Monday, July 25, 2016

YOUR VOTE NEEDED: Cooperative Extension Section Meeting 9.21.16

ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, encourages Extension directors and administrators to attend the Cooperative Extension Section business meeting Wednesday morning, 9.21.16 as part of the Joint Meeting of the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Sections September 19-21, 2016 at Jackson Lake Lodge, WY. Get quick updates on ECOP 2016 priorities related to national system, private resource mobilization, innovation, and urban programming. Through on-line voting, indicate your preference related to such topics as the SNAP-Ed assessment, the Extension health agenda, and Extension representation on the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. eXtension Foundation members also will have opportunity to elect the Board of Directors for 2017. All details about registration and lodging are available at https://conferencereg.colostate.edu/Jackson2016. Early bird registration ends July 31, 2016. 

eXtension Seeking Example Projects for Horizon Report – The 56 experts developing the NMC Technology Outlook for Cooperative Extension 2016-2021 (Horizon Report) have selected topics and trends for the report, which will be released in September 2016. All Extension professionals are invited to submit projects to the panel for possible inclusion as examples representing current and emerging work. This story on the NMC website provides the topics and submission instructions. Deadline is August 1, 2016. For more information, see https://extension.org/2016/07/14/horizon-call-for-submissions-project-stories/

ECOP Working for You – ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, calls your attention to a mid-year report at http://bit.ly/July2016CES which references progress against the 2016 goals related to innovation, private resource mobilization, national system, urban programming and professional development. See http://www.aplu.org/CESGoals for ECOP 2016 goals and ongoing priorities. ECOP met in San Antonio last week as part of the Joint COPs meeting. Among actions was a budget proposal for 2017 reflecting no need for an increase in assessments and savings in current expenditures, the decision to put continuation of the SNAP-Ed assessment to a vote of the Cooperative Extension Section, an update on progress with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnership on the culture of health, and further discussion on farm bill 2018 priorities. Minutes of all ECOP meetings are posted at www.extension.org/ecop

About National Investments – Please see http://bit.ly/CESAssessmentBasic for an explanation of Cooperative Extension assessments in to support ECOP National Leadership. This is an investment in Extension’s total system/network in order to benefit state and local programming. Also at this site at www.extension.org/ecop are documents, including rules of operation, operating guidelines, meeting minutes, and more that describes the work of ECOP.

New Mexico State’s Educational Videos, Apps and Games – Jon Boren, Extension Director, New Mexico State University, calls your attention to a rich library of electronic resources in 4-H youth development, agriculture, and family and consumer sciences. See http://mediaproductions.nmsu.edu; apps at http://apps.nmsu.edu, and videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/nmsuaces and https://www.youtube.com/user/LearningGamesLab. A recent release is an iPad game called Night of the Living Debt, focusing on financial literacy all while the player is immersed in a fight for survival against zombie bill collectors. Intended for high school age learners, Night of the Living Debt gives students a solid foundational understanding of credit and debt management at a point in their lives when the topic may seem confusing and overwhelming. Download the game for your iPad at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/night-of-the-living-debt/id1057651605?ls=1&mt=8. For agriculture, an example is a free iOS App Southwest Plant Selector made for gardeners and homeowners in the southwest region. The app features an extensive database of drought-tolerant plants (750+) suitable for the Southwest region of the United States. Each entry includes photos, seasonal planting information, and gardening tips, and users can create “favorites” lists to keep track of the plants they are most interested in. Download the app and start planting at http://www.xericenter.com/swplants. For family and consumer sciences, see the food safety video series Don’t Wash Your Chicken! created for learners of all ages to alert them to the dangers of cross-contamination from bacteria present on raw chicken. This series of cooking demos, comic strips, and short telenovela-style videos explains why not washing raw chicken helps stop the spread of foodborne illness. You can watch the video series on the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=192C-iKRgFg&list=PLAfTd1WG38jgWOHwkjEmQfgohpLzxL0xK&index=1. Barbara Chamberlin leads this work at NMSU. She was the winner of the national Excellence in Extension award in 2011.

Monday, July 18, 2016

TRUST: Are You Registered?

Author, business strategist
David Horsager
What’s the economic value of trust in the workplace? During the joint meeting of the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Sections September 19-21, 2016 at Jackson Lake Lodge, WY, those focusing on Extension are invited to an exciting professional development opportunity 10:00- Noon, Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Co-sponsored by ECOP and the eXtension Foundation, David Horsager, renowned speaker, business strategist and author of the popular book The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line will engage Extension professionals in a fast-paced, interactive professional development opportunity. Registrants will be provided pre-work for the session, including a self-assessment, plus encouragement to read the book and view a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHJ45j8GYic. All details about registration and lodging for the total meeting are at https://conferencereg.colostate.edu/Jackson2016. Early bird registration ends July 31, 2016. There is no separate registration for The Trust Edge professional development opportunity. 

