Monday, November 23, 2015

ECOP Welcomes New Chair

ECOP Monday Minute returns December 7, 2015 . . . HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

Delbert Foster, ECOP Chair 2014-15, hands gavel to
Michelle Rodgers, ECOP Chair 2015-16
Montage from 11.16.15 includes Cathie Woteki, Under Secretary
for USDA Research, Education, and Economics, Robert Holland,
Associate Director of Operations, USDA-NIFA and
Jane Schuchardt, Executive Director, ECOP
In ceremonies at the APLU Annual Meeting in Indianapolis last week, Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, accepted the gavel for ECOP leadership from outgoing chair Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University. For the 2015 report of ECOP accomplishments, see http://bit.ly/ECOP2015Report. Of special note is the program focus on health, the development of the Cooperative Extension Innovation Inventory, transition to the NEW eXtension, and the producer education program with USDA Farm Service Agency. ECOP goals for 2016 http://bit.ly/2016ECOPGoals call for further work on innovation, launching a National System Task Force, giving attention to urban programming, and continuing discussion on private resource mobilization. Foster expresses appreciation to all those in the Cooperative Extension Section who engaged in Cooperative Extension national leadership during his tenure. As ECOP immediate past-chair, he serves as co-chair of the ESS-CES/NEDA Planning Committee in preparation for the September 19-21, 2016 meeting near Jackson Hole, WY. 

North Central Region Releases FCS Study – ECOP member Chris Boerboom, Chair, North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA), announces a new report of impacts of family and consumer sciences Extension programs http://www.nccea.org/multistate-activities/fcs-battelle-report-2015/. Amongst other outcomes, the report shows compelling evidence about program effectiveness related to human health and well-being. 

Cooperative Extension SNAP-Ed Outcomes – The Land Grant University SNAP-Ed Program Development Team, supported by assessments to participating universities, announces outcomes by state http://articles.extension.org/pages/72627/2014-snap-ed-impact-reports#.VktMaL-E1SE. Further, the Legislative and Advocacy Committee of the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team reports high visibility for Cooperative Extension at the National SNAP Directors Meeting earlier this month in Seattle. In addition to an exhibit, presentations by Cooperative Extension educators focused on translating research to practice, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and encouraging SNAP redemption at farmers’ markets. Members of the Legislative and Advocacy Committee are Pat Bebo, Ohio State University and Mindy Meuli, University of Wyoming, co-chairs; Debra Garrard, Oklahoma State University; Kathleen Manenica, Washington State University, and ad hoc member Megan Ness Ditterick, North Dakota State University. 

CYFAR Annual Report – USDA-NIFA announces the release of a report of 2014 accomplishments of the Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Program http://nifa.usda.gov/resource/2014-cyfar-annual-report. CYFAR improves the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for at-risk children, youth, and families through Cooperative Extension educational programs. Limited resource families and youth who are at-risk for not meeting basic human needs gain skills to lead positive, productive, contributing lives. 

NEDA 2015 in Review – Those who evaluated the 2015 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting last October in St. Louis provided high ratings http://bit.ly/2015NEDAReview. ECOP thanks the planning team Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, chair; Ed Jones, Virginia Tech; Brian Higginbotham, Utah State University; Carolyn Williams, Prairie View A&M University, Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University, Dan Lerner, University of Vermont, and ECOP members Jon Boren, New Mexico State University, and Mike O’Neill, University of Connecticut.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Cooperative Extension Celebrates Excellence

Delbert Foster, ECOP Chair 2014-15 stands with Excellence in Extension Award recipients: Virginie Zoumenou (1890); Dana Martin (Western); Julie Garden-Robinson (North Central); Mary Jane Willis for Chang Lu Wang (Northeast); National Award - Joe Outlaw and Region - Derrell Peel (Southern)
Yesterday, ECOP Chair Delbert Foster assisted in recognizing Cooperative Extension colleagues at an awards celebration at the APLU Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The national and regional awards recognize excellence in Extension programming. An additional award recognizes diversity and inclusion. Details about the award winners can be found HERE. Extension directors and administrators are encouraged to nominate colleagues for the 2016 awards. The call for nominations will be announced soon.

