workers are discouraged and some are leaving.
Recruitment is difficult.
A hard decision needs to be made either to get the resources to pay for quality professionals or to cut positions to adequately compensate those remaining. Extension education takes a high level of expertise and people skills and is much more demanding than many roles. Extension won't survive with mediocre staff. Bold new efforts must be made to more effectively involve a greater number of volunteers in meaningful roles. Extension knows how to do this better than anyone else.