Tuesday Letter

The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

Vol. 13, No. 13 February 6, 2007

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...TechBytes Series Begins February 7 with Google Tools!
...Sustainable Agriculture Conference Registration Due February 9
...Last Day to Change Password is February 14
...KanElect Claims for 2006
...Extension Council/District Cellular Phone Allowances
...Building Partnership and Expanding Programs through PRIDE
...Marie's Pick of the Week
...K-State Leadership Seminar Announced
...K-State Research and Extension Staff Roster Ready to Print
...2007 KAE4-HA Spring Conference, "Potpourri of Puzzle Pieces"
...Framework Out of Poverty
...Mark Your Calendar for the Third Annual Extension "Health Fest!"
...Mentoring Workshops Scheduled
...Save the Dates...
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Professional development and continued personal growth of all faculty in both a subject matter competency and in the competencies it takes to be an Extension professional are vital to the future of K-State Research and Extension.

Today, Tuesday, February 6, we are beginning a two day work session on developing plans for subject matter competency development in the 13 areas of program focus. These meetings are happening in the K-State Alumni Center. Expectations and outcomes for each program focus team have been defined as follows:

Each team will engage in a full dialog on future planning to increase the capacity of an Extension agent to develop expertise and deliver programming in a given subject matter area. I anticipate that both specialists AND agents would have some ideas of what that would take. Expertise and active programming may not be synonymous with respect to the training and development needed. It is important that all voices are heard and valued for input into this process. In many respects, the intent of this process is to develop a "community of practice" where all participants contribute to the overall success of the team through the diversity of roles, responsibilities, and experiences brought to the team.
Each team will develop a long range (3 to 5 year process) of curriculum and a perceived sequence that will build those capacities of expertise and programming. Both agents and specialists must believe completion of such steps will increase capacity. The plan must also be doable with respect to the resources of time and cost. This curriculum is not expected to be complete at the conclusion of this meeting, but is to be completed by July 2007.
Each team will maintain a list of training opportunities for agents within the given subject area.
Each team will take responsibility after the meeting in identifying the necessary people and opportunities to see that someone will design and submit training and/or professional development opportunities into the system through the professional development / training approval process by August 1, 2007 for communication and consideration by all agents who have interest in such development. This first set of offerings should cover the period through December 31, 2008.
The team will take responsibility for communicating the results of this meeting and subsequent developments through a program focus team website so that anyone can ascertain and understand the work of the team.

We are committed to continue to communicate upcoming deadlines for submission of training opportunities so that agents will be able to select from the catalog of opportunities how they intend to devote the limited (10%) time for their personal, professional improvement.

Any lack of understanding or confusion with the process, or suggested improvements for the process, must be brought forward and considered in the overall delivery structure for training and professional development. Reminds me of an anonymous quote, "Life is like a band. We need not all play the same part, but, we MUST all play in harmony."

Thanks for accepting your role in this process. - Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

TECHBYTES SERIES BEGINS FEBRUARY 7 WITH GOOGLE TOOLS!
The TechBytes series for the spring semester starts this week. These seminars are free and open to the K-State community to share technology innovations, whether it's a new technology or a new way to use an existing technology. The complete lineup will be posted soon on the TechBytes website, www.ksu.edu/techbytes . These programs are also offered as a live broadcast using video streaming.

Google Tools! kicks off the series at 1:15 p.m., Wednesday, February 7, in Union 213. Over the last several years, Google has developed a great number of useful tools, many of which are available to the public without charge. Part of Google's philosophy is, "It's best to do one thing really, really, well." That one thing is search, and you'll find that is the common theme to an ever-increasing array of Google tools.

Google is organizing the world's information and making it readily available to anyone with an Internet connection. Come take a peek at some of the lesser known tools like Personalized Homepage, Calendar, Picasa, Notebook, and SketchUp.

For more information, contact Gerry Snyder, gsnyder@ksu.edu . --Gerry Snyder

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DUE FEBRUARY 9
Keeping rural communities vibrant, where children grow up and want to come back to raise their own families, will be a common theme throughout the February 16-17 Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Manhattan.

The early registration deadline for “The Well-Being of Rural Kansas” conference is February 9. The conference fee is $80, or $40 for one day. Travel scholarships are available. --Jana Beckman beckman@ksu.edu

LAST DAY TO CHANGE PASSWORD IS FEBRUARY 14
The deadline is approaching soon! There are new password requirements this year. They can be viewed at https://eid.k-state.edu/eProfile/jsp/faq/password.jsp#required .

If you need assistance, call IET at 785-532-6270. --Kat Burton kburton@ksu.edu

KANELECT CLAIMS FOR 2006
Employees who participated in the KanElect program in 2006 have until April 15, 2007 to submit claims to ASI for any services occurring between January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006, for the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. Those who participated in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account also have until April 15, 2007 to submit claims for any services occurring between January 1, 2006 through February 28, 2007.

Questions should be addressed to Benefits Administration in the Division of Human Resources at 785-532-6277. --Division of Human Resources

EXTENSION COUNCIL/DISTRICT CELLULAR PHONE ALLOWANCES
Cellular phone allowances paid to Extension Agents and staff are taxable income to the recipient. Extension Councils and Districts are responsible for paying and reporting the payroll taxes related to the allowance including providing IRS FORM W-2 to the allowance recipients. The process is complicated, as most recipients will have payroll taxes on the benefit of the Extension Council/District paying the payroll taxes. Please call or e-mail, if you have questions.

There are non-taxable alternatives to cell phone allowances. Please contact your Area Director for additional information. --Bob Casey rcasey@ksu.edu

BUILDING PARTNERSHIP AND EXPANDING PROGRAMS THROUGH PRIDE
Kansas PRIDE is hosting a workshop for county extension staff and members of PRIDE communities to share success stories, resources and explore the community development process. Please reserve March 13 on your calendar and invite county PRIDE community members to join you for a day of learning and sharing at the Rice County Extension Office in Lyons, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Registration cost is $12, which includes the lunch. The registration deadline is March 7. For more information or to register, please contact the PRIDE office at 785-5840, or Jaime at jmenon@ksu.edu . --Connie Hoch choch@oznet.ksu.edu

MARIE’S PICK OF THE WEEK
While continuing to review the Project Accomplishments database for items especially effective at helping us understand how our work can be highlighted to share outcomes, impacts, and success stories, this week’s selection comes from Cheri Nelsen.

Cheri’s outcomes state: The older youth involved in 4-H have really stepped up and become leaders at school, church, and in various other activities and organizations. She went on to include a success story about several of the 4-H youth also serving as presidents of FFA, FCCLA, and other organizations. One particular, previously quiet, shy girl was recently named high individual at the National FFA Ag Communications contest. Cheri stated that this girl had become a true leader in 4-H and FFA. Their FFA team placed first in the competition; four of the five team members were also 4-H members! --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu

K-STATE LEADERSHIP SEMINAR ANNOUNCED
Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials – three generations living and working together in a complex world. Who are they? What values do they share? How do their expectations and behaviors differ? What are their leadership styles? And, how can they work together successfully?

To learn more, plan now to attend the 2007 Kansas State University Leadership Seminar, March 29, in the K-State Student Union, Manhattan.

Titled "Intergenerational Leadership: Bridging the Gap Between Generations," the one-day professional development seminar will focus on learning to identify the differences in leadership style related to age and building the skills (facilitative leadership) to work successfully across generational differences.

Featured speakers include keynote speaker Ron Prince, Head Football Coach at Kansas State University; Tom Roberts, assistant dean, recruitment and development, Kansas State College of Engineering; Jim Richardson, National Geographic Society photographer and social documentary photographer of rural life; and Jeffrey Cufaude, founder and principal, Idea Architects, Inc.

Registration for the seminar, which includes lunch, refreshments and conference packet, is $50 (on or before March 1) and $60 thereafter. Registration and more information is available at http://www.dce.ksu.edu/conf/leadershipseminar .

Contact for the seminar is Robert Wilson, 785-532-77823, or rmwilson@ksu.edu . --Nancy Peterson nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu

K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION STAFF ROSTER READY TO PRINT
The KSRE Staff Roster has been brought up to date and now is an ideal time to download and print to pdf file for your office hard copies. To navigate to the website from the KSRE home page, click on Staff Corner, and then Staff Roster/updates. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

2007 KAE4-HA SPRING CONFERENCE, "POTPOURRI OF PUZZLE PIECES"
The 2007 KAE4-HA Spring Conference will be held April 3-4, in Hutchinson. The cost will be $25 for the early bird registration postmarked by March 20, for KAE4-HA members and $35 for non-members. The conference meetings will be held at the Dillon Nature Center, 3002 E. 30th Avenue, Hutchinson, KS 67502.

Workshops offered:

Beth Hinshaw, Southeast Area 4-H Specialist; and Andrea Schmidt, Riley County 4-H Agent; will present an in-depth workshop on "Teen Brain" and how the teen brain functions and why we sometimes don’t understand how it functions.

Deryl Waldren, Northwest Area 4-H Specialist, will present "Everyday Creativity" using the DVD by DeWitt Jones who worked many years for National Geographic. Get ready to get outside your comfort zone and open up the creative juices.

Program Share details - The new program you did in 2006 may be just the one someone else can use now. Please share your ideas, as we all know, reinventing the wheel consumes valuable time! We will offer five, ten minute time periods, and also provide a table display area throughout the conference, if needed. Please fill out the enclosed form with your intentions and return it by March 20. Please bring 50 copies of any handouts to share. For Program Share information, contact Aliesa Woods, at 785-524-4432, or e-mail her at awoods@oznet.ksu.edu .

Hotel details - A block of rooms has been reserved under "Kansas 4-H" at the Hampton Inn, 1401 ½ E. 11th Avenue, Hutchinson, KS 67501; telephone, 620-665-9800. The cost is $69.95 for a double or single room. You must reserve your room by March 20, to get the reserved rate.

For additional details about the conference, contact Andrea Schmidt at 785-537-6350 or e-mail her at: aschmidt@ksu.edu . For a copy of the flyer and schedule, registration form and program share form, visit the website at www.oznet.ksu.edu/kae4ha . Click on the lower left side on flyer and registration. --Deryl Waldren dwaldren@oznet.ksu.edu

FRAMEWORK OUT OF POVERTY
Framework out of Poverty is a two day workshop developed to help extension, education and agency personnel gain a greater understanding of the challenges and strengths of different social classes. The workshop will be held March 27 and 28 at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center, 7001 W. 21st St N, Wichita, KS.

This workshop is an extension of the Bridges out of Poverty workshop that was offered last year. The first day will focus on developing and understanding the skills needed to work with low-income audiences. The presenter will be a member of the "aha! process" team (not the same presenter as last year) that explores the hidden rules of social economic groups, the causes of poverty, language differences and possible cognitive issues. The second day our presenter will be Consuelo Sandoval, who specializes in cultural issues, especially as they relate to Hispanics and people living in poverty.

Whether you attended last year's workshop or if you are a first-timer, you will gain valuable insight regarding issues of poverty and how you can improve your programming to better meet the needs of your low-income clientele. To get the most benefit from the workshop, it will be helpful to read (or reread) the book "Bridges out of Poverty-Strategies for Professionals and Communities." If you would like to purchase a book ($20), please indicate that on your registration form.

Register for the workshop online at www.4-h.k-state.edu . The fee for both March 27 and 28 is $50. A one day registration is $40. The registration deadline is March 15. --Carol Fink cfink@ksu.edu , Gary Gerhard ggerhard@ksu.edu , Evelyn Neier eneier@ksu.edu

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL EXTENSION "HEALTH FEST!"
Extension "Health Fest!" will take place April 27- 28, 2007 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. Previously known as the Healthy Lifestyle Institute, this year's "Health Fest!" is open to all Extension professionals and community partners who have interest in supporting the National USDA 4-H Health and Wellness Mission Mandate. On April 27, Health Rocks!, the National 4-H Council's health promotion program, will be featured. Trainers from Mississippi State University Extension will be leading us in the basics of the community youth development program for health.

On April 28, Bobbie Harris, Friends University faculty member and originator of the acclaimed "Physical Extensions" health promotion project for afterschool, will be training teens and adults in afterschool group management and physical activity promotion. Bobbie is also the author of Physical Focus and Physical Essentials, which are both Kansas Health Foundation programs that are currently used in many Kansas schools.

Extension Health Fest! is supported by the USDA/CYFAR "Kansas Teen Leadership for Physically Active Lifestyles" project.

