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The Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER) is a multi-university collaboration established by the Western Extension Directors Association to

• increase the internal capacity of Western Extension programs to address metropolitan issues, and to
• elevate the stature and value of Cooperative Extension to external metropolitan audiences.

Since WCMER’s founding in 2014 we have focused our efforts on applied research on best Extension practices and issues facing metropolitan areas, and professional development for Extension professionals, with a goal of better aligning programs and program delivery with the needs, issues and interest of their metropolitan constituency.

Institutional membership in the WCMER has expanded beyond the west from an original group of six founding university Extension members, to thirteen members from coast to coast. This greater participation and diversity has allowed us to broaden our collaborations, extend our reach, and engage in new projects that advance the knowledge base of Extension work in our metropolitan regions.