Administrative topics

Policies, procedures and resources

Reporting time and work location for off-campus Extension faculty and staff

  1. Hourly paid/non-exempt staff position – Must report all hours worked including in the office and out of the office for events, educational delivery, and meetings. There is an expectation of a set schedule and calendars must be kept up to date if not expected to be in the physical office for all hours worked in a week. Flexing schedules during peak times and/or events/classes outside normal work hours is allowed but does require more controls and monitoring. If the office is closed for weather, for instance, hourly paid employees are expected to work from home or take leave because they have laptops, but these are limited situations.
  2. Exempt/faculty/academic positions – There is flexibility with exempt positions as these positions are tied to their expectations and plans of work. There is a responsibility to local offices and to provide face-to-face programming and “meet our constituents and stakeholders where they are.” Online programming and meetings should certainly be in the mix of options and judgements made when it makes the most sense.
    1. Telework arrangements are not needed for these positions. Positions will have a work location and when it might make sense to work from home (no face-to-face meetings in a particular day for example), that is allowable, although not a “structured” schedule that every week looks the same. We should expect some judgement on the part of our faculty and, if expectations aren’t being met, performance improvement measures are taken.
  3. Any materials, supply items and or IT equipment will only be shipped to a university or county office. We cannot ship University owned and purchased items to home addresses.

MU Extension and county council partnership

Extension Council/MU Extension Annual MOUs
Annually, based on a calendar year, MOUs are established between the Extension Councils and MU Extension to define the partnership and any funding arrangements such as mileage and youth program assistants.

More information about this partnership can be found in the University of Missouri Extension County Council Best Practices Guide (m250), including the following guidelines:

Fixed assets inventory

County Extension Offices are required to maintain a list of all fixed assets. Fixed assets are tangible or physical properties owned by the extension council and used in the normal operations of the extension office.

A complete listing of all council-owned nonexpendable furniture and equipment as defined by council policy should be maintained and reviewed annually. Information, such as date of purchase, where purchased, purchase cost, serial and inventory numbers, and current location, is used for valuing assets, insurance documentation, damage or loss reports and budgeting for replacement.

For more information about inventory and surplus see our Inventory webpage.

Master Gardener program fiscal policy

Procedure to manage Master Gardener accounts
Master Gardener accounts should be set up so that all finances flow through the Extension council's account. If a Master Gardener group desires their own checking accounts, they must provide periodic financial reports to the county extension council. If the Master Gardener group has a separate account, use of the council's tax exempt status will need to be negotiated with the council.

Allocation of youth internships

Statement of Purpose:
The purpose of the funding model is to move the routine decision making about how to utilize the scarce resources available for youth educator, youth associate and youth assistant positions from the university level of MU Extension to the regional level. Knowledge of what resources are available and the authority to make decisions on the wise use of resources will:

  • Take the uncertainty out of filling a vacant youth position
  • Use the state resources to leverage local or other resources to increase the support for these positions
  • Address regional priorities in these positions
  • Inspire partnerships among counties to capitalize on shared interests and needs in this area