Associate Director for Extension and Outreach

Awais Khan

awais.khan [at] cornell.edu (awais[dot]khan[at]cornell[dot]edu)

  • Identifies Extension opportunities and evaluating impacts.
  • Helps onboard and mentor new faculty with Extension appointments.
  • Raises Extension and Outreach issues to be addressed by SIPS, CALS and CCE leadership.
Awais Khan spotlight

Key efforts

  • Listening and Visioning:
    • Engaged in in-person and virtual meetings with SIPS faculty, CALS, CCE, and various local and global institutes to gather perspectives and identify opportunities for extension and outreach.
  • Faculty Engagement:
    • Conducted meetings with SIPS faculty to identify gaps and opportunities in extension and outreach.
    • Presented the vision of Extension and Outreach AD at faculty meetings.
  • Leadership and Communication:
    • Participated in SIPS leadership meetings to enhance extension visibility.
    • Created a communication channel by mapping SIPS faculty with extension responsibilities and establishing an email list server.
    • Initiated bi-weekly extension and outreach updates to share ongoing activities and upcoming events.
  • Representation at CCE:
    • Attended monthly CCE DELS meetings to update SIPS extension activities.
    • Contributed text for extension/outreach sections in moonshot proposals.
  • Roles and Responsibilities of SIPS Extension Leaders (DELS) and Council:
    • Reactivated and chaired regular meetings with the SIPS Extension Council.
    • Currently drafting roles and responsibilities of SIPS Extension Leaders (DELS) and Extension Council to ensure clarity and effectiveness in their functions.
  • Surveys and Feedback:
    • Conducted a Qualtrics survey and gathered feedback on CALS Extension faculty effort distribution guidelines, addressing issues like impact evaluation and onboarding processes.
  • Global Outreach:
    • Hosted representatives from NAAAN and participated in meetings with FAO to explore local-to-global extension opportunities.
  • Forums and Events:
    • Organized a SIPS Extension and Outreach Forum for faculty and staff, aiming to provide a platform for idea exchange and discussion on extension needs and opportunities.
    • Planning an extension career event for graduate students and postdocs, focusing on exploring careers in agricultural extension.
  • Onboarding and Mentoring:
    • Developed a draft of onboarding and mentoring checklist for new SIPS faculty with extension appointments to guide them in their roles.
    • Conducted onboarding sessions for new faculty hires across various sections with extension responsibilities.
  • Extension Impact Evaluation Metrics:
    • Working on developing matrices and indicators to evaluate the impact of extension programs and faculty efforts, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative assessments