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December 3, 2008
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In September, Governor Strickland announced a projected FY2009 state budget shortfall of $540 million. This is in addition to the $733 million already cut since January 2008; and combined, this amounts to slightly more than 2.4% of the total state biennial budget. A shortfall of this magnitude will most likely spell a reduction in state revenue sharing with county, municipal, township and other local governments which are already feeling the effects of declining sales, income, and property tax collections resulting from the recent economic downturn. Marked drops in state revenue sharing and these local government income sources will impact the degree to which services, infrastructure, and programs (including Extension) can be supported at the state and local levels.
How can we help? Research (Kraybill, 1999) shows that 78% of all new jobs in Ohio are created by Ohio’s existing businesses. In Ohio’s rural counties, the proportion is even higher (86%). Since 1986, OSU Extension has partnered with communities throughout Ohio to better understand their local economy by engaging with them in business retention and expansion programming. The pursuit of such applied research is one surefire way to help stabilize your local economy and strengthen Extension’s ties with local development officials, elected officials, and key community leaders.
A degree in business and/or economics is not required, nor is an economic development background. Instead, the key qualification is the desire to teach others. The focus of instruction in the case of the BR&E program centers on teaching community leaders how to engage in an ongoing dialogue with their businesses. The overall goal of the program is to improve the community via a stable or growing employment base.
The program offers ready-made retrospective pretest/post-test evaluation instruments to document changes in knowledge, attitude, skills, and aspirations resulting from workshops designed to teach folks how to identify and address the needs of their businesses. An annual summative evaluation instrument is also available to document changes in behavior and practice, jobs created and/or retained, volunteer hours donated, etc.
If you are interested in learning more, you have several options:
- Attend the BREI overview at the Extension Annual Conference on December 18.
- Review the material at http://localecon.osu.edu/BRnE (contact Greg Davis to get password access to the ‘members only’ materials).
- Talk to county educators who have recent program experience such as Nancy Bowen, Greg LaBarge, or Rose Fisher-Merkowitz.
- Contact Greg Davis at 614-292-6356 or davis.1081@osu.edu.
An overview of the BREI mission and a summary of program highlights/success stories are attached.
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Recently, pulse survey participants were asked to note their level of agreement, on a scale of 1-10, to the question “The most important needs of Ohio citizens are not addressed by Extension programming” (September 2008). Responses varied from strong agreement to strong disagreement, with a mean score of 5.0. So, in the October survey we asked the question in open-ended format to more clearly learn what the organization could suggest about actions needed to meet the needs of Ohio’s citizens. Here is a sample of the suggestions your colleagues shared when asked, “To address the most important needs of Ohio citizens, Extension needs to:…”
- be technology savvy.
- be open one night a week at least until 7pm…
- stop trying to solve every problem for every person. We should concentrate on what we do well - family education, 4-H agriculture, food safety, horticulture, youth development, leadership - and do it well consistently … and, yes we do need to look at more soft dollars --- what we really need is money to hire people to do what we do best - educate!
- look at staffing based on population centers; ie: equitable ratios of staff to citizens.
- be realistic and relevant; some of the programs, while well intentioned, are not important or sometimes not of good quality and we won’t say so.
- be managing finances in a time of crisis and cutbacks.
- maintain local presence.
- reach a more diverse audience; address relevant issues more quickly, such as high energy costs, changes in the economy, environmental sustainability.
- …have better ways to evaluate programs so that all programs are evaluated consistently…
- remain a grassroots organization, with needs in the county taking top priority.
- have offices fully staffed, including at the state level. When the staff is not available in the county, we have to be able to refer our clients to a state person. Many areas are open even in Columbus. This shows clients that we cannot always give them the help they are asking for … and this is what we are supposed to be about … helping the taxpayers of Ohio.
- be flexible. No two counties are alike and don’t have the same needs. Yes, I think we are going to have to consider a cluster formation due to reduced resources, but we still need to keep the county in mind if we are going to ask for additional county support...
