Extension's online presence: Are land-grant universities promoting the tripartite mission?

Land-grant universities were established with a tripartite mission:education, research, and outreach through the Cooperative Extension Service. The purpose of the study reported here was to evaluate the online presence and technological adoptions of Extension on land-grant university, college of agriculture, and state Extension websites. Almost half of the university websites did not contain a direct link to Extension, and only 10% highlighted Extension services. Many state Extension websites had some form of social media, but only 45% had a link to extension. The results demonstrate the need to expand Extension's Internet presence, particularly on land-grant university websites.