See You in Wyoming!

Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware

ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, announces the agenda https://goo.gl/XI1xQA for the annual meeting of the Cooperative Extension Section (CES)/National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Wednesday morning, September 21, 2016 at Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming. In addition to brief updates on ECOP national leadership priorities, the meeting is designed to engage Extension directors/administrators in discussion and decision-making. Note the links to supporting documents on innovation, the Extension health agenda, National 4-H Council Board of Trustees, and the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team. Throughout the meeting participants will be asked to use mobile devices (e.g. smart phone, laptops) to provide your opinion or vote. In the case of the SNAP-ED Program Development Team, you will be asked to vote on continued investments in this work via assessments to Extension in institutions receiving SNAP-Ed funding. If you are not able to attend the meeting in person and have comment about any of the agenda items, please send them to Rodgers mrodgers@udel.edu with a copy to ECOP Executive Director Jane Schuchardt jane.schuchardt@extension.org by 9.19.16. The CES/NEDA meeting is joint with the Experiment Station Section. See http://goo.gl/c9WM74 for the full agenda. 

Building a Culture of Health: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Grant Update – For the last year, leaders from Cooperative Extension, USDA-NIFA, National 4-H Council, and the RWJF together with 4-H members have been exploring a potential partnership to impact Americans' health within communities throughout the United States. This important work will continue this fall with the help of a second planning grant. The start-up phase (September 2016-April 2017) will be dedicated to designing a systems approach and organization for implementation while testing tools and support systems to begin activating the Extension-RWJF partnership in 2017. States will have the opportunity to determine readiness to participate and opt into the partnership. For more information, click here. 

4-H Youth in Action Awards Webinar 9.14.16 – National 4-H Council is accepting applications for the 2017 4-H Youth in Action Awards to be presented at the eighth annual Legacy Awards in Washington, D.C. on March 21. The 2017 awards will recognize one remarkable 4-Her within each pillar area: agriculture, citizenship, healthy living, and STEM. Each of the four 4-H Youth in Action Awards pillar winners will receive a $5,000 scholarship for higher education, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to be recognized at the Legacy Awards and a shopping experience to select attire for the event. A 2017 4-H National Youth in Action winner also will be selected and given an additional $5,000 scholarship. The application deadline is 10.24.16. To find out more, join the webinar 11 a.m., ET, 9.14.16. Click here to register To apply, go to www.4-h.org/youthinaction. Direct questions to YouthinAction@4-H.org. 

Extension Urban Programming Webinars – The Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research announces two webinars. The first at 3:00 p.m. ET, 9.22.16, is on Urban Communities Re-Imagined, a multi-region, multi-state project funded by the Kettering Foundation. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9183739417566395650. A second webinar on Leadership in the City is 3:00 p.m. ET, 9.29.16. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7742191711828300803. For more information visit: http://metroextension.wsu.edu/. Extension urban programming is an emphasis area for ECOP national leadership this year. 

Final Rule on AFRI with Request for Comments – USDA-NIFA is soliciting comments on its final rule on a revision of the general administrative guidelines applicable to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grant program. The solicitation appeared in the Federal Register (81 FR 58809, August 26, 2016) and can be found at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-08-26/pdf/2016-18422.pdf. The comment deadline is 9.26.16.