This research evaluated learning outcomes of a leadership development program at a large, southern land grant institution. The program is an interdisciplinary, semester-long class where experience and theory are juxtaposed to offer leadership training and development. Through an intensive research project, the program exposes students to four practical skills and four adaptive skills related to leadership development. The research outcomes of this study found that students did perceive to have gained the intended leadership skills as related to the four practical and four adaptive skills set forth by the program curriculum. As leadership programs continue to grow, these programs must be assessed and evaluated to continue to garner merit within the academic community.
Core Ideas This study assessed outreach effectiveness and audiences’ preferences for learning about water issues. This study evaluates possible trends in preferences for information sources related to socio‐demographic variables. Random sample survey of Texans to evaluate citizen awareness, attitudes, and willingness to act on water issues. This study assesses outreach effectiveness for particular populations and audiences’ media preferences for learning about water issues and examines preferences for additional information on particular water resource topics, including possible trends in information sources related to socio‐demographic changes from 2008 to 2014. City and municipal water districts reached the greatest number of people with 68.2% of those surveyed and 73.9% of respondents living within city limits (p < 0.0001) receiving water information from these sources. Protecting drinking water supplies (57.4%) and water management for home and garden landscaping (55.8%) were the water resource topics of greatest interests to respondents. Interest in the home and garden landscaping topic increased from 34.1% in 2008 to almost 60% in 2014. This study reports water resource topical areas of greatest interest and preferred methods for reaching various demographic groups, including the growing urban sector. This information is critically important to financially limited organizations disseminating water resource information, including extension, environmental agencies and groups, and cities and water districts, as they seek to efficiently encourage the public to adopt appropriate water resource management and water conservation practices.
Adoption of effective brush management methods is critical to achieving many rangeland management objectives. However, landowners have often been reluctant to adopt new practices. In April 2000, a questionnaire was mailed to the 1 058 landowners in 48 Texas counties to identify factors that influence land management decisions, especially with respect to brush management practices, including Brush Busters treatments. Brush Busters is a Texas-based program developed to expedite the adoption of ''select'' individual plant treatments through the use of environmentally safe methods. Overall, landowners were ''neutral'' to ''dissatisfied'' with regard to the amount of brush on their land. Two primary reasons for wanting to decrease brush were to increase forage production and to conserve water. Kind of brush and cost of brush control were important factors determining the preferred treatment type. In general, the most effective methods were considered to be mechanical treatments for juniper (Juniperus ashei) and individual plant herbicide treatments for mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and prickly pear (Opuntia spp.). Mechanical treatments and aerial herbicide applications were perceived to be the most expensive methods, followed by individual plant herbicide treatments, and fire was considered to be the least expensive method. Our study indicated that landowners' satisfaction with Brush Busters' select methods will likely result in an increase in the use of individual plant herbicide treatments for controlling brush. Our study emphasized that a key for enhancing the adoption of sound rangeland management practices is the development and effective dissemination of user-friendly information about low-cost techniques that produce quick results. Easily visible demonstration sites and the establishment of cooperative groups could accelerate the adoption of such practices. Resumen La adopció n de métodos efectivos de control de arbustos es critica para alcanzar muchos de los objetivos de manejo de pastizales. Sin embargo, muchos propietarios de tierras a menudo han estado renuentes a adoptar nuevas prá cticas. En Abril del 2000, se envió por correo un cuestionario a 1 058 propietarios de terrenos en 48 condados de Texas para identificar factores que influyen en las decisiones de manejo de los terrenos, especialmente con respecto a las practicas de manejo de arbustos, incluyendo tratamientos de Brush Busters. Brush Busters es un programa con base en Texas desarrollado para acelerar la adopció n de tratamientos ''selectos'' de plantas individuales a través de métodos ambientalmente seguros. En general, los propietarios estuvieron de neutrales a descontentos con la cantidad de arbustos en su terreno. Dos principales razones para querer disminuir los arbustos fueron aumentar la producció n de forraje y conservar agua. El tipo de arbusto y costo del control de arbustos fueron factores importantes en determinar el tipo de tratamiento preferido. En general, los métodos considerados má s efectivos fueron los mecá nicos para el ''Juni...
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