Message from Doug Steele on Rapidly Changing Washington Dynamics

I want to assure our Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR) constituents and Board on Agriculture Assembly members that we are working with the APLU Office of Governmental Affairs and Lewis-Burke Associates to closely monitor all federal actions and announcements.

While there are numerous reports in the news on Executive Orders, Agency Reviews and potential Budget Freezes, we are committed to not reporting to our membership until we can verify the action and ensuring impacts. We are closely tracking announcements and working tirelessly on your behalf and will continue to keep you apprised when we have reliable information and/or guidance to share. We are actively talking with both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill to keep them informed of potential impacts, questions, and concerns from the BAA community.

We understand there is particular concern about NIFA and we are working to understand what any potential freeze or pause will entail and how the deferred resignation process may impact NIFA’s workforce. We are in constant communications with BAA elected leaders, advocacy committees and research/Extension regional Executive Directors. We will continue to communicate as appropriate messages are identified and double-down on the value of the land-grant and public university to our country.

Please feel free to contact either myself (dsteele@aplu.org) or Marcus Glassman, Director of Government Affairs, Ag and International Development (mglassman@aplu.org) if we can provide additional information or if you have any updates you would like to share.

Douglas L. Steele
Vice President, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
dsteele@aplu.org

Extension Health Program Manager Position Available

The Extension Foundation is currently receiving applications for an individual to provide managerial support to the Cooperative Extension System’s ongoing work in health and well-being. More specifically, work of this individual will focus on supporting implementation of the five high-level recommendations emanating from Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health and Well-Being, approved by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) in 2021.

The contract may be executed directly with an individual or with the institution with which the individual is currently employed. The successful candidate is expected to devote the equivalent of roughly 10 hours per week (.25 FTE) to the performance of the duties identified in the announcement. Performance of the stated duties is performed at a flat rate of $40,000.

Contract begins March 1, 2025 and continues through February 28, 2026. See the Extension Foundation announcement for more details.


CARET Washington Conference Registration Reminder

The 2025 CARET/BAA Washington Conference, Securing Our Future, begins in less than a month! Registration is filling up, so if you haven't already done so, please register here as you are if you are interested in attending. The Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) is a national grassroots organization of volunteers created in 1982 by the Board on Agriculture Assembly of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). CARET seeks to enhance national support and understanding of the land-grant university system’s food and agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs that enhance the quality of life for all people.

A draft agenda is available for viewing. Please note that we will send out materials for the meeting in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact Flannery Bethel.

We look forward to seeing you in DC!

Avian Influenza: Call for Updates

Based on the current situation the United States is facing with the avian flu, the APLU staff is updating the previously published June 2024 Toolkit: AVIAN FLU THREATS: The United States Needs to Prepare and Prevent Mutations that could Spread Among Humans. Please send updated information and activities to Andrea Putman at aputman@aplu.org.

Award Nominations Reminder

Now is a good time to check in on the status of preparing nominations for the three categories of National Cooperative Extension Awards offered by ECOP and USDA-NIFA. The deadline to submit nominations online is less than a month away, May 1, 2024. Letters from respective members of Section are required for the individual and team Excellence in Extension award nominations. The gateway to all of the details may be found at awards.extension.org. Questions about these awards may be directed to Sandy Ruble, Assistant Director, Cooperative Extension System/ECOP at sandyruble@extension.org. The value of the prizes exceed $38,000 annually.

Hales Returns to Serve ECOP Through 2027 - The Western Extension Directors Association has appointed Dr. Brent Hales (picture left) is Associate Vice President of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) to serve on ECOP. The required 4-year term ends in the fall of 2027. Brent returns to ECOP after serving for the Association of Northeast Extension Directors from 2020-2023 when he was Associate Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of Penn State Extension. In addition, Brent returns to the ECOP Program Committee which he chaired in his earlier term. More about Brent is found here. Thank you and welcome back to Dr. Brent Hales!

