The MSU Extension will undergo a changing of the guard of sorts next semester when Margaret Bethel takes over as the acting director.

Extension is the university’s statewide initiative that offers educational and informational resources to residents in dozens of Michigan communities. And Bethel said she’s ready for the task.

“One of the things I want to do is maintain the excellence we’ve developed over the last four to five years,” Bethel said.

Bethel replaces Arlen Leholm, who will take on projects to design Extension connections in developing countries.

Leholm, a professor of agricultural economics, said come January, he’ll be doing United Nations-funded work in South America, writing a book and doing work for the World Bank, an organization that provides funding to developing countries.

In his nine years, he helped get a number of states and some overseas countries involved in Extension.

“No extension service anywhere has achieved such a high level of engagement from its local citizens,” he said.

Bethel is no stranger to the Extension program. In her 24 years with the program, she has served as a home economist, a county Extension director, regional supervisor and outreach director.

She currently serves as the director of MSU West in Grand Rapids - one of the university’s six regional offices - providing oversight to the MSU outreach, instructional and Extension programs.

Bethel’s been part of the administration leadership team for the past 10 years, and earned the university’s Distinguished Staff Award this year.

She said she plans to focus on expanding MSU’s land use, certificate programs, professional development and the depth of involvement with children and families.

“I want MSU Extension to be available to listen to what our constituency express as their concerns,” Bethel said.

For years, Extension in the state focused on bringing education and support programs to the state through offices located in each county.

It has grown to include resources accessible via the Internet, and faculty on campus bring expertise in such fields as community and economic development; children, youth and families; and environmental and natural resources, as well as agriculture.

“I expect that as the needs of our society change, MSU Extension will continue to be there to help in ways that we now can’t even imagine,” Bethel said.