Special Invitation: National 4-H Council Winter Town Hall (Virtual) – January 30th (3-4 pm ET)

Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to join National 4-H Council CEO, Jill Bramble, to learn more about how 4-H will rally supporters and tell our Beyond Ready story this spring and summer. The Virtual Town Hall will take place January 30, at 3:00 PM Eastern. Jill will be joined by three special guests:

• Dr. Lisa Diaz, National 4-H Beyond Ready Initiative Director (Illinois 4-H),
  
  
• Madison Powell, Young Alumni Advisor Committee Member (Indiana 4-H) and member of the National 4-H Beyond Ready Leadership Team, and
  
  
• Mark Berven, Chair, National 4-H Council Board of Trustees and President and COO, Nationwide Property and Casualty

You are welcome and encouraged to invite your institution’s Extension and 4-H communications professionals to attend along with you. Advanced registration is required. Register HERE.

 

Introducing NIFA’s New Acting Associate Director for Programs and Acting Chief of Staff

NIFA announces two important changes in agency leadership. Dr. Kevin Kephart will assume the role of Acting Associate Director for Programs and Brent Elrod is the agency’s new Acting Chief of Staff.

Dr. Kevin Kephart

Kevin Kephart, who currently serves as NIFA’s Deputy Director of the Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment, joined the agency in 2020. Prior to his role as deputy director, he was the division director for NIFA's Agricultural Systems Division. He succeeds Dr. Dionne Toombs, who accepted a position with USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Brent Elrod

In the vital role of Acting Chief of Staff, Brent Elrod will work closely with NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra to synchronize and facilitate a wide range of activities that ensure the smooth operation of the agency. As the central point of coordination for both internal and external requests for information, Brent will play a pivotal role in aligning efforts and supporting the agency's mission.

Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) 2025 Conferences

The Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) provides learning opportunities for Extension professionals. Details will be posted at www.jcep.org.

• Extension Leadership Conference (ELC) will be held February 19-20, 2025 in Savannah, GA.
• Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) will be held April 7-9, 2025 in Arlington, VA, with April 9 reserved for Hill visits.

Latest from the Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension’s own scholarly Journal of Extension, has a new issue. See articles authored by Extension Professionals from:

• University of Georgia,
• University of Wisconsin,
• North Dakota State University,
• University of Minnesota,
• Kansas State University,
• University of Illinois,
• Auburn University,
• The Ohio State University,
• University of Maryland,
• University of Florida,
• University of Maine,
• West Virginia State University,
• Iowa State University,
• Michigan State University,
• University of Nevada - Reno,
• University of Vermont,
• Oklahoma State University,
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
• University of Arizona,
• University of the Virgin Islands,
• North Carolina State University, and
• Other organizations.

Turning Toward 2020

The ECOP Monday Minute returns on January 6, 2020.

Last Chance to Register - Use the last issue of the ECOP Monday Minute as the source for the links to register for 2 webinar interviews, 11AM and 2PM ET, 12/17/19 - tomorrow, with the candidates for Cooperative Extension/ECOP Executive Director. The ECOP Search Advisory Committee values the input into this key decision by the Cooperative Extension Section for 2020 and beyond. A Qualtrics survey will be released immediately following the candidate interviews. The Committee's recommendation is to be shared with the ECOP Executive Committee during their Zoom meeting on January 9, 2020, 11:00 a.m. ET. 

Save January Date - Positioning 4-H and Extension for Investment - Recently the ECOP Executive Committee rescheduled the popular Learning for Leader Series from Friday, January 3 to January 10, 2020, 3-4:00 p.m. ET. Please save the date and watch for a calendar invitation to all members of the Section with connection details. Andy Ferrin (National 4-H Council) will present a comprehensive overview of 4-H and its many assets, including a recent national survey of 4-H Alumni outcomes. The presentation will be followed by a conversation on how Cooperative Extension can position its high-quality 4-H programs for growth --and for increased investment from public and private sources.

eXtension Hosts 3^rd National Impact Collaborative Summit - 21 Project and Program teams across Cooperative Extension representing 24 institutions attended the Impact Collaborative in Atlanta for a unique opportunity to create impactful results by increasing Cooperative Extension's organizational readiness and capacity for innovation and change. Teams were connected with skills, tools, resources, Coaches, Facilitators, and Key Informants that helped expand and deepen their impact. Evaluation results demonstrate team growth, uncovered gaps, new ideas, and new or increased innovation for participants and teams. 93.2% of responding participants recommend the Impact Collaborative Summit to others. The 2020 Impact Collaborative Summits will be delivered virtually, removing the limit on the number of teams that eXtension members can send to participate. The full report is available at eXtension.org/success.