National Leadership in San Antonio This Week – The APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA), together with the Board on Human Sciences, meets this week in San Antonio, TX. The BAA includes committees on organization and policy (COP) for Extension, Experiment Station, Academic Programs and International Programs, plus the Administrative Heads (primarily deans of agriculture). The BAA is part of the APLU Commission on Food, Environment and Renewable Resources. Through a facilitated process, the BAA will continue its work to develop a public value statement, which is expected to be finalized by communicators before use with targeted partners, the public, and others early in the new year. ECOP meets in conjunction with Joint COPs. ECOP has a robust agenda including discussions on Extension as a national system, private resource mobilization, efforts with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and structure of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. Wrapping up Joint COPs is a meeting of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors (PBD). Extension is represented by Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University. For the Extension report to the PBD, see http://www.aplu.org/members/commissions/food-environment-and-renewable-resources/board-on-agriculture-assembly/policy-board-of-directors/baapbd-minutes/index.html

Competency in the City Webinar 7.21.16 – Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7308656474187965698 for a 3:00 p.m. ET webinar this week, July 21st, to learn results of a study on the unique aspects of serving the Extension mission in urban communities. Using competency identification, Extension can improve its ability to attract, develop, retain, and structure competent talent. The webinar also will include an update on the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) Professional Development action committee as it works to establish best practices for developing the capacity and competency of urban Extension educators, specialists, and administrators working with multi-stakeholder agendas. Bringing increased attention to Extension urban programming, while maintaining a strong rural presence, is a 2016 ECOP goal. 

National 4-H Council Summer Update Check out the National 4-H Council Summer Update http://4-h.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CouncilUpdateSummer16_FINAL-7-16-16.pdf. It includes timely information specific to the Grow True Leaders Campaign, results of the spring Paper Clover Promotion, 2016 4-H National Youth Science Day design challenge: Drone Discovery and more. Please share with others including county Extension educators/agents. For more information or questions, contact Kate Caskin at kcaskin@4-H.org

USDA-NIFA Capacity Funds Study – USDA-NIFA invites partners to view webinar recordings on the evaluation of its Capacity Programs portfolio, which represents nearly half of NIFA’s budget. In process is an evidence-based analysis of the value and return on investment of these programs. It is expected the project will result in a showcase of the impacts these programs make on food, agriculture, natural resource, and human sciences issues facing the Nation. TEConomy, a contractor, is conducting the evaluation in collaboration with APLU. To view the webinars, go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/p17yd09czm8/. Send comments to capacityeval@nifa.usda.gov.

Monday, July 11, 2016

New Director/Administrator Orientation 9.19.16

Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station directors and administrators with three years administrative experience or less are invited to a 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. MT, Monday, September 19th session preceding the Joint Meeting of the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Sections September 19-21, 2016 at Jackson Lake Lodge, WY. Moderating the orientation panel is ECOP Personnel Committee Co-chair Celvia Stovall, Alabama A&M University. Panelists are Bob Shulstad, University of Georgia; David Thompson, New Mexico State University; Bill Hare, University of the District of Columbia; Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, and Edmund Buckner, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. All details about registration and lodging are available at https://conferencereg.colostate.edu/Jackson2016. Early bird registration ends July 31, 2016. 

Chair Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska; Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University; Deborah Sheely,
University of Rhode Island; Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and Scott Reed, Oregon State University.
Extension National System Conversation Continues – If you missed dialogue late last month led by the chair of the ECOP National System Task Force, Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska, you are encouraged to view the webinar recording at https://unl.box.com/v/NationalSystemWebinar and slide deck at https://unl.box.com/v/NationalSystemPPT. Hibberd reviewed results of two national surveys and engaged participants in online voting on questions related to Extension’s method, description of national system, brand promise, and use of a national logo as a secondary identifier. Opportunity for further discussion will continue for all Extension directors/administrators attending the ESS-CES Joint Meeting in September 19-21, 2016 at Jackson Lake Lodge, WY. Members of the ECOP National System Task Force are Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University; Scott Reed, Oregon State University; Deborah Sheely, University of Rhode Island, and Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. 

Sign Up for National 4-H Council Webinar Series – This summer, National 4-H Council will host a series of webinars and trainings on topics, promotions and events that are important to the 4-H community, including the Grow True Leaders Campaign “Share” Activation, 4-H National Youth Science Day, National 4-H Week, Paper Clover Promotion and more. For your convenience, dates and information about the numerous webinars are included in one place for easy sign up. See https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XMBY36X

eXtension Update 7.27.16 – Find out about the 69 projects of the i-Three Issue Corps, new fellows for the 2016-17, state-level Innovation Teams, and professional development opportunities at the next eXtension Quarterly webinar. For details, see https://learn.extension.org/events/2696

USDA-NIFA Reviews Family and Consumer Sciences Accomplishments – See https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/division-family-consumer-sciences for information about the the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences, a part of the USDA-NIFA Institute of Youth, Family and Community. See especially the “2015 Year in Review.”