Monday, October 23, 2017

Excellence in Extension and Diversity Awards Announced

Please Note: The ECOP Monday Minute will return on November 6, 2017 

Louie Rivers, Jr.
Kentucky State University
Louie Rivers, Jr., Kentucky State University, will receive the 2017 Excellence in Extension Award, and the 2017 Extension Diversity Award will go to Oregon State University’s Youth Development Program "Attitudes for Success Youth Leadership Program". With visionary leadership, excellence in programming, and positive impact, Rivers has helped secure and manage more than $12 million in extramural funding to enhance Kentucky State University’s work with the small, limited-resource, minority, veteran and women farmers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Participants of the Small Farmers Program have shown an annual increase of $5,000 per participant. His leadership has impacted more the 20,000 individuals at Kentucky State University’s monthly sustainable agriculture workshop “Third Thursday Thing”.
Since the inception of "Attitude for Success" in 1989, more than 9,000 Hispanic and Native American youth have participated in the “Attitudes for Success” program. Over 950 students have served as youth council officers and 270 professionals, including university and college representatives from institutions located in the northwest, have volunteered as presenters, many for multiple years. Local mentors assist the youth in leadership engagement such as running for student body officer positions or planning community events. As a result of the impact, longevity, and the availability of curriculum and evaluation tools, the program is being replicated to other states. In addition to the 2 national awards, the Extension educators named below, one from each of the five Cooperative Extension regions, will be recognized for excellence. U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) and the Cooperative Extension Section have sponsored the Excellence in Extension and National Diversity awards since 1991. All awards will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in Washington on Nov. 12, 2017.
Row 1- Misty Blue-Terry, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (1890s Region); Kevin Erb, University of Wisconsin-Extension (North Central Region) and Chet Arnold, University of Connecticut (Northeast Region). Row 2-  Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University (Southern Region), and Marsha Goetting, Montana State University (Western Region)

Seeking a Host Land-grant University for 2019 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism - Volunteers form the basis of a very effective leveraging of core funding from federal, state and local sources. The National Extension Conference on Volunteerism provides an opportunity to develop volunteer management skills and has been held every other year since 1999. Since then, new strategies have been developed, research conducted, evaluations implemented, and priorities identified at the local, state, and national level. The 11th National Extension Conference on Volunteerism will be held in April or May, 2019. All land-grant universities interested in hosting the conference should submit a hosting proposal by December 8, 2017. Email Doug Swanson dswanson@nifa.usda.gov to request hosting criteria and application.


Reminder – New Administrators Orientation Registration Is Open - The orientation workshop is intended for individuals on the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) and their supporting administrators or faculty and USDA-NIFA personnel who have entered an administrative position since 2013 and any others who would like to learn more about APLU, the land-grant university system, the BAA, and USDA-NIFA. Information presented will be particularly useful to administrative heads, directors, associate/assistant directors, and USDA-NIFA national program leaders and administrators. The workshop’s learning objectives are:
  • Discuss compelling issues facing land-grant university Administrators as well as budgeting and accountability advice. 
  • Gain valuable tips from experienced administrators and how to be a proactive administrator. 
  • Learn how the APLU, BAA, USDA-Research, Education, and Economics, and USDA-NIFA work together to advance research, education and Extension. 
  • Learn how to become involved at the national level to influence federal legislation and decisions made by USDA-NIFA and other agencies. 
  • Understand the diverse roles of various institutional types within the Land-grant University System and the BAA. 
  • Establish strategic networks with colleagues. 
Reserve a hotel room (by 11/21/17) and register for the meeting ($375 until 11/6/17). The planning committee is finalizing the speakers for the agenda, and every session will include time for Q&A with many having small group and other interactive components to them. For information and to register, please click here. A pre-workshop webinar will be conducted on December 5th from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Connection details will be provided in the 11/6/17 ECOP Monday Minute.


Director Ed Jones (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
joins Vermont 4-H'ers from the Flying Hooves Club
on October 4 as they build their "Incredible Wearables"
fitness trackers.
4-H Science Grows with help from "Incredible" Design Challenge - The 10th annual 4-H National Youth Science Day, the world's largest youth-led science challenge, engaged thousands of young people across the nation in October, thanks to the popularity of the 2017 Incredible Wearables design challenge, created by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This year's challenge, including the flagship event co-hosted by Cornell University Cooperative Extension and National 4-H Council in Brooklyn, New York, also garnered prominent news coverage from several media outlets: Popular Science, Scientific American, RFD-TV and Axios. The hands-on project challenges young people to use the engineering design process to build a wearable fitness tracker that will help people lead healthier lifestyles. 4-H NYSD is made possible by Cooperative Extension, USDA-NIFA, National 4-H Council and the generous support of several corporate partners, including U.S. Cellular, DuPont Pioneer, Lockheed Martin, Hughes Net, Google and CA Technologies. Shop 4-H (formerly 4-H Supply Service) is on track to sell a record number of science kits this year -- nearing 10,000 as of October 19. For more information, including photos, click here.