- get back to basics. Put our resources where our strength lies, agriculture and 4-H, at the county level. This organization could easily get rid of 70 people in Columbus … and it would have no affect on our clientele…extension staffing patterns to me would mean getting rid of all those not contributing to the team effort …
- be more standardized while remaining flexible.
To see the entire list of 62 suggestions and comments posed by your colleagues, visit: http://www.zoomerang.com/Shared/SharedResultsOpenEndedResultsPage.aspx?ID=L23L92ERRH59&REQQUEST=comment_9. We are an organization with diverse opinions and views; it is helpful that we learn the perspectives of co-workers as we move ahead together to meet the needs of Ohioans. Thanks for your continued participation in the Pulse Survey!
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As you wrap up 2008 and start your 2009 calendar, be sure to mark the university holidays (http://hr.osu.edu/payroll/holidays.aspx) as well as schedule some vacation time for personal and professional renewal.
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As we approach this time of year when snow and ice can be disruptive to both travel and work schedules, please review the OSU Extension bad weather policy (http://extadmin-cms.ag.ohio-state.edu/policy-handbook/ii-extension-administration/severe-weather-policy) for questions regarding how to proceed when the different levels of emergency may be declared in your area. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Extension Human Resources (http://extensionhr.osu.edu or 614-292-5683).
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On February 17, 2009, all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital. In times of crisis or emergency, television service is a critical communication mechanism to help citizens be prepared and to recover. Please help us ensure that your citizens, especially elderly and rural residents, are able to make the transition from analog to digital before the change occurs.
The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) was asked by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (DOC/NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to distribute information to county Extension offices for distribution to their county residents. This information should prevent residents from experiencing any interrupted services.
The attached one-pager “What You Need to Know About DTV” is in English and Spanish. The NTIA Web site (https://www.dtv2009.gov/) has information on applying for coupons, and buying and testing converter boxes. This information is available in 12 languages. FCC's Web site (http://www.dtv.gov/) contains details about digital TVs, toolkits, publications, FAQs, and other resources. These materials are in the public domain and can be downloaded and copied as needed.
Let us know if you have any questions. We appreciate your help and support! -- Janet Allen, CSREES Communications Director and Judy Rude, NRMO/CSREES Liaison
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All faculty fourth-year review candidates and individuals planning to apply for transfer to faculty or promotion in 2009 or 2010 should plan to attend one of the upcoming Faculty Promotion and Tenure Workshops via WebEx.
- December 19: 2-4pm
- December 22: 2-4pm
These workshops, conducted by Ken Martin, will provide details and the current guidelines to help candidates through the P&T process. Advanced registration is required. To register or if you have questions, contact Micki Daniels at daniels.14@osu.edu or 614-292-3860.
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We are all familiar with the holiday classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This workshop on December 10 focuses on the innate positive behavior in the hero George Bailey, to exemplify the fundamentals of service leadership. A service leadership philosophy helps your department/unit become even more wonderful and successful. This workshop will be facilitated by Jeff King and Beth Flynn. For more information about this event, please click on this link (http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/programs.htm) or e-mail Beth Flynn (flynn.61@osu.edu).
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In support of Ohio State University faculty and staff serving in Iraq, OSU Extension is leading a community service project known as "Bucks for Military." Administration, faculty, staff and support staff within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, as well as throughout the university, are invited to donate items. The items will be sent to Glenn Welling, OSU Extension director for Hamilton County, who is currently serving in Iraq.
Examples of items being sought include OSU-related merchandise, writing paper, pens, playing cards, games, toiletries, non-perishable food items, music, and phone cards. For more information on what to donate, refer to http://www.operationshoebox.com or see the attached flier. Episilon Sigma Phi will be collecting items during Annual Conference at the registration table.
For more information on "Bucks for Military" or to make a donation, contact Lee Ann Johnson at (614) 247-6811 or e-mail johnson.82@cfaes.osu.edu. Note: two photos of Glenn are attached; he is the I in O-H-I-O.
