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.