Respond to Chronic Disease Survey

Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Action Team
Standing: Daniel Remley-The Ohio State University, Valerie Duffy-University of Connecticut, Bernestine
McGee-Southern University, Linda Cronk-Michigan State University, Betty Greer-University of Tennessee,
Julie Garden-Robinson-North Dakota State University, Tamara Warren-Alabama A&M University, David
Buys-Mississippi State University, Chair. Kneeling: Cindy Nelson-Utah State University, Marla Reicks-University of
Minnesota, Marcel Horowitz-University of California, Suzanne Prevedel-Extension-Utah State University

The Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Action Team, one of five teams making up the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team, needs your help to determine current Extension education related to chronic disease prevention and management. Responses will be used to identify gaps and make recommendations to equip Extension “to do for the nation’s health what it did for American agriculture,” according to action team chair, David Buys, Mississippi State University. The survey https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bBnfv3eNsmku6C9 asks questions about program characteristics and process, partnerships, and barriers. Please encourage participation by colleagues at state, regional and local levels. Some participants may be asked for additional information based on their responses to the original survey. Direct questions to Buys at david.buys@msstate.edu or 662.325.3060. 

Value of FCS Webinar 3.9.16 – USDA-NIFA invites you to a webinar 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. this Wednesday on the North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA) new study highlighting the importance of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension in the region. Prepared by the research organization Battelle, the study reviewed the impact of 107 FCS Extension programs and was organized around three primary areas of impact: Family and Human Development; Food, Nutrition, and Health; and Family Resource Management. FCS Extension programs help individuals, families, and communities change behavior, increase their life knowledge, and develop useful life skills, from stress management techniques to making healthy food choices for a family on a limited food budget. To join via Adobe Connect, go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/r1vpcdhjhdr/ or by phone at 888.844.9904, Code 6042732.

Nominate “Horizon” Panelists by 3.10.16 – As part of the new ECOP Task Force on Innovation, chaired by Keith Smith (retired), Ohio State University, eXtension is leading an effort with the New Media Consortium to develop an Extension Horizon report about emerging technologies and methods between 2016-2021. For details see https://extension.org/2016/02/25/a-new-tool-for-looking-beyond-the-horizon-in-cooperative-extension/. In order to build a 45-person panel to determine trends, you are asked to nominate panelists by March 10, 2016 at https://vte.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0B4hdEtHFXxy7c1. In addition to Extension professionals, including self-nominations, you are encouraged to include others with a working knowledge of Cooperative Extension. For questions, contact Jerry Thomas, Leader, eXtension i-Three Labs at jthomas@extension.org or 419.306.9400. 

Health Conference Early Registration Closes 3.9.16 – The 2016 National Health Outreach Conference will be held in Roanoke, VA this year hosted by Virginia Cooperative Extension. The theme is All Aboard: Building Partnerships for a Healthy America. The goal is to offer a participatory and collaborative conference joining organizations and agencies working across systems to address current and future health issues. The conference will be of interest to health professionals, health educators, health policy makers and anyone interested in learning more about physical and mental wellness. The conference begins on April 6 at 12:30 p.m. with participants having the choice of either several tours or the preconference. The main conference kicks off with a banquet at 6:00 p.m. Plenary and concurrent sessions continue through noon on April 8. For early registration rates through 3.9.16 and more information, see http://www.cpe.vt.edu/2016nhoc/.

4-H Grow True Leaders Week – National 4-H Council invites Extension Leadership to three events, April 12-13, 2016, during the inaugural Grow True Leaders Week in Washington, DC.

