Brian Higginbotham, University Extension family life specialist, received the Early Career Achievement Award in November at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations in San Francisco, Calif.

Higginbotham has been an Extension specialist for four years. Over time, he has been recognized for his research and work in several critical family and human development areas and generated many research-based resources focusing on healthy relationships, family dynamics and parenting that are accessible to educators and families nationwide.

Linda Skogrand, USU associate professor and Extension specialist, nominated Higginbotham for the award.

“Brian exhibits the true spirit of Extension by conducting high-quality research and also having a passion for using this research to help people in communities,” Skogrand said in a press release.

As part of the nomination process, Skogrand submitted answers to several questions describing Higginbotham’s work with the Extension and the family life programs.

In the nomination letter, Skogrand outlined many of the programs Higginbotham has worked with, in Utah and across the country.

Higginbotham is the Extension’s representative for the Utah Marriage commission, coordinating its Web site that includes relationship education resources, which are taught online or in classrooms around the state.

He co-authored a 44-page marriage handbook given to couples when they apply for a marriage license. Nearly 30,000 of the handbook has been distributed in Utah, while thousands more have been distributed in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Ohio and Illinois. The handbook has also been turned into an online class, available nationally.

While working for the University Extension, Higginbotham has worked closely with many different organizations to create programs and literature designed to help those in what he referred to as “the underserved population,” which includes stepfamilies.

“This is the first time a state has ever done an initiative like this in the whole nation,” Higginbotham said. “Not only are we providing a valued and appreciated service for these stepfamilies, we’re also providing practices for the field in terms of the research that we’re doing on the effectiveness.”

Higginbotham also runs two federal projects that provide stepfamily and remarriage education classes around the state. These programs have served approximately 1,700 adults and 1,500 children, he said.

“The reputation of the university gets enhanced,” Higginbotham said. “With us being the only state that’s doing a statewide effort around stepfamilies, it really sets Utah State University apart as a leader in helping provide resources.”

After each class has concluded, participants are interviewed over a period of two years in order to gauge the effectiveness of the program. Responses from 2007 participants that were mentioned in the nomination letter spoke highly of the program and suggested that families were given valuable tools through the program.

In addition to these and other programs, Higginbotham is a member of the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network (NERMEN), co-authoring two articles for the network’s 80-page Guide to Effective Programming.

The Extension office provides a learning opportunity for students through research opportunities, Higginbotham said.

“Our goal, as a state institution,” Higginbotham said, “is to help families around the state be successful.”

– emily.hoferitza@aggiemail.usu.edu