The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 11, No. 31  June 14, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...2005 Kansas Legislature Update
...Wrong Order Form Sent
...Status of Faculty Positions
...Kansas 4-H CWF Delegation in Washington D.C.
...Attention Potential Plant Diagnostic Information System Users
...Shrine Bowl Fund-Raiser Opportunity for 4-H Clubs
...State Fair Books
...New Kansas 4-H Wristbands Available
...Governor's Conference on Juvenile Justice to be Held in Topeka
...K-State Offers Courses for Educators this Fall
...Adult Education Summer Institute to be Held at K-State
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
At the Kansas 4-H Foundation's "Friends of 4-H Day" this past weekend, former Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker was a special attendee and gave a keynote address to those in attendance. A bit of history for those not familiar. Senator Kassebaum, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978, built a reputation as an independent thinker and coalition-builder. The first woman to chair a major Senate committee -- Labor and Human Resources -- she is noted for her efforts to improve education, child care, and health care; promote fiscal responsibility; and overhaul foreign aid programs. Her time in the U.S. Senate was from 1979 through 1997. Upon retiring from the Senate, she married the former Senator Howard Baker from Tennessee.

In Senator Kassebaum Baker's remarks, she was quick to point to the fact that she had many fond 4-H mom and entomology project leader memories. One remembrance was of getting her daughter's sheep project to the Sedgwick County Fair. Not being from the farm, she and her daughter hauled the lamb in the back seat of the car. Her reflections then moved to what it truly meant to be a part of the 4-H experience, as a mom, as a project leader, and now as a grandmother. Senator Kassebaum Baker emphasized the educational experience of 4-H and the opportunity to be a positive influence on the communities where these young people live.

I was most impressed with her passion for strengthening communities all across Kansas through the youth who have had the educational experiences of 4-H. She reflected on the importance of understanding the changes that were happening in communities and the importance of 4-H to provide the ethic of education and learning for a positive future. She also spoke of the importance of 4-H in creating opportunity to expand your experiences beyond your local community to gain a global perspective. Through this global perspective, youth with the 4-H experience will be a positive influence in making all of our communities a better place for the future.

Senator Kassebaum also expressed concern that society in the U.S. has become complacent about education. The focus has shifted towards placing emphasis on testing and grades, with some loss of the importance of education in creating the thirst for further learning. She used examples of the educational system in Japan as having been a model for the U.S., while ironically today Japan is more interested in shifting to the past model of U.S. In Japan, and in the trends of change in the U.S., the educational ethic is one of education for the purpose of getting to a position in life, rather than growing the mind and expanding horizons. The experiential learning model of 4-H can be a positive influence in creating the ethic and value in furthering one's understanding of the world around us through lifelong learning.

We all can make use of the former Senator's words of wisdom in living out our motto of "Knowledge for Life," both in continuing our development and growth through learning opportunities, and by encouraging others to continue to grow in understanding and appreciation for the changing world in which we live. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu

2005 KANSAS LEGISLATURE UPDATE
The Kansas Legislature adjourned sine die on Friday, May 20, 2005. This was one of the shortest legislative sessions in recent time, completing their work in 83 days out of the 90 days allowed by the Constitution.

The recommendations made by the legislature that relate to State Universities and K-State:

Budget Items:

No reductions in the current year FY 2005 or for FY2006 budgets
An operating grant to the state universities of $11,643,908
Allocation from the Board of Regents:

K-State $1,851,866
K-State Research and Extension $1,157,091
K-State Vet Medicine $177,052

This allocation provides a year total of 2.5% for salary increases. 1.25% is paid July 1, 2005 and 1.25% is paid January 1, 2006. Funding for SB 345 for all Regents institutions, $3,333,426 for Ranked faculty at the state universities

K-State $934,009 (includes Research & Extension)
K-State Vet Medicine $79,046

One-time allocation of $13.0 million for the payment of the 27th payroll at the state universities -
K-State Total $3.8 million

Other Items
The legislature in SB 78 reorganized public record laws and included a provision that any faculty member with a salary of more than $50,000 must file a yearly statement of substantial interest, detailing any outside compensation for consulting or research work.  --Sue Peterson skp@ksu.edu

WRONG ORDER FORM SENT
The order form sent June 10 -- with the cover "Fourth Quarter 2005 Order Form" -- includes the wrong contents. Instead of publications scheduled for fourth quarter distribution, the list beginning on the second page shows second quarter publications. We regret the error. Please recycle the form. The correct form will be sent June 17, and the ordering period will be extended from July 1 to July 8. --Nancy Zimmerli nancyz@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

KANSAS 4-H CWF DELEGATION IN WASHINGTON D.C.
The Kansas 4-H CWF Delegation is on its way to Washington D.C.! If you would like to keep up with the group and their adventures, please visit their blog (abbreviated term for web log or an on-line diary). They have been and will be sending pictures and messages about their daily adventures so friends and family can keep up with this trip. The link for their blog is:
http://www.kansas4-h.org/Events/CWF/2005/Default.htm . You can also go directly to Kansas 4-H.org and click on the link under "What Happened" to see what they have been doing! Enjoy! --Justin Wiebers jwiebers@ksu.edu

ATTENTION POTENTIAL PLANT DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION SYSTEM USERS
Please remember that your user id and password are Case sENSITIVE. If you try to log in and are unsuccessful, please try only twice before asking the system to e-mail your password to you. If you try continuously, your account will be locked and even if you finally remember the information you won't be able to use it! Apparently it takes only a few minutes to get your response by e-mail.