Registration information and workshop details will be available by mid-February. For more information, contact Carol Fink, cfink@ksu.edu ; or Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu . --Elaine Johannes

MENTORING WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED
Every new extension agent is assigned a mentor or mentors. A recent survey conducted by the Kansas Association of County Agricultural Agents and conversations with mentors and new agents have demonstrated that the mentoring relationship is vital to the success and support of the new agent. Both mentors and new agents have requested additional resources and direction in order to strengthen the mentoring experience.

In response to that request, mentoring workshops have been scheduled for October and November 2007. They will be held in the Southwest Area on October 30, Northwest Area on October 31, Southeast Area on November 6, and Northeast Area on November 7. Additional information on location and times will be available about September 1. New resources for mentors and new agents will be introduced at the workshops.

The target audience will include agents who have been mentors, those who would like to be mentors, agents who have or will have a new colleague and new agents.

Contact Margaret Phillips, margaret@ksu.edu ; or Stacey Warner, swarner@ksu.edu ; to suggest something you would like to have included in the workshop or in the new resources. --Stacey Warner

SAVE THE DATES...
... April 11-12, 2007, for the 19th Annual Community Economic Development Conference – A Time of Change, A Time for Change: Regionalism for Rural Kansas – in Lindsborg, Kansas. This conference is sponsored by the Institute for Policy & Social Research at KU, the K-State Center for Engagement and Community Development, and the Kansas Department of Commerce.

The 2007 Kansas Community Economic Development Conference will explore regionalism as an economic driver for rural Kansas. Participants will expand community boundaries and redefine regions, strategically pick issues for cooperation, learn how to enlist new partners and create opportunities, and leave with an action strategy for collaboration.

Keynote speakers include John Molinaro, with the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group in Washington, D.C.; and Jerome Dobson, Professor of Geography at KU, and President of the American Geographical Society.

Visit the conference website, http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/conferen/kcced/ for registration and other information. --Dan Kahl dankahl@ksu.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Submit corrections to previously submitted items to jzarger@ksu.edu .

DATES TAKEN FROM THE MASTER SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY 14, 2007, THROUGH FEBRUARY 20, 2007:

ADDITIONS:

Thursday, February 8
.... Plant Health Care Workshop, Garden City (Lee Richardson Zoo, 312 Finnup Drive), Statewide, Registration 12:30 p.m., Seminar 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tim McDonnell tmcdonne@ksu.edu

Friday, February 9
.... Plant Health Care Workshop, Ottawa/FR (City Hall, 101 S. Hickory St, Commission Chambers), Statewide, Registration 12:30 p.m., Seminar 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tim McDonnell tmcdonne@ksu.edu

Tuesday, February 13
.... Plant Health Care Workshop, Manhattan (Union Pacific Historic Train Depot, 120 Ft. Riley Blvd), Statewide, Registration 12:30 p.m., Seminar 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tim McDonnell tmcdonne@ksu.edu

Wednesday, February 14
.... Sprayer Set Up/Drift Management, Isabel/BA, Multi-county, SW, 10:00 a.m., Curtis Thompson cthompso@oznet.ksu.edu
.... Plant Health Care Workshop, Oakley/LG (Logan County Courthouse, 710 W. 2^nd), Statewide, Registration 12:30 p.m., Seminar 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tim McDonnell tmcdonne@ksu.edu

Thursday, February 15
.... Plant Health Care Workshop, Chanute (Central Park Pavilion, 101 S. Forest), Statewide, Registration 12:30 p.m., Seminar 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tim McDonnell tmcdonne@ksu.edu
.... Grain Sorghum School, Ness County Fairgrounds, Multi-county, NW, 6:00 p.m., David Coltrain coltrain@oznet.ksu.edu

Friday, February 16
.... Plant Health Care Workshop, Bel Aire/SM (City Bldg, 7651 E. Central Park Ave.), Statewide, Registration 12:30 p.m., Seminar 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tim McDonnell tmcdonne@ksu.edu

Sunday, February 18, through Monday, February 19
.... Citizenship in Action, Topeka, Statewide, Justin Wiebers jwiebers@ksu.edu and Beth Hinshaw bhinshaw@oznet.ksu.edu

Monday, February 19, through Thursday, February 22
.... Local Office Operations Orientation, KSU-Manhattan, Statewide, Jim Lindquist jlindqui@oznet.ksu.edu

Tuesday, February 20
.... Cotton/Canola Production, Greensburg/KW, Multi-county, SW, 9:30 a.m., Curtis Thompson cthompso@oznet.ksu.edu

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