Communique
August 13, 2008

Strategic Plan Update

At the August Cabinet meetings, the Extension Administrative Cabinet will be reviewing and assigning administrative responsibility for implementing action plans for strategies and action steps that need to be addressed in the next 6 to 12 months. Individual Cabinet members will work with Extension professionals to determine tasks that need to be accomplished and identify the most effective methods to complete the tasks. Within the next six months to one year, it is expected that the targeted strategies and action steps will become part of the normal routine of performing research, delivering programming and providing support for the various office units of Extension. Strategies specifically identified for implementation during the next six months are:

  • Resource support for Signature Programs
  • Begin the Impact Leader positions
  • Establish metrics for reporting statewide key issue outputs and impacts
  • Provide marketing support for Signature Programs
  • Increase evaluation of team educational materials
  • Increase cost recovery revenues, accountability and rewards
  • Promote the use of eXtension to partners and stakeholders


Pulse Survey - Implementing Signature Programs

The OSU Extension assistant directors, members of CommTech, Ken Martin, and program leaders have met to review developed curriculum and materials needed for the six signature programs. In a recent survey, completed in early July, we asked you and your peers to share needs related to the implementation of signature programs in the year ahead. We received some of the following responses to the question:

“To successfully implement a signature program locally, we need ...”

  • Either a (County Director) who fully understands the signature program concept and truly encourages a unified local effort … OR a facilitator to seek cooperative agreement between the educators to determine what actually will be our signature program. It currently appears that the (director)/educators want to argue for their own program area as the “signature program” (regardless of how narrow the local interest or need might be).
  • Across-the-state advertising such as newspaper articles, Web site with dates, locations, etc. This needs to be available to the public and all counties.
  • Some better direction on how all people can fit in and do their part, especially if we’re to be evaluated on it.
  • More signature programs that offer ALL extension field faculty the opportunity to get involved. Additional signature programs need INPUT from field faculty who understand local needs and the ability for OSU Extension to address those needs.
  • Resources.
  • Actually, staff is a high priority. We also need more training in using high-tech communication tools. Using our Web page as an interactive training tool would be great.
  • To continue what we are already doing with the signature programs, improve communication with stakeholders, and meet about adding other signature programs.
  • Ag curriculum.
  • We already implement at least one, however all staff/program areas are not involved with it. Ideas for involving all program areas in signature programs would be helpful.
  • “Just do it.”
  • An open mind to new ideas and new approaches to old ideas. As times change, needs change, and OSU Extension must be ready to meet the needs that come with those changes.

To see the entire list of responses to this question, click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/sr_text.aspx?sm=rq%2bcVarIeo0nOBMbgko%2bS8CxlYrJjKj%2bvNvmdWehIQEXyEgtDBP0exy3%2b50h2ASBr0RU4wVefInQW3fU0GBkfnZ%2bAzkdMOTHOAfWYNg6qw4%3d

In an effort to give you full insight into organizational response, we will continue to provide you with the link to the survey response report. Learning about the thoughts and comments of your peers can provide helpful insight; in addition, we need your opinions and suggestions to help move the organization forward!


4-H and CD Assistant Directors Announced

Tom Archer has been appointed as Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development for OSU Extension - effective September 1, 2008.

John Conglose has been appointed as Interim Assistant Director, Community Development for OSU Extension - effective August 15, 2008.

Thank you to Vicki Schwartz, Ryan Schmiesing, Greg Davis, and John Conglose for their work as interim co-assistant directors over the past year. Congratulations to Tom and John!


OSU Extension Annual Conference - Request for Proposals

You are invited to attend and participate in the OSU Extension 2008 Annual Conference on December 17-18. This year's conference theme is "Now is Our Time." On May 15, 2008, OSU Extension launched our new Strategic Plan. To assist staff in implementing the Strategic Plan, we are focusing presentations on the signature programs, impact areas, and how to communicate the impact of our programming through research, publications and impact statements. Presentations may be presented in one of the following formats: workshop, seminar, or poster session. Proposals must be e-mailed no later than September 8. For details about submitting a proposal, see the attached information.


Video Communiqué - August 28

The Video Communiqué will be available online as of August 28, and DVDs will be sent in the August 28 county mail packets to arrive by August 31. Online viewing instructions will be available in the August 27 issue of Communiqué.


New Name for Food Stamp Program

Congress, through the Farm Bill, authorized the Food Stamp Program (FSP) to become SNAP on October 1, 2008. SNAP is the acronym for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 is posted at http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/rules/Legislation/pdfs/PL_110-246.pdf.

Refer to Sec. 4. [7 U.S.C. 2013] (a) for the statement about the "Establishment of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program." It states: (a) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated under section 18 of the Act, the Secretary is authorized to formulate and administer a supplemental nutrition assistance program under which, at the request of the State agency, eligible households within the State shall be provided an opportunity to obtain a more nutritious diet through the issuance to them of an allotment and, through an approved State plan, nutrition education, except that a State may not participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program if the Secretary determines that State or local sales taxes are collected within that State on purchases of food made with benefits issued under this Act..."


