Monday, November 20, 2017

Highlights of Extension Activities from 130th APLU Annual Meeting in DC

ECOP Monday Minute will return on December 4, 2017 - HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska (L) passed ECOP gavel to
Chuck Hibberd (R), University of Nebraska on 11.13.17
On 11.12.17 Fred Schlutt (far left; 2017 ECOP Chair) and Sonny Ramaswamy (third from right;
USDA-NIFA Director) celebrated with Cooperative Extension Award Recipients: L-R front-Cody Stone,
Montana State University (accepting on behalf of Marsha Goetting), Misty Blue-Terry, North
Carolina A&T State University, Patricia Dawson, Oregon State University (accepting on behalf
of 4-H Youth Development, "Attitudes for Success Youth Leadership Program"); L-R back-
Louie Rivers, Jr., Kentucky State University, Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University, Kevin Erb,
University of Wisconsin and Chet Arnold, University of Connecticut
2018 ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd thanks 2017 Chair
Fred Schlutt for his leadership
Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, received
recognition of 5 consecutive years of service to ECOP


ECOP Executive Director Search - After considering the input the from the NEDA presentations by the two finalists and lengthy interviews, the 2017 Executive Director Search Committee has declared a failed search. Rick Klemme has agreed to continue serving as the Executive Director (0.60 FTE) with a focus on building and maintaining partnerships. In addition, a process is under way by the National ECOP Office to determine which program related, Director level responsibilities can be contracted out or placed on hold until a full-time Executive Director is hired. ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd is accepting ideas for the construction and tactics of the next Search Committee. CLICK HERE to send a message by Thursday, December 7. The ECOP Executive Committee will meet on December 14 and consider next steps.


eXtension’s Impact Collaboratives Are Around the Corner - Extension Directors and Administrators learned more about the Impact Collaboratives during the recent NEDA meetings. As promised, the 2018 Impact Collaboratives, focusing on food systems, behavioral health, and diversity & inclusion, will kick off with eight regional “Designathon One” events in February and March 2018. These events are open to eXtension member institutions only and will promote design thinking and use Adobe’ Kickbox Innovation Kit as a tool for developing and iterating program ideas to maximize measurable local impact. The list of host institutions, locations, and dates is available at https://www.extension.org/designathon-one/. Encourage your faculty and staff to attend the event most convenient for them! The RFA for the Food Systems Impact Collaborative will be released by December 1, 2017. To become a member for the 2018 calendar year and to take full advantage of the “Designathon One” events, contact Chris Geith at christinegeith@extension.org.


In the Pursuit of Excellence of Health and Human Services - Connecting Leaders. Shaping the Future. was the theme of the 2017 annual American Public Human Services Association Education (APHSA) Conference recently held in Memphis, TN. This conference is attended by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Directors from across the nation. The SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) shared an exhibit featuring Land-grant Universities (LGUs) efforts to implement SNAP-Ed across the nation with conference participants. Program outcome fact sheets from individual states, educational resources, as well as the SNAP-Ed LGU National Report - Executive Summary were shared. During the conference, participants focused on shaping a two-generational approach for reducing poverty and development strategies for private-public collaboration. SNAP-Ed PDT members at the display purposefully engaged in conversation to promote the capacity of Land-grant Universities to be effective partners with state agencies in these approaches and strategies. For more information, please contact Laura Stephenson laura.stephenson@utk.edu of the Executive Committee of the LGU SNAP-Ed Program Development Team.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Next Generation Extension – Learning for Leaders #1: Opioids and Extension

On Friday, December 1, 2017, 3:00 p.m. ET, the first in a series of web-based meetings will take place for the Cooperative Extension Section called Next Generation Extension – Learning for Leaders. In communities across the Nation, opioid addiction is increasing rapidly with dreadful results – hospitalization and death, weakened parenting and increasing out-of-home child placements, and family and workplace economic collapse. Incidence of opioid abuse has risen dramatically across geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic groups. Can Extension make a difference? Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University, and the ECOP Program Committee, Anne R. Lindsay, University of Nevada-Reno, and Mark Skidmore, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, will provide an overview of the national situation related to abuse of opioids and will highlight examples of current Extension strategies. They will also collect relevant resources and curricula from interested participants, which will be shared with the System. Directors and Administrators have received the invitation with connection details and are encouraged to participate and/or share the invite with interested faculty and staff. The session will be recorded and electronically archived. Resources are available at http://articles.extension.org/pages/74079/opioid-resources-for-extension-professionals.


