Monday, October 31, 2016

Your Voice Matters: Private Resource Mobilization Webinar

Scott Reed, Chair, ECOP Private Resource Mobilization Task Force, Oregon State University, invites Extension directors and administrators, or their designees, to a webinar 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, November 2, 2016. Connect at https://extension.zoom.us/j/879208803. (Please note this is a different URL than previously announced.) Using online polling, you will have opportunity to express your views related to an institutional home for this work, and to what extend you agree with the proposed three-year plan and configuration of an oversight committee. ECOP is expected to take action on the task force recommendations at its April 2017 face-to-face meeting. 

Jason Henderson, Purdue University
Henderson Named to NC-FAR Board – Purdue Extension Director Jason Henderson has been named as the Extension representative to the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NC-FAR) www.ncfar.org Board of Directors. ECOP maintains a membership in NC-FAR on behalf of the Cooperative Extension Section. Henderson replaces Tim Cross who served on the board until his recent transition to Interim Chancellor, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. 

Karen Johnston, University of Delaware; Elaine Johannes, Kansas
State University; Lisa Washburn, University of Arkansas; Carol
Smathers, Ohio State University; Matt Devereaux, University of
Tennessee, and Maureen Toomey, University of Idaho. Not pictured,
Anne Iaccopucci, University of California; Martha Ravola, Alcorn
State University, and Sekai Turner, North Carolina A&T University.
Health Team Requests Survey ResponseThe ECOP Positive Youth Development Health Action Team seeks information about Extension professional’s involvement in policy, systems and environmental change; community development, and individual development. All Extension professionals are encouraged to complete the survey at https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cXQJYl5CNwHWPTT. The team serves to build Cooperative Extension capacity to promote health and prevent illness amongst youth. Information collected from this survey will help identify how to best support work that is already being done and stimulate the development of new program and professional development opportunities. Results will be available in spring 2017. 

Fatemeh Malekian, Southern University; Sarah Bercaw, University
of Delaware; Sonja Koukel, New Mexico State University; Nancy
Crevier, University of Wisconsin; Cathy Newkirk, Michigan
State University; Belinda Letto, University of Tennessee; Jatunn
Gibson, Auburn University and Lisa Barlage, Ohio State University.
Note pictured - Linda Quade, South Dakota State University.
Health Literacy on ESP Conference Agenda – ECOP Health Literacy Action Team member Lisa Barlage, Ohio State University, along with Sarah Bercaw, University of Delaware, and Belinda Letto, University of Tennessee, offered a concurrent session Cooperative Extension and Health Literacy: A National Focus at the Epsilon Sigma Phi National Conference last week in Cape May, NJ. Speakers gave an overview of health literacy at the national level, the challenges of health literacy education, educational resources, and the emerging role of Extension. Other team members are Chair Sonja Koukel, New Mexico State University; Nancy Crevier, University of Wisconsin; Jatunn Gibson, Auburn University; Fatemeh Malekian, Southern University and A&M College; Cathy Newkirk, Michigan State University, and Linda Quade, South Dakota State University. 

Deadline Tomorrow for Volunteerism Conference Proposals – The 2017 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism is April 10-13 in Asheville, NC. You have until 11.1.16 to submit a proposal at https://go.ncsu.edu/necv. This conference is designed for all Cooperative Extension professionals who manage volunteers as a part of their programs. Questions can be directed to Doug Swanson, USDA-NIFA National Program Leader, dwswanson@nifa.usda.gov

Request Comment on APLU New Engagement – Several Extension Directors and Administrators were members of the recent APLU Planning Team on the New Engagement. There is a link to the planning team’s report on the APLU web site and also a link to a feedback form. Please use the form to express your views. Your comments will help inform the naming and charge for an APLU Task Force on New Engagement.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Meet Extension’s EDA Team

