ECOP Strategic Agenda Advances

Incoming ECOP Chair Chuck Hibberd, working with current Chair Fred Schlutt and ECOP, continues to engage our ECOP members, Extension Administrators and Directors in developing the ECOP strategic agenda. This effort is building on the survey results from the July 7 webinar. That input formed the content for a Qualtrics Survey to provide regions the opportunity for more directed input. This input will be the basis for a webinar set for September 25th for regional Executive Committee members, ECOP, and the Extension Director and Administrator team. This webinar will focus on a review and discussion of the draft strategic agenda priorities, input on intended outcomes relative to each priority, and initial ideas on implementation tactics for each priority. The webinar results will set the stage for a discussion at the 2017 NEDA meeting on October 4th. Chuck will finalize the NEDA conversation into the ECOP strategic agenda that will form the basis for the work of ECOP for 2018 and beyond. The engagement of Extension leadership at our 1862 and 1890 institutions has been invaluable in the process thus far, and Chuck looks forward to robust and productive discussions on 9/25 and 10/4.

Vernon Jones. Langston
University

eXtension Foundation Results and Impact Collaborative Launch - eXtension has been in the process of a dynamic reboot on its mission and how our Cooperative Extension colleagues around the country are being engaged in exciting new ways. On October 3rd at 2017 NEDA, Vernon Jones, eXtension Foundation Board of Directors Chair, (Langston University) will report on eXtension's flagship program. Directors and Administrators in attendance will learn more about how the Impact Collaborative is meeting the demand for innovation and professional development. All Extension Directors and Administrators are encouraged to register for NEDA by September 18 before a price increase.

Rachel Welborn, Southern Rural
Development Center; Chris Boerboom,
North Dakota State University

2017 NEDA: Extension as a Rapid Responder – On October 4th at NEDA Chris Boerboom (North Dakota State University) and Rachel Welborn (Southern Rural Development Center), are featured presenters at a session called Extension as a Rapid Responder to Critical National Issues - Civil Discourse at 2017 NEDA on Wednesday, October 4th in Essex, VT. The session will showcase steps taken in piloting the Rapid Response Team protocol and explore applications to foster productivity with other multi-state virtual working groups. Additionally, NEDA attendees will engage in a first-hand exploration of issues around Civil Dialogue and Race Relations. For more information on the Rapid Response Team effort, visit https://publish.extension.org/civildialogue/.

Happy Birthday, 1890 Land-Grant Universities
In celebration, readers are encouraged to review the resolution presented to 1890 Cooperative Extension leaders in October 2015: bit.ly/ECOP1890Resolution.
A Tip of the Hat to Our 1890 LGUs Celebrating 127 Years of Cutting Edge Science, Education, Community Service
by Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA Director 
The author of the Act that created land-grant colleges, Congressman Justin Smith Morrill of Strafford, Vermont, had been disappointed that such educational institutions were out of reach for African-Americans. Almost 30 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act of 1862, the Second Morrill Act, creating our nation’s historically black land-grant colleges, was successfully shepherded through Congress by then Senator Morrill and signed into law Aug. 30, 1890. After 127 years of experience and diversity in agricultural research, education, and extension, our 1890 LGUs are poised to develop leadership and human capital for our nation’s preeminence in the 21st century. That is not a bad legacy for the seminal ideas Justin Smith Morrill articulated in the 19th century. Read the full article. 

ECOP Focuses on Civil Discourse Programming

Mark Latimore,
Fort Valley State University

Civil discourse, defined as conversation intended to enhance understanding, is of concern to Cooperative Extension in many parts of the country, particularly in areas of civil unrest. Responses by Extension Directors and Administrators to a survey outlining relevant programs, resources, and experts is at goo.gl/KRCFzi. To provide leadership and additional resources for local programming, ECOP is initiating a Civil Discourse Rapid Response Team. Rachel Welborn, Southern Rural Development Center, will provide organizational leadership in collaboration with the ECOP Program Committee, chaired by Mark Latimore, Fort Valley State University. 

Vernon Jones, Langston University, Barbara Petty, University of Idaho, and
Ken LaValley, University of New Hampshire

eXtension Foundation Names New Board Members – Following a vote of affirmation by eXtension members, Ken LaValley, University of New Hampshire, and Barbara Petty, University of Idaho, will represent the eastern and western regions, respectively, on the eXtension Foundation Board of Directors. La Valley replaces Dennis Calvin, Pennsylvania State University, and Petty replaces Fred Schlutt, University of Alaska. Both Calvin, who chaired the Board, and Schlutt served during the transition of eXtension to the new membership model. Vernon Jones, Langston University, is the new chair of the Board. 

Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, and
Doug Steele, Texas A&M University

ECOP Appoints New Budget and Legislative Committee Chair – Doug Steele, Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, has been appointed by ECOP as the new chair of its Budget and Legislative Committee (BLC), replacing Rick Klemme, Director, University of Wisconsin Extension. Klemme has served as BLC chair since 2012 and was recently cited by ECOP for his significant national leadership related to federal authorizations and appropriations. Klemme was particularly instrumental in communicating the need for BOTH capacity and competitive funding to support Cooperative Extension programming. 

Foundation Offers Rapid Response Funds for Ag Emergencies – The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports innovative science, invites groups to self-organize around a commodity or commodities to take advantage of matching funds for emergency research and outreach through the Foundation’s Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) program. ROAR provides nimble deployment of funds to support one-year grants in the event of emerging or unanticipated threats to the nation’s food supply or agricultural systems. If and when a threat arises, ROAR consortia will be able to apply for FFAR matching funds and receive a decision within one week. Consortia members may include researchers, Extension agents, institutions, commodity and industry representatives, diagnostic laboratories, and relevant state and local government representatives. ROAR fills the gap until traditional, longer-term funding sources can be secured. Learn more and sign up for the 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 21, 2016 webinar at www.foundationfar.org/ROAR. 

Results Reported for SNAP Education by Extension – A new report SNAP-Ed FY2015: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education through the Land-Grant University System is available at http://articles.extension.org/pages/73228/national-snap-ed-program-impact-reports. This report was funded through assessments paid by participating Cooperative Extension Services. 

USDA-NIFA Wants Your Views on Big Data – Extension professionals are invited to join the USDA-NIFA Big Data Summit remotely to help shape the agenda driving data-enabled innovation in the U.S. agricultural enterprise. The live stream is 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET, 10.10.16. For details, see https://nifa.usda.gov/event/data-science-agriculture-summit. Register here to join.