2017 NEDA Wrap-Up - All presentations from 2017 NEDA are now available on the gadget on the right of this blog called "NEDA Links and Downloads" (the web view of the ECOP Monday Minute). Recently added is the summary from "Recruitment and Retention of an Innovative Workforce" and videos of "Anticipating and Planning for Paradigm Shifts",

Monday, October 16, 2017

REMINDER: NEDA Survey Due 10.19.17

This morning Directors and Administrators who participated in the recent 2017 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) received an email reminder to complete a survey. The input is valuable as planning occurs for future meetings. PowerPoints from the meeting are available under "NEDA Links and Downloads" section on the right panel of this blog. Stay tuned for a few more additions to this list. Contact Sandy Ruble sandyruble@extension.org for assistance regarding the survey.


2018 National Health Outreach Conference (NHOC) Call for Proposals - Proposals are being requested for the National Health Outreach Conference (NHOC) on May 2–4, 2018, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. These proposals, due on October 30, 2017, are being sought that include (but are not limited to) the following topics in the fields of community health, safety, and wellness:
  • Multi-level community/place-based initiatives 
  • Systems-level strategies 
  • Health equity initiatives 
  • Behavioral and mental health initiatives 
  • Financial wellness initiatives 
  • Healthy aging strategies 
  • Collaborative strategies with health care entities 
Learn more about the requirements for proposals and the submittal process on the 2018 NHOC Call for Proposals web page. Reviewers will notify designated contacts about decisions on proposals by December 4, 2017.


FCS State Program Leaders to Meet this Week - The Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) State Program Leaders Meeting will be held October 18-19, in conjunction with the NEAFCS Annual Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. USDA NIFA FCS staff, in partnership with a planning committee, will deliver a 2-day meeting filled with learning opportunities. Collaborative national partners will share updates, and FCS Leaders will showcase programs of excellence by regions. Chuck Hibberd will share his vision as incoming chair of ECOP and how he plans to employ FCS to help with these efforts. Terry Meisenbach of eXtension will discuss “eXtension Impacts Collaboratives” and opportunities for engagement. A panel focusing on Advancing a Culture of Health with the recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awards in Extension will share their plans for project implementation. The national healthy homes partnership will also share how it supports the broader health initiative. This event will also afford an opportunity for FCS Leaders to provide stakeholder input on the NIFA FCS portfolio to help shape national programming over the next five years. Participants will be favored with ignite sessions on various topics and updates on EFNEP and Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Centers of Excellence. Last, a development officer will coach FCS Leaders on effective messaging for securing corporate sponsorships. On-site registration for this event is still an option.


CYFAR Listening Sessions Scheduled: The NIFA Children, Youth and Families at Risk Program (CYFAR) - CYFAR will conduct two Listening Sessions on Friday, October 27 and Monday, October 30. This will be an opportunity for NIFA to acquire feedback from Stakeholders concerning the CYFAR Program. Both sessions will be conducted at 1:30-2:30 p.m. EST as ZOOM sessions. Participants will be asked to provide feedback regarding the change in the number of years the CYFAR Sustainable Community Grants will be offered to eligible universities. They will also be asked: Would the CYFAR Program be better served by reducing the number of years funding would be offered to a single university and should funding be offered for a three or four year period instead of five years? This year, there will be an Open Session for Stakeholders to provide general feedback regarding the CYFAR Program. The maximum available funding per single university would be $360,000-$500,000 for the three or four year period, should Congressional funding remain at the same level. For details on connecting to the Zoom meeting, please contact NIFA Vulnerable Populations National Program Leader Bonita Williams at bwilliams@nifa.usda.gov. Background information on CYFAR can be found in the 9/25/17 issue of the ECOP Monday Minute.


Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Competitive Grant Program Grantsmanship Webinar - Jane Clary Loveless, Paul Cotton, Adriene Woodin, Susan Bowman, and Pascale C. Jean will present Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Grantsmanship from 2-4:00 p.m. Eastern on October 19, 2017. The webinar can be viewed via Adobe Connect, and in Room 2311 of the Waterfront Building, Washington, DC. This webinar has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration for 1.0 Continuing Professional Education Unit (CEU). This seminar is part of the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition (IFSN) Seminar Series.

Monday, October 9, 2017

2017 NEDA Photo Highlights

Extension administrators, associate administrators, directors, and associate directors, from 47 US States, District of Columbia, and 3 US Territories met in Burlington, Vermont last week for the 2017 National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) and Cooperative Extension Section Meeting. 106 participants in all enjoyed a series of interactive professional development presentations and panels. The Program presentations will soon be available here on the ECOP Monday Minute, NEDA Links and Downloads (right panel of web view). ECOP met as well in conjunction with NEDA; CLICK HERE to view that agenda.


