Monday, February 25, 2019

Award Opportunities – Time is Limited

Excellence and Diversity in Cooperative Extension
awaits recognition by the Nation in San Diego in November 2019.
Luckily, Directors and Administrators and their associates can use a new leaders’ resource to organize and prepare nominations for the National Cooperative Extension Awards. Award-winning nominators strongly recommend starting the process well before the May 1 deadline. Go to www.aplu.org/CESawards to begin.  Please share this message widely and contact ECOP Assistant Director Sandy Ruble at 202-478-6088 for more information.

And speaking of awards...




New! 2019 Culture of Health Awards - The Well Connected Communities initiative is pleased to offer three Culture of Health awards to one youth volunteer, an adult volunteer, and a Land-grant University, that have been leaders in healthy living programming in their communities. All land-grant universities are invited to nominate, including those involved with the Well Connected Communities initiative. T. his work should have a focus on health equity and inclusion, address one or more of the social determinants of health, and successfully engage in youth-adult partnerships. Visit the Culture of Health Awards website to download and submit your applications by March 15, 2019. For more information, contact Shay McNeil at smcneil@fourhcouncil.edu.


4-H Council Strategic Plan Approved - National 4-H Council’s Board of Trustees approved a new three-year strategic plan for Council operations at its quarterly meeting in December. The plan, which covers fiscal years 2019-2021, was developed in collaboration with the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee and looks to accelerate private sector support for Extension’s high-quality 4-H positive youth development programming. The plan maintains Council’s focus on creating public-private partnerships to generate funds and on telling the story of today’s 4-H. In this next phase of its 10-year vision, Council intends to highlight the positive impact that Extension and 4-H have on economic prosperity, equity and upward mobility for all young people. To read the plan and review Council’s accomplishments over the last three years, go to www.4-h.org/outcomes.



eXtension Member Events - Spring 2019. Registration for our April Impact Collaborative Summit is open. Each member institution receives five free registrations to send a project or program team to the Summit. More info can be found here. Also, State and Institutional Events are being scheduled, designed alongside leadership teams, to help with building skills in innovation. Contact Chris Geith at christinegeith@eXtension.org for more information.


Cooperative Extension Partnering with APLU Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) on Learning More About e-Connectivity in Rural America - Marshall Stewart, University of Missouri, and Ashley Stokes, Colorado State University, colleagues who are currently serving on the CECE’s Executive Committee encourage Directors and Administrators to participate in an online survey.

"There is no question that rural residents and businesses need access to high-speed internet service," says Sheila Martin, contact for the effort. "APLU knows its member institutions are already working in this area; however, we are certain we do not have the complete story of what our member institutions are doing to promote rural digital inclusion. APLU is requesting information from its members regarding their institution’s contributions to rural community’s access to the benefits of high-speed internet. We invite you to view read the white paper e-Connectivity in Rural America: Public Research Universities Advancing Digital Inclusion and share your institution’s contributions to expanding high-speed internet access in rural communities by taking this online survey by Sunday, March 10th. Our staff will review responses and make the relevant contacts at your institution to understand the full picture of your work in this area. The final product will articulate practices making a difference for rural communities based on your responses."

Reminder: Extension Administrators and Directors and/or their economic development/community engagement associates may join CECE at no cost at this link.