First Friday Event on Cooperative Extension’s Growing Health Infrastructure - Last Friday, the Extension Health Director Roger Rennekamp and researchers from the Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle, reported that Cooperative Extension has made great strides in building its capacity for health-related work over the past five years. According to the fifty-one responding land-grant institutions, 81% indicated that they had increased external funding for health-related programming. The total amount of external funding received by these institutions was approximately $140 million (excluding EFNEP and SNAP-Ed). Elements from the presentation are available at the following links:

• The 19-page report summary
• The Slide Deck
• The video is available on ECOP's YouTube Channel - 

EDEN Mini-Grant RFA Deadline is May 10 - The deadline for the EDEN Mini-Grants program RFA Advancing Disaster Education in America is set for May 10. The goal of the grants program is to fuel the development of creative educational resources and Extension initiatives. These resources will empower EDEN's mission and the broader land-grant and sea-grant systems to effectively address all phases of disaster management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.




Partnering Opportunities with Cities - Land-grant University research and Extension professionals are invited to participate in a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) by Washington State University Extension's National Urban Research & Extension Center (NUREC) to determine where the opportunities lie for partnership and collaboration with the National League of Cities. NUREC will utilize RFEI data to assess interest and gather information to create projects, build project teams and/or craft responses to RFP’s. Learn more here.

Awards Reminder and NEDA Update

Awards Nomination Reminder - May 1, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, is the deadline to submit nominations online for the 2023 National Cooperative Extension Awards. All 76 land-grant institutions are urged to participate in the program. The gateway website for full details is awards.extension.org. 

NEDA Meeting Update - Until the launch of registration next month, visit neda.extension.org for the most recent details of the 2023 NEDA Meeting October 10-12 - save the date! Extension Deans, Directors and Administrators, members of the Cooperative Extension Section are invited to view the latest details released by Planning Committee: 

   --> Chair Barbara Petty, University of Idaho

   --> Patty Coleman, Northern Marianas College (West)

   --> Andra Johnson, University of Florida (South)

   --> Bill Miller, University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Northeast)

   --> Jackie Wilkins, Ohio State University (North Central)

   --> Janine P. Woods, Virginia State University (1890s)

EXCITE Sponsored Workshop Equips Any Extension Professional - A new 3-part workshop series suitable for any Extension professional or community partner is open for registration. Getting to the Heart and Mind of the Matter will help participants become a trusted messengers of health information. The pandemic inspired the workshop is applicable to all health education initiatives beyond adult vaccination confidence. Sessions are June 6, 7, and 8 from 1:30 - 3:00 pm ET. Please share the opportunity to learn more and register: https://pages.extension.org/excite-toolkit-training. 

Capacity Funding and the NIFA Reporting System

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus on January 16, 2023, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We will return on January 23, 2023. Visit here to reflect on the national memorial quotes by the renowned non-violent leader of the civil rights movement.

Capacity Funding and the NIFA Reporting System - Last week during ECOP's monthly First Friday event, Alexis Nazario-Negron, NIFA’s Director for Planning, Accountability and Reporting Staff (PARS) joined ECOP Chair, Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, and ECOP Professional Development Committee chair John Lawrence, Iowa State University, to provide the Cooperative Extension Section and 1994 Extension Directors with a status update on the development of NIFA Reporting System (NRS). The session included an overview of reporting activities in NRS for capacity funded extension programs and a valuable timeline. Slides for this presentation are available upon request by contacting the staff at the National Office www.extension.org/ecop or at this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OiwQjDpVhqO7ZCryZli6QmIxAH2X6DSP/view?usp=sharing. The video recording is available at https://youtu.be/Xv-iIMu8Nsg or below.

Building Capacity for Health Equity and Well-Being - View and share this new peer-learning video resource that supports system-wide capacity to implement recommendations from Cooperative Extension's National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being and provides examples of success. It features nuts and bolts of the framework as well as 12 examples of highly successful capacity building at the local levels. For more information, contact the Cooperative Extension System/ECOP's Extension Health Director Dr. Rennekamp at rogerrennekamp@extension.org. View the series play list below or visit ECOP's playlists at https://www.youtube.com/@ecopoffice3901/playlists today.

ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee Leadership News - During a special meeting in December of ECOP's Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC), Rich Bonanno, North Carolina State University, Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement and Extension Director, was elected as Vice-chair. Rich who also represents the Cooperative Extension Section on the BAA's Committee on Legislation and Policy (Farm Bill), will assume the responsibilities in any absence of a Chair, serve a three-year, renewable term and can assume the chair's position with approval of the ECOP Executive. Jason Henderson, Purdue University, remains BLC Chair and will move to Iowa State University as Vice President of Extension and Outreach in April 2023. Congratulations and thank you Rich and Jason!

NIFA Listens Stakeholder Opportunity Ends Soon

Extension Directors and Administrators and others across the System are encouraged to submit written comment to NIFA to answer several questions posed by the agency to invest in science and transform lives. ECOP Members Vonda Richardson, Florida A&M University, Jason Henderson, Purdue University, Chair of the Budget & Legislative Committee, and folks from the 4-H Program Area gave NIFA their verbal answers live on November 2. ECOP Chair Bev Durgan, University of Minnesota, is pleased to share the document she submitted and that Vonda and Jason used as guidance at the following link. The deadline NIFA has set to receive as many comments/answers as possible is 5:00 p.m. ET on November 30. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c2O1VJ4gj05eHyptI55TPUgmztCq6BhC/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117572418052990065789&rtpof=true&sd=true

Health Framework Lightning Sessions - Hear how twelve land-grant universities across the nation are utilizing Cooperative Extension's National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to experience lifelong health. Presenting on Tuesday, November 15 beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET in a lightning round format (five slides in seven minutes) are the University of New Hampshire, University of Florida, The Ohio State University, Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Georgia. Six additional institutions will present in a similar format on Thursday, December 15. The sessions are open to all Extension personnel. Register for the November 15 session here.

DEI PAT Engages with Section - At ECOP's "First Friday" Zoom event on November 4, the Professional Development Committee organized an engaging session by the Program Committee's DEI Program Action Team (PAT). After and quick update, the delegation of 1994, 1890, and 1862 Extension leaders shared what was most needed in three areas of interest:

• Developing a Community of Practice/Resource Depository
• Establishing Metrics
• Fostering Collaboration Among 1890, 1994, and 1862 Institutions

A full report of what took place, including a collection of recommendations and who to contact for other ideas, is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uFGAeAOFpr_CB7lMkQrYsGU87aSiUOiP/view?usp=sharing. The DEI PAT is always recruiting new members and is the primary source of information made available at advocacy.extension.org/#diversity. 

Investing in Rural Recovery

Today the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) released Investing in Rural Recovery: Findings from a Rapid Assessment of Stakeholder Priorities for Rural Development from a national survey of rural development stakeholders. Conducted in the fall of 2021, the survey is part of a year-long Listening Session Initiative aimed at identifying key priorities and critical investments for rural communities’ recovery and growth. The questionnaire served as a rapid appraisal of key informants’ perceptions about priorities, capacities, and potential to expand programming in eight critical topic areas. Respondents also reported the types of programs found to be most valuable and the resources, challenges, and opportunities they perceive for rural communities. The report marks the close of the first stage in the consultative feedback process being led by the RRDCs and will provide a basis for a series of facilitated dialogues in the initiative’s second phase in March and April of 2022.

Prioritizing Nutrition Security - Learn about the latest updates to the Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 3-4:30 p.m. ET. The virtual session will be led by the Framework authors and attendees are highly encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback during the live Q&A segment and the virtual breakout sessions. This event is the sixth installment of NIFA’s new monthly Nutrition Security Webinar Series. To register and for more information, visit the Prioritizing Nutrition Security webinar announcement.

