National System Survey Due 11.18.15

With leadership by Chuck Hibberd (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Mark Latimore (Fort Valley State University), Scott Reed (Oregon State University), Debby Sheely (University of Rhode Island), and Doug Steele (Texas A&M University), ECOP is encouraging a dialogue to determine Cooperative Extension’s universal core values and brand promise. Though there are vast differences in the type and scope of Cooperative Extension’s work, ECOP believes there are some core commonalities. The ECOP National System Task Force, chaired by Hibberd, needs the assistance of Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators to complete the survey A Conversation About Cooperative Extension as a National System by 11.18.15. Your responses will help guide the next steps in articulating what it means for Cooperative Extension to be a national system. 

Urban Extension Gets ECOP Attention – During its October 2015 meeting in St. Louis, ECOP accepted the report A National Framework for Urban Extension www.bit.ly/UrbanExtension provided by the National Urban Extension Leaders www.nuelaction.org. While continuing Cooperative Extension’s impact in rural America, ECOP recognizes the burgeoning need for urban programming. ECOP member Chris Boerboom (North Dakota State University) has been named ECOP liaison to NUEL. 

#agischat

Twitter Town Hall Reaches 3.2 Million – A highlight of the National Extension Directors and Administrators Meeting last October in St. Louis was a Twitter Town Hall. See How to Leverage Twitter Town Halls http://bit.ly/CES-TTH. Darren Katz and his team at kglobal describe the what, how, and so what of a Twitter Town Hall, which is similar to a public Q&A that takes place over Twitter. Note especially the last couple of slides that show, among other data, that posts were displaced 3,230,657 in less than one hour. ECOP appreciates colleagues from North Dakota State University, Southern University, University of the District of Columbia, and Kansas State University who provided expertise shared with industry leaders, federal agencies, members of Congress, trade associations, land-grant universities, and the general public. 

USDA Web Tool Highlights Cooperative Extension – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden recently announced a new, tailored web tool designed to connect emerging farm entrepreneurs, women in agriculture, youth, and transitioning farm operations with programs and resources available. The new web tool is available at www.usda.gov/newfarmers and contains linkages to Cooperative Extension offices and www.eXtension.org. 

Volunteerism Conference Proposals Due 12.4.15 – The proposal process to host the 2017 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism is now open. The conference is held every other year since 1999. Since that initial conference, volunteerism in Cooperative Extension has continued to evolve to meet needs in local communities. The 9th National Extension Conference on Volunteerism will be in April or May 2017. A short bid proposal is due Dec 4, 2015. The information can be found at http://extension.umaine.edu/programs/necv/.