Secretary's Speech Praises and Charges Land-grant Research, Education, and Extension

On January 8, 2024, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the University of New Hampshire. ECOP Member Ken La Valley was particularly impressed with the Secretary’s talk, which featured the important role of Land-grant University research, education, and extension. The Secretary gave a similar presentation at the APLU Annual Meeting in November 2023. The presentation, starting at the point when Extension was referenced, is captured below.

New 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development Impact - Many may be familiar with the 10-year longitudinal study, The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, conducted by Tufts University and sponsored by the National 4-H Council, which concluded in 2011. This research has been a tremendous asset for 4-H and helped the Cooperative Extension System tell a powerful story nationally and locally.

Council recently funded a follow up study to replicate the research with new youth, as well as reconnect with original study original participants who are now adults.

This Replication and Reconnection Study confirms the original, powerful outcomes: 4-H helps youth thrive, now and into adulthood. Here is the top line:

Compared to their peers, 4-H participants are:

• 4X more likely to make a positive contribution to their communities

• 2X more likely to participate in out-of-school-time science programs

• 2X more likely to make healthier choices

• 2X more likely to report feeling competent

• 2X more likely to feel positive about their wellbeing

4-H alumni are:

• 3X more likely to participate in community service

• 2X more likely to report living life with intentionality and purpose

• 2X more likely to have the goal of being a leader

Updating Economic Engagement Framework - This APLU Commission on Economic and Community Engagement developed framework is the foundation of a number of APLU projects and programs in economic and community engagement including the Innovation & Economic Prosperity Program. The new Principals of Practice for Higher Education’s Engagement in Inclusive Economic Engagement Strategies updated the 2015 previous framework “Foundations for Strategy and Practice” and articulates the values public and land-grant campuses can bring to this work, illustrates a theory of change showing that inclusive growth and social mobility are possible, and offers principles of practice for campuses to consider.




Revealing Article on Microcredentials - A new survey found training partnerships between employers and four-year colleges fell between 2022 and 2023 while instruction provided by third-party providers rose. The Inside Higher Ed article that quotes this statistic cites a new report released Tuesday by Collegis Education, an online program support company, and UPCEA, the organization previously known as the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. In 2023, 40 percent of organizations surveyed had partnerships or relationships with four-year colleges and universities, which was a nine-percentage-point drop compared to the previous year’s inaugural survey. Partnerships between employers and LinkedIn Learning, however, rose from 44 percent in 2022 to 52 percent in 2023. A quick search shows that several Cooperative Extension Services have a presence on Linkedin.

USDA-NIFA Hosts EFNEP Listening Session – February 23

On Friday, February 23, 2024, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host a listening session for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) at 10:15-11:30 AM ET – immediately following the EFNEP National Conference. The hyperlink below provides details for this live and virtual event. Please consider attending, submitting written comments, and sharing this event information with Family and Consumer Sciences and EFNEP Coordinators. NIFA is seeking stakeholder feedback on all aspects of EFNEP.

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/events/expanded-food-nutrition-education-program-efnep-listening-session

ECOP Appoints Martin as NUEL Liaison  - ECOP has appointed Dr. Edward C. Martin (pictured left) as the Liaison to the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) Steering Committee. Dr. Martin serves as Associate Vice President and Director of the Arizona Cooperative Extension System and is a faculty member in the Biosystems Engineering Department. Ed replaces Dr. Brent Hales, University of California, in this role. The appointment was established in 2015 with the adoption of A National Framework for Urban Extension. Please join ECOP to thank Brent and Ed for their national leadership!




ECOP/APLU Modernizing Scholarship for the Public Good Webinar Now Online - Last Friday, ECOP sponsored a webinar titled, Modernizing Scholarship for the Public Good, which is now online for asynchronous viewing. APLU launched the initiative to spur more publicly engaged and impactful research and scholarship. Over the past two years, Civic Science Fellow Elyse Aurbach led this initiative, and focused on the strategies public research universities can support scholars working in Public Impact Research, Cooperative Extension, civic science, and other forms of public engagement. ECOP thanks Elyse for sharing and discussing the initiative, action framework and case studies. The recording is available on ECOP's YouTube Channel. 

Associated links from the presentation: 

• Slides - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lH0lfG_ekefCYejSPaaSHAj2u_wIGbMh/view
• Report Executive Summary: https://osf.io/b4qw3 
• Access the Database: https://airtable.com/appTKXGHSza4RHNJj/shraoZlcCgYrXCiki

Rural Health & Safety Education RFA - NIFA recently published the 2024 Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program (RHSE) RFA. The RHSE program improves the quality of life in rural communities by providing the essential knowledge necessary for successful programs of rural health and safety in the context of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. Proposals are expected to be community-based outreach education programs, such as those conducted through human science Extension outreach that provide individuals and families with information regarding:

• The value of good health at any age;
• To increase individual or family’s motivation to take more responsibility for their own health;
• Rural environmental health issues that directly impact human health;
• Access to health promotion and educational activities; and
• Training for volunteers and health services providers concerning health promotion and health care services for individuals and families in cooperation with state, local, and community partners.

