Monday, February 26, 2018

Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup Being Formed

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) has entered into an agreement in partnership with US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) (National Program Leaders, Ahlishia Shipley and Brent Elrod) to help coordinate the Land-grant University system's response to the opioid crisis. Several institutions have already identified evidence-based curriculum for replication nationally in response to the first ever Cooperative Extension Section Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders Web Conference. In this new agreement a set of 9 activities will culminate in the writing of a report for ECOP within a six-month period. The formation of the Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup, a group of opioid experts from the Land-grant system will serve as a resource and provide input. Those with expertise and interest in serving on this workgroup are urged to contact Mark Skidmore (mskidmor@msu.edu) Director of the North Central Regional Rural Development Center, the lead coordinator for this effort. Last week, USDA launched a webpage highlighting resources to help rural communities address the opioid crisis: https://www.usda.gov/topics/opioids.


Register for the APLU CEO-CICEP Summer Meeting - Extension Directors and Administrators are cordially invited to join university economic development, community engagement, public service and outreach officers in Richmond, VA from June 25-28 for the 2018 CEO-CICEP Joint Summer Meeting. The theme is Creative Placemaking for Healthy Communities. The meeting will explore creative placemaking in action via university partnerships in the arts, health and innovation. Through presentations, interactive sessions, and field experiences, participants will gain new insights into how public research universities as key “anchor institutions” leverage innovative and interdisciplinary strategies to address complex social and economic challenges facing our communities. The meeting will also feature APLU’s 5th annual Innovation & Economic Prosperity Universities Program workshop. Note that early registration rates end in early March.


There’s Still Time to Respond to the 2017 Census of Agriculture - As of today, the return rate on the 3 million 2017 Census of Agriculture questionnaires mailed last fall is just over 40 percent. Though making progress every day, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) needs to hear from the rest of the producers. More details of the obligation to complete the census may be found in the February 5th edition of the ECOP Monday Minute. For questions about or assistance filling out the census, producers can call toll-free (888) 424-7828. Please help NASS spread the word that farmers and ranchers still have time to be counted in the 2017 Census of Agriculture.


Climate Change Papers Available For Review - Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to review materials shared by Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of USDA-NIFA, last week, Climate Change Papers from NIFA-Funded Colleagues. This is good background for an upcoming Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders Web Conference which occurs on the first Friday of the month, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Please stay tuned for more information and contact Executive Director Rick Klemme rickklemme@extension.org for more information.

Monday, February 12, 2018

2018 National Awards Nominations Are Now Being Accepted

ECOP Monday Minute will return on February 26, 2018 following the observance of Presidents' Day.

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) announces the call for nominations for the 2018 National Excellence in Extension and Diversity awards. The due date for on-line nominations is May 1, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Complete details, helpful worksheets, and access to the online nomination forms are available at www.aplu.org/CESawards. Awards are selected by the end of July. Recipients receive cash awards and travel to the APLU Annual Meeting in New Orleans to accept a plaque or trophy on November 11, 2018. Extension Directors and Administrators from every 1890 and 1862 land-grant institution are encouraged to share this announcement broadly. Contact: ECOP Program Assistant Sandy Ruble, sandyruble@extension.org, 202-478-6088.


Spring ECOP Meeting Agenda Features Several Important Conversations - The Spring ECOP meeting will soon take place in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The agenda will include facilitated, in-depth conversations on how Cooperative Extension can add value to the Land-grant Campus mission (building on the Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders, February 2018), identifying the Cooperative Extension Section's return on investment with kglobal, developing themes (with Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy [ESCOP] and USDA-NIFA) for reporting and communicating value purposes, identifying short-term investments in the ECOP budget for private resource mobilization. Stay tuned to future editions of the ECOP Monday Minute when updates on these 4 topics are released after March 15 when the meeting adjourns. Questions may be directed to ECOP Executive Director Rick Klemme, rickklemme@extension.org, 202-478-6029.


National Experiment Station Section Diversity and Inclusion Award - ESCOP is seeking nominations for the new National Experiment Station Section Diversity and Inclusion Award. Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to share this announcement widely. The award recognizes experiment station research initiatives that support the creation of diverse and inclusive efforts and is dedicated to individuals, teams or organizations that go beyond meeting EEO/AA program requirements. The request for nominations is posted on the ESCOP website at 2018 Call for Nominations. The award comes with paid travel to the Annual ESS/SAES/ARD meeting, recognition with a commemorative plaque and a $1,000 cash award. Questions about the nomination should be forwarded to Jeff Jacobsen, Executive Vice Chair, ESCOP Diversity Catalyst Committee (jjacobsn@anr.msu.edu or 517-884-7965). Jeff is accepting nominations by 8:00 PM EDT on March 30, 2018 at the email address provided.


2019 Volunteerism Conference Dates Announced - The National Extension Conference on Volunteerism (NECV) planning committee is pleased to announce the 2019 conference will be held May 14-16 in Billings, Montana. NECV is designed for Extension professionals, faculty, and staff that work with volunteers and features workshops, keynote presentations, poster displays, and lightening talks that provide strategies for volunteer development within Extension. To stay informed about calls for proposals, registration, and other conference notices visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1NECV or contact Doug Swanson, National Program Leader, 4-H National Headquarters, (202) 690-1227 or dswanson@nifa.usda.gov.

Monday, February 5, 2018

2018 NERAOC Conference Offers Important Sessions for Extension Administrators and Directors

This year’s National Extension and Research Administrative Officers Conference (NERAOC) will feature important presentations and discussion opportunities on various topics including time and effort reporting, Plan of Work/Reeport updates, and many other interesting topics.  Register prior to March 16 for an early discount. Online registration ends on April 15. Conference lodging is at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. The link to the hotel block is: https://aws.passkey.com/e/49504081. To reserve a room on dates outside of the conference dates (April 23-26), please call 1-800-253-3590.


Next Generation Extension - Learning for Leaders Series #3 - On February 2, ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd moderated a dialogue with the Cooperative Extension Section focusing on contributions to university-level mission of Land-grant Universities. Directors and Administrators shared examples of mission alignments, methods of engagement with upper administration, rewards/benefits for contributing to higher education mission, engaging students, challenges/barriers to alignment, and trepidation/resistance for transitioning to more comprehensive involvement. It is not too late to be part of this dialogue. The recording is now available at https://youtu.be/KQKWpb9vWvU. Written contributions are also available. Send more contributions to ecopblog@gmail.com.


2018 Program Development Impact Collaborative Update - As Cooperative Extension professionals are increasingly asked to co-create solutions with partners and communities, a unique approach in program planning emerges. Karen Vines, Virginia Tech, has been selected as the 2018 National Association of Extension Program & Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP)/eXtension program design/development fellow. Karen will serve as a key informant for the 2018 Impact Collaborative in Program Development and focus on helping Extension professionals use engagement in their program planning. Read more at https://www.extension.org/2018/01/26/karen-vines-named-2018-naepsdp-extension-fellow.


2017 Census of Agriculture Ends TODAY-NASS to Follow-up with Producers - The 2017 Census of Agriculture by mail or online at www.agcounts.usda.gov ends today. Over the next few weeks, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will follow-up with producers who missed the deadline through additional mailings, emails, phone calls, and personal appointments. Please help NASS spread the word that it is not too late to respond! Without being represented in the data, hardworking producers are at risk of being underserved. NASS is required by federal law to keep all information confidential, use the data only for statistical purposes, and only publish in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation. Data release is scheduled for February 2019. For more information visit www.agcensus.usda.gov. For questions or assistance, producers can call toll-free (888) 424-7828.