NIFA Highlights Research, Education, and Extension Successes of 2019 - One of the many ways USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture communicates the value of the science, education, and extension investments with our Land-Grant Universities to the general public and to Congress is through our year end success report. The 2019 accomplishment report can be found at https://nifa.usda.gov/blog/nifa-successes-2019
There are numerous ways to connect with NIFA including:
   • NIFA Programs: https://nifa.usda.gov/programs
   • NIFA Search for Funding Opportunities: https://nifa.usda.gov/page/search-grant
   • NIFA Grants (information for awardees): https://nifa.usda.gov/grants
   • NIFA Data Gateway: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/data
   • Sign up for Weekly Updates: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANIFA/subscriber/new?qsp=USDANIFA_2

Extension Journal, Inc (EJI) Adopts New Strategic Plan - The Extension Journal, Inc (EJI) recently adopted a new strategic plan. The 5-year plan focuses on 4 main priority areas: 1) developing a more efficient, streamlined, and sustainable Journal of Extension editorial model; 2) improving the JOE website user experiences with new dynamic features; 3) expanding partnerships, collaboration and communications around both JOE and Extension Jobs; and 4) establishing financial stability. Since ratifying the new strategic plan in September, the board has focused considerable effort on development of the new editorial model, which includes volunteer associates and more closely aligns with the model used by most academic journals. EJI plans to unveil this new model in the coming months. Ami Smith, West Virginia State University, is the ECOP Liaison and President-elect to EJI Board of Directors.

PILD Session for Directors/Administrators 4.11.16

Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin; Doug Steele, Texas A&M University; Jim Richards,
Cornerstone Government Affairs; and Stan Moore, Michigan State University

The ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC), chaired by Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, invites Cooperative Extensions Directors and Administrators to a one-hour session, 4:00 p.m. ET, 4.11.16 at the Pubic Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference, Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, VA. The session titled National Leadership: Advocacy and Action will feature Klemme along with Doug Steele, BLC vice-chair, Texas A&M University; Jim Richards, Cornerstone Government Affairs, and Stan Moore, Joint Council on Extension Professionals (JCEP) representative, Michigan State University. Learn about the current status of federal budget advocacy efforts and discussions about Extension as a national system. 

Virtual Communications Camp Applications Due 4.15.16 – Up to five teams will be selected to participate in the first Virtual Communications Camp, the culmination of an eXtension innovation project awarded in June 2015. Developed and taught by Becky Koch and Bob Bertsch, communications professionals, North Dakota State University, the online camp is based on the successful in-person camp they have been hosting for the last four years. Participants will work on planning their institution's communication strategy (goals, target audiences, key messages, and user scenarios) and applying them to specific tools (web pages, social media posts, news releases, videos) The no-cost, 8-week program begins May 6, 2016. For details, see https://extension.org/2016/04/06/virtual-communication-camp-applications-due-april-15/. 

Chronic Disease Prevention & Management, Health In All Policies Education,
Health Insurance Literacy, Positive Youth Development for Health,
and Health Literacy Action Teams are listed at http://bit.ly/ECOPHealthTeams

One Extension, One Health – All Extension programs ultimately engage and impact human health emerged as a general theme of the pre-conference to the 2016 National Health Outreach Conference last week in Roanoke. The ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team composed of action team leaders for health literacy, health insurance literacy, positive youth development for health, chronic disease prevention and management, and health in all policies education helped engage 75 Extension professionals in a World Café session. Other common themes of the fast-paced informational gathering session focused on motivating changed behavior at the individual and community levels, being guided by the socio-ecological framework, and connecting partners for positive action. Watch the ECOP Monday Minute for periodic reports of news you and your colleagues can use from the health action teams. 

