Strategic Plan Change Team Adds New Members

The Extension Strategic Plan Change Team has added four new members to the team. They are:

• Carolyn Hall, Accountant, Business Operations
• Cindy Shuster, Co-County Director & Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Perry County
• Ana Claudia Zubieta, Director, Ohio Family Nutrition Program
• Maurus Brown, Extension Specialist, Piketon South Centers

Existing Change Team members include:

• Andy Kleinschmidt, Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Van Wert County
• Judy Villard-Overocker, County Director & Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Richland County
• Dan Remley, Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences/Community Development, Butler County
• Bill Grunkemeyer, Extension Specialist, Community Development
• Linda Kutilek, Associate Director, Operations

The roles of the Change Team include assessing and sharing information to assist the organization in the implementation of the Extension Strategic Plan. Team members meet via WebEx twice a month to discuss effective methods to communicate with Extension professionals the progress in strategic plan implementation, provide recommendations to Extension Administration about implementation practices, and provide feedback to organizational leaders who are implementing various parts of the strategic plan. All Extension professionals are encouraged to contact a member of the Change Team to share your thoughts and ideas regarding plan implementation and to get answers to your individual questions about the Extension Strategic Plan.

Impact Area Leader Search Update

Given the current budget situation - based on the recent 4.75% cuts required by Governor Strickland, OSU Extension is putting fulfillment of the four Impact Area Leader positions on hold for six months. The situation will be reassessed at that time.

Pulse Survey – Time to Start Setting Your Goals!

The implementation of the OSU Extension strategic plan has brought renewed focus and direction for many of our colleagues across the state. As we continue to work toward meeting clientele needs, there’s growing attention on doing so with a new emphasis on impact assessment. Here’s what we’ve learned about upcoming plans when we recently asked the question:

“In an effort to address one goal within the strategic plan, before the year’s end, I will…”

• actively participate in one of the signature programs.
• work on climate change education to help position OSUE as a resource for providing the two-way dialogue needed to help people move from initial awareness of climate change to their empowerment in the development of practical solutions...
• encourage our administration to get out in the county more so they get a refresher course on what it is really like to be a grassroots organization versus a top-down one.
• submit a proposal for a presentation at the Extension annual conference.
• do a better job keeping my co-workers informed about my work in regard to the strategic plan in order to partner with them.
• be a team player by helping and doing my best in any role needed to make the plan a success.
• work to broaden the clientele base by engaging new audiences.
• I don’t know.
• set new goals for myself.
• work on documenting more change of behavior.
• look for the “enhancing support of staff” on page 25 - dollars for staff development and for the increased opportunities for staff recognition.
• try to find a way to help with the signature programs that other educators in my office are already implementing.

To see the entire list of responses to this question, click on the following link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Shared/SharedResultsOpenEndedResultsPage.aspx?ID=L23HTLLMU547&REQQUEST=comment_9. In an effort to give you full insight into organizational response, we will continue to provide you with the link to the survey report.

Now is Our Time! - Save the Date for Annual Conference in December

The OSU Extension Annual Conference will be held on December 17-18 at the Ramada Plaza hotel in Columbus. Note: there is not a pre-conference day this year. However, Dr. Paul Kuber is planning an animal science in-service on Tuesday, December 16 on main campus; it will include quality assurance training. More information on both activities will be sent via e-mail soon.

OSUE Travel - Mileage Reimbursements

As of August 1, the federal government increased the personal vehicle mileage rate to $.585 per mile. University-business mileage accrued after this date is to be reimbursed at the new rate. OSU Extension - administration, county offices, and all other units - will also need to reimburse mileage at this rate. Extension units may not set different individual/local mileage reimbursement rates. Budget limitations may be set on the total amount of travel dollars to be allocated based on funds available, but mileage should be calculated and reimbursed at the current federal/university rate.

Updates to APT and POA Document Revisions

Following several months of review, starting with spring conferences, the Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure document and the Patterns of Administration document were submitted to Extension faculty for approval. Voting occured in late summer. Out of 131 eligible voters, only 44 cast ballots.

For the Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure document, 40 individuals voted yes and four voted no to accepting the document (91% approval rating among voters). For the Patterns of Administration document, 39 individuals voted yes and five voted no to accepting the document (89% approval rating among voters). Governing policies at the time of the vote required a quorum of 50% of eligible voters to approve these documents; howeer, policies also permit the Director and Chair to make the final decision if the quorum was not met. Because of the overwhelming approval among faculty voting, Keith Smith and Ken Martin approved and accepted the two documents as revised. This information was presented at the September 12 faculty meeting.

Vicki Schwartz Named as Associate State 4-H Leader

Effective September 1, Vicki Schwartz assumed the position of Associate State 4-H Leader for OSU Extension. Vicki had been serving as interim Co-Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development since spring 2007. In this new role, she will provide primary leadership to 4-H program and volunteer risk management. Vicki will also provide primary leadership for volunteer administration, assist with conducting educational workshops for 4-H professional development, provide leadership to review and revise Ohio 4-H policy, and assist in providing leadership to the state 4-H office team. Her office is located at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, room 320, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus, OH 43210. She can be reached at schwartz.4@osu.edu or 614-292-6942. Ohio 4-H Youth Development will benefit greatly from Vicki's 4-H and administrative experience and skills.

