After substantial consideration and discussion, University of Wisconsin Extension confirmed Wednesday it will cut $3.6 million from its Cooperative Extension division.

UW Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen said the cuts will affect three major areas of the Cooperative Extension division: county, research and administration.

UW-Extension draws concern as it is expected to cut numerous positions throughout state

The Cooperative Extension division provides services and resources to people around the state and holds offices in all 72 counties.

The largest cut, $1.7 million, will impact the campus-based specialist researchers. County programs will be cut $1.2 million and Cooperative’s administration overhead will have a $700,000 cut, Sandeen said.

Sandeen said if UW-Extension can work efficiently, hopefully it can relieve some of the impact caused by the biennium budget’s cuts.

She recommended UW-Extension’s steering committee look at alternative forms of revenue to account for cuts, including marketing some of the services UW-Extension has developed, she said.

“Much of what we do is of great interest and demand outside of the state and outside of the country, so it makes sense that we might think about ways that we might monetize outside of the state of Wisconsin if that’s possible,” Sandeen said.

One development is E-Parenting, an entire technology curriculum for parent instruction. It teaches parents how to use technology with their children, but also can be used to help parents monitor and manage their children’s use of technology, Sandeen said.

A group of campus specialist researchers presented the program at a national conference. Following the conference, Sandeen said they were approached by several people from around the country interested in the curriculum E-parenting provides. E-Parenting is one example of UW-Extension developments that the institution plans to trademark in order to create another source of revenue, Sandeen said.

Despite all of the cuts to Cooperative Extension, Sandeen believes the division will still remain a model for extension services in other states, a UW-Extension statement said.

“Cooperative Extension’s people and programs bring the Wisconsin Idea to life in unique and immediate ways,” Sandeen said. “We’re building on a century-old commitment and imagining how we best connect with communities for generations to come.”