Cooperative Extension at North Carolina A&T State University Launches Statewide Initiative to Pinpoint Community Needs & Gaps In Services

Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA) announced that it has signed on with Cooperative Extension at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) to conduct a statewide needs assessment to collect, analyze and present data to appropriately identify the needs of North Carolina’s underserved populations living in urban and rural communities.
 
TPMA is thrilled at the partnership and eager to gather community input that will identify community strengths, solicit recommendations to address gaps in services and barriers to participation, and identify statewide commonalities and key findings that may pertain to specific communities or regions.
 
“We will engage stakeholders across the state and want the process to be inclusive. Ultimately the goal is to improve outcomes in the communities we live in, and that starts with understanding needs and gaps, we applaud the Cooperative Extension for taking this on,” says Nithya Pramekumar, Senior Consultant at TPMA who will be managing the initiative. 
 
“The needs assessment is critical to our success,” says Rosalind Dale, Ed.D. administrator of Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T and associate dean in the university’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES). “First, it helps us understand how we can help North Carolina’s small-scale farmers and limited-resource youth, families and communities. Second, it guides us in translating those needs into programs  that have a real impact.”
 
Dale adds that the needs assessment data will also be used to update the organization’s strategic plan and will be shared with CAES faculty, who will then develop research projects designed to find solutions to challenges identified in the needs assessment
 
North Carolina has two land-grant universities that provide outreach across the state through Cooperative Extension programs. Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T has a mission to work with small-scale farmers, families, and youth in limited-resource and underserved communities throughout the state. Successful programs depend on understanding of the needs of these audiences. There has not been a statewide community needs assessment in more than five years. This work will run through June 2021 and renew Extension at A&T’s understanding of communities, their needs, and concerns.
 
TPMA provides comprehensive consulting services throughout the United States and internationally, working with nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, communities, local and state governments, and industry associations. TPMA empowers organizations and communities through strategic partnerships and data-informed solutions that create positive, sustainable change.

Contact Information

Steven Gause

Communications

Thomas P. Miller & Associates

sgause@tpma-inc.com