Name JOE Institutional Delegate – Ami Smith, West Virginia State University, ECOP representative to the Extension Journal Inc. Board of Directors, encourages all directors/administrators to name an institutional delegate. During its meeting late March 2016 in Starkville, MS, the Board changed the name from institutional liaison to delegate. They are responsible for maintaining the Journal of Extension’s (JOE) visibility as a professional resource within their institution, engaging in active promotion and marketing of JOE, and informing colleagues about the National Job Bank. Letters were sent to each institution with this request. In other business, the Board considered a special issue on “innovation” and began work on a new strategic plan. 

Extension Leaders Highlight PILD Conference This Week – Doug Steele, Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, kicks off the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) Public Issues Leadership Development conference today in Crystal City, VA. In a separate session, ECOP updates of interest to Extension professionals will be provided along with comments by Sonny Ramaswamy, USDA-NIFA Director, and Tim Cross, University of Tennessee, Chair of the National Impacts Database Committee. The capstone speaker is Chris Geith, CEO, eXtension Foundation. More information about the conference is available at www.jcep.org. 

LESS THAN 3 WEEKS LEFT: Awards Reminder-Nominate by 5.1.16 – ECOP in partnership with USDA-NIFA offers the 2016 nomination process for the national Excellence in Extension and Diversity awards. The due date for on-line nominations is May 1, 2016 at 5:00p.m. Pacific Time. For details and to access the online nomination forms go to: http://www.aplu.org/CESawards. Questions can be directed to Sandy Ruble sandy.ruble@extension.org, ECOP Staff Associate.

NEDA Early Registration Ends Tomorrow

For the 104 Cooperative Extension professionals and partners who have already registered for NEDA, thank you. You will join colleagues from 59 institutions and 47 states, DC and 2 US Territories on a fast-paced, highly interactive agenda focused on the theme Innovation: Driving Extension’s Next Century. In addition to a keynote speech funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a Twitter Town Hall, an innovation showcase, an innovation video developed at the meeting, and a Cooperative Extension Section business meeting, concurrent work sessions will focus on creating a culture of innovation, new ideas for innovative programming and resource development, and attracting and retaining innovative staff. NEDA registration is available at a reduced fee until tomorrow, 9.22.15 at www.cvent.com/d/wrq424. The NEDA room block at the Embassy Suites Downtown St. Louis expires today. 

Debbie Allen, new editor of JOE

JOE Board Names New Editor – Debbie Allen, Waynesville, OH, has been named the new Journal of Extension (JOE) editor. Keith Mickler, president of the JOE Board of Directors made the announcement and introduced Allen to the Board at its fall meeting in Minneapolis last week. Allen has nearly 30 years of editorial experience in public, private, profit and not for profit, and military organizations. She has worked on national and international editorial projects including other journals, magazines, technical documentation, newspapers, and electronic media. Allen begins January 1, 2016 succeeding the current JOE editor Laura Hoelscher, Purdue University, who is retiring.

Understanding the Federal Budget Process – Use the flier at www.bit.ly/ECOPFedWays

to encourage participation in an ECOP webinar at noon ET, Monday, October 5, 2015 on Understanding the Federal Budget Process. ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC) Vice-Chair Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, will moderate the session with speakers BLC Chair Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin; Hunt Shipman, Cornerstone Government Affairs, and Rick Mertens, Texas A&M AgriLife Federal Relations. Learn how federal budget priorities are established by the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly, including strategies for interaction with USDA and the White House Office of Management and Budget. 

Delbert Foster, ECOP Chair

Extension Dinner at APLU Annual Meeting – ECOP Chair Delbert Foster invites you to the Cooperative Extension Section dinner Monday evening of the APLU Annual Meeting, November 15-17, 2015 in Indianapolis. In addition to passing the gavel to the new ECOP chair, Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, be on hand to hear a summary of ECOP’s accomplishments with national leadership on behalf of Cooperative Extension state and local programming and hear priories for 2016. The regular registration deadline is October 16. Register today before attendance fees increase! 