These events will help launch the Grow True Leaders Campaign and highlight Extension’s positive impact for a national audience. A Youth Rally on April 12 at 9:00 a.m. at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD will highlight youth issues and 4-H youth-driven solutions and feature a performance by award-winning recording artist Jennifer Nettles. The National 4-H Council Legacy Awards on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Union Station in Washington, DC honors the collective accomplishments of Extension professionals and volunteers. A Legacy Extension Leader gift of $1,000 provides two tickets to the event. Purchase tickets online via credit card at www.4-h.org/extension. National 4-H Council Congressional Breakfast on April 13 at 9:00 a.m. at Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50 brings together Members of Congress, Extension leadership and youth to highlight 4-H programs and recognize bipartisan support on Capitol Hill; all Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to attend, along with two youth from each institution. Subsequently, 4-H delegations from National 4-H Conference will visit with Members of Congress on the Hill as part of this powerful youth advocacy day. For more information on these events, see http://www.4-h.org/extension/grow-true-leaders-week/. To RSVP to any or all of the events above, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GTLWeekRSVP. 

Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People (HFSHP) Report – The APLU Boards on Agriculture and Human Sciences announces release of the report Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People www.aplu.org/healthy-food-systems. The report calls for collaboration and integration amongst agriculture, food, nutrition, and health care systems to address issues related to human health and chronic disease prevention. The effort got its launch at the July 2014 Joint COPs meeting with impetus from the report http://www.aplu.org/members/commissions/food-environment-and-renewable-resources/CFERR_Library/national-framework-for-health-and-wellness/file of the ECOP Health Task Force, which completed its work in March of 2014 under the leadership of Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware. The HFSHP Steering Committee was co-chaired by Chris Ladisch, Purdue University, and Rich Linton, North Carolina State University. Cooperative Extension was represented on the committee by Celvia Stovall, Alabama A&M University, and Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, who now co-chairs the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team. The next step in the HFSHP effort is to determine an appropriate budget requirements to address the programmatic priorities outlined in the report – integration across systems; drivers of food choices and consumer behavior; impact of food on consumer health; definition and accessibility of quality food, and education, outreach and engagement. 

University of Delaware Welcomes ECOP – Michelle Rodgers, ECOP Chair, welcomes colleagues to the University of Delaware this week for an intense two-day ECOP meeting. Key agenda items relate to the 2016 goals of private resource mobilization, urban programming, innovation, professional development, and national system. For more information about the ECOP goals and ongoing priorities, see www.extension.org/ecop. Minutes of ECOP meetings are located at this site, along with other details of how ECOP is organized to provide national leadership of benefit to state and local programming. 

Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, and
Gary Thompson, Pennsylvania State University

ESCOP-ECOP Work Together on Budget – Gary Thompson, Pennsylvania State University, and Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, chairs respectively of the ESCOP and ECOP Budget and Legislative Committees will engage in a joint meeting today. While the chairs serve as liaisons to the other COP, engaging in a joint meeting is a strategic new development. Amongst agenda items will be a discussion of a strategy for advocating for the “both-and” of competitive and capacity funding and creating broad-based support for major initiatives, such as water security.

Health Implementation Team Meets in Atlanta

l-r Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin Extension; Virginia Brown, University of Maryland; Sekai Turner, North Carolina A&T University; Sonja Koukel, New Mexico State University; Roberta Riportella, Kansas State University; Celvia Stovall, Alabama Cooperative Extension System; David Buys, Mississippi State University. Atlanta, GA

Health Implementation Team Meets in Atlanta – With leadership by co-chairs Celvia Stovall, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin Extension, the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team continued its launch with its first face-to-face meeting in Altanta, GA, last week prior to the National Health Outreach Conference. All five action teams were fully represented with leadership by David Buys, Mississippi State University (Chronic Disease); Virginia Brown, University of Maryland (Health Insurance Literacy); Sonja Koukel, New Mexico State University (Health Literacy); Roberta Riportella, Kansas State University (Health Policy Issues Education), and Sekai Turner, North Carolina A&T University (Positive Youth Development for Health). Over a three-year period the effort will implement Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health and Wellness. The overall expected outcome is to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. The co-chairs express thanks to Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station Directors and Administrators for nominating and supporting efforts of action team members. As indicated in the national framework (pg. 2), “This same system of Extension can do for the nation’s health what it did for American agriculture.” 