EDA Team, L-R: Jane Schuchardt, ECOP National Office; Nancy Bull, Northeast Cooperative
Extension Directors; Ron Brown, Assoc. of Southern Region Extension Directors;
Robin Shepard, North Central Cooperative Extension Assoc.; Lyla Houglum, Western
Extension Directors Assoc.; Sandy Ruble, ECOP National Office; and 
L. Washington Lyons, Assoc. of Extension Administrators.
Visibility, opportunity and accountability for Cooperative Extension focuses the day-to-day work of the Executive Director and Administrator Team (EDA Team). See http://bit.ly/CES-EDATeam for how the EDA Team strategically works in support of ECOP national leadership to benefit Extension state and local programming. This document resulted from a recommendation of the ECOP Personnel Committee, co-chaired by Celvia Stovall, Alabama A&M University, and Mike O’Neill, University of Connecticut, which conducted a review of the EDA Team model. 

YOU’RE INVITED: 4-H Luncheon 11.13.16 – National 4-H Council cordially invites Directors and Administrators to the annual luncheon meeting of the National Panel of Extension Directors and Administrators at the APLU Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 13, from 11:45 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas. To assist Council in making adequate arrangements for the luncheon, if you do not plan to attend please send your regrets to Jen McIver by Friday, November 4, at jmciver@fourhcouncil.edu. National 4-H Council hosts this luncheon; there is no charge to attend. 

Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware
CES/NEDA 2016 Meeting Gets High Marks  – ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, appreciates responses to the evaluation of the 9.21.16 meeting at Jackson Lake Lodge, WY. Responses from about half of the 75 people attending showed satisfaction and usefulness of the meeting http://bit.ly/2016NEDAsurvey. The survey also resulted in clear ideas for the 2017 meeting scheduled for October 2-4 near Burlington, Vermont

eXtension Names Five Fellows for 2016 – The eXtension Foundation is proud to announce the four new Fellows in its seventh annual eXtension Fellowship program and the first new eXtension/GODAN Fellow. The four new 2016 eXtension Fellows are: Dave Francis, Utah State University; Daphne Richards, Texas A&M; Christian Schmieder, University of Wisconsin; and Laura Thompson, University of Nebraska. The new eXtension/GODAN Fellow is Justin G. Smith, Washington State University. The eXtension Fellowship program is offered in partnership with USDA-NIFA and dedicated to developing projects on applied innovation in U.S. Cooperative Extension settings. The eXtension/GODAN Fellowship is offered through a partnership with Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), and it focuses on testing and demonstrating protocols, including the use of competency frameworks, to make eXtension and Extension information more open, accessible and linked to open research and data. See https://extension.org/2016/10/18/extension-names-2016-fellows/ for details on all fellows. 

National Health Conference Proposals Due 10.28.16 – The National Health Outreach Conference, themed “Navigating the World of Health: A Sea of Opportunity,” is May 2-4, 2017 in Annapolis, MD. Conference tracks are individual and family, organizational health, community health, environmental health and safety, and health policy and systems change. Submit proposals at https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_8j37JiswGgwSHB3. Direct questions to Elizabeth Kiss, Program Committee Co-Chair, Kansas State University, dekiss4@ksu.edu. The 2017 National Health Outreach Conference is hosted by University of Maryland Extension. 


Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, and
Mike O’Neill, University of Connecticut
LEAD21 Applications Due 11.15.16 – Cooperative Extension directors serving on the Leadership for the 21st Century (LEAD21) Board of Directors are Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, and Mike O’Neill, University of Connecticut. They encourage application for the next LEAD21 cohort by the mid-November deadline. Apply online at www.lead-21.org/program-application-schedule. Direct questions to Rochelle Sapp, Program Director, rsapp@uga.edu.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Extension, USDA-NIFA, APLU to Honor Excellence in Extension

