Jerry Hembd

The Wisconsin Community Economic Analysis Program was initiated in the early 1980s and administered by the University of Wisconsin-Extension. At the heart of the program were county-based Community Resource Development agents in most Wisconsin counties. The two state-level specialists that helped launch and support this program were Ron Shaffer and Glen Pulver. Requests for this program came from the local level through the county CRD agent. Local educational meetings were used to help a community group gain a clearer grasp of their local economic situation and their realistic development opportunities, as well as develop an action plan for achieving their goals. The local CRD agent continued working with the group as a catalyst and provider of additional information. The demand for the program was high given the impacts of the 1981-82 national recession, the relative lack of local development organizations, and the limited availability of solid data and analysis to support economic decision making at the local level.

That was then. The CEA program has seen much less application or use over the past decade. Strong economic growth in the 1990s, changing programmatic emphases and support for CRD agents and Extension, the proliferation of local development organizations, and economic data easily available on the internet were all factors in this change. Now, with new levels of economic uncertainty and increasing interest, once again, in CEA and economic development, the program is being revisited. What are the appropriate roles for Extension educators given the changes that have occurred? What should a "new" CEA be and do?