BAA-BoHS Focuses on Human Health and Agriculture Nexus – Prior to the National Health Outreach Conference in Atlanta last week, Rich Linton, North Carolina State University, and Chris Ladisch, Purdue University, co-chairs of the BAA-BoHS Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People Steering Committee facilitated a face-to-face meeting. Among action items were redirection of the committee’s charge, additional focus on understanding research priorities, and planning for updates on committee actions for land-grant university system and strategic partners. The committee was launched following a work session at Joint COPs in 2014 and has as its ultimate goal to improve human health and reduce chronic disease. 

USDA-NIFA Announces Liaisons to Regions – Director Sonny Ramaswamy announces the primary agency liaisons to the Cooperative Extension regions as follows: Northeast region – Muquarrab Qureshi; Western region – Louie Tupas; Southern region – Bob Holland; North Central region – Parog Chitnis; and 1890 Institutions regions – Bob Holland. Liaisons enhance communication between USDA-NIFA and Cooperative Extension directors and administrators for the benefit of improving programs, streamlining administrative functions, and articulating outcomes and public value of our work together. Bob Holland, Associate Director for Operations, also serves as the liaison to ECOP. Paula Geiger, Budget Officer, is liaison to the ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee.

RFP for JOE Editorial Services – Extension Journal, Inc. is reopening its invitation for proposals to provide editorial services for the corporation’s flagship product, the Journal of Extension. Editorial services required range from initial review of all submissions, to writing advice for authors, to working with reviewers, to copy editing of all issues. Please consider our invitation. The deadline for proposals is May 31, 2015, with the contract to begin January 1, 2016. For the full RFP go to: http://www.joe.org/rfp.php.

Extension Award Nominations Due 6.1.15 – ECOP and USDA-NIFA announces the 2015 nomination process for the national Excellence in Extension and Diversity awards. The due date for nominations is June 1st at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Nominations, submitted online, must be completed by this date and time. Regions are subject to announcing earlier deadlines for their purposes. CLICK HERE for contact information by Region. For details and to access the online nomination forms go to http://www.aplu.org/CESAwards. Questions can be directed to Sandy Ruble, ECOP Staff Associate sandy.ruble@extension.org.

11.3.14 - USDA, ECOP, ESCOP Signs Climate Hubs Document

USDA, ECOP, ESCOP Signs Climate Hubs Document – Pledging to work together on adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change and variability, USDA Regional Climate Hubs http://www.climatehubs.oce.usda.gov/, Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding today during the Board on Agriculture Assembly meeting at the APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando. The document outlines coordination and does not obligate resources. Those signing are Catherine Woteki, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics; Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment; Jimmy Henning, ECOP Chair, and Steve Slack, ESCOP immediate past chair. 

L-R Jimmy Henning, Cathie Woteki, Steve Slack

ACTION: JOE Editor Proposals Due 1.15.15 – Extension Journal, Inc. invites proposals to provide editorial services for the corporation’s flagship product, the Journal of Extension. Editorial services required range from initial review of all submissions, to writing advice for authors, to working with reviewers, to copy editing of all issues. Michelle Rodgers, ECOP chair-elect and ECOP liaison to the Extension Journal Board of Directors, University of Delaware, asks your assistance in identifying qualified applicants. The deadline for proposals is January 15, 2015, with the contract to begin January 1, 2016. For the full RFP, click here. Questions can be directed to Terry Meisenbach tmeisenbach@extension.org. 