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Congratulations to Janine Yeske, 4-H Youth Development Extension educator in Jefferson County, on receiving the Epsilon Sigma Phi fall scholarship for professional development.
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The fifth annual Tri-State Diversity Conference will be held on February 5-6, 2009 in Cincinnati. The theme is Diversity 2.0: Tomorrow's Solutions for Today's Problems. Appreciating others through understanding is the purpose of this conference; attendees will explore principles of building culturally sensitive and sustainable partnerships and how to develop effective program delivery methods. The tools and resources presented during the conference will help professionals reach diverse audiences and help them appreciate the cultural differences and needs of clientele. Registration and program information can be found at http://www.ces.purdue.edu/Dearborn/diversityconf.htm. The conference is sponsored by Ohio State University Extension, Purdue Extension, Kentucky State University, and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
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The annual economic issues program is scheduled for March 17, 2009 at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. This is a year in which we invite leaders and organizations who have interest in the selected topic to attend along with you (similar to the energy update two years ago). The March 17 program will center on the economics of food policy, prices and security. A full agenda will be available in January. If you have questions, e-mail Stan Ernst (ernst.1@osu.edu), Extension program leader and marketing instructor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics.
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The sixth annual James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture will be held on April 24, 2009 - 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. - at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, will be the featured speaker.
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The Food Industries Center at The Ohio State University would like you to become part of our Consumer Sensory Testing Program. Please visit http://www.foodindustries.osu.edu/, then click on the Consumer Sensory Testing link to register. 1) log in with your email address; 2) create a password; 3) record your profile information.
After registration, you will be eligible to receive e-mail invitations for future testing opportunities. Please pass on this Web site information by inviting co-workers, family, and friends to register. This is your opportunity to drive product development, taste new products before they reach the market, and let your voice be heard. Plus you receive incentives for your contributions. The Food Industries Center would appreciate your participation as a member of our consumer tasters team. Note: a related story about the new Sensory Evaluation Program was printed in the November 5 Communiqué.
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Join the eXtension "Learn" Community -- Over the last couple of years, the "Learn" mailing list has been a subscribe-to list used to send the monthly eXtension professional development announcements. This list is being replaced with a new "Learn" community in the eXtension People application. eXtension encourages you to visit http://people.extension.org/, sign in with your eXtensionID (or get one), and then go to the Communities tab to join Learn (https://people.extension.org/communities/39): Extension educators, faculty, and staff who are interested in learning and knowing about professional development within and for Cooperative Extension. The entire process will only take you a couple of minutes, but will give us many new capabilities. The Learn community, when populated, will not only be recipients of the eXtension professional development opportunities mailing each month, but could also allow us to learn more about each other and our interests.
"30-Minute Sessions" -- eXtension's professional development opportunities are open to all Cooperative Extension faculty, staff and employees. No pre-registration is necessary. The December sessions include:
* December 4 at 2 pm ET - Ask eXtension Widget by Aaron Hundley, eXtension software engineer. This widget adds question-asking capabilities to your site, 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, and discuss how to begin using it immediately.
* December 9 at 2 pm ET - Source Code Version Control: Use It or Lose It by James Robinson, eXtension software engineer. Whether you are a lone developer or part of a development team, revision control has something to offer. Come prepared to share your code management processes and/or learn about how others are using revision control tools too.
* December 17 at 2 pm ET - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by Terry Meisenbach, eXtension marketing leader. Content discoverability on the Internet is critical today, and eXtension is working closely with Fleishman Hillard and several Communities of Practice to make content more visible to search engines like Google and Yahoo. This session will look at the keyword analysis process and what can be done to make content more discoverable.
* December 18 at 2 pm ET - Presenting for Feedback by Ben MacNeill, user interface designer. This is an overview of goals, tools and techniques you can use to present visual information to get constructive feedback (such as design comps, interface mock-ups, troubleshooting).
These sessions are held in 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 to find "Recordings of eXtension Professional Development Sessions" or search on the word Recordings.
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