Vol. 15, No. 30  June 2, 2009

IN THIS ISSUE... 

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Brief Budget Update for Fiscal Year 2010
...Communications Minute: K-State Zimbra is Here!
...Jim Lindquist Selected for National Honor
...Water Quality/Locust Tree Control Field Day - June 11, 2009
...Weathering Economic Challenges...Emerging Leadership Workshop Planned, June 15 at 2:00 P.M., Using Adobe Connect
...Top 10 Reasons to Attend 2009 National Epsilon Sigma Phi Conference, September 13-15, 2009
..."A Conversation About Districting"
...g2g Outside Starts This Week!
...Retirement Reception for Paul Hartman
...KSRE Adobe Connect Address Change - July 22
...Diversity Programs Office Update
...Extension Council/Board Recruitment Module
...2009 eXtension National Conference - Call for Abstracts/Presentations
...May Extension Agent Personnel Changes
...Master Schedule

                                                                                           ...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Relevance and value. Those two words are key to our conversations, communications, and reporting. Now as much as ever, each of us needs to be thinking and practicing how we would answer the question of K-State Research and Extension's relevance and value. When asked why should public tax dollars be used to fund K-State Research and Extension, how do you answer?

Think of PUBLIC VALUE! How does the public benefit from your work?

Think of RELEVANCE! How does our work relate to the problems and issues of today, and tomorrow?

Learn to make your statements brief and concise.

I believe K-State Research and Extension changes people's lives in positive ways. I believe it is through the individual work of every person in our system that we make that happen. I believe that collectively our work has and will make Kansas a better place for all.

Lastly, I believe you can make a difference with stakeholders when you have thought out such a response and practiced how you would answer those questions. Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

BRIEF BUDGET UPDATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
K-State Research and Extension has posted a budget beginning this month through June 2010 that is 10.67% less than what was budgeted for the previous fiscal year. That amounts to some $5.8 million fewer dollars in the overall budget, and of that, roughly $2.3 million is Extension and $3.5 million is Experiment Station.

So how have those reductions come about? Through department and unit planning, some 20 faculty positions are being removed from the budget. These positions are all currently vacant or will be vacant soon. Reassignment of duties among faculty in those departments has been occurring. These reductions were not strategic, and in many cases involve positions that most would agree to be of vital importance to K-State Research and Extension. Departments and units will be asked to prioritize positions for refilling as funding comes available through future separations or retirements within K-State Research and Extension.

In addition to faculty positions, numerous graduate research positions, other unclassified professional positions, and some 27 classified positions have been removed from the budget, including layoffs. Nine Extension agent positions were removed from budget, believing they would not be refilled in the foreseeable future. And, over $1.3 million in operating funds has been lost with these reductions including the publication and postage funds for local Extension units.

We continue to have discussions with University Central Administration regarding backfilling of the KSRE budget to be a similar reduction to the University, which is targeted at 7%. However, the outlook for this coming fiscal year 2010 is not good in that the news late last week reported that state revenues were some $100 million less than predicted for May 2009. If those actual receipts remain below predictions, the Governor and Legislature will have to make adjustments to the state budget to bring it back into balance sometime during the next 12 months. Such a scenario will likely translate into even deeper cuts to our budget.

Through all these reductions, it is about prioritizing according to mission and giving up those commitments that are not central to the K-State Research and Extension mission. As easy as it is to say that, we all know it is exceedingly difficult to give up. We plead for your diligence and wisdom, and know that we will support those decisions where resources simply are not available to continue certain projects and programs. Creative and innovative means of resourcing those projects and programs central to our mission should be highlighted and communicated whenever possible.

Remember, it's not about what has been lost, but rather what it is we are able to do with the resources we have, and what opportunities would avail if provided even greater resources. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu  

COMMUNICATIONS MINUTE: K-STATE ZIMBRA IS HERE!
Kansas State University has now officially moved to the new Zimbra e-mail system. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes and log on to the new K-State Zimbra WebMail at http://webmail.ksu.edu and look around.