ACTION: NEW eXtension Vote Due 11.17.14 – This week the voting members of the 75 institutional members of the Cooperative Extension Section will receive a ballot to determine the future of the NEW eXtension. Your careful consideration and vote by 11.17.14 is requested. ECOP through the eXtension Governing Committee, Dennis Calvin, chair, Pennsylvania State University, engaged an eXtension Strategic Planning Committee in 2014. Chaired by Keith Smith, Ohio State University, and assisted by the Cascade Center for Community Governance, the committee was composed of representatives from all five Extension regions and was charged to present a plan for increasing eXtension’s value to Land-grant institutions and partners. The final report was accepted at the October 15, 2014 ECOP meeting in Lexington, KY. ECOP unanimously voted to engage the Cooperative Extension Section to 1) discontinue the current eXtension assessment for 2015; and 2) move to a new membership, fee-driven model effective January 1, 2015. A “yes” vote on #2 does not obligate the voting institution to membership. In addition to the report, view the webinar recording http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p8ubbwg6dhy/ of 10.29.14. The webinar outlines a new vision for eXtension, making Cooperative Extension state and local electronic innovation the primary priority. Plus, the new funding model proposes a change from assessments to a fee-based approach. The webinar defines what you will get, what it will cost and the process for electing new directors. 

ACTION: Health Nominations Due 11.28.14 – Complementary to the BAA-BoHS Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People initiative, ECOP, in collaboration with ESCOP, is developing an implementation process on specific action areas related to human health and wellness. While the BAA-BoHS effort focuses on the integration of nutrition, health, environment, and agriculture systems, the ECOP/ESCOP action teams will focus on the other five priority areas identified in the ECOP Health Task Force Report www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5134. These are health literacy, health insurance literacy, chronic disease prevention and management, positive youth development, and health policy issues education. Extension and experiment station directors and administrators have been asked to submit nominations for researchers, faculty and field educators for each of the five priority action teams. The deadline for submissions is 11.28.14. Work begins in early January. 

Funding Opportunity on Energy Efficiency – The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has $9 million available to improve energy efficiency of commercial buildings. More information, application requirements, and instructions for this funding opportunity announcement (DE-FOA-0001168) can be found on the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website. To be eligible for consideration, a concept paper must be submitted no later than November 17, 2014. Questions about this FOA may be sent to CBIFOA2015@ee.doe.gov.

9.29.14 - ECOP Names Health Steering Committee Representatives

ECOP Names Health Steering Committee Representatives – Celvia Stovall, ECOP member and Extension Associate Director, Alabama A&M University, and Rick Klemme, ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee chair and University of Wisconsin Extension Director, will represent the Cooperative Extension Section on the new Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People Steering Committee. The purpose of the committee, operating with leadership by the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) and the Board on Human Sciences, is to develop a broad-based initiative for which funding will eventually be sought. The current emphasis by the BAA is water security. The health committee resulted from action taken by the BAA Policy Board of Directors following a work session at the summer 2014 Joint COPs session in Sacramento. Efforts by the ECOP National Task Force on Health https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5134 led by Michelle Rodgers, ECOP member and University of Delaware Extension Director, contributed to the development of the steering committee. 

Lantagne Joins Futuring Group – Former ECOP chair (2011) Doug Lantagne, University of Vermont Extension Director, has been named by ECOP to represent Cooperative Extension on the Futuring Task Force. At its July 2014 meeting, the BAA Policy Board of Directors approved the Futuring Task Force plan including funding to engage a facilitator. It is expected all Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators will be engaged in the data collection process. ECOP thanks its former representative to the group, 2013 ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University Extension Associate Director. 

LEAD21 Applications Due 11.14.14 – ECOP representatives to the LEAD21 Board of Directors, Jon Boren, New Mexico State University, and Nick Place, University of Florida, alert you to the call for nominations for Class XI www.lead-21.org/program-application-schedule/. The LEAD21 program provides leadership and professional development training for faculty and professionals in the Land-grant University System. The Board of Directors represents the various sections of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly. The University of Georgia provides oversight and management of the program. 

Extension at APLU Annual Meeting – Extension Directors and Administrators attending the APLU annual meeting in Orlando, FL November 2-4, 2014 are encouraged to join the Sunday noon luncheon hosted by the National 4-H Council and the Cooperative Extension Section dinner meeting Monday evening. The discounted rate for rooms at the conference hotel ends 9.30.14 and for registration, 10.1.14. See http://www.aplu.org/page.aspx?pid=1462 for details. 

