Cooperative Extension Section Election Results Announced

The Policy Board of Directors of the Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) takes appropriate action on key matters affecting the interests of the member institutions of the BAA and is responsible to APLU for the management of BAA affairs. Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, ECOP Chair of 2016, was recently elected to represent the Cooperative Extension Section on the Board. Please join ECOP in thanking Michelle and her alternate Wendy Powers, University of California, who recently began her term as a member of ECOP, for their leadership and commitment to enter the 2020 ballot. Thank you to all members of the Section who voted. Michelle and Wendy will serve a 2-year term.


Innovation Committee Correction - Last week’s item, ECOP Announces New Extension Health Director the report included the statement: “In addition, Rodgers will continue to support Well Connected Communities’ growth and impact as the new chair of an ECOP innovation committee.” Instead, Rodgers will lead the innovation work in WCC, an important component of the upcoming work of the ECOP innovation committee. The updated version of the report is available here.


Save the Date: Hemp Industry Happenings - ECOP Chair Mark Latimore invites members of the Cooperative Extension Section to a conversation on Friday, November 1, 2019, 3-4:00 PM ET, with land-grant professionals who are versed in the roles of leading Industrial Hemp Extension programs. With thanks to eXtension Foundation, Zoom connection details are:
     https://extension.zoom.us/j/129450710
     Dial by your location -
      +1 646-876-9923 (New York)
      +1 669-900-6833 US (San Jose)
          Meeting ID: 129 450 710


Cooperative Extension Celebrates Tribal Land-grant Universities - Cooperative Extension/ECOP joins the U.S. Department of Agriculture to honor the 25th anniversary of the legislation that recognized 29 tribal colleges and universities as land-grant institutions. Signed on October 20, 1994, the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act enabled tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), hence known as 1994s, to receive federal support. In this age of innovation, 1890s Extension and Smith-Lever funded leaders have much to learn from their 1994s colleagues who successfully engage Indigenous languages, cultures, communities, and tribal nations to develop youth development, agriculture, and public health programs. In 2017, ECOP established a formal relationship through negotiations with NIFA and American Indian Higher Education Consortium - AIHEC. Brian Kowalkowski, Dean of Continuing Education, College of the Menominee Nation, has since served as a 1994 Liaison. Take a moment to send congratulations and encouragement the 1994's at ecopblog@gmail.com, a collection point for feedback for the ECOP Monday Minute.


Spread the Word - Rural Prosperity Forum Tomorrow - Cooperative Extension is co-sponsoring an event in DC, on Tuesday, 10/29/19, entitled Approaches for Bolstering Rural America’s Future: A Spotlight on Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, and Rural Health. Extension faculty from Purdue University and Fort Valley State University will serve as panelists. Lead organizer, the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE) and ECOP are connected through NC-FAR Membership. Jason Henderson, Purdue University, a member of ECOP, represents Cooperative Extension on the NC-FAR Board of Directors. Please share the details and link to register with congressional staffers as appropriate.

Plan of Work Report Changes for Extension

To ensure that all Extension Directors and Administrators are aware of the upcoming changes for Plan of Work Reporting, ECOP is re-sharing the announcement made by NIFA Director Scott Angle last Wednesday. Click here to learn more. ECOP will diligently inform the Cooperative Extension Section and generate open lines of communication on this important change. Please share the information with associates with responsibility for reporting and send questions or concerns to ecopblog@gmail.com, the collection point for comments and feedback from the ECOP Monday Minute. Thank you.


ECOP Announces New Extension Health Director - Rick Klemme, Cooperative Extension/ECOP Executive Director, is pleased to share for immediate release the announcement of the hiring of Roger Rennekamp as Extension Health Director, Cooperative Extension/ECOP. Full story is available here.


From Idea to Impact, New Reports Revealed by eXtension - The eXtension Foundation has produced two new reports that include key findings and an update on the progress of Extension teams working with the Impact Collaborative, and insights about the learnings and potential opportunities from working with these teams. These reports highlight an overview of trends and outputs of the Impact Collaborative methodology and process, challenges and success factors of participating teams, a theory of change model for these teams, and perspectives from teams and Extension Directors/Administrators. Both reports are available at impact.eXtension.org/success.