Focus on Urban Programming – Registration is available at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=15937 for the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) Meeting and the Extension as Urban Policy Advisors Workshop December 1-4, 2015 in Sacramento, CA. The policy workshop which runs through Wednesday noon is geared for Cooperative Extension professionals working in metropolitan communities. The NUEL meeting which runs noon to noon Thursday and Friday is designed for Extension professionals working at the policy level for programming to urban and metropolitan communities.

ECOP Monday Minute 3.17.14

See You in Sacramento! – Nearly 100 representatives from most of the 75 institutions of the Cooperative Extension Section have registered for the NeXConf/NEDA meeting next week in Sacramento. Plan to join the pre-session on social networking at Monday afternoon, check out the Extension Centennial exhibit at the reception Monday evening, and engage with colleagues on robust discussions of national interest to Cooperative Extension throughout the week. Daryl Buchholz, ECOP immediate past chair, Kansas State University, and the ECOP Executive Committee, have framed a program that encourages Cooperative Extension Directors and Administrators to participate with the National eXtension Conference main events while retaining the focus of the National Extension Directors and Administrators meeting. In addition, Jimmy Henning, ECOP Chair, University of Kentucky, will conduct the annual Cooperative Extension Section business meeting. For any details, see http://muconf.missouri.edu/nexc-neda2014/.

JOE Extension Centennial Series – ECOP liaison to the Journal of Extension, Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, announces the first in a series of articles celebrating the Extension Centennial. The article Cooperative Extension: A Century of Innovation appeared in the February 2014 issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) http://www.joe.org/journal-current-issue.php and was authored by ECOP Centennial Task Force co-chairs Frankie Gould and Doug Steele, and task force member Bill Woodrum.

Videos Celebrate 100 Years -- The Cooperative Extension Centennial team has established a YouTube Channel to display and publicly archive videos related to the Centennial. Videos from institutions across the country can be shared here in one place. The newest post is the video that was used at Ag Outlook in February.  It is a montage of celebration videos across the country including a special happy birthday wish from Reba McEntire.   Check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaOS-47VrJY&feature=c4-overview&list=UU9GyqMs0FKlUKBTxtcyg04w.  If you have videos that you would like to be posted, please contact the Centennial team at extensioncentennial@gmail.com.

Extension Directors/Administrators to Meet with OMB – Impacts of federal funds obtained by Cooperative Extension with a special emphasis on capacity lines will be the focus of a one-hour meeting at 4:15 p.m., Tuesday, 4.8.14 with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in the PILD hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. Check the PILD program for location. Participants are encouraged to bring impact reports.

4-H Congressional Breakfast --In alignment with PILD, National 4-H Council is hosting a Congressional Breakfast on Wednesday, 4.9.14 from 8:30-9:30am in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill.  Extension Directors and 1890 Extension Administrators received email invitations to attend and are asked to invite one or more of your members of Congress to attend the breakfast with you. In addition Directors and Administrators are encouraged to invite one 4-H youth who will be attending National 4-H Conference in DC that week to accompany you and your member of Congress to the breakfast. The purpose is to thank Congress for their support for 4-H and recognize 4-H alumni on the Hill. Due to space limitations, we must limit attendance by Cooperative Extension to those who have a Representative or Senator from their state attending the event. Please RSVP your participation at www.4HRSVP.org.  If you have any questions, you may contact Kelly Baird at kbaird@4-H.org or 301-961-2852. Additional information was emailed to Extension Directors and Administrators as well as State 4-H Program Leaders.

FY 2015 Budget Proposals – For USDA Budget Summary, see http://www.obpa.usda.gov/budsum/FY15budsum.pdf; NIFA Congressional Budget Justifications see  

http://www.obpa.usda.gov/19nifa2015notes.pdf, and for the US Government Budget Material – posted by OMB -  Agriculture Chapter, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2015/assets/agriculture.pdf.

