Community Extension

The university being a storage, generator and disseminator of knowledge, should make an impact on the community within its reach. Although its graduates will naturally be involved in the development of the community where they work and live, there are a lot more people who were not able to have formal university training, and need outside help to make them productive members of the community

It is in this light that the university has the CEC. This office acts as the university’s arm in directly reaching out to the people in the community who need help – technical, financial, and moral - to improve their living conditions.

This mandate is carried out by means of programs, like: training and non-formal education for NGO's, POs, and individuals. This is done through non-degree training programs, extending technical assistance, and extending financial assistance, if possible.

Through extension, the university shall contribute to the development of empowered citizenry capable of making rational decisions pertaining to the improvement of their livelihood, work productively and efficiently, and be a confident part of the mainstream society in their community.

Vision

Through its Community Extension Center, Northwestern University shall play an instrumental role in helping communities in need become productive and capable of making informed decisions for the improvement of their socio-economic well-being.

Mission

Northwestern University, through the CEC shall make available to the intended target communities its resources, intellectual capabilities, and technology bank. These maybe shared or loaned to induce awareness, higher productivity and efficiencies of the target clientele. It shall also be its duty to induce changes in the socio – economic aspects of their lives to give them a more balanced existence.

Goals

By 2008, the university, through the CEC, shall have:

  1. established close relationship with all the barangays adjacent to its satellite areas;
  2. its swine and goat dispersal program fully operational;
  3. Its institutional and environmental/health sanitation development programs in operation.

Mandate

The CEC is mandated to:

  1. Plan, organize, direct, and supervise the University Extension Program;
  2. Establish linkages with other units, internal or external that may help as well as receive help from the CEC;
  3. Look for funding agencies, that may help fund extension programs or projects;
  4. Transfer mature and appropriate technologies to beneficiaries;
  5. Research and plan strategies for effective extension work;
  6. Verify and document the impact of extension services on the service area and on the lives of the people.

Key Program Areas

The CEC shall contribute to social progress and sustainable development by aligning its projects along these programs:

  1. Livelihood Enhancement
  2. Environmental Management/Health and Sanitation
  3. Institutional Development
  4. Research

Livelihood Enhancement

Activities are geared towards training beneficiaries on more labor and cost efficient methods of doing livelihood projects, and if possible, provide means to start a project.

Environmental Management
Activities are directed at training the people on initiatives and action towards environmental protection and conservation, health and sanitation as a way to socio economic progress and development.

Institutional Development
Activities are aimed at strengthening rural institutions particularly POs, for more participatory development.

Research

Researches are aimed on the improvement of extension programs delivery and the effectiveness of new technologies adopted in bringing socio-economic changes to the community.

Value Orientation

Values guiding the operation of the center should be anchored firmly on Christian values. Every extension worker must realize that each individual has a role to play, and are equally important to God. Values that must be imbued on all extension staff are:

  1. Commitment – the extension staff should be attached, identified with, and dedicatedly involved in his/her extension assignment.
  2. Professionalism – establishment of work ethic oriented towards the performance of duties and responsibilities as given for the position held, with socially/morally accepted behavior.
  3. Creativity – the constant search for new strategies and methods of doing a task for improved result.
  4. Unity – the development of work behavior emphasizing the need for teamwork to achieve a common goal among work groups and clients.

Key Strategies

  1. Convergence - Cooperation among all the colleges of the university and outside agencies whose help is enlisted should be pursued.
  2. Community Based – The programs pursued should be based on the needs, problems and resources of the communities being served. It should involve both university and the beneficiaries.
  3. Integrated – Synergy should be sought in the development of an area. The overall effect of a program should be greater than the sum of the individual projects if pursued integrally.
  4. Participatory – Beneficiaries should be involved in planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and sharing of benefits of development.
  5. Unity – The different units and colleges of the university shall work as one in pursuing a common goal, although they are doing different tasks or project components.