WEDA Regional Assessments:
The Western Extension Directors have one annual assessment that funds the office of the WEDA Executive Director. This assessment includes salary, benefits, office expenses, equipment, and travel. All other regional payments are membership based, such as membership in the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER). Information about national assessments for the Association of Public and Land‐grant Universities (APLU) is available on the APLU ECOP website.
Assessment Process:
Annually, during the Spring WEDA meeting, the WEDA Chair conducts a performance review of the Executive Director (ED) including all regional and national work, and office operations. The review is based on accomplishments as related to the prior year’s approved plan of work. At this meeting, WEDA makes a decision about extending the ED contract or making any changes. WEDA also discusses, modifies, and approves the proposed budget for the next fiscal, approving the assessment amount.
By contract, Washington State University is the fiscal agent for WEDA. They bill, collect, and hold all WEDA funds. After the budget decisions are made at the Spring WEDA meeting, the ED works with WSU fiscal staff to determine assessment amounts for each Western institution.
WEDA assessments are generally based on the percentage of Smith Lever funding that each Western institution received in the prior Federal fiscal year.
There are two exceptions to this: WEDA made a decision that the territories would be assessed a flat $1000 each, and that the 1994 institutions would be assessed a flat $100 fee annually. The remaining WEDA ED Office budget is divided proportionately between the 13 Western Region states based on Smith Lever Funding received.
