Faculty Affiliates gain meaningful professional advantages while advancing OSU’s land grant mission. The program is designed to add value to faculty careers by amplifying the reach, impact, and visibility of their scholarship without changing their primary appointment. As an Extension Faculty Affiliate, participants will:

• Expand the impact of their scholarship statewide. Affiliates gain access to Extension’s trusted statewide infrastructure, including educators, specialists, and community partners in all 77 Oklahoma counties, providing an established platform to pilot, scale, and sustain research informed programs.
  
• Strengthen promotion, tenure, and annual review materials. Extension engagement generates documented evidence of applied research, outreach, and community impact, elements increasingly valued in faculty evaluation. Upon request, Extension leadership will provide letters of support and documentation describing the scope, reach, and outcomes of affiliate contributions.
  
• Enhance competitiveness for external funding. Affiliates may help develop or join interdisciplinary proposal teams that leverage Extension’s community presence. Extension is often an asset for broader impacts, engagement plans, and implementation strategies in federal, foundation, and state grant proposals. Affiliates are also eligible for seed funding opportunities when available.
• Increase visibility and professional recognition. Affiliates receive formal recognition as an Extension Faculty Affiliate, including inclusion in Extension directories and communications, and recognition at the annual Extension Awards luncheon.
• Join a cross disciplinary community of engaged scholars. The Affiliate program connects faculty across colleges and disciplines who share an interest in translating research into practice and addressing complex challenges facing Oklahoma’s people, communities, and industries.
• Access professional development and collaborative opportunities. Affiliates are invited to Extension professional development events, networking opportunities, and collaborative initiatives that support engaged scholarship and translational research.
• Engage flexibly and strategically. Participation is scalable and adaptable to faculty interests and availability. Affiliates may focus on a single project or an evolving area of collaboration, aligning Extension engagement with existing research, teaching, or service priorities.