One other request for PDIS - with so many counties being put into Districts, please help us out by putting the District name and the county name in your submission paperwork. It will help us make sure you get the responses in a timely fashion and for the right locations.

Please do not hesitate to contact one of us if you have any trouble getting into and using this system. We want it to be as painless as possible. --Diana Pavlisko dpavlisk@ksu.edu (785-532-1380), or Judy O'Mara jomara@ksu.edu (785-532-1385)

SHRINE BOWL FUND-RAISER OPPORTUNITY FOR 4-H CLUBS
The Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) organization of Kansas Farm Bureau, through a special arrangement with the Kansas Shrine Bowl, will donate $2.50 to individual 4-H clubs for every YF&R/Shrine Bowl ticket purchased for only $2 (non-member K-12 student price is $5; adult tickets are $9). Purchasing YF&R/Shrine Bowl tickets will allow you and your friends to enjoy fun-filled Shrine Bowl festivities, see an awesome football game and help individual 4-H clubs earn extra cash. On this summer day in July, the Kansas Shrine Bowl will be the hottest ticket in the state.

Kansas Shrine Bowl events will be held July 29-30 in Manhattan. To order your YF&R/Shrine Bowl tickets, call 800-530-5524 and tell them your 4-H club name. Remember to tell them you want to purchase the special YF&R/Shrine Bowl tickets. And for a limited time, when you order your YF&R/Shrine Bowl tickets, if you also order non-member and adult tickets at the same time, your 4-H club will earn a $2.50 donation on those tickets too! Get your order in soon - the deadline for YF&R/Shrine Bowl tickets is July 1.

For all the details included in a letter from YF&R/Farm Bureau, go to http://www.Kansas4-H.org and look under "What's Hot," or go to http://www.kansas4-h.org/Events/ShrineBowl.htm , for the Kansas Shrine Bowl Fund-Raiser. --Justin Wiebers jwiebers@ksu.edu

STATE FAIR BOOKS
State Fair Books have been delivered to the State 4-H Office!! Many counties picked them up last week at Discovery Days. If you have not received them, please look for ways of picking them up or letting us know how we might deliver or send them with someone to avoid mailing costs. Possible delivery times might be June 18, State 4-H Advisory (via Area 4-H Specialist or other representative); June 28, State 4-H Horse Judging Contest. --Jim Adams jadams@oznet.ksu.edu

NEW KANSAS 4-H WRISTBANDS AVAILABLE
A new batch of Kansas 4-H Wristbands have been custom made and are available for order. Each wristband has unique swirls of green and purple. The front side has "KANSAS 4-H" bordered by an official 4-H clover before and after the text. The reverse side has "Get a Life" encouraging youth to pro-actively plan their lives and their achievements; not just letting life happen to them! Photos and details are available at: http://www.Kansas4-H.org/Marketing/Wristbands.htm .

A limited supply of these new wristbands are available for $1.25 each with the intention of being used for fund-raising and/or marketing. To order and make shipping/delivery arrangements, call the State 4-H Office at 785-532-5800 or the Johnson County Extension Office at 913-764-6300. --Justin Wiebers jwiebers@ksu.edu

GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON JUVENILE JUSTICE TO BE HELD IN TOPEKA
"Belief in a Brighter Future" will be the theme for the sixth annual Governor's Conference on Juvenile Justice, which will be held August 1-2, at The Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka.

The conference focuses on legal and facilities issues, and prevention and community interaction. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered from Kansas State University to counselors, mediators, social workers, attorneys, psychologists, and others who work closely with juvenile offenders.

Correctional officers, judges, case workers, attorneys, and others interested in gaining general information or continuing legal education are invited to attend.

For more information or to register, visit www.dce.k-state.edu/juvenilejustice .  --Melinda Sinn, Continuing Education sinnpio@ksu.edu

K-STATE OFFERS COURSES FOR EDUCATORS THIS FALL
Kansas educators will be able to work on their degrees and increase their knowledge in the classroom with Kansas State University's fall course offerings. The courses are offered in Manhattan and Junction City, as well as via the Internet, videotape, guided studies, and TELENET 2-an audio-videoconferencing network. Interested educators should visit www.dce.ksu.edu/coe  to enroll for the courses. To request a brochure, contact the registration office at 1-800-432-8222 or 785-532-5566, or visit the Division of Continuing Education website at www.dce.ksu.edu . --Melinda Sinn, Continuing Education sinnpio@ksu.edu

ADULT EDUCATION SUMMER INSTITUTE TO BE HELD AT K-STATE
"Improving Data Through Effective Instruction" will be this year's topic for the Adult Education Summer Institute, which will be held July 26-29. Sponsored by the Kansas Board of Regents, the Institute will be held at the Kansas State University Student Union in Manhattan.

The Summer Institute will provide educators, program directors, volunteers, and others the opportunity to expand their knowledge and increase their skills through speakers, workshops, sessions, and resource materials designed to provide the latest research and best practices to help adults reach their educational goals.

For more information or to register, visit www.dce.k-state.edu/summerinstitute .  --Melinda Sinn, Continuing Education sinnpio@ksu.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. 

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