ECOP Monday Minute 3.10.14

ACTION: Centennial Opening Ceremony -- Each state, U.S. Territory and the District of Columbia has an opportunity to present their flag during the Opening Ceremony of the Cooperative Extension Centennial Convocation on May 8. Please send the following information to Bill Woodrum at extensioncentennial@gmail.com by 3.14.14 -- 

1. Whether or not you are able to send a representative (every effort will be made to have your flag presented even if a representative from your state is unavailable).
2. If yes, include their name, title, and contact information. To register for the convocation, go to http://www.cvent.com/d/g4qqj5.

eXtension Launches Disruptive e-nnovation -- During the March 4-5, 2014 work session in Washington, DC, Cooperative Extension leaders representing all regions worked to present a plan for increasing eXtension's value. Called “disruptive e-nnovation,” efforts are being placed on defining a new business model, confirming priority audiences, and exploring additional private and public partners for mutual gain. eXtension Disruptive e-nnovation will allow it to grow at the pace of technology change and increase its usability with Extension's needs. Directors and administrators will be asked to contribute input during the Sacramento NEDA meeting at the end of March. eXtension is aggressively seeking to develop an innovative plan that will be presented this summer.

Extension to Meet with OMB – Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to attend a special session in conjunction with PILD on 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, 4.23.14 with Noah Engelberg, Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Engelberg will discuss the federal budget process and ways that Extension might be more effective in telling its story. Engelberg’s responsibilities in OMB include the USDA-REE portfolio. The session will be facilitated by ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky. The location will be identified in the PILD program.

FY 2015 Budget – Explanatory notes for the USDA portion of the President’s FY 2015 budget, released last week, are at http://www.obpa.usda.gov/explan_notes.html.  For the handouts specifying the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly FY 2015 budget priorities, including an overview document, and budget requests for Smith-Lever, 1890s Extension, AFRI and others, see www.land-grant.org.

ECOP Releases New Handout – ECOP focuses on the “why” of Cooperative Extension for this year’s handout https://www.aplu.org/view.image?id=1648 used by the chair, Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, at meetings, primarily in Washington, DC. The impact reports used in the document are pulled from the new ECOP/ESCOP web site, now at www.excellenceinextension.org and soon to be released as www.land-grantimpacts.org. Impacts from the site will be used for quick reference by the ECOP National Office, CARET, USDA-NIFA and others.   

National 4-H Gala – ECOP member Charlotte Eberlein encourages Cooperative Extension directors and administrators to make a tax deductible donation of $200 or more to help cover the cost of sponsoring a table for the Youth in Action Award winner and his/her family at National 4-H Council’s Legacy Awards Gala to be held in Washington DC on April 3, 2014. Donate online at https://secure3.convio.net/n4h/site/Donation2idb=1473633255&df_id=2420&2420.donation=form1&2420.donation=root&DONATION_LEVEL_ID_SELECTED=1&idb=[[S76:idb]]&df_id=2420. To be acknowledged in the Gala program your donation must be received by March 12, 2014.

Extension Reconsidered - As part of an initiative called Extension Reconsidered, teams in 13 states are planning events that are timed to mark the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act.  Inspired by Ernest Boyer's book, Scholarship Reconsidered, the events will invite people to imagine new ways for Extension to serve as a vital resource for communities in the 21st century.  Events will feature discussion of the roles Extension can play in facilitating and organizing public problem solving and community development, with a special focus on how and what leaders from arts, humanities, and design fields can contribute. Participating states include Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin.  For more information, contact Scott Peters at sjpeters@syr.edu, or visit the website at www.extensionreconsidered.org.