Role of Program Area Chairs

A Program Area (PA) Chair is appointed for a three-year term by the Associate Vice President for Research and Extension to provide leadership to the Program Team (PT) leaders, serve on Program Council, and represent that program area for UC ANR. PA chairs are responsible to the Vice Provost of Research and Program Integration. 

Responsibilities of Program Area Chairs

1. Leadership to PT Leaders: Recruit and orient new PT Leaders as needed, attend PT meetings as relevant, review annual plans-of-work, and serve as a conduit of information between PTs and Program Council.
2. Program Council: Serve as a representative of their UC ANR Program Area on the UC ANR Program Council by attending meetings and actively participating in discussions.
3. Panel Leadership: Provide leadership to the PA panel by orienting new members, facilitating meetings, and ensuring panel members are prepared and participating. 

Program Area Panels

A panel of 10 to 14 UC ANR-affiliated academics and relevant staff (e.g., CE advisors, CE specialists, AES faculty, Project Scientists, Academic Coordinators, Administrative Directors, programmatic staff, etc.) represents the affiliated PTs. 

Members are recommended by the PA Chair and appointed by the Associate Vice President for Research and Extension for three-year staggered terms. 

Panels are tasked with the following: 

1. Facilitate Collaboration: Enhance synergy among PTs working on complementary or overlapping topics to encourage interdisciplinary approaches and shared solutions.
2. Align Efforts: Ensure research, extension, and outreach activities are strategically coordinated within key focus areas to advance UC ANR’s mission and priorities.
3. Streamline Communication: Serve as a conduit for communication and coordination between PTs, Program Council, REC and Area/County Directors, Senior Leadership, and external partners.
4. Identify Priorities: Help identify common needs, emerging challenges, and opportunities for innovation across related programs and disciplines.
5. Proposal Development: Facilitate cross-pollination and transdisciplinary work and develop funding streams to support these efforts.
6. Member Participation: Panel members should attend regular panel meetings, provide input and feedback, and volunteer to complete tasks outside of meetings to advance the work of the panel. 

Role of Program Teams

Program Teams (PTs) provide a structured, discipline-focused platform for UC academics, staff, and external partners to convene, collaborate, share knowledge and experiences, engage in self-training, and drive research and extension efforts. While they are oriented around broad disciplinary themes, they also play a crucial role beyond a single discipline, especially when they support multiple WGs, and are better positioned to collaborate with UC ANR administration, UC campuses, and stakeholders. 

Scope and Focus of Program Teams

If some PTs are too broad in scope (i.e., encompassing many disciplines), they may struggle to be effective units for collaboration. On the other hand, PTs that are too narrow may not be effective for networking. Striking the right balance is especially important when establishing new PTs. 

Program Teams are tasked with the following: 

1. Advance and Support Research and Extension Solutions: Operate under broader Program Area (PA) groupings to serve as vital conduits for advancing science-based solutions and fostering interdisciplinary engagement. Identify and propose science-based research and extension education initiatives that address emerging and critical clientele needs, aligning with the UC ANR Strategic Vision 2040. Identify critical issues, facilitate collaborative projects, and promote innovation in research and outreach efforts. Provide a coordinated voice to enhance funding opportunities and strengthen UC ANR’s role as a leader in research and extension.
2. Facilitate Knowledge Exchange and Collaboration: Facilitate networking and innovation opportunities for academics, staff, and external stakeholders to connect, share insights, and learn through conferences, workgroups, trainings, webinars, field trips, and other professional development activities. Serve as platforms for exchanging ideas, resources, and expertise among UC ANR programs, community partners, and stakeholders. Provide UC ANR academics and staff with a research “home” that isn’t geographically bound, enabling them to connect with peers across the UC ANR system who share similar research interests. Encourage participation from AES faculty, CE specialists and advisors, and other scientists as needed (e.g. other educational institutions, industry scientists) to expand expertise and discussion on key issues.
3. Coordinate Workgroups: Develop and oversee specialized workgroups within their focus areas, ensuring alignment with broader program goals on an as needed basis. PTs elevate extension and research and create environments for individuals to better connect within WGs. WGs may plan, conduct, and implement projects.
4. Prioritize Academic Position Proposals: Engage with campus departments and program team members to identify and advocate for critical CE advisors and specialist positions, contributing to leadership and statewide program development.
5. Planning and Evaluation: Define objectives and determine activities and how best to evaluate progress towards objectives. Participate in and provide information for PT review process (every three to five years). Consider working with UC ANR Program Planning and Evaluation team to develop evaluation capacity specific to PT’s programmatic scope to help coordinate and guide individual members’ evaluation efforts and collective impact communications. Examples can include PT logic models, developing outcome indicators and evaluation tools, and connecting PT work to public value. Develop annual plans of work to help with evaluation and documenting impact, set meeting guidelines, and report progress to PA Chairs and UC ANR leadership.
6. Annual Meetings: Convene the entire range of membership (CE advisors, CE specialists, AES faculty members, project scientists, postdoctoral researchers, academic coordinators, administrative managers, programmatic staff, and other research-extension personnel) in the discipline, associated WGs, stakeholders and collaborators for an in-person meeting.

Role of Program Team Leaders

Co-led by UC ANR academics and staff composed of one campus-based and one field-based as recommended by the respective PA Chair, with each appointed for a staggered 3-year term by the Associate Vice President for Research and Cooperative Extension. PT Leaders are responsible for the following:  

1. Maintain a membership roster.
2. Organize and facilitate regular PT meetings.
3. Convene annual in-person PT meetings. Additional meetings may be held online.
4. Coordinate the development of an annual plan of work.
5. Track workgroups, approve formation of new workgroups, and approve workgroup plans-of-action.
6. Organize and facilitate educational opportunities (e.g., trainings, field trips).
7. Organize and facilitate networking opportunities (e.g., webinars, member lightning talks, guest speakers).
8. Identify potential funding opportunities and partnerships.
9. Organize and advocate for the current and future needs of the program within UC ANR by identifying issue-related position calls and prioritizing with feedback from PT members.
10. Complete an annual report on PT efforts and accomplishments, due by October 1, using the report template provided by the UC ANR Program Planning and Evaluation unit.
11. Designate one person per PT to serve on the relevant PA panel and work with the PA Chair to align goals, initiatives, and activities across the organizational levels. 

Back to Program Areas and Program Teams.

Questions? Contact Kathryn Stein.