County Visits This Fall

Keith Smith, Ken Martin, and Linda Kutilek will be visiting another 30 counties this fall, for a total of 60 counties throughout Ohio visited by year-end. The remaining counties will be visited in spring 2009. The executive team is interested in your thoughts about the Strategic Plan, OSU Extension in general, and suggestions for improvement in any area. This is your time to talk with an executive committee member one-on-one. The Extension Administration office will be in touch with each county to schedule a visit.


President Gee’s Ohio Tours – Accepting Ideas for Next Year’s Tours

This summer, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee traveled throughout the state (seven trips totaling 15 days) and reached nearly all 88 counties. From early morning to late evening each day, President Gee visited with the staff of many Extension offices, several county fairs, county commissioners, community leaders and youth at 4-H camps, and out-of-school programs. He had opportunities to connect with alumni, elected officials, friends of the university, current and incoming Ohio State students, faculty, and community partners involved in engagement efforts.

We could not have done it without your assistance and want to thank you for your many ideas, suggestions, and hospitality. President Gee is committed to continuing the tours each year. It is not too early to start planning for 2009. If you have ideas for stops or any interesting facts from your area, please send your suggestions to Sue Jones (jones.30@osu.edu) in University Relations or Karen Bruns (bruns.1@osu.edu) with OSU CARES/University Outreach and Engagement.


Support Staff Conference - Save the Date

All support staff, please save the date... the Support Staff Conference will be held on October 22 & 23, 2008 at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. More details will be provided in the next issue of Communique.


Shirley Brooks-Jones Award Nominations

Do you know anyone who goes that extra mile? If so, you might consider nominating them for the CFAES Staff Advisory Council’s 2008 Shirley Brooks-Jones Award.

The purpose of this award is to recognize staff members in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences who excel in providing outstanding and ongoing excellence in services to faculty, staff, students and/or others through communication, fairness, problem solving, and contribution to the common good.

The award is named after Shirley Brooks-Jones who served the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences as a staff member for 35 years. Her employment began in 1954 with a secretarial position and ended with her retirement in 1989 from her position as Assistant to the Vice President for Agricultural Administration. During her tenure, Shirley was very active in many college events, served on more than 20 university committees, and was known for outstanding service and making a significant difference for colleagues and customers. She is a role model for staff, faculty and students; and her name brings enormous prestige to this award.

Please visit the Staff Advisory Council’s website at http://sac.ag.ohio-state.edu/ for more information. The award criteria list and nomination form are also attached. Questions can be directed to April Wax at wax.4@osu.edu or 614-292-7749. Submit nominations to April by August 31.


USC-Ohio State Football Game on September 13

FAES Development would like to know if anyone will be at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for the USC-Ohio State football game on September 13, 2008.

Several events are going to be held in Los Angeles for this exciting event, and FAES Development would like to invite you to attend if you will be in the area. Also, if you know anyone in the area who should be invited to these events, please pass along that information to Kelly Porter, Development Program Assistant at porter.399@osu.edu or 614-292-0473. Thank you, and GO BUCKS!


New Pay-N-Display Parking Meters on Campus

Ohio State Transportation and Parking Services has installed new Pay-N-Display machines in several parking lots around campus, including two near the Agricultural Administration building. The Pay-N-Display machines are scheduled to "go live" on September 1, 2008. These machines allow customers who do not have the required OSU parking permit to purchase the amount of time they need to park while on campus. The machines accept coins or credit cards (no bills accepted), and are all PCI compliant (i.e. meet the credit card security standard).

Guests who attend events and conferences, participate in club sports or other activities, or visit campus offices or residents can now purchase a Pay-N-Display parking ticket which allows them to park in any "Visitor" or non-restricted "A", "B", or "C" space, unless otherwise noted in the parking lot. Parking rates for the Pay-N-Display machines are as follows:

  • $1.00 per hour (Monday through Friday 3 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
  • $3.00 flat fee for evenings (Monday through Friday 6 p.m. - 3 a.m.)
  • $3.00 flat fee for weekends per 24 hours (Friday 6 p.m. through Monday at 3 a.m.)

You can copy the attached flier for your departments and guests, explaining how the Pay-N-Display machines work and the rate structure. The other attached flier explains how the machines work and where they are located around campus. For updates and information, visit: http://tp.osu.edu/visitorsmain/parking/payndisplay.shtml.


AIAEE Call for Proposals

AIAEE (Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education) is requesting paper and poster proposals relating to issues in international agricultural and extension education to be presented at the 25th annual conference in Puerto Rico, May 24-28, 2009. Topics relating to the 2009 conference theme of "25 Years of Strengthening International Agricultural & Extension Education" are encouraged, but all submissions will be given full consideration. Research, theoretical, philosophical, or application-focused proposals will be considered.

