Register for NEDA 2015

With the theme Innovation: Driving Extension’s Next Century, Cooperative Extension leaders will have opportunity to gather in downtown St. Louis, October 12-15, 2015 for the National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting. In a peer-to-peer learning environment, find out how to be an innovation leader and learn from each other about innovative approaches to program, resource development, evaluation, and partnerships. Register at http://www.cvent.com/d/wrq424.

Chris Boerboom,
North Dakota State University

Boerboom Named to ECOP – The North Central Region has named Chris Boerboom of North Dakota State University (NDSU) as an ECOP member for a four-year term. Boerboom began work as director of Extension at NDSU in 2012 and is a professor of weed science. He also represents the north central region on the ECOP Program Committee and is a member of the NEDA 2015 Planning Committee. Each of the five Cooperative Extension regions names three representatives to serve on ECOP. For a directory and other details of ECOP’s work, see www.extension.org/ecop. 

Celvia Stovall and Rick Klemme

Health Implementation Team Continues Work – With leadership by co-chairs Celvia Stovall, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin Extension, the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team continued its work last week focusing on a process for articulating the science base, identifying existing programs and curriculums, and determining gaps where Cooperative Extension can provide education. The five action teams are chaired by David Buys, Mississippi State University (Chronic Disease); Virginia Brown, University of Maryland (Health Insurance Literacy); Sonja Koukel, New Mexico State University (Health Literacy); Roberta Riportella, Kansas State University (Health Policy Issues Education), and Sekai Turner, North Carolina A&T University (Positive Youth Development for Health). Over a three-year period the effort will implement Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health and Wellness. The overall expected outcome is to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. As indicated in the national framework (pg. 2), “This same system of Extension can do for the nation’s health what it did for American agriculture.” 

Impacts Needed on Water Security Programs – Tim Cross, chair, National Impacts Database Committee, University of Tennessee, requests your assistance to input impacts at www.landgrantimpacts.org related to water security. The Board on Agriculture Assembly has advanced a proposal for significant funding for research, academic programs, and Cooperative Extension to be focused on securing the nation’s water supply. Impact statements from Cooperative Extension are critical to this process. 

Cooperative Extension Social Media – The effort to raise awareness of Cooperative Extension continues on Social Media. After last year's work to create a unified and regular social media presence for the Cooperative Extension System, ECOP is supporting the continued operation of these platforms under the leadership of Frankie Gould, Chair of the Social Media Team. Bill Woodrum, Social Media Associate for ECOP, is coordinating the project across many platforms. Send information to him at extensioncentennial@gmail.com. Also please encourage to participate -- Facebook: facebook.com/Extension100Years, Twitter: Twitter.com/ext100years, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9GyqMs0FKlUKBTxtcyg04w/videos and Pinterest: Pinterest.com/ext100years/pins/.