Biography
Andrew Turner accepted a position with Extension Administration in the College of Agriculture and LIfe Sciences after working for 22 years in the Cornell Cooperative Extension system in Rockland, Greene and Columbia Counties in New York''s Hudson Valley. Turner accepted an interim role as the Director of the New York State 4-H Youth Development prgoram in the BCTR in 2014 and is currently in the process of being promoted to Senior Extension Associate in BCTR to continue to provide leadership to the 4-H network in New York State. Leadership for 4-H Youth Development in New York State includes the following core elements:
1. Connecting the research and resources of the College of Human Ecology and the University more broadly to the development, delivery and evaluation of 4-H programs delivered through the 54 County based Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations, Cornell University Cooperative Extension in New York City, and on the Cornell campus in Ithaca.
2. Provide leadership, support and relevant professional development for the team of seven 4-H professionals that comprise the State 4-H Office within BCTR and the approximately 200 4-H Educators working in Cornell Cooperative Extension County offices.
3. Progessively move the 4-H program forward; ensuring that it is addressing contemporary youth challenges, connecting with relevant research initiatives in positive youth development, and engaging effectively with the National 4-H network.
My research efforts at this time are advisory only as a member of the Leadership Team for the recently established Program for Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE) within BCTR. PRYDE is an initiative to create a nationally prominent program for translational research in 4-H Youth Development. Using cutting edge behavioral and social science approaches to research and evaluation, PRYDE promotes positive youth development through empirical studies and by providing evidence-based practices for 4-H and other youth programs. PRYDE strives to generate new knowledge about youth development that will directly benefit the thousands of urban and rural participants in NYS and beyond. PRYDE''s current research efforts are:
1. Purpose as a Resource for Youth Program Learning and Engagement - Professor Anthony Burrow, Human Development.
2. Healthy Transitions for adolescent youth - Professor Jane Mendle, Human Development.
3. Intergenerational Connections - Professor Karl Pilemer, Human Development and Director BCTR.
4. Productive Use of Social Media by Youth, Professor Elaine Wethington, Human Development.
Current professional focus in the following major categories:
Engagement with the CCE system, for program development, management and professional development of New York State 4-H professionals.
Creating meaningful and proactive partnerships with Cornell University, Northeast and National 4-H YD networks, leadership teams, and program development initiatives that advance the goals of the NYS 4-H program.
1. Working with the broader 4-H community in NYS and beyond to assess program priorities and develop a mission, vision and priorities in a way that increases engagement, both on and off campus, creates sustainability, and positions the program for growth.
4-H is the largest out of school youth organization in the United States with more than 6 million youth participants annualy and a national goal to reach 10 million youth by 2025. As the youth component of Cooperative Extension, 4-H connects young people to Cornell. In addition to community based clubs, 4-H also offers in-school and after-school programs, special interest groups, independent memberships, camps, and special events. 4-H reaches approximately 180,000 per year in New York State with core content areas of science, technology, engineering and math; healthy living; civic engagement and Agriculture and Food Systems. Program activities and materials are developed by campus-based experts in related fields, who also provide continuing support to professional staff and volunteers. Hands-on, inquiry-based learning is central to 4-H. Participants learn to take leadership, work in groups, plan, and communicate. 4-H is youth development program of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE). CCE receives support from federal, state, and county governments and has offices that reach the state’s 57 counties plus New York City. Educators in these offices work with faculty and staff to carry out Cornell’s mission as New York State’s land grant university to share its knowledge with the people of the state. Locating 4-H in the BCTR demonstrates a commitment to grounding 4-H firmly in research, not only about the content of programs but also about youth development and program implementation.
Led a team of eight professionals for Translational Research (BCTR), Cornell University’s Bronfenbrenner Center
2016, Doctorate in Executive Leadership (Ed.D), St. John Fisher College
1993, Masters of Professional Studies (M.P.S.), Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
1998, Bachelors of Science, Major in Natural Resources, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences