Gary Lemme Joins ECOP

Gary Lemme,
Auburn University

Gary Lemme, Director, Auburn Cooperative Extension System, joined the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) representing the Southern Region in February 2017 when Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky stepped down as Extension Director. ECOP is the representative leadership and governing body of Cooperative Extension nationwide and made up of 15 members, three from each of the five Cooperative Extension regions (1890 Institutions, North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western).

Karla Trautman,
South Dakota State University

ECOP Announces Co-chair to National Impacts Database Committee  - Karla Trautman, South Dakota State University, has been appointed by ECOP to provide leadership as Co-chair to the National Impact Database Committee. “Being able to maintain a usable, demonstrative record of the impacts of our Extension and Research programs is critically important to our system and we appreciate Karla’s willingness to help provide leadership in this effort,” says ECOP Chair Fred Schlutt. Bill Brown, University of Tennessee, is the committee’s research Co-chair.

TAG WEBINAR: March 14, 2017 at 2PM - Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow® (TAG) is a national call to action to improve health, to reduce risky behavior, and to promote engagement and healthy development among young people. This webinar will introduce the TAG framework, make connections between TAG's goals and those of the Cooperative Extension programs, highlight local/state programmatic leadership, and describe available resources. Register to attend Think, Act, Grow (TAG) on Tuesday, March 14th at 2pm ET. Hosted by NIFA and presenters from HHS Office of Adolescent Health, this webinar is brought to you by the ECOP/ESCOP Health Implementation Positive Youth Development for Health Action Team.

Digital Education Delivery - Extension programs in Asia and Africa have used digital technologies to great effect. The Center for International Programs at USDA NIFA and eXtension are sponsoring a webinar with Digital Green www.digitalgreen.org on Wednesday, March 8th at 12:30 pm ET. Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Green, Rikin Gandhi, will present on his organization's work and the potential for adapting relevant approaches here in the U.S. with a new Digital Green/eXtension Fellow. Pre-register today https://learn.extension.org/events/3023.

A Message from Jane Schuchardt: Farewell, Washington, DC

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2017!

Schuchardt in 2014

This is the last ECOP Monday Minute blog post for 2016 and the last I will pull together as the Executive Director for Cooperative Extension/ECOP. For nearly six years, this communication tool, designed as a Monday morning quick read for Extension Directors and Administrators, has summarized action items, ECOP accomplishments, and partnership highlights. Along with the many other functions of the ECOP National Office in Washington, DC, this searchable blog http://ecopmondayminute.blogspot.com/, originally meant for readership by around 100 colleagues has grown to an average of 4,500 page views monthly. It has been my distinct honor to serve as your Executive Director. From Sandy Ruble and me in the ECOP National Office in Washington, DC, all best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and monumental successes for Cooperative Extension in the coming years. 

New Stronger Economies Together Funding – State applications for Phase 7 of the Stronger Economies Together (SET) program are due 1.20.17. SET, a joint program of USDA-NIFA and Rural Development (RD), managed by the Southern Rural Development Center, guides multi-county regions toward developing a regional economic development plan. Applications will be jointly submitted by the USDA-RD State Director and the Cooperative Extension Director/Administrator. The application form and further details via a short recorded webinar are at http://srdc.msstate.edu/set/apply. Five states will be selected followed by additional guidance to State Rural Development and Cooperative Extension Service teams to seek proposals from regions within states to implement the program. See http://srdc.msstate.edu/set/apply or contact Rachel Welborn (rachel.welborn@msstate.edu or 662.325.5885) for more information.

2017 ECOP National Assessments Overview – ECOP Chair Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska, directs your attention to the investment in national leadership document found at bit.ly/CESAssessmentBasic. APLU will send statements early in the new year. Why is the assessment an investment? ECOP works on behalf of Cooperative Extension nationwide in order to benefit state and local programming. Through national leadership, which is contributed on a volunteer basis by Extension Directors and Administrators, ECOP builds partnerships and acquires resources, increases strategic marketing and communications, enhances leadership and professional development, and strengthens organizational functions. For additional details, see www.extension.org/ecop and www.ecopmondayminute.blogspot.com. 

Addressing Behavioral Health at the Community Level – The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) is spearheading the $6.2 million national project “Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation” (CAPE). In a cooperative effort between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA), USDA NIFA, the Regional Rural Development Centers and a set of Land Grant universities, CAPE is developing programs designed to empower communities to address behavioral health challenges such as the opioid epidemic at the community level. The CAPE project is offering a train-the-trainer program for Extension educators and their partners to use community development organizational capacity building tools to help communities tackle these difficult challenges. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Colorado. Learn more at www.healthbench.info or contact Mark Skidmore at mskidmor@msu.edu. 

Introducing ECOP 2017 – The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is part of the Association of Public and Land-grant University (APLU) Board on Agriculture Assembly. This representative leadership and governing body of Cooperative Extension nationwide is made up of 15 members, three from each of the five Cooperative Extension regions (1890 Institutions, North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western). With some exceptions, the terms of service are four years. Members are: 

 1890 Institutions Region 

L-R: Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University; Carolyn Williams, Prairie View A&M
University, and Vonda Richardson, Florida A&M University

 North Central Region 

L-R: Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University; Beverly Durgan, University
of Minnesota, and Chuck Hibberd, University of Nebraska, chair-elect

 Northeast Region 

L-R: Bill Hare, University of District of Columbia; Michelle Rodgers,
University of Delaware, and Chris Watkins, Cornell University

 Southern Region 

L-R: Tom Dobbins, Clemson University; Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky,
and Ed Jones, Virginia Tech

   Western Region 

L-R: Rich Koenig, Washington State University; Scott Reed, Oregon State
University, and Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska, chair

WoW! (Webinars on Webinars) Series Concludes – Recordings of the eXtension professional development series about webinar production are at https://extension.org/professional-development-webinars-and-recordings/ under the “recent” header of the professional development page. The three-part series features lessons learned on webinar logistics, educational value, and evaluation by selected eXtension communities.

Cooperative Extension Calendar of National and Regional Significance – The ECOP National Office in Washington, DC maintains a calendar of meetings that may be of interest to you and the staff you lead. See http://nationalcooperativeextension.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html. This calendar is updated as information becomes available and is highlighted in the ECOP Monday Minute. If there are other calendar items to add, please get them to Sandy Ruble at sandy.ruble@extension.org.

ECOP, ESCOP Chairs Engage USDA-NIFA Staff

Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware,
and Shirley Hymon-Parker, North Carolina
A&T University

“Research to Application: National Leadership, Local Impacts” was the theme of a seminar last week for USDA-NIFA colleagues in Washington, DC. Speakers were ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, and ESCOP Chair Shirley Hymon-Parker, North Carolina A&T State University. The purpose was to brief NIFA partners on joint Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station efforts including pest management, water security, healthy food systems and people, climate, communications and marketing, impacts reporting, and the need for both capacity and competitive funding. Other meetings during the day-long visit focused on communications, program planning and reporting, and other items to advance the partnership with USDA-NIFA. 

Chris Boerboom, North Dakota
State University

Boerboom Named to Pest Management Team – ECOP member Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State University, has been named to the National Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coordinating Committee. The committee makes recommendations to ESCOP and ECOP on programs, policies, reports, and budget matters that affect pest management implementation. It also facilitates national collaboration for IPM research and Extension at land-grant universities, and between land-grants and federal agencies. Membership includes representatives from regional IPM technical committees and centers, USDA agencies including NIFA, other federal departments, and non-government organizations. 

Grow True Leaders Campaign Thunderclap Deadline 5.21.16 – There is still time to participate in the 4-H Thunderclap. Join Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles and others in supporting #TrueLeaders. If 4-H reaches its 500 supporter goal by May 21, Thunderclap will blast out a timed Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr post, spreading the message of #TrueLeaders to millions. Join here http://bit.ly/4HThunderclap and add an extra note celebrating young people passionate about 4-H. 

County Health Rankings Webinar 5.17.16 – The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, is hosting a webinar titled First Things First: Priority Setting. This short webinar will examine how to collaboratively set priorities building on data while also honoring multiple voices in the community. A priority setting tool from the National Association of County & City Health Officials, called First Things First, will be featured and examined. For registration and more information, click here. 

International Programs Webinar 5.9.16 – The APLU International Agriculture Section announces a webinar 1:00 p.m. ET, 5.9.16, featuring Otto Gonzalez, USDA-NIFA’s new director of the Center for International Programs. ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, met with Gonzalez and other USDA-NIFA colleagues last week where he described how he will work across all USDA-NIFA institutes to develop global engagement opportunities. Webinar registration is at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3471901852318820609. 

eXtension What’s New Webinar – If you missed the webinar last week reviewing recent changes and new opportunities now available for eXtension member institutions, view the recording at https://learn.extension.org/events/2621. The eXtension leadership team answers questions and provide examples of how to use new tools and services.

eXtension What’s New Webinar 5.4.16

All Extension professionals are invited to join a webinar 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET, this Wednesday, 5.4.16 to review recent changes and new opportunities now available for member institutions. eXtension Foundation CEO Christine Geith and members of the leadership team will answer questions and provide examples of how to use new tools and services. For details, see https://learn.extension.org/events/2621. 

SNAP-Ed Program Development Team Meets in DC – ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, met last week with the Land-grant SNAP-Ed Program Development Team (PDT) in Washington, DC. Work of the PDT is funded through assessments to Cooperative Extension Services providing education to SNAP recipients. Rogers and PDT members had a conversation about accomplishments to date and what is required by ECOP, specifically expected outcomes and budget with justification, in order to make a decision about continuing assessments in 2017.  

NC-FAR Features Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) – In ECOP’s role as a member of the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NC-FAR), it recommended an update of efforts underway by the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly of which the Cooperative Extension Section is a part. During the NC-FAR annual meeting last week in Washington, DC, APLU’s Wendy Fink summarized work related to the agriculture workforce pipeline, antimicrobial resistance, healthy food systems and healthy people, infrastructure and deferred maintenance, and a pending APLU commission on food and nutrition 2050. Tim Cross, University of Tennessee, represents Cooperative Extension/ECOP on the NC-FAR Board of Directors. See www.ncfar.org for details.

eXtension Seeks Chief Operating Officer (COO) – The eXtension Foundation announces recruitment for a half-time COO. Since eXtension operates as a virtual organization, functioning in this environment from anywhere in the United States is an important qualification. The COO has overall strategic and operational responsibility for eXtension Foundation programs and services and will manage staff leaders. The deadline for application is 6.1.16. For more information, see https://extension.org/coo-position-announcement/. 

Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) Competitive Grants Webinar – Applications are due 6.2.16 for the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) http://nifa.usda.gov/food-safety-outreach-program . Listen to a recent webinar recording https://nifa.usda.gov/event/food-safety-outreach-program-rfa-webinar for an overview of the program at pilot, community, and multi-state funding levels; goals, objectives, and evaluation criteria, and matching and eligibility requirements.