ECOP Meets in Delaware

ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers welcomed ECOP members, liaisons and guests to the University of Delaware last week for robust discussion and decisions related to the ECOP 2016 goals of private resource mobilization, urban programming, innovation, professional development, and national system. For details on the goals, see http://www.aplu.org/CESGoals. Amongst actions were developing a work group to recommend a plan for private fundraising, charging the National Urban Extension Leaders www.nuelaction.org to continue strong alliance with ECOP, announcing a task force on innovation focused on learned engagement, finalizing plans for professional development at the September 2016 national meeting in Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming, and encouraging continued dialogue on how to work more effectively as a national system. Minutes of ECOP meetings and other documents outlining the national leadership of ECOP on behalf of state and local programming can be found at www.extension.org/ecop. 

L-R: Pat Bebo (Ohio State University), Dawn Contreras (Michigan State University), Jennifer
McCaffrey (University of Illinois), Paula Peters (Kansas State University), Angie Abbott
(Purdue University), Suzanne Stluka (South Dakota State University), Trish Olsen
(University of Minnesota), Deb Gebeke (North Dakota State University)

USDA-NIFA Features North Central FCS Battelle Study – A comprehensive study of Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs conducted in the north central region http://www.nccea.org/multistate-activities/fcs-battelle-report-2015/ was the topic of a USDA-NIFA session last week in Washington, DC. Focusing on economic value of programs, FCS leaders referenced programs on family and human development, food, nutrition and health, and family resource management. For recording of the session, see http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/p3xfm995g3h/. 

Crowell Encourages Social Media Engagement – CARET liaison to ECOP, Susan Crowell, Ohio, was a featured speaker at the 2016 Joint CARET/AHS Meeting last week in Alexandria, VA on Connecting the Dots for More Effective Advocacy. Her encouragement to communicate with Congress using social media, especially Twitter, was confirmed by other panelists representing both the U.S. House and Senate. FY 2017 USDA-NIFA federal budget advocacy documents are available at http://land-grant.org/appropriations_docs.html. An additional document supports restoration of New Technologies for Agriculture Education (eXtension) https://extension.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/NewTechnologiesforAgExtensionNTAE-Final.pdf. 

USDA-NIFA Names State Liaisons – During the ECOP meeting last week in Delaware, NIFA Associate Director for Operations Robert Holland announced renewed emphasis on state liaisons. These NIFA staff are primarily charged with working with universities to attain approval for plans of work and accomplishment reports. To find the liaison to your institution, see http://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/NPL%20Liaison%20Assignments%20FY16%20FINAL.pdf. 

eXtension Offers Innovation Team Support – Premiere eXtension members now have opportunity to benefit from expert help with Innovation Teams. These teams provide facilitation of an Extension’s local efforts to advance new initiatives, particularly those that involve introducing and accelerating use of new technologies. The process includes choosing the innovation(s), setting goals, building a team, and planning and integrating tasks into plans of work for immeasurable impact. eXtension supplements its onsite consulting with regularly scheduled webinars and other special custom-education activities. For more information, see extension.org/i-three-initiatives/innovation-teams/, or contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org or Jerry Thomas at jthomas@extension.org. 

APLU Highlights Extension in 2015 Annual Report – APLU has released its report of 2015 accomplishments based on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. Cooperative Extension is highlighted on page 13 of the report at http://www.aplu.org/library/2015-annual-report/file.