L-R, Stephen Green, Texas A&M University; Fe Moncloa, Shannon Horillo,
Russell Hill, University of California (not pictured, Dorina Espinoza and Keith Nathaniel)
Stephen D. Green, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will receive the 2016 Excellence in Extension Award for developing programs proven to increase knowledge of best practices in child care, enhanced opportunities for early childhood professionals, and improved involvement by fathers with their children. A second honor, the National Extension Diversity Award, goes to University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources 4-H Youth Development Program Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrators. The California Extension team is Dorina Espinoza, Russell Hill, Shannon Horrillo, Fe Moncloa, and Keith Nathaniel. Both awards will be presented at the 129th Annual Meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in Austin, TX, Nov. 13-15. The Excellence in Extension Award is a prestigious national recognition given annually to one Cooperative Extension professional for visionary leadership, excellence in programming, and positive impact on their community. The National Diversity Award recognizes an Extension program for achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism. In addition to the national recognition, one Extension educator from each of the five Cooperative Extension regions will be recognized for excellence at the APLU Annual Meeting. The 2016 regional winners are Karnita Golson-Garner, Alabama A&M University (1890s Institutions); Nozella L. Brown, Kansas State University (north central region); Richard W. Taylor, University of Delaware (northeast region); Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia (southern region), and Terry Allan Messmer, Utah State University (western region). USDA-NIFA and Extension have sponsored the Excellence in Extension and National Diversity awards since 1991. 


eXtension Announces Release of Horizon Report for Cooperative Extension – In February 2016, the eXtension Foundation created a partnership with the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the ECOP Innovation Task Force. The purpose was to create a custom Horizon Report to identify key emerging technologies and methodologies that are predicted to impact Cooperative Extension in the next five years. Led by eXtension CEO Chris Geith, eXtension Innovation Lab Director Jerry Thomas, and ECOP Innovation Task Force Chair Keith Smith, 56 Extension experts worked through the NMC research process this summer to produce the NMC Technology Outlook for Cooperative Extension 2016-2021. In announcing the release, Smith said, “This first-ever Horizon Report on Cooperative Extension helps unify our understanding of the technologies, topics and trends predicted to affect Extension’s national mission and the local communities our professionals serve in the immediate future. With this knowledge, we can prepare and work together to focus our efforts and resources on creating innovations in programming and ideas that will deliver the greatest impact in meeting future community needs.” Here find the full report and a summary of the trends, challenges and other developments identified in the research. 

Meeting in Wyoming last month were (L to R) Michelle Rodgers, Delbert Foster,
Martha Bernadett, Jennifer Sirangelo, Fred Schlutt, Cathann Kress and Nick Place.
Extension Leadership Supports National 4-H Council Board Restructure – During the Joint ESS/CES-NEDA Meeting in Jackson Hole, WY on September 21, National 4-H Council CEO Jennifer Sirangelo discussed recommended changes to Council’s Board of Trustees with Directors and Administrators. Joining her at the meeting was Trustee Dr. Martha Bernadett, Executive VP at Molina Healthcare and Chair of Council’s Board Governance Committee. With a goal of maximizing Council’s financial support of Cooperative Extension, the Board has recommended reducing its size and establishing a formal relationship with the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee. Council leadership discussed the initiative at summer regional meetings and collected input. Directors and Administrators present at NEDA voted overwhelmingly in favor of the change, which include new accountability mechanisms to ensure continued alignment and oversight into the future. An overview of the changes and FAQ document can be found at http://4-h.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Board-Development-Stakeholder-Input-FAQ-9.20.16.pdf

4-H Youth in Action Awards Submission Deadline: October 24 – With just one week to go, the deadline to apply for the 2017 Youth in Action Awards is imminent. The Awards highlight the achievements of youth and Extension's 4-H programs across the country in four core areas – Agriculture, Citizenship, Healthy Living and STEM – with one national Youth in Action Award winner being selected from the four pillar winners. Each pillar winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship for higher education (with the overall winner receiving an additional $5,000), be featured as the 4-H Youth Spokesperson for their pillar area and receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. to be recognized at National 4-H Council’s Legacy Awards on March 21, 2017. For more information on the Awards, visit: http://4-h.org/4-h-legacy-awards/#!youth-in-action

Louie Tupas, Denise Eblen and Mike Fitzner, USDA-NIFA
ECOP Welcomes New USDA-NIFA Liaisons – Louie Tupas, Denise Eblen and Mike Fitzner, USDA-NIFA administrators for bioenergy, climate and energy; food safety and nutrition, and plant protection systems, respectively, have been named as liaisons to ECOP. This critical role involves interaction with ECOP during all its meetings, reporting on USDA-NIFA plans and accomplishments that involve Cooperative Extension, and assuring continual attention to the collaborative partnership focused on priorities of interest to both. ECOP, chaired by Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, is appreciative of these three professionals who will work as a team to link with Cooperative Extension. 