Among the new features on K-State's Zimbra WebMail are an Address Book, Calendar, Task List, Document Briefcase and more. It is also a fully featured and faster way to check your K-State e-mail from the web.

Almost everything you have in K-State Zimbra can be shared with other users. Watch your e-mail and the Tuesday Letter for information about training opportunities and how-to guides for K-State Zimbra.

To help make your experience better, please follow our guide for setting up your K-State Zimbra WebMail: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/techweb/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=4814 .

You may contact IET Tech Support at 785-532-6270 or support@ksre.ksu.edu  regarding questions or any issues regarding Zimbra. You may also contact your local area or departmental support staff. --Russ Feldhausen russfeld@ksu.edu

WATER QUALITY/LOCUST TREE CONTROL FIELD DAY -- JUNE 11, 2009
The North Central Prairie Weed Management Area (NCPWMA) and Solomon Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council will sponsor the Water Quality/Locust Tree Control Field Day on June 11. It is free to the public and will begin at 9:30 a.m., four miles west and two miles south of Glade, Kansas, at the property of Tom and Cheryl Balls.

Keith Harmoney, K-State Range Science Specialist; Jim Strine, Kansas Forest Service District Forester; and Kent Schriener, Dow Chemical; will review the results and chemical application methods applied to the locust trees last year on June 5, 2008. Dr. Walt Fick, K-State Research and Extension Range Management Specialist, will discuss woody plant control.

At noon the field day will move to the Phillips County Fairgrounds for a free steak meal catered by Bigge's Country Kitchen. After the meal, water quality demonstrations and presentations will be provided by Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Coordinator Carolyn Nichols; Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist Larry Meili; and NRCS Conservation Technician James Molzahn. Everyone with an interest in locust tree control and water quality is welcome to attend the Field Day. Please RSVP by June 5, 2009, by calling the Solomon Valley RC&D at 785-425-6647.

For more information on the Weed Identification Workshop in Stockton at 9:30 a.m. on June 16, 2009, with Drs. Walt Fick and Dallas Peterson, please contact the RC&D at the number above. --Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu 

"A CONVERSATION ABOUT DISTRICTING"
"A Conversation about Districting" will be held on Tuesday June 16, at 7 p.m. in the basement meeting room of the Reno County Extension Office, 2 West 10th Avenue, South Hutchinson, Kansas. Dr. Jim Lindquist will present information about the Districting process and procedure. This meeting is for all interested Executive Board members and Extension Agents.

Please call 620-662-2371 or e-mail blilyhor@ksu.edu  with the number attending by June 15th. --Barbara Lilyhorn

g2g OUTSIDE STARTS THIS WEEK!
In a collaborative effort between the Horticulture, Agriculture, Family and Consumer Science, and 4-H Youth Development departments of Sedgwick County Extension, along with the City of Wichita and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, a new program called g2g Outside  begins this week. The program is an initiative to promote outdoor play during this summer for children and families in an effort to combat Nature Deficit Disorder, to encourage curiosity, to engage families in doing things together, to create an awareness of parks in our communities, to develop an appreciation of nature and to increase physical activity.

g2g (Got To Go) is being promoted through various social networking methods.  All the information for the program is found on the program’s blog site at www.g2goutside.wordpress.com . The program is designed to go all summer long and families can join in anytime. There are weekly photo and poetry contests, family outdoor play log, family journaling activities, scavenger hunts, safety hints and more. One of the highlights will be “g2g Play in the Park “ which is a series of semi-structured play events in parks around Wichita. There will be free ice cream, nature exploration, and games to play.

Anyone is welcome to participate – post a blog to our site! Leave a comment! Try an activity! Feel free to share the website and other information with families in your communities. (Some activities are Sedgwick County specific but many are not).

If you have questions, contact Layla El-Chami, Rebecca McMahon, Tonya Bronlewee, or Jodi Besthorn. --Jodi Besthorn besthorn@ksu.edu

RETIREMENT RECEPTION FOR PAUL HARTMAN
Please mark Friday, August 7, 2009 for Paul Hartman's retirement reception and party.

