Please carefully review the 2009 Open Enrollment booklet you have received in your department. This booklet provides information about health insurance and KanElect.

To enroll or make changes for the plan year 2009, you will need to use the online State of Kansas Self Service Center (not the KSU self service center). This is the only method for enrolling or making changes for 2009. Instructions to log in to the State of Kansas Self Service Center and password schema are as follows:
Log on at: http://www.da.ks.gov/ps/subject/ssc/ . 

Employees choosing not to go online during open enrollment will remain in the same medical plan in which they are currently in. However, employees will be defaulted into the “tobacco user” category and pay a higher premium for coverage.

Employees desiring to participate in the 2009 KanElect dependent care and/or health care flexible spending accounts must enroll during the month of October 2008. Eligible dependent care expenses are incurred 1/1/09-12/31/09. Eligible health care expenses are incurred 1/1/09-12/31/09, with a grace period through March 2009. KanElect enrollment is online and at the end of the health insurance online enrollment. Further information can be found in the 2009 open enrollment booklet. --Division of Human Resources

NELD: NORTH CENTRAL 2009
Congratulations to Jana Beckman, Coordinator, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture; and Amy Collins, Extension Agent/Family and Consumer Sciences, Stafford County. They were selected as 2009 National Extension Leadership Development: North Central (NELD: NC) participants. Their first seminar will be January 21-24, 2009 in Scottsdale, AZ.

This is class XV for the program consisting of four three-day seminars designed to build leadership in Cooperative Extension at all organizational levels. NELD: North Central is a program of the 12 North Central States and Penn State University. This program is sponsored by the North Central states’ Extension Services and in 2009 will be coordinated by Purdue Extension.

Including the 2009 delegates, 36 K-State Research and Extension faculty have participated in NELD: North Central. If you are interested in future classes or learning more about the program, contact Marie Blythe at 785-532-6775 or mblythe@ksu.edu . --Marie Blythe

FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN YOUR COMMUNITY
The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development and the Entrepreneurial Communities Working Group at Penn State Extension recently published a report titled "What Entrepreneurs Mean for Your Community and How Entrepreneurship Can Be Fostered."

The paper addresses the potential for fostering entrepreneurship in rural communities, provides definitions of key terms, explains the different types of entrepreneurs, outlines Characteristics of Entrepreneurial Communities, and discusses the future of entrepreneurship. The paper also explains how communities can assess their local strengths and weaknesses to develop an action plan to help cultivate entrepreneurship.

The paper is available at www.nercrd.psu.edu/Publications/rdppapers/rdp40.pdf . --Robert Wilson rmwilson@k-state.edu

4-H DAY WITH LADY CATS
KAE4-HA would like to invite 4-H members and families to attend the January 17 KSU Lady Cats Basketball game against Iowa State. Tip off time is 2 p.m. Participants will receive a game ticket, program, hot dog, drink, and t-shirt. Cost to attend is $15 per person.

Registration forms will be arriving to you via e-mail soon. Registration will be due to the Meadowlark District Seneca Office by December 19.

For more information, contact Ann Religa, areliga@ksu.edu ; Andrea Schmidt, aschmidt@ksu.edu ; or Megan Cassidy, mcassidy@ksu.edu . --Ginger Kopfer gkopfer@ksu.edu

4-H CITIZENSHIP WASHINGTON FOCUS - JUNE 17-28, 2009
The contract confirming the dates for CWF has been completed and the bus company contract is pending, so registration information is finally available on the web at http://www.Kansas4-H.org/Events/CWF/ . Due to rate increases at the National 4-H Center and the bus company, registration must increase $50 this year to $1350. 

Applications and the Applicant Ranking Forms are due in the State 4-H Office by Monday, December 1.  Agents are encouraged to download the password protected “Initial Agent Information” to get the Ranking Form and detailed timeline information. A promotional e-mail message is being sent to 4-H On-Line Registration account holders who have indicated CWF as an interest. -- Justin Wiebers jwiebers@ksu.edu

MARKETING MINUTE: UNDERSTANDING RISK COMMUNICATIONS
K-State Research and Extension employees often find themselves fielding questions about potential risks involved with emerging public issues. Risk communications differs from crisis communications in that we often are proactive in communication beforehand about risk issues, whereas a crisis communications plan is only enacted in response to a crisis event.

A common definition of risk is: Risk = Hazard + Outrage.

Hazard is the scientific assessment of a risk issue. It indicates a quantifiable measure of a problem, whether it is a concern to human health or not, and how likely it is to affect a certain percentage or number of people. 

Outrage is the component we most often deal with in risk communications, though both are important to understand. Outrage relates to the public's perception of risk - in this case, it might be in determining at what level target audiences and the broader public perceive a value or a threat by agricultural biotechnology to the environment, human health, or a particular aspect of their lives.

A common strategy in managing the "outrage" component of a risk issue is to put people in a position where they feel they are in control. Some common strategies include the following:

1) Give them information that helps them understand what risk a certain issue presents to them.
2) Empower people. Give them "tools" or ideas that can help them manage the potential risk themselves.
3) Be compassionate in public communication. Let people know you understand their feelings.

For more communication and marketing tips, visit the K-State Research and Extension marketing Website at www.communications.ksu.edu/marketing . Also, please comment on this or other marketing topics on our blog, www.ksremarketingminute.blogspot.com . --Pat Melgares melgares@ksu.edu

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

To view the complete Master Schedule online or as a pdf, go to http://129.130.72.154/MasterSchAdd/

DATES TAKEN FROM THE MASTER SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 29, 2008 THROUGH NOVEMBER 4, 2008