Visit the AIAEE website for more information about proposal format and submission at: http://www.aiaee.org/conferences.html. The proposal submission deadline is October 3, 2008. If you have questions about proposal submissions, please contact the Scholarly Activities Committee Chair, Jay Jayaratne (jay_jayaratne@ncsu.edu or 919-515-6079).


Grantsmanship Workshops and Financial Support

Financial Support: As part of OSU Extension’s efforts to strengthen grantsmanship skills, Extension Administration will reimburse up to $500 in direct expenses (registration fees, lodging, travel, etc) for four Extension educators who attend either of the following two-day CSREES Grantsmanship and Grant Writing workshops (Arlington, Virginia or Salt Lake City, Utah). To request this support, send an e-mail to smith.150@osu.edu and indicate your interest. Apply early to allow time to register before the early-bird rates end. Your request should include the following information:

  1. Name
  2. County/unit
  3. Extension assignment
  4. Briefly describe (200 words or less) how you plan to use the workshop information to apply for CSREES funding. Include a few sentences about the type or area of CSREES funding you will seek, what you would like to do, key individuals who will work with you (educators, specialists, program area teams, external individuals, etc).

Workshops: These workshops are specifically for Extension professionals. Researchers, educators, extension specialists, and administrators are encouraged to attend. CSREES staff will provide overviews of its competitive (including NRI) grants, including program goals and priorities; the grant evaluation process; and past funding statistics. There will also be breakout discussions on specific program areas, plus a mock review panel to provide insight on successful grants and the review process. The workshops highlight the competitive programs in USDA-CSREES NRI and help grant writers improve their overall success. Both the CSREES Grantsmanship Workshop and the Writing Winning Grants Workshop have received outstanding reviews from past participants throughout the country.

The Writing Winning Grants Workshop (on day two), presented by Drs. Thomas Fretz and Michael Harrington, will feature: where to look for funds, principles of grant writing, organizing integrated proposals, developing the grant budget, ethics in grant writing, and common short-comings in the grant application.

Washington, DC area: Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia
September 30 - October 1, 2008
Web site: http://www.cpe.vt.edu/usdagrant/
Registration information: http://www.cpe.vt.edu/usdagrant/registration.html
(Early-bird registration through September 9; registration closes September 17, 2008.)
CSREES contact: Stacy Kish

Salt Lake City, Utah: Marriott Salt Lake City Center, October 7-8, 2008
Web site and registration information: http://extension.usu.edu/grantsmanship/
Registration will close after September 17, 2008
CSREES contact: Paularie Knox

Register for one or two days: $150 for USDA Grantsmanship Workshop only - first day ($190 after September 9); $320 for both the USDA Grantsmanship Workshop and the Writing Winning Grants Workshop ($400 after September 9). Schedule: 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day (continental breakfast and lunch provided)

If you’re interested in attending these workshops, contact Jackie LaMuth at lamuth.1@osu.edu (614-292-6470) for more information and possible options.


August 2008 Professional Development Opportunities from eXtension

eXtension's professional development opportunities are open to all Cooperative Extension faculty, staff and employees. No pre-registration is necessary.

* August 20, 2:30-4 p.m. ET - Special Topic: Virtual Work Arrangements by Dr. Jerry Thomas and Myra Moss of The Ohio State University, Dr. Kevin Gamble of eXtension, and Dr. Jim King, University of Nebraska. This session will focus on current research findings, practical experiences and lessons learned from Extension-distributed work/virtual teams and an actual virtual office pilot, and the new information technologies enabling new modes of work: life streaming, virtual environments, and social software.

The August “30-Minute Sessions” include:

*August 21 at 2 p.m. ET - How to use the new Ask eXtension! Widget. This widget adds question-asking capabilities to your site or Extension-related blog, but uses the eXtension Ask an Expert and FAQ systems (with 40,000 questions on file) to assist you in answering and monitoring questions. This session will introduce you to the new tool, show you the latest features developed, and discuss how to begin using it immediately in your own county sites and blogs.

* August 26 at 2 p.m. ET - InstantSurvey: Creating a Survey by Michael Lambur, eXtension Evaluation and Research Leader. This session will focus on creating an online survey using the InstantSurvey Web-based application available to eXtension CoPs. It will focus on using the eXtension CoP Survey Template to assess use and impacts of eXtension public Web site information and education applications.

* August 27 at 2 p.m. ET - FriendFeed: You Learned to Share in Kindergarten by James E. Robinson, III, eXtension Software Engineer. This session will take a close look at FriendFeed and why you should consider making it part of your digital work flow. Learn about new connections and communication methods/tools to help users share better on the Web playground. Viewing "Secrets of Social Networkers" before this session would be beneficial.

These sessions will be held at the Web Conferencing Center at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn and your telephone. Plan to join the session 5 minutes before the starting time. Instructions are attached.

Recordings of many past professional development sessions can be found at the main eXtension wiki at http://about.eXtension.org/wiki. Scroll down under the Professional Development heading and find "Recordings of eXtension Professional Development Sessions" or search on the word Recordings.