ABSTRACT
America's land-grant universities are undergoing self-assessments and a refocus of their missions, especially relative to their future "outreach" role. The Cooperative Extension System could refocus entirely on agriculture and agribusiness, and the land-grant and urban universities could develop a new outreach model to serve other human and community needs. Land-grant universities could and should lead the interconnection and integration of the learnings and practices of the youth development field with those of the community development field into a holistic approach called "community youth development". The monopolistic control of knowledge by higher education institutions, accompanied by a public perception that these institutions are a special source of wisdom and favored places to enter for learning, is on the verge of major erosion. The marketplace will finally play a major role in the vitality and success of academic programs, including research and extension education, and any legitimate and valued role in community youth development.