Application deadline is March 14, 2024. For more information, read the RHSE funding opportunity.




GusNIP - Produce Prescription Award Applications - The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems to foster understanding of how they might improve the health and nutrition status of participating households. The Produce Prescription portion of this program is of particular interest to Cooperative Extension. Applications for this portion of the program are due February 28, 2024. NIFA recently conducted a technical assistance webinar, for which the slides are now available.




USDA Names Participants in 2024 Future Leaders in Agriculture Program - On January 17th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the selection of 20 undergraduate and graduate students as the 2024 winners of the USDA Future Leaders in Agriculture program. The selected students hail from land-grant universities and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI). The recent USDA press release names the students, their hometowns, and their universities. Program winners will travel to Washington, D.C., in February to tour the nation’s capital and attend USDA’s premier annual event, the Agricultural Outlook Forum. They will also participate in several USDA briefings, gaining numerous opportunities for career development with leaders at USDA.

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus until January 22, 2024, to honor the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Modernizing Scholarship for the Public Good Virtual Event - A special presentation on Modernizing Scholarship for the Public Good: An Action Framework for Public Research Universities has been organized by ECOP for Friday, January 19, 2024, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. Elyse Aurbach, Director of Public Engaged and Research Impacts, University of Michigan, the leader of the APLU project, will present. The framework includes helpful ways to manage organizational change.

Public research universities have over 150 years of history of spearheading scholarship that advances the public interest. Founded to serve the public through their education, research, and engagement work, they provide life-changing education to students, advance society-shaping innovations, and engage communities to tackle our most stubborn challenges. The abstract and full report are available here.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aplu-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMscOmprDMqHt38xL5efL7Irw507p37HFBm and receive a confirmation email containing connection details.

NIFA Grants Development & Management Networking Sessions - NIFA will pilot four networking sessions to help enhance grants development and grants management. The first session on January 30, 2024, will be on allowable and unallowable costs. NIFA experts on grants management, our OGFM staff will be answering questions as a Panel. We are requesting you to share the link with your grantees. The sessions are designed to answer questions asked by attendees. Pre-submitted questions will be answered first, which can be submitted during registration. Please encourage your applicants and grantees to attend as these sessions will not be recorded.




Build and Strengthen Leadership at the JCEP Extension Leadership Conference - The Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) invites and encourages Extension Deans/Directors/Administrators to support Extension personnel to attend the 2024 Extension Leadership Conference (ELC). This event gives attendees opportunities to connect with others across Extension Associations and the U.S. Karl Bradley, Extension Foundation, will be the keynote and capstone speaker to excite and equip attendees to strengthen and grow their leadership.

Participation in ELC greatly depends on Extension Director support. Dr. Barbara Petty (pictured left), Associate Dean and Director of the University of Idaho Extension and ECOP Liaison to JCEP, shares the value of ELC. “The Extension Leadership Conference is an outstanding opportunity for field staff to learn how to be more effective in their roles as Extension Professionals. In addition to the dynamic speakers, a great benefit is the networking that occurs across the disciplines with colleagues from all over the nation. Idaho personnel have identified this conference as one of the most impactful in their professional development. I highly recommend this conference for your field staff and encourage you to support their attendance.”

ELC is February 14-15, 2024, at the Saddlebrook Resort Tampa. Registration and details are here: https://www.jcep.org/elc.



New Issue of the Journal of Extension Published - The newest issue of the flagship journal for Extension professionals, Volume 61, Number 3 of the Journal of Extension, is now available.

2022 Census of Agriculture Data Coming Soon - The 2022 Census of Agriculture data will be released February 13, 2024. NASS recently shared information about data release, preliminary return rate, and upcoming special studies. NASS Public Affairs Office states that with the census data that was collected in 2022, over 400 reports about agricultural commodities were produced. NASS reminders and updates for Extension Directors and Administrators appear regularly in ECOP Monday Minute to help track the schedule of data collection and promote the value of the census.  

SARE Coordinator Sought - In 2024, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program will initiate a $10 million national food loss and food waste grants program to support projects that align with USDA activities aimed at reducing food loss and reducing food waste, getting surplus wholesome food to individuals, and developing linkages between food producers, providers, and food recovery organizations.

To accomplish the goals of the grant program, SARE is seeking a Program Manager/Coordinator to assist in the organization, coordination, and implementation of selected grant projects. The Program Manager/Coordinator is a national seat, open to qualified applicants in the contiguous U.S.; Alaska; Hawaii; the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, and Northern Mariana Islands; and sovereign nations Republic of Palau and Marshall Islands. Institutions, such as colleges and universities; and organizations such as non-governmental organizations meeting qualifications are invited to apply.



2023 Extension Foundation Professional Development Needs Assessment Report Available - The purpose of the Extension Foundation Professional Development Needs Assessment study was to identify professional development needs for Extension professionals at 1862, 1890, and 1994 Land-grant universities in the US and US territories. The Extension Foundation issued a request for applications for a Fellowship to complete this needs assessment. Dr. Karen Vines, Assistant Professor, Continuing Professional Education Specialist, Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech was selected as the Fellow and researcher for this project. Read the summary and access the full report at this link.