February Announcements

People can now follow along with what’s being offered in their region through two new Regional Teams Facebook pages: @Purdue Extension East Central Region and @Purdue Extension West Central Region. 

Our goals for these pages are to centralize regional communications efforts, increase community awareness of Extension, and reduce staff workload. Please follow these pages on your county Extension accounts, like and share to support our regional marketing efforts. 

Counties within the regional teams will transition away from using their individual county websites as the primary hub for health and human sciences (HHS), agriculture and natural resources (ANR) and community development (CD) programming. Instead, each region will launch a dedicated Regional Teams webpage that reflects the updated Extension structure and showcases regional events, relevant news and shared program offerings across HHS, ANR and CD. 

Users in counties that are part of a region will first land on a broad Regional Teams landing page outlining the current regional structure. After selecting a specific region (for example, East Central Region), users will be directed to that region’s homepage. The regional homepage will serve as a centralized hub of information and provide navigation options to either individual county webpages within the region or one of the shared program area pages. 

County websites will continue to exist but will be more streamlined, as these three program areas will move to the regional webpages. 4-H youth development will remain housed within county websites at this time. 

Audiences and stakeholders will more clearly see the benefits of programming delivered across a broader geographic footprint, while regional team members will share responsibility for content creation, webpage management, and event promotion. Shared resources and programming will naturally lead to shared communication efforts. 

By: Amanda Graupner, regional educator

The regional model has opened new doors for collaboration and expanded access to Purdue Extension programming across the West Central region. For regional health and human sciences educators Brock Turner and Ashlee Merryman, this shift has created opportunities to strengthen partnerships, broaden reach and deliver meaningful impact to more communities. 

Having worked together for four years, Brock and Ashlee continue to grow as a team, supporting one another, stepping in where needed and developing new and engaging programming for the region. Their partnership has been especially meaningful during the transition to the regional model, allowing them to navigate change together while expanding services into new communities. 

One program that has played a key role in this expansion is A Matter of Balance. The class has gained strong interest in Warren County and neighboring communities. As the program’s presence has grown, so has its impact. 

Beyond fall prevention education, the program fosters meaningful relationships. Participants form connections with one another, share personal experiences and build trust with educators, creating a supportive environment that often leads to continued participation in Extension programs. These relationships also encourage word-of-mouth outreach, helping bring new participants into future classes. 

One recent class offered a powerful example of the program’s reach and influence. Bill, a 96-year-old Warren County native, attended every session with support from his family and brought a unique perspective, serving as a source of inspiration for the entire group. 

“He showed everyone that learning never stops,” Brock and Ashlee said. “When others questioned their ability, seeing him participate helped them realize they could do it too.” 

Brock and Ashlee’s collaboration, adaptability and shared commitment to community health exemplify how a regional approach is strengthening Extension’s reach and creating new opportunities for impact across the West Central region. 

By: Molly Hunt, area director

The 2026 Agriculture Outlook, an event focused on commercial agriculture, drew over 100 registrants from multiple counties and states to the East Central Regional Team on Jan. 27. Despite a snowstorm making travel difficult, over 65 people attended, which was three times more than in years past. 

The event featured speakers who specialize in commercial agriculture. The line-up included not only Purdue Extension specialists but also speakers from partner organizations, like Don Lamb from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Katie Nelson from Indiana Farm Bureau and Howard Halderman from Halderman Companies. These selections showcased Extension’s network of partners across the state. Chad Fiechter from the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture also spoke, which increased participant awareness of Extension’s strong connections between field offices and campus, particularly with the Center for Commercial Agriculture. 

Having focused, specialized staffing has educators to deliver deeper, higher-quality programs like this event. One attendee said, “I am so glad Purdue is getting back to Commercial Ag.” This example shows how communities highly value specialist over generalist content and how the event positively shaped public perceptions of Extension in the East Central Regional Team. 

In the future, programming in the East Central Region will continue to be responsive to community needs and feedback, and we plan to continue expanding educational offerings through a regional delivery model. 

As we continue to develop strategies to deliver programs regionally, we are focusing on broader reach, depth of expertise, reduced duplication, applied research, innovation and continued service for communities. Stay tuned for updates on the transformation in the next newsletter. 

If you have any questions about the Transformation, please email ExtensionTransformation@purdue.edu, and your question will be sent to the appropriate department.  

Social media publish checklist 

Before you hit publish, ask: 

• Is the audience clear? 

• Is the Extension connection obvious? 

• Are logos, fonts and colors on-brand? 

• Is there a clear action (register, attend, learn more)? 

Following these steps will increase audience reach and engagement and emphasize Extension’s connection to Purdue University and its resources. 

Looking for inspiration? Learn about Purdue’s fonts and colors on Purdue Brand Studio’s website, and check out the 140+ social media templates available on Marq. 

Need help? The Communications Committee can offer support and review materials before you post. Please reach out to Olivia De Young at odeyoung@purdue.edu with any questions, and she will direct them to the right people. 

Quick fix 

When was the last time you updated your email signature? In less than 10 minutes, you can create a new signature with Purdue Brand Studio’s email signature generator. Here’s an example with the Extension co-brand: 

John Smith 
Health and Human Sciences regional educator 
Purdue Extension - Serving East Central Indiana 
 

1200 S Main Street 
Tipton, IN 46072 
o: 765-675-1177, Ext. 123