Introducing Rural Innovation Initiative Opportunity - With support from the Economic Development Administration, Center on Rural Innovation is seeking the second cohort of communities to join the Rural Innovation Initiative. Applications must be submitted by November 18, 2019. Successful applicants will receive technical assistance to strengthen their approach to entrepreneurship and digital jobs, apply for federal funding, and join a national network of rural innovation communities. Communities should express interest in the program as soon as possible by filling out a brief questionnaire. Rural Innovation Strategies Inc. will host a webinar on October 28 at 2 p.m. ET to provide additional information. Interested communities are encouraged to register for the webinar here.

International Role of Extension Systems - Registration is now open for Future Extension: Innovations and Evidence, an event on November 7-8, 2019, organized by CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), Feed the Future Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Register here: https://pim.cgiar.org/2019/08/05/future-extension-innovations-and-evidence. The option to attend in person in DC or online is available. For questions on the program, please contact Kristin Davis (K.Davis@cgiar.org).to

NIFA National Science Liaisons Announced

NIFA’s program portfolio and contact with stakeholders, partners, and collaborators will continue, uninterrupted, in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. This important function will be led by six science professionals, National Science Liaisons (NSLs), who will support the agency’s national research, education, and extension portfolio; advance NIFA programs; and serve as expert resources. Go here for biographies and contact links.

Opportunity to Inform the Future System-wide Training Available to Extension Professionals - Through funding from a USDA-NIFA Cooperative Agreement, eXtension will provide professional development across Cooperative Extension System for all land-grant universities, and continue to strengthen technology delivery. eXtension is in the process of picking four topics to build professional development training and eFieldbooks, geared towards USDA strategic goals. eXtension seeks early-stage, effective program feedback on the topics of Climate Smart Agriculture, Prevention and Mitigation of Ag Pests/Disease/IPM, Prevention of Food Borne Illness and Protection of Public Safety, and Safe and Nutritious Food for Low-Income Individuals. Start survey here. Please respond by October 25, 2019. A summary of the results will be shared in a future Monday Minute.

Extension Participation Encouraged - The APLUs' Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) has announced that the 2020 Summer Meeting will take place in New York City on June 9-11. Hosted by Cornell University & the State University of New York (SUNY) System, the meeting will convene administrators in economic development and community engagement under the theme "Green Economies and Community Engagement". CECE seeks session proposals submitted by November 1 HERE covering a wide range of economic and community development topics relating to theme. Contact APLU’s Shalin Jyotishi, sjyotishi@aplu.org, for more information.


Last Chance for 4-H’ers to Apply for Youth in Action Awards - 4-H’ers ages 15-19 are invited to apply for the 4-H Youth in Action Awards for a chance to win a $5,000 scholarship and a trip to Washington D.C. for National 4-H Council’s Legacy Awards. The program recognizes four confident young leaders in the areas of Agriculture, Civic Engagement, Healthy Living and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics), giving winners the chance to share how 4-H changed their lives and how they have used the skills they gained in Cooperative Extension 4- H to impact the lives of others. Applications close on Monday October 21. Visit www.4-H.org/YouthinAction to learn more and submit your application. Please direct any questions to YouthinAction@4-H.org.


Opportunity to Design the 2020 4-H National Youth Science Day Challenge - Cooperative Extension faculty and staff at all land-grant universities are invited to submit a proposal detailing an innovative 2020 4-H National Youth Science Day experience. The 2020 focus is Mission to Mars, with the land-grant university that submits the winning application to receive a $50,000 award. In order for 4-H NYSD to continue to grow and reach new audiences, National 4-H Council has streamlined the application and development processes. Click here to apply for the opportunity to impact thousands of youth across the country. Applications close on Monday November 18, 2019. Please direct any questions to Janet Golden at jgolden@fourhcouncil.edu or 301-204-6841.

