Carol Schwab
State ESP Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Carol Schwab epitomizes professionalism, accomplishment, and exemplary service. She has made significant contributions to NCSU, the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES) and to the citizens of the state. She has enhanced the effectiveness of the NCCES in reaching North Carolinians in several crucial areas including:
As Family Resource Management Specialist (for 14 years) she has provided statewide leadership for the development and dissemination of vital information and education on a variety of legal issues including estate and advance-care planning, elder law, small business, family law, and risk management. Dr. Schwab has done this through electronic media, printed publications, formal presentations, agent in-services, and one-on-one contacts. In support of agents, she has presented hundreds of programs on legal issues to thousands of people. Many hospitals, medical offices and nursing homes have distributed her materials to patients. She has also provided state-wide leadership in elder law for the legal profession by serving as Chair of the Elder Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, by partnering with the Bar Association in developing an estate planning web site posted at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/estates/ , and by coordinating and developing the estate planning interactive program located at this web site. Lawyers and financial planners refer their clients to this Extension website. Extension On-Line News featured her work in the article, “Extension Web Site Provides Estate Planning Guidance.”

Also, in support of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Dr. Schwab served as the first chair of and gave leadership to, the initiation and development of the Aging With Gusto!, CEMP #1, a national award-winning program that continues to meet the needs of older adults across North Carolina in a variety of areas. Aging With Gusto! combines the work of multiple specialists and field faculty in the design and delivery of programs for older adults and their families. Approximately 30 counties conduct Aging With Gusto! programs annually, including several multi-county extravaganzas which are attended by 100-300 people. In 1999, the US Committee and the Federal Committee for the UN International Year of Older Persons gave the Aging with Gusto! program the National Award for Excellence in Aging Programs.

Dr. Schwab served a 4-year term as Interim Department Extension Leader for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) from 1998 through 2001. During this time she provided leadership for the development and review of educational materials (including instigating online reviews), provided oversight and leadership for in-service for field faculty, mentored junior faculty through the promotion and tenure process, and was responsible for the introduction and up-dating of new technology. Her drive to master and implement technology in education led her to become Web Master for the departmental home page, posted at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/ . In this capacity, Dr. Schwab provided leadership for the design and content of the Web site, oversaw the technical aspects, and added a number of educational and user-friendly features which help give FCS and NCCES national and international visibility. One such feature is the web-based Ask the Specialist, posted at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/ask/ask.html. She recruited contributing Specialists (in and outside the FCS Department); designed, maintains, and markets the site; coordinates and compiles submissions from each Specialist; and maintains a list serve for contributors and subscribers. This highly successful endeavor connects the public directly with the specialist.

Dr. Schwab was the primary creative force behind the development and launching of The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues, a professional and scholarly journal (posted at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pub/forum.html). As editor of this quarterly, international, peer-reviewed e-journal, she currently provides leadership for the Executive and Editorial Boards, consisting of 62 members representing approximately 26 universities and two governmental agencies and the private sector. This involves setting policy and procedures for the journal; providing oversight and leadership to the review process for submitted manuscripts; and soliciting articles, including those for Showcase NC. Over its 7 years of existence, the Forum has built a vast readership. A web-site counter has shown that single issues will receive as many as 1500 visitors.