Sustaining University-Community Partnerships in Providing Relationship Education

Abstract

Several relationship education (RE) programs have been implemented and funded through state and federal initiatives. Forming and sustaining university-community partnerships have been proposed as one way of maintaining these programs at the community level. Using a qualitative descriptive approach five Cooperative Extension faculty members articulated their experiences with university-community partnerships in providing RE programs in their counties for three years. Faculty members explained their purpose for developing partnerships, their leadership and roles within their partnerships, and how they maintain and evaluate their partnerships.