The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 11, No. 3   November 23, 2004

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Change in Policy - Use of Discretionary Day
...E-Mail Server Upgrade
...Entomology Publications Concerns
...Tips for Web Authors
...Recent Trends in Funding K-State's Operating Budget
...4-H Dog Care and Training Project Leader and Judges
...High School Leadership Conference to be held at K-State
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

As the first line of contact for every one of our offices, the office professional plays a vital role in creating a first impression for K-State Research & Extension. That individual also gets that first line of questioning about this, that, or the other thing. As faculty, our responsibility to the office professionals is to keep them informed. As an office professional, it is your responsibility to ask questions and stay informed. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Everyone within the office needs to be able to see the bigger picture, and understand the what and why of things that may be happening. It's my experience that keeping people informed makes for a better work environment. Some of the information that needs to be shared isn't necessarily for public review, and as such, each of us has to accept that responsibility for confidentiality.

My topic with the office professionals was on professionalism. I emphasized knowing more about the system for which you work. With that, I emphasized the importance of the office professional knowing the priority programming among the agents and specialists for whom they were responsible. Office professionals should know the bigger educational program goals of the agents or specialists. When I asked how many believed they knew those bigger goals, about 1/3 raised their hands. I challenged all of them to go back home and at a staff meeting ask each agent or specialist to articulate their educational goals for the year. I hope each agent or specialist would do that with the office professionals to help everyone see what is being accomplished from the broad perspective, and not simply what is keeping people busy on a day to day basis.

I wish for you a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday as you travel to family and friends. May you find the time to reflect and give thanks for all those wonderful blessings which have come your way. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu

CHANGE IN POLICY - USE OF DISCRETIONARY DAY
The last day an employee may use their 2004 Discretionary Day is Saturday, January 1, 2005. Please note that this date is different than was previously announced. The 2005 Discretionary Day will be available for use on January 2, 2005.

County/district agents have a Discretionary Day if their county/district follows the State of Kansas holiday schedule. --Stacey M. Warner swarner@oznet.ksu.edu

E-MAIL SERVER UPGRADE
The OzNet e-mail server will be upgraded over Thanksgiving break. OzNet e-mail and Webmail will not be available from 5 p.m., Friday, November 26, to 11 p.m., Saturday, November 27.

The upgrade process will require us to take the e-mail and Webmail servers off-line for a period of time so that e-mail can be copied from the old server to the new server. E-mail will not be lost in this switch-over. The  hardware upgrade will not affect how you use e-mail or Webmail.

We anticipate running OzNet e-mail through the last quarter of 2005. The migration to the KSU e-mail system should be complete at that time. The upgrade will improve reliability until that transition is completed.

Please direct any questions or concerns to Roger Terry or Larry Havenstein at 785-532-6270. --Roger V. Terry rterry@oznet.ksu.edu 

ENTOMOLOGY PUBLICATIONS CONCERNS
It has been brought to our attention that there is a concern that some of the Entomology Publications are out of date, especially given the recent phase-out of Diazinon and Dursban for use by homeowners. We are aware of the problem, and are working to revise publications that make reference to these compounds as quickly as possible. We also realize that in the meantime agents may find it difficult to respond to people's questions involving the treatment for various household and garden pests. Our current publications can still be used for reference to basic biology and cultural management practices. Also be aware that, if the person still has products containing Dursban and Diazinon labeled for the situation in question, they can still be used.

For information on what new products might be available, call or e-mail our specialists, check for publications from other states that have been recently updated, or check local stores. One of the problems is that with the loss of Diazinon and Dursban there are now hundreds of new products on the market. In addition, the market is fragmented and products are now often being sold under trade names rather than chemical names and specific trade names may be being sold in only certain stores. So even if you did find a reference for a specific chemical or product, it may or may not be sold in your local area.

Those wanting to provide more help for clientele in their area may need to visit some of the local stores and check on what products they have available for certain key pests. It you are having a problem, please call or e-mail us and we will try to respond with additional help. Hopefully, our on-going process of revising our publications will resolve many of these questions as new versions of publications become available over the next few months. Also, check our website as we post articles and information as they become available. One handy article on this issue was posted to our website back in May:  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/entomology/extension/KIN/KIN_2004/kin-10/04ksnew.10.htm#Insecticide_Dilemma This publication lists the chemical(s) in 132 different products found in 11 retail outlets in Manhattan this past spring.

Please keep us informed of your needs and questions as this will help us focus our efforts. --Phil Sloderbeck psloderb@oznet.ksu.edu

TIPS FOR WEB AUTHORS
Search engines like Google look at millions of sites. Getting your web page to the top of a Google search is like winning the Olympics. To improve the odds, see "Help Google Find Your Page" at:  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/Help_Google.htm . --Amy Hartman  ahartman@oznet.ksu.edu

RECENT TRENDS IN FUNDING K-STATE'S OPERATING BUDGET
Dr. Jon Wefald sent a communication discussing recent trends in funding K-State's operating budget.  To retrieve this letter and accompanying fact sheet, click  here .  --Fred Cholick fcholick@oznet.ksu.edu

4-H DOG CARE AND TRAINING PROJECT LEADER AND JUDGES
Certification Training--January 29-30, 2005--Oakley 4-H Building.

Registration information has been posted on the 4-H website, www.4-h.k-state.edu ! Find it under  "What's Hot!" Please share with dog leaders, older teens and potential 4-H dog show judges. --Jim Adams jadams@oznet.ksu.edu

HIGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT K-STATE
K-State's 17th Annual High School Leadership Conference will be held February 14, 2005, at the K-State Student Union. This conference is an opportunity for high school students to develop and improve their leadership skills. The keynote speaker for the conference will be K-State track coach Cliff Rovelto. K-State head football coach Bill Snyder will also speak.

Students and organizational advisors are encouraged to attend. Registration is limited to the first 320 registrants. For more information, or to register, visit www.dce.ksu.edu/05hsleadership .  --Derek Larson, Continuing Education DLARSON@dce.ksu.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. 

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