Nonprofit organizations are increasingly seeking new knowledge and ideas to respond to community needs in our rapidly changing society. In response to these new knowledge needs, there has been a considerable increase in the number of nonprofit management outreach programs on compuses throughout the nation during the past 10 years. Universities and colleges, in addition to offering nonprofit graduate degree programs, reach out to the nonprofit sector and its community-based groups through a host of activities designed to disseminate new knowledge about the nonprofit sector. More than three fourths of these programs place interns, and about 50

provide technical assistance, sponsor conference, condut workshops, and provide consultant services for nonprofits. Universities also disseminate the findings of scholarly research through newsletters and publised papers. Additionally, a number of colleges and universities throughout the United States offer noncredit courses for executive directors, staff, and traustees of nonprofit organizations. Where are these programs located within the university? Do they receive widespread institutional support or are they marginalizaed in nonacademic units? This article traces the development of university-based outreach and extension programs in the United States. The authors propose a theoretical framework for examining the role of outreach programs within the academy