Tuesday Letter

The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

Vol. 15, No. 7 December 16, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE...

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Network Server Outage During Holidays
...2nd Round of 4-H CWF Application Openings
...Marie's Picks of the Week
...4-H Day with Wildcat Women's Basketball
...Workshop for County and District Directors
...Marketing Minute: Cut Costs While Maintaining Marketing
...Master Schedule

...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Have you ever heard it said "I find it amazing how so and so can somehow get individuals to step forward and take on tasks or volunteer to help out when no one else could make that happen."? John Maxwell, in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, would call that the Law of Connection. Maxwell states "leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand." Another way of describing this law is in the quote "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

The effectiveness of you as an educator, especially in those non-formal educational settings, depends upon your ability to fulfill the Law of Connection. It is a vital skill to have learned how to connect with people in both public and private settings. You know those speakers who seem to be able to touch you individually amongst an audience? They have learned how to connect in a public setting. Similarly, connecting with people, one at a time, is also a vital skill.

When you have done the work to connect with people, you greatly increase your opportunity to create incredible impact. It becomes evident when the vision of the educator becomes the aspiration of the people. As Maxwell concludes, "to lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart."

Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

NETWORK SERVER OUTAGE DURING HOLIDAYS
During the upcoming holiday break, IET staff will be moving servers from a room on the 2nd floor of Umberger Hall to a new space in the basement. Key systems such as CMS webs, database, file and list servers, and NDPN will be unavailable on Monday, December 29th. Other systems will be up and down during Tuesday the 30th and Wednesday the 31st.

IET's offices will be closed from December 25th through January 4th, so Tech Support will not be available during that time. Normal support operations will resume on Monday, January 5th.

Please direct questions regarding these matters to Larry Jackson at 785-532-6270. --Larry Jackson ljackson@ksu.edu

2ND ROUND OF 4-H CWF APPLICATION OPENINGS
We currently have 38 applications for 48 seats on the bus (more than the 45 seats we anticipated) for the Citizenship Washington Focus trip to Washington D.C.

Due to the expensive nature of this trip and the possibility of current applicants choosing not to attend, we are opening a second round of applications for the remaining 10 seats to keep this trip viable for 2009. Youth should use the CWF application available on the web at: http://www.Kansas4-H.org/Events/CWF/ . Additional password protected information about this trip is available for Extension personnel on this web page also. Second round applications and associated $250 deposits will be due January 9, 2009.

If you have youth who may be interested in this remarkable experience but did not apply prior to the deadline, please share this information with them. We appreciate your help in keeping this opportunity available for future generations of youth! --Justin Wiebers jwiebers@ksu.edu

MARIE'S PICKS OF THE WEEK
While reviewing the new database for items that are especially effective at helping us understand how our work can be highlighted to share outcomes, impacts, success stories, and public value, this week my picks were reported by: Nozella Brown, Jonie James, and Lynn Loughary.

Over 50 people, including adults and children, studied nutrition and fitness during Vacation Bible School. At a follow-up session, parents and workers were amazed at knowledge and skills the youths retained and practiced. As a result of this program, the church has decided to implement a weekly wellness program.

Forty-two tenants who received help determining a cash lease agreement were able to evaluate their crop projections using a KSU lease spreadsheet, and determine a starting point for negotiations.

Volunteers pruned trees at a local park. This hands-on training reinforced proper pruning techniques learned through our six-session Tree Keepers classes. Pruning by trained volunteers improves tree health and tree structure in parks that are unable to be maintained by city staff. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu

4-H DAY WITH WILDCAT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Registration flyers came to counties four weeks ago. Families, 4-H alumni, and basketball enthusiasts are invited to register for the Saturday, January 17, 2009, K-State women’s basketball game against Iowa State. Tip off time is set for 2 p.m. Please share the registration form with families in your communities. Registration is due December 19 to the Meadowlark District, Seneca Office. Visit www.kansas4h.org and click on the “Wildcat Women’s BBall 4-H Day” link under the “What’s Hot” section for your copy of the registration form. --Andrea Schmidt aschmidt@ksu.edu ; Sarah Maass semaass@ksu.edu ; Ann Religa areliga@ksu.edu

WORKSHOP FOR COUNTY AND DISTRICT DIRECTORS
Four Local Unit Director Workshops for County and District Directors will be held in February and March 2009. The dates are:

February 19 in Southeast Area
March 10 in Southwest Area
March 11 in Northwest Area
March 12 in Northeast Area

Each local unit's director is encouraged to attend to learn more about budgets and related financial issues, local boards, employee hiring and supervision, office policies and other administrative topics.

Additional details will be coming soon. --Jim Lindquist jlindqui@ksu.edu and Stacey Warner swarner@ksu.edu

MARKETING MINUTE: CUT COSTS WHILE MAINTAINING MARKETING
Budgets are being cut -- that's a fact, no matter whether you are in public sector or private industry. In such times, you need to be thinking about marketing more – not less – so that stakeholders and others still see you as relevant. Need a statistic to share with your funding source? In our 2006 statewide telephone survey, 80 percent of those surveyed strongly approved or approved of spending public funds to support K-State Research and Extension. So, let’s get the word out about our great programs and services.

I recently asked the Marketing special interest group in ACE (Association for Communications Excellence) for ideas and suggestions on how to continue marketing when the budgets dry up. Here is a compilation of their responses:

-Don’t underestimate the power of the newspaper. Even if it’s as simple as an event announcement with your organization’s name and a personal contact, publishing in the local newspaper can have a big impact.

-Radio is still king with many audiences. Our audience research shows that radio is most effective in metro areas, where people have longer commutes and spend more time in their vehicles.

-Use e-mail. E-mail is a great way to distribute electronic newsletters, reminders and announcements. You want your audience to read your messages, so don’t inundate their mailbox with fluff.

-Use your branding and style guides. We provide such a fabulous service to Kansans; it’s a disservice to ourselves to not take the credit for it. Plus, we want them to recognize our brand as representing quality information, great service, and friendly people.

-Review your mailing list. Cull any outdated addresses to save big on postage.

-Print smart. Next week, we’ll give some additional pointers on how to make the most of your printing budget.

Please go to our blog at www.ksremarketingminute.blogspot.com for the full details and more suggestions to make the most of your marketing money. --Linda Sleichter lsleicht@oznet.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 DECEMBER 24, 2008 THROUGH DECEMBER 30, 2008

No events scheduled at this time.

Top

Please Submit Items no later than Noon on Monday to include in the following Tuesday Letter to:
tuesday@oznet.ksu.edu . Put the word "Tuesday" in the subject line.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.