SNAP-Ed Survey Due 10.28.16 – The 2017 Census of State SNAP-Ed Implementing Agencies is in the field. The survey results will how the new Interpretive Guide of the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework is being used, profile which of the 51 outcomes are being addressed, and identify state implementing agency interests in technical assistance and training. The survey is sponsored by the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators and the University of Colorado, Denver. State implementing agency respondents were designated by their USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Regional Coordinator. Results will be reported as aggregates, not by state, and used for planning, tracking trends and stakeholder communications. Responses are due by October 28, 2016. For questions, please contact Susan Foerster at SFoerster@comcast.net.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Board on Agriculture Assembly Launches Farm Bill Planning

Jane Schuchardt, ECOP National Office; Albert Essell-Lincoln University,
Ron Brown-Assoc. of Southern Region Extension Directors; Rick Klemme,
University of Wisconsin; L. Washington Lyons, Assoc. of Extension Administrators;
James Trapp, Oklahoma State University, and Sandy Ruble, ECOP National Office.
The Extension Farm Bill Coordinating Committee co-chaired by James Trapp, Oklahoma State University, and Albert Essel, Lincoln University, appreciates participation by Cooperative Extension directors and administrators in a recent farm bill survey. Results were contributed to the work of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) Committee on Legislation and Policy (CLP), Greg Bohach, Chair, Mississippi State University, last week in Washington, DC. In preparation for the next farm bill, expected in 2018, CLP reports to the BAA Policy Board of Directors chaired by Jay Akridge, Purdue University, on reauthorizations as is or with change, plus any new ideas. The PBD makes decisions about the direction of BAA advocacy on behalf of all members, including Cooperative Extension, Experiment Stations, insular universities, non-land grant agriculture programs, academic programs, international programs, veterinary medicine, and human sciences. Consistent with advocacy for appropriations, Cooperative Extension’s primary platform is expansion of capacity funds along with support for competitive funds. Discussions about funding infrastructure for science and education (e.g. deferred maintenance) also is supported as long as there is no negative effect on capacity and competitive funds. 

Scott Reed, Oregon State University
Private Resource Mobilization Discussion Continues – ECOP Private Resource Mobilization Chair, Scott Reed, Oregon State University, welcomes your participation in a webinar 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, November 2, 2016. Connect either at https://extension.zoom.us/j/879208803. The purpose of the session is to continue discussion about ECOP’s leadership for private fund raising to complement public funding. During electronic voting at the Cooperative Extension Section meeting in mid-September in Wyoming, more than 90 percent of respondents (41 states represented) voted in support of seeking private resources as long as the effort is not in competition with specific active efforts at universities, and does not require additional assessments in the first year. On the webinar, the task force will seek your opinion on a case statement, a three-year development plan, membership and responsibilities of a coordinating committee, an “institutional home,” and estimated start-up costs. 

eXtension Announces Web Meeting on Proposed Changes to Ask an Expert – Recently eXtension led an assessment of Ask an Expert, the question and answer system which allows Cooperative Extension professionals (referred to as experts within the application) to engage with the public through the ask.extension.org website. Over the last eight years Ask an Expert has been an important client-serving application for some Extension groups and institutions. On Wednesday, October 12, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. ET, eXtension will host a web meeting to discuss the findings and seek get feedback on the recommended changes found at Recommendation for Ask an Expert Changes. For more information, to register for this web meeting, and to add this event to your calendar, visit learn.extension.org/events/2853


New 4-H National Mentoring Program Funding Announced – The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has awarded National 4-H Council $7 million for the 4-H National Mentoring Program, which comes as a direct result of Cooperative Extension’s success in providing youth mentoring services through local 4-H programs. Council is now formalizing the process with OJJDP and scaling the pre-award land-grant university applications to the amount of the award. Letters of Intent will be distributed to each awarded applicant in late October 2016. Contact Nina Lovelace nlovelace@fourhcouncil.edu with questions. 

Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky
Henning Named Liaison to ESCOP – Former ECOP Chair, Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, has been named liaison to the Experiment Station Committee on Legislation and Policy (ESCOP). Henning will attend ESCOP meetings as needed, report on ECOP national leadership on behalf of Cooperative Extension state and local programming, and strengthen the strategic alliance between the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Sections of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly. Henning replaces Tony Windham, former Extension Director, University of Arkansas.

Monday, October 3, 2016

ECOP Focuses on Civil Discourse Programming

Mark Latimore,
Fort Valley State University
Civil discourse, defined as conversation intended to enhance understanding, is of concern to Cooperative Extension in many parts of the country, particularly in areas of civil unrest. Responses by Extension Directors and Administrators to a survey outlining relevant programs, resources, and experts is at goo.gl/KRCFzi. To provide leadership and additional resources for local programming, ECOP is initiating a Civil Discourse Rapid Response Team. Rachel Welborn, Southern Rural Development Center, will provide organizational leadership in collaboration with the ECOP Program Committee, chaired by Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University. 

Vernon Jones, Langston University, Barbara Petty, University of Idaho, and
Ken LaValley, University of New Hampshire
eXtension Foundation Names New Board Members – Following a vote of affirmation by eXtension members, Ken LaValley, University of New Hampshire, and Barbara Petty, University of Idaho, will represent the eastern and western regions, respectively, on the eXtension Foundation Board of Directors. La Valley replaces Dennis Calvin, Pennsylvania State University, and Petty replaces Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska. Both Calvin, who chaired the Board, and Schlutt served during the transition of eXtension to the new membership model. Vernon Jones, Langston University, is the new chair of the Board. 

Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, and
Doug Steele, Texas A&M University
ECOP Appoints New Budget and Legislative Committee Chair – Doug Steele, Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, has been appointed by ECOP as the new chair of its Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC), replacing Rick Klemme, Director, University of Wisconsin Extension. Klemme has served as BLC chair since 2012 and was recently cited by ECOP for his significant national leadership related to federal authorizations and appropriations. Klemme was particularly instrumental in communicating the need for BOTH capacity and competitive funding to support Cooperative Extension programming. 

Foundation Offers Rapid Response Funds for Ag Emergencies – The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports innovative science, invites groups to self-organize around a commodity or commodities to take advantage of matching funds for emergency research and outreach through the Foundation’s Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) program. ROAR provides nimble deployment of funds to support one-year grants in the event of emerging or unanticipated threats to the nation’s food supply or agricultural systems. If and when a threat arises, ROAR consortia will be able to apply for FFAR matching funds and receive a decision within one week. Consortia members may include researchers, Extension agents, institutions, commodity and industry representatives, diagnostic laboratories, and relevant state and local government representatives. ROAR fills the gap until traditional, longer-term funding sources can be secured. Learn more and sign up for the 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 21, 2016 webinar at www.foundationfar.org/ROAR

Results Reported for SNAP Education by Extension – A new report SNAP-Ed FY2015: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education through the Land-Grant University System is available at http://articles.extension.org/pages/73228/national-snap-ed-program-impact-reports. This report was funded through assessments paid by participating Cooperative Extension Services. 

USDA-NIFA Wants Your Views on Big Data – Extension professionals are invited to join the USDA-NIFA Big Data Summit remotely to help shape the agenda driving data-enabled innovation in the U.S. agricultural enterprise. The live stream is 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET, 10.10.16. For details, see https://nifa.usda.gov/event/data-science-agriculture-summit. Register here to join.