New Deadline for 4-H Executive Position - Extended to Friday, January 28, 2022. The ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee (ECOP 4-H) seeks an Executive Director who is passionate about building partnership and policy foundations for future 4-H Youth Development programs and initiatives nationwide. The Executive Director will support the work of the Committee, including a bold vision and plan for engaging more youth in the 4-H program that also reflects the diversity of youth in the United States. The ideal candidate would be an experienced Extension Director/Administrator or State 4-H Program Leader with demonstrated past success in collaborative leadership and coordination of Extension system resources. Full description is here. To apply, send cover letter and resume to ECOP4-H@4-H.org.

Big Idea on Health Event - The ECOP Health Innovation Taskforce will conduct a "Big Idea" virtual event on February 10, 2022 from 2-4:00 p.m. ET to connect the dots of business, education, and health with the Cooperative Extension System. Please share the opportunity with university's colleges of agriculture, public health, and education, and with health industry leaders, and organizations invested in community development or the education pipeline. Task Force member Dr. Erik Porfeli, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, is providing leadership for the event. Read more and register at pages.extension.org/big-idea. Questions may be directed to Cooperative Extension's Health Director Dr. Roger Rennekamp rogerrennekamp@extension.org, or EDA Team member, Ali Mitchell amitchell@northeastextension.org.

Anyone seeking enlightenment about the nexus of the APLU, the Land-grant University System, the Board on Agriculture Assembly, and USDA-NIFA may register here for an orientation starting February 8 and running through February 10, 2022, from 2:30-5:00 p.m. ET. There is $25 fee to cover the sessions for all three days.

New Health Framework Serves as Roadmap

Health Program Action Team Update - Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being outlines a bold and ambitious plan by which the Cooperative Extension System can advanced its work to improve population health and achieve equity in health status. The Framework includes five high-level recommendations and a robust set of specific recommendations for achieving this goal. National 4-H Council, through the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, along with the Extension Foundation and USDA-NIFA have joined forces to provide funding to support implementation of the recommendations. Leadership for implementation of the recommendations will be provided by the Health Program Action Team of the ECOP Program Committee. The Health Program Action Team is currently being established through a transitional process that will incorporate membership of several existing groups (including the Health Innovation Task Force) into a consolidated leadership group. Messaging information about this work is located here. For more information, contact Roger Rennekamp, Extension Health Director, at rogerrennekamp@extension.org.

Thank You! to the 55 Members of the Section plus 2, 1994 Extension Directors, from 44 states and 1 US territory, who participated in 2021 NEDA last week! - Watch for highlights and Leadership Resources. Have a look during the week at ECOP Chair Wendy Powers's 2021-2022 Action Plan at www.aplu.org/CESgoals and hold 3-4:30 p.m. ET every first Friday beginning November 5 (except August 2022) to virtually meet with Wendy for member-driven updates and/or Learning for Leaders events. 

Leadership Development for the 21st Century (LEAD21) Call for Application Deadline November 30 - The LEAD21 program is intended to meet the future needs for leadership development of faculty, specialists, district and regional directors, program and team leaders, research station and center directors, department heads and chairs, and others in the universities’ colleges of agricultural, environmental, natural resources, veterinary sciences, and human sciences and USDA/NIFA. Individuals from land-grant, NARRU institutions, and USDA are encouraged to participate. The primary purpose of LEAD21 is to develop leaders in land grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics, and extension in order to lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment, either in their current position or as they aspire to other positions. Learn about the program goals, components, and costs here.




