Thursday, March 28, 2024

Land grant institution program chooses Bethel as new director

October 16, 2001

A new set of hands will be leading MSU’s effort to reach out to the state.

Margaret Bethel was named director of MSU Extension, part of a national land grant institution program that attempts to apply research done on university campuses to the lives of citizens across that school’s state. As Michigan’s only land grant university, MSU administers the program in Michigan.

“I am very pleased and excited; I have a wonderful team to work with inside MSU Extension,” Bethel said. “I am overwhelmed with the enthusiastic support I have received from (Dean Jeffrey Armstrong of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and from the Extension staff.”

Bethel, who has served as the interim director since January, replaced Arlen Leholm, who left the position to do other work for Extension.

Bethel said she recently compiled statewide input and has generated five focus areas from which she will develop goals for the program.

The areas - building strong communities, strengthening agriculture profitability and helping youth succeed - are intended to offer MSU’s resources to every county.

“With Extension, our university exists in every corner of the state,” Bethel said. “That makes it possible for residents everywhere to access MSU’s resources.”

Bethel has worked for the program for 25 years, starting with field work in Osceola County and spending the last 10 years with the program’s administration.

She said her greatest challenges will stem from tight budgets and helping communities cope in a time of national crisis.

“People are looking for answers and we are a ready resource,” Bethel said. “Some are technical questions and some are just questions about preserving safety and assuring quality of life.

“We can provide a built-in network for people to deal with those issues.”

Mark Hansen, an Extension coordinator who works in Ingham County, said Bethel, who is better known as Maggie to her colleagues, will do a fine job as director.

Hansen said Bethel received a standing ovation from the Extension staff when she was announced as director last week at the statewide Fall Extension Conference.

“For Maggie to have both a good knowledge and sense of the academic world on campus and have an understanding of community issues

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