eXtension Unveils Professional Development Course – The new online Impact Statement Reporting course, created by land-grant communications professionals especially for Extension faculty and educators, is now available at https://about.extension.org/2015/11/03/new-online-impact-statement-reporting-course-now-available/

Health Insurance Survey Due 11.20.15 – The ECOP Health Insurance Literacy Action Team, led by Virginia Brown (University of Maryland Extension) is surveying family and consumer sciences and agriculture Extension educators nationwide to understand what is being taught around health insurance literacy. The team wants to understand what Extension educators are teaching and barriers to doing health insurance literacy programs. Your state’s input will be helpful to guide recommendations for the whole system. Please ask those who have not yet completed the survey to do so by 11.20.15. Any questions can be directed to Virginia Brown vbrown12@umd.edu. The link is: https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/SE/?SID=SV_0lBjFCrZQ9PRLvL

Urban Webinar Focuses on Research – The next Western Center for Metropolitan Extension & Research webinar is 3:00 p.m. ET, 11.18.15 on the topic Metropolitan Extension Best Practices: What is our research base?. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8315340729270843650

Community Development, Natural Resources Conference Proposals Due 12.18.15Building a Path to Resilience: Uniting Natural Resources and Community Development is the theme of the joint National Association of Community Development Professionals (NACDEP) and Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP) conference June 26-29, 2016 in Burlington, VT. Proposals are due 12.18.15 at Click here to submit. Direct questions to Joshua Clements (jclement@iastate.edu, 563-213-9357) or Mary Sisock (mary.sisock@uvm.edu, 802-656-1721). 

USDA-NIFA Releases 2014 Report – Based on the vision to "catalyze transformative discoveries, education, and engagement to address agricultural challenges," USDA-NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy has released the agency’s 2014 Annual Report here. It describes how USDA-NIFA is advancing agricultural science to solve societal challenges.

Monday, November 9, 2015

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/.

Monday, November 2, 2015

ECOP Thanks Trapp and Boren

James Trapp, Oklahoma State University, and
Jon Boren, New Mexico State University
James Trapp, Oklahoma State University, and Jon Boren, New Mexico State University, complete ECOP terms this month. Trapp has served since 2011 and continues as Cooperative Extension’s representative to the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Committee on Legislation and Policy. Boren served since 2012 and was co-chair of the Program Committee and represented ECOP on the LEAD 21 Board of Directors for two years. 

eXtension Launches New Strategy – The new eXtension unveiled its new strategy designed to become the knowledge-to-action service that is an integral part of the Cooperative Extension System. See what you can expect at http://about.extension.org/2015/10/13/4-new-things-you-can-expect-to-see-from-extension/

Climate Hubs Fellows Program – USDA is seeking post-doctoral and post-masters candidate for its new fellows program at the 10 USDA Climate Hubs. The announcement is at http://nifa.usda.gov/announcement/usda-climate-hubs-fellows-program-cfhp-opportunity. The Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station Sections have a Memorandum of Understanding with USDA to align with the hubs. The MOU http://bit.ly/ClimateHUBMOU was signed last November. 

REMINDER: NEDA Survey Due 11.6.15 – If you attended the National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) meeting last month in St. Louis, please fill out the evaluation survey at https://form.jotform.com/52872008336960. Your input is helpful as planning takes place for other meetings. Documents, PowerPoints and videos from the meeting may be obtained under "NEDA Links and Downloads" section on the right panel of this blog.

4-H Luncheon at APLU Annual Meeting – Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to attend the annual National 4-H Council luncheon at the APLU Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 15th from 11:45 AM to 1:30 PM at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. There will be a presentation of updates and an opportunity for Q&A. Please send regrets only to Sarah Hunt by Monday, November 9th at shunt@4-H.org.