DEI Professional Development Opportunity for Extension Professionals - Michigan State University Extension’s Tollgate Farm and Education Center is hosting a virtual professional development panel discussion series for Extension and educational professionals about learning to better incorporate the perspectives of diverse groups in educational programs. Moderators and panelists from each community provide a chance for educators to deepen their teaching practice in a safe online space for open conversation and community. Interested parties may register here for upcoming sessions, including:

• November 4: Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives and Maple Sugaring Experiences in Place-based Teaching and Learning
• December 2: Incorporating Black Perspectives in Place-Based Teaching and Learning
• February 3: Special Needs Perspectives and PBE In and Beyond the Classroom
• March 3: Engaging with LGTBQ+IA Communities in PBE in Formal and Non-Formal Settings
• April 7: A Latinx Lens: Incorporating Latinx Perspectives through Place-Based Educational Programming
• May 5: Incorporating Asian Principles, Practices, and People in Community- and Place-Based Learning

RFA Vaccine Hesitancy of the Cooperative Extension System: PROPOSAL DEADLINE EXTENDED - The EXCITE team invites all Land-grant Institutions to apply for up to $300,000 funding for Dec. 1, 2021- April 30, 2023, to: 1) assess vaccine hesitancy of Extension field educators, specialists, and administrators, and 2) create and implement a strategy to reduce vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 and other adult immunizations to increase confidence and willingness to become immunization educators in their community. The goal of this project is to reduce hesitancy around vaccination and increase willingness to serve in educational roles around adult vaccination among Cooperative Extension personnel at all three types of Land-grant institutions (1862, 1890, 1994). View the Vaccine Hesitancy of the Cooperative Extension RFA, and view the application guide. The deadline for the RFA is now November 12, 2021.

New Advocacy and Education Web Resource for Extension

The ECOP Budget and Legislative and Program Committees, along with many experts in Extension, have worked hard to develop the ECOP Advocacy and Education Toolkit advocacy.extension.org. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide ECOP leadership and the Cooperative Extension System (CES) with consistent messaging and resources focused on CES advocacy and education priorities. These resources include priority language, talking points, CES background information, and examples of national program efforts for consistency in messaging with APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) Committees and Sections, the BAA Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy ESCOP, legislators, partners, University Congressional and Government Affairs staff, and related advocacy groups. Additionally, the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) has developed the Nourishing Communities: Nutrition Education That Works website snap-ed.extension.org. The 2 websites are interconnected. These are living resources that will be updated and refined regularly. Advocacy topics will be improved by our experts as we move forward. Comments and suggestions can be submitted to advocacy@extension.org.

Hyde Serves the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee - Jeff Hyde, Director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, has joined Southern Region Representatives Gina Eubanks, Louisiana State University, and Rich Bonanno, NC State University on the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC). The ECOP BLC establishes federal legislative, budget and advocacy agenda and strategies for the Cooperative Extension System. Members of the BLC from the the other 4 Regions are listed on page 4 of the ECOP Leaders List posted online at www.extension.org/ecop. Welcome to National Leadership with ECOP BLC Jeff, and thank you for serving! 

Systemwide Webinar on the Cooperative Extension’s Framework for Health Equity and Well Being - Individuals who have not yet had an opportunity provide input into Cooperative Extension’s Framework for Health Equity and Well Being are invited to participate in a Zoom meeting at 1:00 PM (Eastern) on Tuesday, May 25. Click here to register and look for confirmation email containing details to connect. This session will be recorded. The Framework is an updated version of the original document developed in 2014 that responds to the realities of today's health ecosystem. This document is a product of ECOP’s Health Innovation Task Force and is being vetted among Cooperative Extension’s various stakeholder groups. To view the Framework in advance, visit www.aplu.org/CES-EqHealth. An Executive Summary can be found at www.aplu.org/CES-EqHealth-ES. The system is encouraged to provide feedback on the documents, at https://tinyurl.com/yne6u9k8.

New Courses from the Military Families Learning Network - The Military Family Readiness Academy courses are FREE and self-paced, include continuing education credit, and offer practical solutions to local problems regarding disaster and hazard readiness. These courses are for Cooperative Extension professionals working with military service members and their families as well as community members interested in disaster preparedness. The Academy course list has added 11 courses from the 2020 - 2021 Disaster and Hazard Readiness series. These courses cover the basics of disaster preparedness, impact and response, and dive deeper into family caregiving, personal finance, the community recovery aspect, and more!