The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 11, No. 25  May 3, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Receipts/Identity Theft
...Status of Faculty Positions
...Thank You from Glenn Newdigger
...Classified Employees of the Year Recognition Ceremony
...Epsilon Sigma Phi - National Meeting Scholarship ($375)
...Centennial 4-H Officer Installation Ceremony on Kansas 4-H Centennial Website
...May Kansas Junior Master Gardener Newsletter Now on Line
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

Eliminating boundaries. With the advent of the internet and continuing advances in communication, information sharing, and the globalization of our society, people are not bound to traditional sources of learning, geographic limitations to information, or access to information sources. In today's world, it's easy for our clientele to ascertain knowledge, recommendations, and research-based information from any Land-Grant University to solve their problems. K-State Research & Extension is not a sole provider. This represents a fundamental change in the way we must operate and respond to the questions and information sources our clientele might be using to learn and to formulate decisions.

As a philosophical message, the elimination of boundaries should tell us that we need to see to it that the clientele are getting the best possible educational delivery for the money. We are not going to control information in the future, but rather we need to foster understanding, interpretation, and learning as a means of making sound decisions with the flood of information sources that are out there.

In several smaller ways, we are attempting to break down boundaries to offer better ways to do our business in the future. One example of breaking down boundaries administratively is in working towards a much more fluid, consistent, and responsive system. With changes being made in the area director responsibilities to local extension units (counties and districts), in a sense this begins to blur boundaries. The alignment of "geographic boundaries" for area administrators and area extension specialists is not consistent. New administrative assignments were made to level out the workloads of area administrators in response to the development of districts and to hopefully provide better service to the extension agents and local boards. While every attempt was made to keep those changes minimal, those changes are significant. Letters are being sent this week to those local extension units affected by these changes.

The eventual person hired into the "Northeast Area Director" role will have responsibility for local extension units touching three other states. That hardly seems consistent with someone referred to as the "Northeast Area Director." Would it make sense to describe this person's responsibility simply as an area extension director located in Manhattan?

Some of you may be asking, what does that mean for program support from area specialists? The extension specialist support for program planning, development, and delivery will not be aligned with those local units supported by that area director. County/District support for program planning, development, and delivery is not changing from its current boundaries with changes of administrators. We will not be creating "boundary lines on a map" for administrative support. As an administrative team, we are compelled to serve the administrative needs of all local units without administrative boundaries or structure creating problems for programmatic delivery. For instance, in January 2006 only four partnership meetings across the state, coinciding with "program" areas, are planned. Can we do office professional training or other administrative updates differently and effectively serve the needs of the local governing boards for Extension? We think so. We also believe we can expand the communication to and among governing board members to help them in their leadership, decision making, and effectiveness. We also anticipate the continued development of more partnerships among counties and the formation of districts. Further changes in administrative support may then be necessary.

These are administrative challenges and changes we will be implementing over the coming years with a vision that administration is for the enhancement of educational program delivery and support in carrying out the mission of KSRE. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu

RECEIPTS/IDENTITY THEFT
In an effort to protect our faculty and staff from identity theft, the Controller's Office recommends that credit card numbers be blacked out when a credit card statement or receipt is provided as back-up documentation for personal reimbursements. PPM 6320.080, Document Completion Procedures, and PPM 6410.020, Reimbursable Travel Expenses and Forms, have been updated to reflect this recommendation. --Kimberly Torrey ktorrey@ksu.edu

STATUS OF FACULTY POSITIONS
To check the status of faculty positions that are currently in the search process, see the K-State Research and Extension Job Opportunities website at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/main/jobs.asp . Click on "Employment Status of KSRE Faculty Positions." Search committee chairs - contact Dorothy Ireland in the Extension Operations Office at direland@oznet.ksu.edu , or 785-532-5787, to keep the information updated. --Stacey M. Warner swarner@oznet.ksu.edu

THANK YOU FROM GLENN NEWDIGGER
My family would like to thank all the agents, office professionals, and specialists for the cards, e-mails, and calls we received since the loss of our mother on April 24, 2005. The support we received was tremendous and will help us get through this tough time. --Glenn Newdigger gnewdigg@oznet.ksu.edu

CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR RECOGNITION CEREMONY
The College of Agriculture/K-State Research and Extension Classified Employees of the Year will be recognized on Wednesday, May 18, at 2 p.m., in the K-State Student Union, Main Ballroom.

The KSU Classified Senate conducts this Classified Employees of the Year Recognition Ceremony. This is always a very nice affair that really makes you feel good about being employed by K-State. There is a reception afterwards.

Those COA/KSRE employees being honored this year are:

JoNell Thomas, Office Professional, Leavenworth County
Richard Windholz, Plant Science Technician, WKARC, Hays
Dale Heideman, Plant Science Technician, Animal Sciences & Industry

We hope some of you will attend the ceremony on May 18. Please be sure and congratulate these employees who work so hard on behalf of the College of Agriculture and/or K-State Research and Extension. --Steven Graham sgraham@oznet.ksu.edu

EPSILON SIGMA PHI - NATIONAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIP ($375)
Hey, Kansas ESP members! Apply now for a scholarship to cover the registration to the national ESP conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 9-12, 2005. This is a great opportunity for members to grow professionally, and for life members to attend and stay in the Extension groove! A considerable number of life members attend this conference each year. This scholarship is available through the Professional Development Committee of the Alpha Rho Chapter. These four scholarships were made possible through an endowment fund grant.

Fill out the form on the Alpha Rho website, http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/esp-AlphaRho/ , under What's New. Applications are due June 1 to Bob Neier.

For more information, contact Bob Neier, Stacey Warner, or Marie Blythe. --Bob Neier bneier@oznet.ksu.edu

CENTENNIAL 4-H OFFICER INSTALLATION CEREMONY ON KANSAS 4-H CENTENNIAL WEBSITE
A Centennial officer installation ceremony has been developed and is now on the Centennial website,  http://4-h.k-state.edu/Events/Centennial/Default.htm . --Steve Fisher sfisher@oznet.ksu.edu

MAY KANSAS JUNIOR MASTER GARDENER NEWSLETTER NOW ON LINE
The May edition of the Kansas Junior Master Gardener Newsletter is now available at
http://4-h.k-state.edu/JMG/Newsletters/2005/May%202005.pdf .

Please make note that JMG material orders are now handled through the Texas Extension Distribution Center. Their contact information is included in this newsletter. Shipping and handling is now included in the listed price so materials are a little less expensive. JMG Kids is no longer handling orders. --Evelyn Neier eneier@oznet.ksu.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. 

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