Hold the Date-New Administrators' Orientation December 12-14 in Alexandria, VA - Lyla Houglum and Robin Shepard (EDA Team) have been working with Wendy Fink (APLU), Eric Young (ESCOP), and Bill Hoffman (USDA-NIFA) on a wonderful opportunity for new Deans, Directors, Administrators or other Land Grant administrators, even those with a few years’ experience. This workshop is intended for individuals who are part of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly and their supporting administrators or faculty and U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) personnel who have entered an administrative position since 2013 and any others who would like to learn more about APLU, the land-grant university system, BAA, and USDA-NIFA. Information presented will be particularly useful to administrative heads, directors, associate/assistant directors, and USDA-NIFA national program leaders and administrators. For more information on the orientation learning objectives or to register for the workshop CLICK HERE.


National Impacts Database Team Report - www.landgrantimpacts.org was established five years ago, and it now contains 2,144 statements from throughout the system. In 2014 and 2015 submissions peaked with approximately 600 impact statements were received each year, while in 2016 saw just 324 statements were added. While there are some outstanding examples of strong, high-impact programs projects in the database, many entries are not well written or lacked demonstrated impact. As a result, a Content Writing team was initiated, composed of 2 communication writers from each region who have experience in writing impact statements. The content team met in 2015, 2016 & 2017, with funding support by ECOP and ESCOP. This team reviews impact statements that have been entered by the states and edits them into high-quality impact statements. These statements are used under the “Areas of Impact” section on the front page of the website. Over the last year, a national team of impact writing experts created an online training that is available through eXtension, and groups of content committee members have presented several regional impact writing trainings upon request. At last count, more than 700 individuals had completed the online training, but only 28 of the 303 editors, who actually input statements into www.landgrantimpacts.org, have completed the training. The Content Team has noted that the quality of impact statements from the 1890 institutions has increased significantly over the past year, attributed in part to a face-to-face training that was held with the 1890 institutions this past year. ECOP Appointee Karla Trautman, South Dakota State University, karla.trautman@sdstate.edu, co-chairs the National Impacts Database Team with Bill Brown, University of Tennessee AgResearch.


Making the Extension + Engagement Connection through APLU, Get Engaged in the 2018 CEO/CICEP Summer Meeting in Richmond, VA - The APLU Council on Engagement and Outreach (CEO) and Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity (CICEP) will hold a joint summer meeting June 25 – 28 in Richmond, VA, hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University. CEO and CICEP invites Cooperative Extension professionals to attend this meeting, and look forward to enriching the engagement conversation with the Extension perspective. Please save the dates and plan to attend. To receive email notification when meeting registration is available, contact Jim Woodell at APLU (jwoodell@aplu.org). Jim is also accepting ideas for sessions for the Planning Committee to consider that would fit the theme of Creative Placemaking for Healthy Communities, meant to explore the intersection of Extension and broader university engagement. Sessions will focus on collaborations that are tackling cultural, economic and social issues which impact the health and well-being of our communities. Exploration is underway with the Rural Regional Development Centers about a session that might contrast these kinds of partnership development in rural and urban regions. Stay tuned to the ECOP Monday Minute over the next few months to discover ways in which Cooperative Extension and CEO/CICEP might build stronger connections.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Webinar Addresses Farmers and Ranchers Health-related Risks

Health, access to care, and health insurance, affect the vitality of agricultural enterprises and farm and ranch families, according to results from a national research project funded by the USDA. A free webinar taking place on October 10, 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET is designed for Extension, tax, loan, health and other agricultural advisors. Connecting Health Insurance & Ag Viability will provide an overview of the research findings to help farmers and ranchers make informed decisions for their businesses and households. The webinar will be hosted by Scott Loveridge (North Central Regional Center for Rural Development). Shoshanah Inwood (The Ohio State University), Bonnie Braun (University of Maryland Extension), Maria Pippidis (University of Delaware), and Bob Parsons and Jake Jacobs (University of Vermont Extension) will also present. Webinar participants will understand the intersection of health and agricultural business viability, grounded in 2016-2017 national research finding; receive tools they can use in their work farmers, including worksheets, videos and other informational resources, and questions to ask farmers and ranchers to help incorporate health costs into farm enterprise and risk management planning.


Apply Now For the Creative Counties Placemaking Challenge! - National Association of Counties (NACo) – in partnership with Americans for the Arts and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts – has launched the Creative Counties Placemaking Challenge to train local leaders from rural and mid-sized counties on how to advance arts-based economic and community development to address local challenges. NACo invites counties with populations of less than 250,000 to form multidisciplinary teams to apply. Recognizing the intimate working relationships extension networks have with rural counties, NACo welcomes applications that feature county extension agents as team members. Selected teams will attend a training and peer exchange workshop on March 28-30, 2018. Deadline: Friday, October 13, 2017. Questions? Contact Jenna Moran at jmoran@naco.org; 202-942-4224. Twitter announcement: https://twitter.com/NACoTweets/status/907264996555542529.


Fostering Positive Youth Development - Positive youth development is an intentional approach to promote positive outcomes for young people through family and community youth engagement for the benefit of society. Positive youth development focuses on building relationships while delivering learning content, ultimately giving youth the skillsets they need to navigate socially: respect, teamwork, and self-care. NIFA prioritizes positive youth development programming to ensure the future employability of America’s children and support our nation’s economy. See https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Fostering-Positive-Youth-Development.pdf for more on this informative infographic.