Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
COLLEGE OF FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION
MISSOULA,MT 59812
Performing Department
College of Forestry and Conservation
Non Technical Summary
Develop a geographically accessible database of CESU funded projects by research university, Federal Cooperator, and by research topic. Develop program evaluation criteria to assess the efficacy of CESU research at meeting program goals.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
OBJECTIVES The objectives of this proposed study are to: 1. Depict the typology and distribution of CESU projects across the 17 CESUs, partner agencies, partner institutions, years, and other useful delineations - based on the project database developed in Phase I of this project - through development of online resources and/or Web tools; 2. Determine vital statistics representative of the program's breadth, diversity, and utility; 3. Identify criteria for evaluation of program success and effectiveness and a framework of r periodic (replicable) program evaluation; 4. Gauge programmatic function and process effectiveness (through guided discussions with CESU partners and other qualitative and quantitative data collection methods); 5. Identify strategic avenues of the program for enhancing future program effectiveness, capacity building, federal and nonfederal partner recruitment, and program awareness; 6. Identify key lessons learned and areas for future program development.
Project Methods
The objectives of this proposed project will be addressed by the following three tasks. Task 1 - Project database online accessibility tools development Task 1 will involve compilation and management of project data and associated discrete outputs (e.g., publications, Web sites) through document review and direct inquiry/investigation by the project team to develop enhanced access to and sharing of project information - including project resources from the first ten years and looking forward to consider information sharing and decision support needs for the future. The continued evolution of the project inventory, its database structure, and most effective applications for CESU partners will be informed by analysis of the typology of existing projects and through periodic assessment of needs (e.g., resource targets, management issues, educational/capacity building needs, disciplinary foci, decision support tools) across the CESU Network. Task 2 - Frameworks for evaluation and needs assessment Task 2 will involve the development of frameworks for implementing periodic program evaluations and needs assessments with utility at unit or network scales. This task will also include identification of vital statistics of value for annual reporting, performance measurement, strategic planning, and capacity building across different geographies and the development and application of evaluation criteria at different scales across the network. The mission and goals listed above, as well as those articulated by individual CESUs across the network, will be used as a foundation from which to develop such evaluation criteria and vital statistics. Task 3 - Framework for CESU Network national fellowship/internship Task 3 will involve the development of framework for a semi-annual CESU Network National Office fellowship/internship, with opportunities for students from across the network. The CESU Network strategic plan includes placement of a national office fellow/intern in the CESU Network national office in Washington DC, where opportunities exist to become involved in national initiatives related to science, stewardship, policy, and capacity building using the platform of the CESU Network. This task will result in the placement of a fellow/intern in the national office to conduct analysis of existing programs (e.g., SCEP, Knauss) to gauge successful approaches for sustaining such programs over time. Development of such a fellowship/internship will afford participating students with opportunities to interact with all CESU Network partners, both federal and nonfederal, through routine activities at the national and individual CESU level.