REMINDER: Passing of the Gavel - The Cooperative Extension Section (CES) gathers this evening, November 13, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. ET, at the APLU Annual Meeting at the Wardman Park Marriott, Washington, DC. ECOP Chair Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska will preside and hand over leadership to Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska. Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware will receive recognition for her service, 2013-2017. The meeting will be highlighted by presentation of the 2017 CES Annual Report and the brand new CES Strategic Agenda. Follow CES activities on Twitter at @Ext100Years #leadext #CoopExtAward during the #APLU2017 meeting @APLU_News.


Promoting SNAP-Ed at LGUs - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) is a vital contributor to the Land-grant University (LGU) mission; it provides evidence based and evaluated nutrition education and obesity prevention service to high need audiences. It is critical that LGUs and Extension play an active role in the support and promotion of the strong impacts realized as a result of SNAP-Ed to ensure its continued funding. As the Federal Fiscal Year 2018 begins, please take a moment to plan how to promote, educate, and advocate on behalf of SNAP-Ed. Consider the following options to formulate a plan:
  • Convene a meeting between Extension and SNAP-Ed leadership to discuss the importance of SNAP-Ed at your LGU, promotion and educational priorities, and strategies for sharing the impacts of SNAP-Ed with internal and external stakeholders. 
  • Connect SNAP-Ed staff with your institution’s legislative liaisons to ensure SNAP-Ed impacts and value are part of educational and advocacy priorities for the coming year. 
  • Engage critical SNAP-Ed partners as advocates for SNAP-Ed within and beyond your state. 
For more information, please review national reports, and state reports, about SNAP-Ed within the LGU system, or contact Christine Hradek (hradek@iastate.edu) of the Legislative Education Committee of the LGU SNAP-Ed Program Development Team.


eXtension Offers Course on Civil Rights Training and Ensuring Inclusiveness - Civil rights are front and center in our nation’s news, which makes Extension professionals' responsibility for understanding the importance of civil rights training and ensuring inclusiveness in programming more important than ever. A new online course developed by more than 40 University of Minnesota Extension faculty and staff and led by Renee Pardello, Key Informant for the eXtension Impact Collaborative, is now available nationwide through eXtension. The course, which works best as a small-group activity, can be accessed at: https://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=1481


Beverly Samuel, NIFA and
NEAFCS President Theresa Mayhew
Beverly Samuel Receives NEAFCS Award - National Program Leader Beverly Samuel of USDA NIFA in Division of Family & Consumer Sciences was honored at the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) 2017 Annual Session. She received the “Friend of NEAFCS Award” at the conference held September 16-20, in Omaha, Nebraska. Initiated in 2005, the annual “Friend of NEAFCS Award” is the highest honor bestowed by the Association in recognition of an individual or organization, who has made significant contributions to Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Science education programs across the nation. To read full article, CLICK HERE.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Reminder – New Administrators' Orientation

The New Administrators' Orientation 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 were included in the 10/23 ECOP Monday Minute. Reserve a hotel room (by 11/21/17) and register for the meeting ($375 until 11/6/17 - THAT'S TODAY!). 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 soon be available.


PILD Proposals Due on 11/15/17 - The JCEP Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference Planning Committee is seeking proposals for presentations at the PILD Conference that will be held on April 8-11, 2018 in Arlington, VA, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. The theme of the conference is “Cultivating a Climate of Civil Dialogue.” For additional information and to submit a proposal follow the link to: 2018 PILD Presentation Proposals. The deadline for submitting a proposal is 5:00pm Pacific Time, November 15, 2017.


