The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 11, No. 1   November 9, 2004

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...KAMS Exhibiting at the Wichita Farm & Ranch Show
...Early Retirement Opportunity
...Pictures from Micro Conference
...Leadership Development Opportunity
...Hometown Competitiveness Training
...Marketing Items for Board Meetings
...Southwest Area Junior Master Gardener Teacher/Leader Training
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

A task force of 40 individuals from all across this state met at Rock Springs 4-H Center last week to further its work on a strategic plan for the Kansas Cooperative Extension mission of K-State Research and Extension. This plan, once completed, will set forth a series of broad recommendations to be implemented over the next several years. Those recommendations will tell us all "what" needs to happen across the system. With those recommendations, a series of "how to" implementation steps will further be developed to assure that K-State Research and Extension responds to the recommendations.

The task force met on October 27 to focus on what we should preserve, enhance, create, and set aside within KSRE with attention to organizational structure, education and information dissemination, marketing, and resource development. From that work, a draft set of recommendations for the system is being developed. The task force work will be posted on our strategic planning website within the next few days. Soon after that the full set of draft recommendations will be presented.

A few summary statements coming from the task force include such things as:

The intent of such a planning effort is simply to assure Cooperative Extension to be relevant, sustainable, and of the utmost quality in its delivery of education and services throughout our state. Please keep checking within the strategic planning website for updated information. And, provide your feedback to the task force! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu

KAMS EXHIBITING AT THE WICHITA FARM & RANCH SHOW
This week the Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services will be exhibiting at the 10th Annual Wichita Farm & Ranch Show. The show runs November 9 through the 11, at the Kansas Coliseum-Sam Fulco Pavilion. Show hours are:

Tuesday, November 9, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, November 10, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Thursday, November 11, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Stop by the KAMS booth located in the northwest corner of the pavilion. --Char Henton chenton@oznet.ksu.edu

EARLY RETIREMENT OPPORTUNITY
K-State Research and Extension has been granted a federal voluntary early retirement opportunity from now until June 3, 2005.

During an early retirement opportunity, the age and years of service requirements for retirement are lowered. To be eligible, an individual must be on federal retirement and at least 50 years of age with 20 years of service or any age with 25 years of service.

Extension faculty with federal benefits will receive additional information. --Stacey M. Warner swarner@oznet.ksu.edu

PHOTOS FROM MICRO CONFERENCE
Photographs of award winners from the lunch at the K-State Research and Extension Micro Conference are available for viewing and printing. The website is http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/marketing/2004microconference.asp .

The photos can be printed from the website or put on a disk and taken to a copy center. --Stacey M. Warner swarner@oznet.ksu.edu

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY
On November 16, the Kansas Leadership Forum, Leadership 2000, and the international Community Leadership Association will be holding a one-day workshop on Successful Decision-Making in the 21st Century. The workshop will be held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kansas. It will feature facilitators extraordinaire Pat Heiny and Mary Jo Clark of Contemporary Consulting in Indiana. These are the facilitators for the Kansas Health Foundation's Kansas Community Leadership Initiative. For more information and a registration form, go to www.kansasleadershipforum.com  and click on Successful Decision-Making in the 21st Century. --Ron Wilson rwilson@oznet.ksu.edu

HOMETOWN COMPETITIVENESS TRAINING
A three-day workshop on revitalizing rural communities is being held November 16-18, 2004, in Wamego, Kansas. (Unfortunately, it overlaps the leadership meeting mentioned in the item above.) This workshop covers energizing entrepreneurs, managing charitable assets, attracting youth, leadership, and problem solving. Pottawatomie County Economic Development is sponsoring this training, which is provided by the Heartland Center for Leadership Development in Nebraska.

Registration is $450, which is an excellent value. The same training will be offered next year in Nebraska for $750. For more information and registration, go to http://ecodevo.com/htc/ . --Ron Wilson rwilson@oznet.ksu.edu

MARKETING ITEMS FOR BOARD MEETINGS
Do you have a county board meeting coming up? Need some nice K-State Research and Extension marketing items to give to board members and other volunteers? Go to www.oznet.ksu.edu/marketing  and click on  marketing catalog. There, you can order note cards, lapel pins, koozie slapwraps, pens, and much more. We can also customize some of the material for your county. But be sure to get your orders in soon, to allow time for shipping. Questions? Contact Linda Sleichter at lsleicht@oznet.ksu.edu .  --Linda Sleichter

SOUTHWEST AREA JUNIOR MASTER GARDENER TEACHER/LEADER TRAINING
A Junior Master Gardener Teacher/Leader Training will be held Wednesday, January 19, 2005, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Southwest Area Extension Office, 4500 East Mary, Garden City. Sign in and refreshments will start at 9:30 a.m.

The workshop will include information on how to start a youth gardening program and how to utilize the Junior Master Gardener program and curriculum. Participants will have an opportunity for hands-on experience with lessons from the JMG curriculum. The workshop is open to Extension agents and staff, Extension Master Gardeners, 4-H Leaders, teachers, and community volunteers.

The registration fee is $10. Register by contacting Eva Rosas at the Southwest Area Extension Office, 620-275-9164 or erosas@oznet.ksu.edu . Registration deadline is Friday, January 14. --Evelyn Neier eneier@oznet.ksu.edu

Top