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May 8, 2009
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Discussions of how to implement various aspects of the new OSU Extension restructuring model are well underway. At this point, comparing notes and gathering information are the priority tasks.
Last week, all county Extension directors met with Keith, the business office, and human resources to discuss administrative questions and ideas, and the EERA leaders met as a group for the first time.
Educators and the assistant directors have begun to meet within program areas across the state, the regional directors are meeting with area leaders, and the area leaders are meeting with personnel in each area.
The executive team (Keith, Ken Martin, Linda Kutilek, and Garee Earnest) is again conducting county visits.
This is truly an exciting time for OSU Extension as we all put details of the restructuring model together and move Extension forward with a new mindset and many possibilities for unique partnerships and programming for our clientele throughout the state. Know that we are working to implement the restructuring with the organization's best interests in mind.
Please contact your CED and/or EERA leader with your own specific questions, and remember to visit the Restructuring Implementation section of the administration Web site at http://extadmin-cms.ag.ohio-state.edu/restructuring-implementation for updates.
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Earlier this year, you and/or your colleagues shared opinions to the following questions asked in the monthly pulse survey:
*Mean scores that could indicate strong agreement…
- Extension’s work is needed now more than ever in Ohio. (mean score of 8.60)
- OSU Extension has to let go of less relevant programs as new programs emerge.
(mean score of 7.89)
- Extension staffing structure will need to change. (mean score of 7.73)
*Mean scores could indicate agreement …
- OSU Extension has the capacity to adapt to changing clientele needs. (mean score of 7.40)
- I know who to contact when I have program-related questions. (mean score of 7.24)
- In 10 years, OSU Extension will be regarded by others as an organization with the ability to address emerging statewide issues. (mean score of 6.75)
*Mean scores do not clearly indicate agreement or disagreement …
- Personnel at all levels within OSU Extension are well-acquainted with what others are doing.
(mean score of 4.63)
*Mean scores that could indicate disagreement …
- Local clientele understand Extension’s funding sources. (mean score of 4.40)
*Using a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree)
To see the complete range of responses to these questions, click on the following link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Shared/SharedResultsSurveyResultsPage.aspx?ID=L23PF9A28SZ9. At the site you will also see the responses to the three questions we continue to ask each month: 1) OSU Extension is heading in the right direction; 2) I am committed to OSU Extension; and 3) I receive adequate support in completing my job responsibilities. These three questions are repeated monthly, and compiled each six months. Your thoughts and opinions are important - we encourage you to continue to participate!
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This year, an all-Extension Annual Conference will be held for all Extension professionals, support and programmatic, at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center on December 16-17.
The professional associations ESP, OAEP and CES will provide leadership to the event in conjunction with Extension Administration. This all-Extension Annual Conference will review the restructuring and strategic plan accomplishments to date. Look for more information in the coming weeks!
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Faculty and staff received support for outreach and engagement efforts through grants and awards at the sixth annual James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture on April 24. The annual lecture was given by Eric D. Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. The lecture, which honors former Board of Trustee member James Patterson, is given by a prominent figure who addresses the range of challenges facing land-grant institutions in the 21st century and beyond. The address will be broadcast on WOSU Public Media during May: on WOSU Plus (34.1) on May 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 9-10 p.m.
The projects recognized at the Patterson Lecture illustrate how engagement is being embedded in colleges across the university. They also showcase how Ohio State is sharing expertise broadly across the entire state and deepening relationships with community partners. Please see http://outreach.osu.edu/docs/2009_O&Egrants_release.doc for a description of all outreach and engagement-related grants awarded, including Service-Learning and University Outreach and Engagement grants.
Listed below are the 2009 OSU CARES/OSU Extension Grants that were awarded at this year’s Patterson Lecture. All of these grants support partnerships between OSU Extension and another Ohio State department to broaden the University’s engagement with communities.
2009 OSU CARES Seed Grants seed new or expanded partnerships.
- Co-Parenting: Strengthening and Enhancing Communities, Neighborhoods, and Families:
Barbara Hennard, OSU Extension; Karla Kessler, O.U.R. Home Family Resource Center; Young Ah Lee, Ohio State Lima; Cynthia Torppa, OSU Extension
- Computer Art Service-Learning Course with Indianola Middle School Girls:
Karen Hutzel, College of the Arts and Humanities; Susan Colbert, OSU Extension; Catherine Girves, University Area Enrichment Association
- Dining with Diabetes -Outreach into OSU Medical Center Communities. A Strengthening Families and Communities Effort:
Cindy Oliveri, OSU Extension; Jennifer Hartzler, OSU Extension; Barbara Hennard, OSU Extension; Susan Shockey, OSU Extension; Jennifer Landau, Ohio State Health Network; Erin Bontrager, OSU Medical Center; Julie Meddles, University Hospital East; Pat McGinty, Nutrition Services, OSU Medical Center
2009 OSU CARES Personnel Support Grants support the salary/benefits of an existing Ohio State employee to extend both Extension's and the partnering department/unit's outreach and engagement.