4-H National Youth Science Day RFPs Due December 4 - 4-H National Youth Science Day, which started as an initiative to introduce 4-H Science to clubs across the country has grown into the single-largest STEM experience delivered at scale to 4-H’ers and non 4-H’ers alike. 4-H National Headquarters at USDA-NIFA and National 4-H Council invite Cooperative Extension faculty and staff at all land-grant universities to submit a proposal detailing an innovative experience for youth to conduct during the 2018 4-H National Youth Science Day. The land-grant university that submits the winning application will receive a $50,000 award. The 2018 subject area focus is "computer science." To apply, go to http://grants.4-h.org/index.do. Proposals are due December 4, 2017. In order for 4-H NYSD to continue to grow and reach new audiences, National 4-H Council is taking steps to enhance and streamline the science experience development process. To learn more about how this year’s application process and how it differs from previous years, join webinar on November 9 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Connection detail is via Adobe Connect - http://nationalfourhcouncil.adobeconnect.com/nysdrfp2/ or Conference Number: US (Toll Free): 1-888-757-2790. Participant Code: 134535. Please direct questions to Janet Golden at jgolden@fourhcouncil.edu or (301) 204-6841.


National IPM Meeting Summary - The National Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coordinating Committee (NIPMCC) met Oct. 17-18 at the APLU Building in Washington to identify national priorities, provide input on revisions to the National IPM Road Map and develop communication strategies. The NIPMCC is a committee of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) and is charged to make recommendations on programs, policies, reports, budgets and other matters that affect pest management implementation among other activities. The NIPMCC seeks to increase awareness of the significant research and Extension contributions of IPM to agricultural production, human health and environmental quality. Federal IPM funding to support the regional IPM centers and state Extension Implementation Program grants is through the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) funding line. The regional IPM centers (RIPMC) reported impressive returns on investments: Northeast RIPMC partnership grants were leveraged at 3:1; North Central RIPMC working groups had a 26:1 return on investment; Southern RIPMC enhancement grants were leveraged at 20:1; and Western RIPMC grants were leveraged at 25:1. For additional information, contact Pat Beauzay, NDSU Extension Service, NIPMCC chair or Chris Boerboom, NDSU Extension Service director and ECOP liaison.


National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) December 11-13 Semi-Annual Meeting - The Cooperative Extension System (CES) has extended the knowledge of land-grant universities to address current problems in each state and territory of the U.S. for over 100 years. With changing demographics and a shift towards urbanization. Within the CES, the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) has fostered regional and national collaboration to share resources and grow Extension’s reach in urban communities. You are invited to NUEL’s semi-annual meeting December 11-13, 2017 in Nashville, a time dedicated to assess intersections of collaboration with other colleagues from your region and from across the country as NUEL advances urban Extension efforts. NUEL is actively recruiting individuals and teams to join NUEL’s regional caucuses and plug into action team initiatives as they work across the CES. BOOK HOTEL TODAY - November 6 to obtain conference rate. Click here for conference and registration information. Please contact Patrick Proden, NUEL Chair, at Patrick.Proden@oregonstate.edu if you have questions.


Binational Extension Conference on Food, Water, and Energy Programs - The Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture (SAGARPA) is sponsoring a Binational Extension Conference on November 15-17, 2017 in Chihuahua, Mexico. With the participation of USDA and U.S. Land-Grant Universities in the Western and Southern regions, this binational conference is a first step towards boosting programs of university-based Extension in the border regions of the United States and Mexico. The conference is a product of the 2016 MOU between APLU and SAGARPA for increased collaboration in agriculture. Topics will include youth and community development, agricultural innovations, food security, marketing, and climate-smart agriculture. This conference will be the first time that such a collection of U.S. universities, their Mexican counterparts and both federal governments will focus on the unique challenges and opportunities of food and agricultural systems in the border economy. Contact Jon Boren, NMSU Extension Director, for more information.