The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

  
Vol. 11, No. 46  September 27, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Department Head of Communications
...Status of Faculty Positions
...Specialists' Quarterly Reports
...Reminder to KEAFCS Friendship Night Invitees
...Understanding Community Development
...Enter Your Questions in eXtension
...Military 101 Training in October
...Thank You From Glenn Brunkow
...Awards to Recognize the Land Conservation Leadership of County Officials
...Look What's Coming, January 10 - 12, 2006
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
I heard a quote recently in a documentary video that encouraged you to be the best for the world. The quote was, "It's a subtle shift between pushing ourselves to be the best in the world, and allowing ourselves to be the best for the world." While it is a subtle shift, it speaks volumes in the way in which we view ourselves and our work, and simply by changing just one word. I believe it may also resonate with anyone who works with people in the service and support mode, as we do as educators throughout the K-State Research & Extension system.

When our efforts and focus are central to being the best in the world, our talents and efforts can get directed towards those things that bring personal gain, such as money and recognition. In contrast, when our efforts are towards being the best for the world, we approach the priorities with a broader attitude of service and support. It moves the focus from a need for personal gain and recognition as a motivator, to using our talents and energies as best we can for the good of the family, community, workplace, or wherever one's talents are needed. It also removes the expectation that fame and wealth must come with the great things we do. We can strive to make the world a better place, but we can't always ensure that our efforts will succeed, or be fully recognized.

I am sure you can think of numerous individuals, current and past, who operate in the mode of being the best for the world. It doesn't mean that these individuals aren't recognized and rewarded, but that they gain satisfaction through first giving the best they have without concern for being measured against others for potential recognition or reward.

A couple other quotes that might be worth pondering from Kirk Weisler:

"We see the world not as it is, but as we are."
"We move towards and become that which we consistently think about and believe."

--Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

DEPARTMENT HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Kristina Boone has been named Department Head of Communications, effective October 9, 2005. I am looking forward to working with Kris as she provides visionary leadership for the Department of Communications.

I would like to thank those who served on the search committee. Also, I want to express appreciation to those who participated and/or provided input to the search process. --Fred A. Cholick fcholick@oznet.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

SPECIALISTS' QUARTERLY REPORTS
Instructions for recording Specialist Effort in RETORIC can be found at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/prev/ . Select RETORIC Support Documents, then Record Specialist Effort. Please record Specialist Efforts soon after the end of the reporting period on September 30. If you have questions or need assistance, call the Planning and Reporting office at 785-532-6775. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu

REMINDER TO KEAFCS FRIENDSHIP NIGHT INVITEES
Don't forget the reservation deadline for the annual KEAFCS Friendship night event, A Purple Hat Social, to be held during annual conference on Monday, October 17, 6:30 p.m., at the KSU Alumni Center. Reservations/Payment should be sent to Diane Burnett, FCS Agent, Miami County, 20 S. Gold Street, Paola, KS 66071, by September 30.  Diane L. Burnett dburnett@oznet.ksu.edu  

UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
What is it about a community that makes it successful? Healthy? Sustainable? When communities that considered themselves successful answered these questions, some interesting trends emerged. On Tuesday, October 18, during Annual Conference, Mary Emery, Associate Director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, will present a session on "Community Capitals." This session will provide a great foundation for understanding community development for extension professionals.

For more information, contact Dan Kahl, dkahl@oznet.ksu.edu . --Dan Kahl

ENTER YOUR QUESTIONS IN eXtension
It's not too late to enter your frequently asked questions into eXtension. Capturing questions and answers that we respond to on a continual basis as agents and specialists and eventually sharing this knowledge base nationwide is what eXtension Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is all about.

We are asking your help in contributing to this effort. As it should be, populating the FAQ component of eXtension will fall primarily to the Extension educators who typically get and respond to those questions. You, as K-State Research and Extension agents and specialists, can be leaders in contributing to this initiative.