Ken Kulka Moves to Continuing Education

Congratulations to Ken Kulka, who was appointed as Continuing Education’s interim Assistant Director for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning on September 1. Barb Ludwig is serving as interim Director of Continuing Education. A permanent Continuing Education Director will be named before the end of the fiscal year, and a decision will be made at that time about whether Ken remains in his position permanently or returns to CommTech. Randy Nemitz is now heading up Educational Media Services in CommTech. His contact information is: nemitz.1@osu.edu or 330-263-3957 -- or you can enter a specific job request using CommTech’s Project Request Form posted on http://ct.excelcomm.com/.

Ohio Latino Work Force - Extension Survey Reminder

Thank you to everyone who has completed the survey sent on September 9. Remember that the survey will be available until Friday, October 3 if you have not yet completed it (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22885E3PFZA).

The Ohio Latino Task Force's mission is to improve the working relationship between agricultural employers and their Hispanic employees through research efforts and a variety of resources such as workshops, conferences and other events; academic programs; and educational materials. Your input will help OSU Extension better serve Ohio communities and the Hispanic populations in the area.

Support Staff Conference in October - Registration Open, Silent Auction Items Needed

The Support Staff Conference will be held on October 22-23 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. Registration is now open; visit http://extensionhr.osu.edu/ (professional development section) for the agenda and online registration. Also - please bring a silent auction item from your office to help support CES. More information about the silent auction and conference is attached.

Beth Gaydos Receives NEAFCS Award of Excellence

The National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) announced at the 2008 Galaxy III Conference, September 15-19 in Indianapolis, that Beth Gaydos was selected as the Central Region and National Winner in Radio in the 2008 NEAFCS Awards of Excellence Program. This award was the result of a team entry, including Bill Cassler.

The NEAFCS Awards Program recognizes members in areas of professional development, communications, program development and public relations. This year, there were more than 500 award applications submitted for the competition. Being selected as a regional or national winner is a very impressive accomplishment. Congratulations!

Tim Haab is Appointed Associate Chair of AEDE

Dr. Alan Randall, chair of the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Developmental Economics (AEDE), has announced that Professor Tim Haab will be appointed associate chair of AEDE beginning October 1. Marv Batte will step down as associate chair when his faculty professional leave begins in Autumn Quarter 2008, after 12 years of service as associate chair.

The associate chair role in AEDE administration and governance will be unchanged. Dr. Haab will serve as ex-officio on the AEDE Faculty Council, serve as acting chair when Dr. Randall is unavailable, and lead special projects that are assigned to him. Beginning immediately, Dr. Haab's role in AEDE’s strategic planning process will be enhanced.

Leadership for Tomorrow: Exploring New Approaches Conference Set for April 2009

Save the date...the Leadership for Tomorrow: Exploring New Approaches conference will be held on April 28-30, 2009 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Columbus.

General session and research breakout topics will focus on working with the next generation of leadership, changing definitions of leadership, new leadership models, leading in times of change, changing demographics, and the future of leadership. More information will be available later this fall - visit http://leadershipfortomorrow.osu.edu/ for more information. The call for proposals (due November 30) is also attached.

Sponsored by OSU Extension, the Gist Endowed Chair for Extension Education and Leadership, and Epsilon Sigma Phi - Alpha Eta Chapter (Ohio).

North Central Region Urban Extension Conference Call for Proposals

Wisconsin will host the bi-annual North Central Region Urban Extension Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 4-7, 2009. The conference theme is Urban Extension: Relevant Today and Committed to the Future. The conference goals are to:

• Stimulate new thinking and ideas for urban extension educators
• Identify effective teaching techniques and evaluation tools
• Explore effective technologies for planning, managing and delivering urban programs
• Gain knowledge about effective marketing strategies
• Investigate diversified funding strategies and public-private partnerships

The conference offers an opportunity to share experiences in reaching new and diverse audiences in and around urban communities. Concurrent one-hour workshops will be held throughout the conference. A two-hour poster session will be held on Wednesday during lunch. There will be an opportunity for one-on-one or small-group interactions around the poster presentations.

Extension colleagues are encouraged to submit proposals to present a concurrent workshop and/or a display at the poster session. Submit your proposal by October 13 via the conference Web site (https://wisccharge.wisc.edu/extension/abstracts/urban_extension_abstract.asp).

Food Distribution Research Society Meeting - October 2008

You can still register for the 2008 Conference of the Food Distribution Research Society (FDRS) (http://fdrs.ag.utk.edu/conference.html) to be held on October 11-15 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Dublin, Ohio.

The conference theme is Entrepreneurship in the Food Chain When "local" is King. The conference is hosted by FDRS and The Ohio State University. See the attached brochure for more information.

Personnel Update