- Building Flexible Models to IntegrateCollege Access with County-based Extension Education:
Laura Kraus and Tally Hart, Office of Economic Access, Office of Academic Affairs; Rebecca Cropper, OSU Extension - BrownCounty
- Formalizing Partnerships between OSU Extension and OSU STEM Research: Pursuing Opportunities in a Time of Transition:
Christopher Andersen, Project GRO, Office of Research/Office of University Outreach and Engagement; Vicki Schwartz, OSU Extension
Please see the OSU CARES Grants Program Web page at http://osucares.osu.edu/grantsprogram.htm for more information on these projects.
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A new version of Web site statistics is now available for all Web sites housed at CommTech. The new version was purchased by CommTech and is now included free with our web services. If your site is not listed or if you have any other questions, contact Keith Stewart at the CommTech IT help desk: ithelp@cfaes.osu.edu.
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The College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences awarded the Bill Williams Diversity Award at the CFAES annual banquet this week. The 2009 student and faculty/staff award winners are:
Student Award Winner
The winner of this year’s Bill Williams Student Award for Diversity is the Ohio Chapter of the Multicultural Students in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), who recently celebrated coordination of the fifth Annual International Festival. The Festival began when students involved with MANRRS saw a need within the college and chose to broaden the understanding of the FAES agricultural community. The festival highlights the range of our students and provides students, faculty and staff with access to a variety of different, multicultural activities, people and events. This event is open to the entire community and enhances not only the students’ diversity experience, but also that of the staff, faculty and their families who are invited to attend. For five years, MANRRS has enriched the community by sharing food, culture, language, the arts, music, and artifacts from countries around the world. Congratulations to MANNRS for receiving the Bill Williams Diversity Award.
Faculty/Staff Award Winner
The 2009 recipient of the Bill Williams Award for Diversity in the faculty/staff category is the Ohio Latino Work Force. This group formed in 2006 in response to the increasing numbers of migrant and permanent Latino residents who are drawn to Ohio to work in a number of industries including the dairy industry, the nursery industry and agriculture, specifically with niche crops like fruits and vegetables. The Ohio Latino Work Force recognizes the need to assist Ohio State faculty and staff who work with industry, businesses and communities in support of Latino populations. The mission of the Ohio Latino Work Force is to support efforts to improve the relationship between agricultural employers and their Hispanic employees, and communities and their Latino residents, through research efforts and a variety of resources such as workshops, conferences, academic programs, and educational materials. The Ohio Latino Work Force helps foster understanding and acceptance of Latinos in Ohio rural communities while promoting the collaboration of CFAES faculty and staff from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Congratulations to the members of the Ohio Latino Work Force on the group's promotion of change and appreciation for diversity.
Bill Williams was the co-founder of Glory Foods Inc. His product lines began in the Department of Food Science and Technology, with Ohio State students actively involved in product development, marketing, and prodcut rollout. From 1992 until his death in 2001, Bill Williams contributed financial support annually to minority students in CFAES.
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As seen in OSU Today - The university community is encouraged to sign up to ride in the inaugural Pelotonia Bike Tour for Cancer Research, a 180-mile ride from Columbus to Athens and back to raise money for Cancer Research, to be held Friday August 28 to Sunday August 30. Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Steven Gabbe and Michael Caligiuri, CEO of The James, headline an all-star troupe that will tour the campus during the first couple of weeks of May to rustle up support -riders, sponsors and volunteers - for the cause. If you cannot ride, there is also an option to be a “virtual rider,” and 100 percent of all funds raised for Pelotonia will benefit cancer research at The James. The route will pass through Franklin, Pickaway, Fairfield, Hocking, and Athens counties. For more information via The James Cancer Hospital Web site, please see http://www.jamesline.com/waystogive/specialevents/pelotonia/Pages/index.aspx. Visit the official Pelotonia Web site at http://www.pelotonia.org/ride/.
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eXtension's professional development opportunities are open to all Extension faculty, staff and employees. No pre-registration is necessary.
The May "30-Minute Sessions" include:
* May 12 at 2pm ET - Evaluating Your Content with Google Analytics (by Category!) by Ben MacNeill, eXtension User Interface Designer. Google Analytics (GA) reveals tons of information about which pieces of content perform the best on the eXtension Public Site.
* May 20 at 2pm ET - Tables in Mediawiki, by Beth Raney, eXtension Professional Development Leader. Sometimes the information you're sharing in your wiki article will be better understood if displayed in a table. A WikiTable is an arrangement of columns and rows used to organize and position data. We'll show how to use a table in the wiki, syntax to build a table, and where to find more help.
* May 21 at 2pm ET - Discussion and Q/A of the Ask eXtension Widget, by Aaron Hundley, eXtension Software Engineer. If you are currently participating in answering questions that come from any of the Ask eXtension Widgets, this will be a great discussion.
* May 27 at 2pm ET - Making FriendFeed your Friend: Part 1 by Kevin Gamble, eXtension. FriendFeed is a service that makes it easy to share with your friends online. It offers a fun and interactive way to discover and discuss items of mutual interest.
These sessions are held in the Web Conferencing Center at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn. Plan to join the session5 minutes before 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 Professional Development heading to find "Recordings of eXtension Professional Development Sessions" or search on the word Recordings.
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