Abstract
This review article explores the role of land-grant Extension amidst an escalating epistemic crisis, where misinformation and the contestation of knowledge severely impact public trust and policymaking. We delve into the historical mission of land-grant institutions to democratize education and extend knowledge through Cooperative Extension Services, highlighting their unique position to address contemporary challenges of information disorder and declining public confidence in higher education. Land-grant universities can reaffirm their relevance and leadership in disseminating reliable information by reasserting their foundational principles of unbiased, objective scholarship and deep engagement with diverse stakeholders. This reaffirmation comes at a critical time when societal trust in science and academia is waning, necessitating a recommitment to community engagement and producing knowledge for the public good. The article underscores the necessity for these institutions to adapt to the changing information landscape by fostering stakeholder-engaged scholarship and enhancing accessibility, thus reinforcing their vital role in upholding the integrity of public discourse and policy.
Keywords
misinformation, land-grant universities, public trust, cooperative extension services, engagement, information disorder, D83, I23, Q16
Date of this Version
11-2024
Recommended Citation
Anderson, John D.; Malone, Trey; and Akridge, Jay, "Strategies for Land-Grant Universities to Foster Public Trust" (2024). Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications. Paper 10.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/agedocs/10
Comments
This is the publisher PDF of Anderson JD, Malone T, Akridge JT. Strategies for Land-Grant Universities to Foster Public Trust. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. 2024;56(4):650-665. Published CC-BY, the version of record and ADA Title II compliant version in HTML can be found at DOI: 10.1017/aae.2024.32.