State Initiatives - Utah
Extension Point of Contact
Brian Higginbotham, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist
Utah State University
2705 Old Main Hill
Logan, Utah 84322
Phone: 435.797.7276 Email: Brian.H@usu.edu
Linda Skogrand, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist
Utah State University
2705 Old Main Hill
Logan, Utah 84322
Phone: 435.797.8183 Email: linda.skogrand@usu.edu
Current Projects/Activities
Remarriage and Stepfamily Education
Utah State University Extension in partnership with numerous family service agencies in Utah are providing free educational classes for couples and families with step relationships. Funding is provided through a $2.3 million five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Family Assistance. The program is for entire families and includes six 2-hour classes, a booster session, and quarterly newsletters. (Contact: Brian Higginbotham; Project period: October 2006 - October 2011)
Remarriage and Stepfamily Education for Head Start/Early Head Start Families
Utah State University Extension in partnership with Head Start agencies in Utah are providing free educational classes for couples and families with step relationships. Funding is provided through a $1.6 million five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start. The program is for entire families of children that are eligible for Head Start services and includes six 2-hour classes, a booster session, and quarterly newsletters. (Contact: Brian Higginbotham; Project period: October 2007 - October 2012)
State-wide healthy marriage coalition
The Utah Commission on Marriage advises the Department of Workforce Services on their Utah Healthy Marriage Initiatives. The mission of the Commission is to help people form and sustain a healthy and enduring marriage. They provide information and resources to Utah citizens and professionals to support healthy marriages and stable families. The Commission can be reached at 801-526-9317. (Contact: Melanie Reese; www.utahmarriage.org)
Strong Marriages in Latino Culture
In an effort to learn more about strong marriages in the context of Latino culture and to create relationship and marriage education materials that are culturally appropriate, 25 married Latino couples residing in Utah were interviewed. The findings of this study are informing a forthcoming Latino marriage curriculum, which is being developed in collaboration with the Family Life Specialist at Kansas State University Extension who replicated the study. (Contact: Linda Skogrand; Project period: July 2003-present).
Study about Great Marriages
A qualitative study is being conducted on a national sample of couples who have great marriages to better understand what makes their marriages great. To date, 72 couples have participated in the study. This study is being conduct in partnership with a Family Life Specialist from the University of Nebraska. (Contact: Linda Skogrand; Project period: 2005-present).
|
