Editor: David Boulay, Extension Specialist, Small Business Development Center at Piketon

Letter from John and Greg, Co-Interim Assistant Directors, CD

Hopefully by now you realize that the Extension Strategic Plan has identified Economy, Education, and Health as the three critical issues on which to focus our teaching and outreach programming.  For our organization to impact these issues in meaningful ways, we’ll need to focus our individual efforts and explore collaborative opportunities with others with complimentary program interests and/or areas of expertise within an outcomes-based context.  Or in other words, we need to ask ourselves what short, medium, and/or long term impacts we anticipate from our individual programming efforts.  Are these impacts in line with Economy, Education, or Health?  What sorts of impact might we be able to make with respect to these three issues if we were to partner with others to improve upon our individual efforts?  We’ll need to take what we are doing currently and make those teaching and outreach efforts better.  And, those efforts that don’t fit we’ll need to figure out ways of letting go.

Within the Extension Strategic Plan you will find goals related to what we deliver and how we deliver it.  We hope you have taken time to read it through in detail.  If you have specific questions related to its contents or how you can work to help implement the plan, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dave Boulay (boulay.1@osu.edu) received a variety of content for this edition of the monthly newsletter which illustrates the types of teaching and outreach programming we’ll need to conduct (as well as ways in which to deliver it) to impact Ohioan’s Economy, Education, and Health.   Enjoy!

May is Ohio Tourism Month - National Tourism Week was from May 10-18

A new “Ohio Tourism Partnership for Economic Development” is developing thanks to funding through OSU CARES - an initiative of Ohio State University Extension and The Ohio State University to expand faculty, staff and student partnerships with communities throughout Ohio.”  This investment expands OSU’s outreach and engagement through a partnership between OSU Extension; The Ohio Sea Grant College Program; The Ohio Tourism Division within the Department of Development; and The Ohio Travel Association, and others.

Partners are creating 1) a web-based Ohio Tourism Toolbox to provide industry professionals with education, research and other resources; 2) Ohio Tourism Curriculum on CD/DVD for educators, tourism industry members, and other leaders to advance tourism in their communities; and 3) a research & education network to better connect tourism/hospitality researchers and educators from universities, colleges, and career centers across the state.  

If you are interested in tourism development, the next team conference call is Tuesday, May 27th at 9:30 a.m. Call: 866-704-7500, Passcode: 846113#. For further information on the new partnership, the team, or Ohio Tourism Month, contact Julie Fox,  fox.264@osu.edu; 614-292-4900, ext. 225.

Planning for Economic Development

As part of the 2008 Ohio Township Association/OSU Extension Township Official Educational Series, 45 township officials from throughout Ohio gained a better understanding of the relationship between planning and economic development.  Seventy percent of workshop participants indicated they became more familiar with the tools townships can use to address economic development issues.  As a result of the workshop, half of the participants said they were more capable of playing an active role in economic development efforts than they were before. 

For more information, contact David Civittolo (civittolo.1@osu.edu) or Greg Davis (davis.1081@osu.edu) or visit http://www.localgov.ohio-state.edu/  to view the ‘Planning for Economic Development’ slideshow.  The full teaching curriculum is available upon request.

Creating Entrepreneurial Communities

Save the date!  Nov 19, 2008 Creating Entrepreneurial Communities, Fall Conference hosted by Michigan State University, Lansing Center, Lansing, MI  The tentative agenda currently includes:  What’s the vision? What does it look like? How do you know when you’ve arrived? with the Kauffman Foundation/Kellogg Foundation;  discussion of Successful Approaches from Valdosta, GA; Brookfield, MO, and; Boone, NC; and a discussion of Michigan’s Entrepreneurial Community Initiative.

For additional information, contact Greg Davis (davis.1081@cfaes.osu.edu or 614-292-6356).

Safe Routes to School Grant

OSU Extension in ButlerCounty, in cooperation with LibertyTownship and members of the Butler County Healthy Living Coalition successfully obtained a $40,000 Safe Routes to School Grant sponsored by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The grant funds will be used to build sidewalks around Woodland Elementary in the LakotaSchool District. The sidewalks will enable more students to safely walk or bike to school. Through a series of community meetings, OSU extension helped develop a "School Travel Plan" which calls for a comprehensive effort to encourage physical activity through education and establishing a "walkable community" around the school.

For more information, contact Dan Remley (Remley.4@osu.edu or 513-887-3722)

Kevin Gamble Presentations

Kevin Gamble, from eXtension, will be meeting with various groups at OSU on May 28 & 29, 2008.  He will be meeting with the faculty and students of both Blended E-learning programs on May 29 at 12pm in room 111, Ag Admin (bring your own brown-bag).  This will be an excellent chance to talk to Kevin about the use of technology in Extension programming and organizational development.

Kevin is also offering general sessions that might interest team members. These include:

·   May 28, 9:30am - eXtension update and overview; 12 tools
   available through eXtension

·   May 28, 3-4:30pm - Technology, Leadership and Organizational
    Change Panel

·   May 29, 9:30am - Technology trends and their impact on Extension

·   May 29, 1:15pm Second Life and the future of the Metaverse for
   outreach and engagement

All of these sessions are open to the public.  Please join and bring interested peers. For more information, contact Jerry Thomas at thomas.69@cfaes.osu.edu 

Judges Needed for the Ohio State Fair Workforce Preparation Day

We are looking for CD, non-4H Educators who would be willing to serve as a judge for our Workforce Preparation Day at the State Fair (July 30, 2008). Judges are voluntary for this activity. As far as time commitment, it involves being there for a period of time from 11:30am - 4:00pm. A judge can serve the whole time or for a period of time depending on their schedule.

Judges serve in the capacity of assisting with completing individual interviews, reviewing resumes, and rating teen exhibit presentations. An ideal judge would be one that does programming or has an interest in workforce development, entrepreneurship, business development or related subject areas. However, this is not a requirement.

If you are interested in serving as a judge in 2008 or would like further information, please contact Tricia Callahan (callahan.149@osu.edu or 937-440-3945).