2019 National Awards Announcement

On November 10 in San Diego at the APLU Annual Meeting, the Cooperative Extension Section and USDA-NIFA will honor the following for visionary Leadership and Diversity in educational programming:

Kimberly Greder,
Iowa State University

Matt Devereaux,
University of Tennessee

--> National Diversity in Extension Award: Juntos and Abriendo Caminos Work Teams, Iowa State University, for successful models to expand Extension’s programming in sustainable ways to address education and health disparities facing the Latino population. Leader of the Teams, Kimberly Greder will accept the award.

--> National Excellence in Extension (EiE) Award: Matthew John Devereaux, University of Tennessee, for innovative best practice Extension child care and afterschool programs.

Pictured from left to right are the Regional Excellence in Extension Award recipients:
   -- 1890s Region EiE Award: Dorothy Brandon, Alabama A&M University,
in recognition of transformational and developmental impact on the lives of underserved populations     -- North Central Region EiE Award: Dianne Shoemaker, The Ohio State University
in recognition of bridging the gap: building farm management resources and training tools for Ohio farmers and educators

   -- Northeast Region EiE Award: Gordon Johnson, University of Delaware
in recognition of  high impact applied research and Extension education reaching many diverse audiences in Delaware and the mid-Atlantic region

   -- Southern Region EiE Award: Mark Peterson, University of Arkansas
in recognition of facilitating the creation of vibrant, sustainable communities and regions
through breakthrough solutions
   -- Western Region EiE Award: Dave Schramm, Utah State University
in recognition of innovative, scholarly leadership of family life programs

To read more, Click Here or Here for entire article.




2019 National Meeting Recap - Last week’s meeting in Nashville, TN featured several actions coming from the ECOP Executive Committee, ECOP and Cooperative Section Business meetings:

• Approved the Extension Resource and Partnership Development (ERPD) committee’s recommendations (building on on-going development efforts that evolve from regional/national collaborations, encouraging an update to the Section’s strategic plan/priorities with the arrival of the full-time CES/ECOP Executive Director, and engaging the ERPD committee in a national strategic plan). 
• Approved moving forward with a contract position (Extension Health Education Director) to provide leadership, building from the success of the Well-Connected Communities (WCC) project into Wave II and to work across the Cooperative Extension’s capacity to expand access to health education programs. 
• Approved advancing the recommendations of the Innovation Task Force with a pilot project led by Michelle Rodgers as part of the WCC project. 
• Approved the ECOP Professional Development Committee’s efforts to develop criteria for what would be a newly established team excellence in extension award. 
• Approved the ECOP Professional Development Committee’s efforts to develop criteria for what a proposed Team Excellence in Extension Award. 
• Engaged in an open conversation on what being a system means to Extension Administrators and Directors. The summary of a Slido survey that contributed to the conversation of ECOP and Extension is found Here and the raw data is found Here. 
• Jennifer Sirangelo (4-H Council President and CEO) announced Council Board Trustee Dr. Martha Bernadett will serve as Extension liaison. 

Well Connected Communities (Wave 2) Request for Applications Deadline October 18 - America’s Cooperative Extension System, in partnership with National 4-H Council, is equipping volunteer leaders to help their neighbors be healthier at every stage of life. With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Extension leaders and educators, volunteers and young people are currently cultivating wellness through this public/private partnership via 13 land-grant universities in 39 communities. All Cooperative Extension System entities are invited to apply for this new grant opportunity funded by RWJF. To review the RFA, application requirements and apply for funding, please visit the online portal and click on Funding Opportunities. Joint applications between 1862, 1890 or 1994 LGUs within a state are encouraged, but not required. Applications are due by 11:59 pm EST on October 18. For more information, click here to access the recording of an informational webinar held in September and a document with answers to frequently asked questions.

NIFA Tenth Anniversary - On October 1, NIFA celebrated its tenth anniversary. NIFA’s history is largely tied to the establishment of land-grant institutions and delivery of Cooperative Extension Services. See more by reading NIFA Director J. Scott Angle’s blog.