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.