EFNEP Updates – The FY2013 National Impact Report for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is available at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/food/efnep/impacts.html. In addition, Helen Chipman, USDA-NIFA National Program Leader for Food and Nutrition Education, announces new social media guidelines for EFNEP. Social media offers an exciting opportunity for peer-to-peer communication. These guidelines, developed by Southern Region EFNEP Coordinators and staff, provide a framework for a cohesive and consistent voice for EFNEP on social media nationally. See http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/food/efnep/pdf/efnep_social_med_guide.pdf. These guidelines, developed by Southern Region EFNEP Coordinators and staff, will contribute to a new national initiative to explore the use of social media and/or other technology that can complement the face-to-face learning provided by EFNEP paraprofessional staff. In announcing this initiative, Helen Chipman, stated, “While our primary delivery strategy will continue to be hands-on, in-person education using EFNEP’s paraprofessional model, we are exploring new strategies and delivery mechanisms to further engage and encourage participants toward positive health behaviors. Social media has become an integral part of Americans’ lives, including EFNEP’s target audience. In order to remain relevant and accessible, EFNEP is exploring the appropriate and effective use of social media in engaging our target audience.”

ECOP Monday Minute 7.21.14

Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People – ECOP had a significant role organizing the Joint COPs 2014 meeting July 21-23 in San Diego. The theme Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People evolved from a letter from ECOP Chair, Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, to the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors requesting time on the agenda to review the work of the ECOP National Task Force on Health, chaired by Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware. What has resulted is an integrated work session with representatives from the Administrative Heads, Academic Programs, Cooperative Extension Experiment Station and International Agriculture Sections, plus the Board on Human Sciences. The purpose of the meeting is to engage all sections of the Board on Agriculture Assembly and others in a discussion to set priorities, identify funding opportunities, and adopt integrated approaches to address vexing national and global issues related to health. Nearly all ECOP members and liaisons are planning to attend. 

Big Data, Unmanned Aerial Systems & Wearable Technologies are New User Groups – eXtension has created three user communities around Big Data, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and Wearable Technologies. Many of our professionals in the Land-grant University System are beginning to work or have an interest in all three of these areas. To discuss possible uses, share results of projects, and create new efforts to test and evaluate innovative uses, join the Big Data community at https://people.extension.org/communities/1709; Unmanned Aerial Systems at https://people.extension.org/communities/1708, and Wearable Technology at https://people.extension.org/communities/1707. 

Extension Centennial News – The Smith-Lever Webinar series, sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Phi, Mu Chapter at USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, observes the Extension Centennial Celebration this year. Go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/p7pjte8pb57/ to view Keith Tidball’s presentation Implementing EDEN in a State Context: A New York State of Mind. Tidball is senior extension associate in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University, Associate Director of the Civic Ecology Lab and Program Leader for the Nature & Human Security Program, and State Coordinator for the New York Extension Disaster Education Network. Tidball currently is a Visiting Scholar at USDA-NIFA in the Division of Family & Consumer Sciences. 

ECOP Recommends Advisory Board Member – Together with the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP), ECOP has recommended Milo Shult, Vice President for Agriculture (retired), University of Arkansas, to assume another term on the USDA National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The announcement for eight openings on the board appeared in the Federal Register (79 FR 35512, June 23, 2014) http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-06-23/pdf/2014-14578.pdf. If approved, Shult, who has served on the board since 2011, represents 1862 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. For more information, including the 2013 recommendations about Cooperative Extension, see http://nareeeab.ree.usda.gov. 

Register for APLU Annual Meeting – Progress through Partnerships is the theme of the 2014 APLU Annual Meeting November 2-4 in Orlando, FL. Early registration runs until 7.31.14 at http://www.cvent.com/d/t4q93z. The hotel room block for the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort is at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=11135815. Cooperative Extension meets for dinner Monday evening when the ECOP chair gavel will be passed from Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, to Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University.