When: Friday, August 7, 2009
Where: K-State Research and Extension Center
            4500 E. Mary St.
            Garden City, Kansas
Time: 2 to 4 p.m. (with comments and remarks at 3 p.m.)

Note: I hope you can stay for an informal party to celebrate Paul's many contributions to Extension at the home of Debra and Dale Bolton in Garden City. We will begin the festivities at 6 p.m. with food, drink, and good stories about Paul Hartman: director, mentor, friend, inspiration, and all-around-good-guy!

Look for more details to come. --Debra Bolton dbolton@ksu.edu

KSRE ADOBE CONNECT ADDRESS CHANGE - JULY 22
Keeping with our Internet name changing conventions from OZNET to KSRE, on Wednesday, July 22, we will be changing all Adobe Connect meeting room Internet addresses (URLs). For example, from http://connect.oznet.ksu.edu/ (your_meeting_room) to http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/ (your_meeting_room).

If you use the old "oznet" address during or after July 22, it will not work! Please inform your Connect users and update any Website and e-mail links that you normally use for your meeting rooms.

For information relating to Connect, go to www.ksre.ksu.edu/TechWeb . For additional information, contact Gerry Snyder, gsnyder@ksu.edu  or call IET at 785-532-6270. --Gerry Snyder

DIVERSITY PROGRAMS OFFICE UPDATE
Summer has arrived and the Diversity Programs Office is excited to welcome students from two of our principal projects to campus. First, we have four students participating in the KSRE Multicultural Undergraduate and Graduate Research Fellowship. They are Angel Laws, Tuskegee University; Charlotte Lewis, North Carolina State University; Harold Mellieon Jr., Southern University; and Schontonia Davis, Tuskegee University. These students will be working closely with professors in the Animal Science Department to complete research on various projects. The students will present their findings at the end of July.

The other group of students that we are happy to welcome is the Project IMPACT Multicultural Academic Program Success (MAPS) participants. The MAPS program invites incoming freshman to come to K-State to prepare for the academic rigor necessary to be a successful student and prepare them for the transition from high school to college. Among these students there are eleven future College of Agriculture students. Seven of the students are from out of state while four are in state participants.

I hope that you will join us in welcoming these new and visiting students. --Zelia Wiley zwh@ksu.edu

EXTENSION COUNCIL/BOARD RECRUITMENT MODULE
The Extension Board Leadership website has a module designed for use in recruiting candidates to serve on the Extension Council and/or the executive board. The Extension Council/Board Recruitment Module is designed to be presented early in the process of preparing for the Extension Council elections and annual meetings. May and June agendas are a good time to begin the process.

While most of the modules on the website are designed for presentation in a 15 to 20 minute time frame, the recruitment module may take a bit longer and will have some responsibilities for board members outside of the meeting.

The initial contact to recruit an individual to run for election should reinforce the importance of the Program Development Committees and the Extension Board. A script has been prepared to clearly explain the role and importance of their work. The orientation can be presented by agents in cooperation with the board chair or other experienced board members.

The module includes a presenters guide, recruitment work sheet and recruitment script.

To get to the module, click on Board Leadership Modules, then Extension Council/Board Recruitment Module at this site: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/boardleadership . --Margaret Phillips margaret@ksu.edu 

2009 eXtension NATIONAL CONFERENCE--CALL FOR ABSTRACTS/PRESENTATIONS
Mark your calendars! The 2009 eXtension National Conference will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, October 20-23, and we are looking for anyone interested in eXtension including Institutional Team members, CES faculty and county staff, or others to present abstracts about eXtension implementation at the state and local level, effective use of eXtension tools and technologies, or other relevant topics. 

General conference information can be found at http://about.extension.org/wiki/2009_eXtension_National_Meeting .

Abstracts are due by JUNE 10, 2009 and information about submission and the submission forms can be found at http://about.extension.org/wiki/2009_Abstract_Submission . 

Please note that eXtension will reimburse the conference registration fee ($225) to the lead author/presenter of each presented abstract! 

If you have questions please contact Carla Craycraft, Conference Planning Committee Co-Chair, carla.craycraft@uky.edu . --Terry Meisenbach tmeisenbach@extension.org

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

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