ECOP Monday Minute 2.25.2013

Reminder:  NEDA Hotel Room Block Closes Today --  More than half of the 75 institutions in the Cooperative Extension Section have registered to be represented at the National Extension Directors and Administrators Meeting March 18-20, 2013 in San Antonio. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with colleagues on issues of national importance with local applications.  There are a limited number of rooms left at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio in the NEDA room block March 18 and 19, and the hotel is sold out on the evening of Wednesday, March 20. Arrangements for an overflow hotel are being made. If you require a room through March 20, please email Chrystal Checketts at chrystal.checketts@extension.org, as soon as possible, indicating arrival and departure dates. This information will be used to secure rooms at a nearby hotel. Registration and hotel information can be found online at: http://www.cvent.com/d/kcq42d.

Joint ECOP-ESCOP Meetings -- ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, and ESCOP Chair Mike Hoffmann, Cornell University, meet in Washington, DC in late February with various partners including USDA Research, Education and Economics (REE), USDA-NIFA administrators and national program leaders, and Cornerstone Government Affairs. Among several key messages is the case for federal capacity funds. The new ECOP handout found at https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4363 will be the core of the Cooperative Extension talking points.

eXtension Evaluation in Progress (by Jimmy Henning, chair, eXtension Governing Committee) -- The comprehensive external eXtension evaluation, as requested by Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators is well underway, with an update provided at NEDA in San Antonio and a final report coming mid-summer. You will be contacted by Sohel Karim from Socient Associates sometime between March 1, 2013 and April 1, 2013, for a short interview about eXtension.  Please take a few minutes to provide your thoughtful response.

2013 Assessments -- The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), on behalf of the Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA), recently sent electronic statements for all BAA accounts. Statements will no longer be sent in regular mail. Three accounts support the work of Cooperative Extension -- #5710 Office of Executive Director, #5730 Strategic Priorities and Operations, and #5780 eXtension. An additional statement will be forthcoming for #5721 SNAP-Ed.

National Extension Conference on Volunteers -- Please inform all Extension educators engaging volunteers about the National Extension Conference on Volunteerism, May 20-23, 2013 in Frankenmuth, MI. To learn more about the conference and to register, go to http://necv.msue.msu.edu/registration. Early bird registration continues to April 19, 2013.

Urban Conference -- The National Urban Extension Conference in Overland Park, Kansas, May 6-9, 2013 is hosted by Kansas State Research and Extension. NACo President Chris Rodgers, Commissioner from Douglas County, Nebraska, will be among keynote speakers. USDA-NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy will give a pre-conference session on building organizational strength. Register now at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/conf/urban-extension/.

FSLI Applications -- The Food Systems Leadership Institute’s (FSLI) program applications are now being accepted for the ninth cohort. FSLI offers executive leadership development to upper-level leaders in higher education, government, and industry to prepare them to meet the leadership challenges and opportunities of the future. The two-year FSLI experience includes three week-long residential sessions, personal leadership coaching, mentoring, a personal development plan, distance learning activities, and an individual leadership project. More information on the FSLI program can be found at http://www.fsli.org.