CARET Names Liaison to ECOP – The Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) has named Susan Crowell as the new liaison to ECOP. Crowell, editor of Farm and Dairy, Salem, OH, replaces Madeline Mellinger whose term expired.

New Climate Communications Initiative -- Climate Voices Science Speakers Network launches this spring as an initiative of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the United Nations Foundation. The goal is to bring scientists and their local communities together for dialogue on climate science. Materials for context-setting presentations will be offered as will coaching regarding how to begin conversations about climate change with fellow citizens. Volunteers can go to www.climatevoices.org and create a profile. Once you create a profile, you will be kept up to date on Climate Voices progress including construction of the full web site, availability of presentation materials, webinar coaching, and plans for project launch. Questions can be directed to Cindy Schmidt cschmidt@ucar.edu.

ECOP Monday Minute 7.22.13

Extension Centennial on Social Media – The ECOP Extension Centennial Committee has started social media sites to promote the centennial and celebrate the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. Please promote and use these sites as a vehicle for the centennial celebration. On Facebook, we are promoting centennial activities, nationally and in the states, go to: https://www.facebook.com/Extension100Years. Twitter will push out links and stories related to our initiative and spur discussions, go to: https://twitter.com/ext100years. Pinterest will provide a sharing board for pinning images and links of Extension’s past and present, as we move into the next 100 years, go to: http://pinterest.com/ext100years/pins/.

Integrated Programs Showcased at Joint COPs –  Research Extension and Teaching: Innovative Mission Collaboration and Integration is the theme of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly Joint COPs meeting in Manhattan, KS, this week. About 85 key leaders from Cooperative Extension, experiment stations, academic programs, international programs, and deans of agriculture meet to discuss national leadership issues. Director Sonny Ramaswamy will speak about how USDA-NIFA views program integration. Also included will be a session on the new USDA-NIFA strategic plan under development. ECOP, represented by Chair-elect Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, led the planning for this year’s meeting and moderates the joint session.

Benning to Retire  – Linda Kay Benning, Executive Director, Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) has announced her retirement, effective December 31, 2013. As part of the national Extension Director and Administrator Team since 2010, Benning has provided significant leadership to the work of the SNAP-Ed Program Development Team, Measuring Excellence in Extension Implementation Team, ECOP Marketing and Communication Brand Value Implementation Team, and the PILD Conference Planning Team, among other ECOP priorities. Before assuming the position in the northeast region, she served as Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement at APLU beginning in August 1994.

JOE 50th Celebration at Galaxy – Extension directors and administrators are invited to a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Extension from 4-6 p.m., Monday, September 16, 2013 at the David Lawrence Convention Center, Hall A, during the JCEP Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh. RSVP by September 4, 2013 to Alice Moore, ammoore@udel.edu. ECOP member Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, is the ECOP liaison to the JOE Board of Directors. For more information about Galaxy, go to www.jcep.org.

Opportunity with Climate Change – ECOP is coordinating with the USDA Climate Change Program Office to encourage Cooperative Extension’s involvement with regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change. USDA hosted a webinar last week outlining the RFA process (open to USDA agencies only) for identifying the regional hubs, with the goals of providing technical support, assessments and forecasts, and outreach and education. USDA is interested in identifying Cooperative Extension’s role with the issue of climate change with a focus on being part of the regional hubs. Go to http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/regional_hubs.htm for a fact sheet, the webinar PPT presentation, and the draft Terms of Reference for the hubs. Cooperative Extension is encouraged to contact representatives at state and local levels to be included as a partner in the application process. The application deadline is August 21, 2013. The hub locations are expected to be named by USDA in October 2013.

View Counties Count Webinar –  Click here to view the recorded webinar presented by the National Association of Counties (NACo) called Counties Count: NACo-Cooperative Extension Partnership. In addition to a national overview by ECOP Chair Daryl Buchholz, the webinar featured a state and local example from Wisconsin by Mark O’Connell, Executive Director, Wisconsin Counties Association; Rick Klemme, Dean and Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Extension; Mike Koles, Waupaca County Cooperative Extension Community Resource Development Agent, and Dick Koeppen, Waupaca County Board Chair.