You will find directions for entering FAQs at the FAQ website: http://faq.extension.org . However to get you started, this is what you do:

1. Point your web browser at http://faq.extension.org . Just below the Login and Password fields you will see a link that says "you may register here." Click on that link and provide the information requested. Once you submit that information, the FAQ system will send you an e-mail message that contains your assigned password.

2. After you get your password, return to the same FAQ website, enter your e-mail address as your login ID and the password that came to you in the e-mail message, and click the "submit" button. This will take you to a screen where you begin to enter your actual questions and answers. Before you get to this point, I recommend you review the attached guidelines for suggestions on how to frame these questions and answers.

3. As you enter questions and answers, you will be asked to indicate whether your answer is only appropriate for a certain state or growing zone. The growing zones relate to hardiness zones for plant or tree growth referenced at http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html . If your answer is not affected by geographic region, then do not select either the state or the growing zone.

In entering questions and answers, do not worry about whether someone else may have already entered something similar. It is important not only to collect relevant questions and answers, but also to know how frequent and widespread these same questions are asked. So, it is best for each of you individually to think about those questions you yourself receive most frequently and enter them into the system.

While you do have time to enter thoughtful questions at the website, they are asking that you submit your entries by October 31, 2005. For more information about eXtension, visit http://intranet.extension.org .

Thank you for your help in making eXtension a success! For more specific help with your questions, contact Roger Terry or Paula Peters. --Paula Peters peters@humec.ksu.edu

To serve these audiences, it is important to understand how the military operates, abbreviations/acronyms they use, and some of the services available to military members and their families that are different than what is available to the general public. Also, Extension has been concerned about identifying programming needs to better serve this audience.  

Geary County is hosting a Military 101 training for Extension Agents and any other interested KSRE staff members on Friday, October 21, 9:30 a.m. - noon, at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library, 230 W. 7th, Junction City. Ken Burgoon, who has had a lifetime serving either in the military or as a community liaison to the military, will outline military structures, protocol and services. Samatha Robinson, current Junction City military liaison to Ft. Riley, will outline what is being done to accommodate this influx of residents and needs of the military that Extension might be able to fulfill.  

If there is interest in actually touring Ft. Riley to see the post and some of the facilities, I would be glad to arrange for that on the afternoon of October 21.  Please let me know if you are interested in that option and if so, would you have a van available?

Please let me know by Thursday, October 13, if you plan to attend the Military 101 training and/or are interested in a Ft. Riley tour. --Donna Martinson dmartins@oznet.ksu.edu

THANK YOU FROM GLENN BRUNKOW
I would like to thank everyone for their support following my mother's passing. I cannot express how much the support, thoughts and prayers eased the loss and how much it meant to my family to know that our friends in Extension cared. Thank you so much for helping us through this difficult time. --Glenn Brunkow gbrunkow@oznet.ksu.edu

AWARDS TO RECOGNIZE THE LAND CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP OF COUNTY OFFICIALS
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) have announced a call for nominations for a national award recognizing leadership in countywide land conservation programs. The County Leadership in Conservation Awards recognizes leadership, innovation, and excellence in local land conservation and park creation by county leaders across America.

To support and recognize the  initiatives of county leaders promoting these substantial public investments, three or more awards will be presented to officials (elected or appointed) representing governments of NACo-member counties based on small, medium, and large county populations. Nominations will be judged based on a broad range of criteria including leadership, innovation, benefits to underserved populations, and benefits to quality of life and environmental quality.

The deadline for submissions is November 18, 2005. More information is available at: www.tpl.org/awards . --Robert Wilson rwilson@mail.agecon.ksu.edu

LOOK WHAT'S COMING, JANUARY 10 - 12, 2006
"Life in the Fast Lane" for those who would like to get a clear understanding of the "learning by doing" (Experiential Learning Model) concept. Mark these dates on your calendar. More details will be coming. --Walter Barker wbarker@oznet.ksu.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. 

Top