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Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service |
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Vol. 15, No. 42
August 25, 2009 ...Word from the
Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research WORD FROM THE
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH President Schulz outlines a process to formulate ideas for both cost-savings and benefits in the context of K-State's mission. We encourage you to think strategically for those kinds of ideas and to share your ideas by sending to the Budget Office by October 15. We would also enjoy a courtesy copy of those ideas, but know that is not mandated. On a brighter note, I really enjoyed this blog post by Kirk Weisler, a keynote speaker at one of our past Annual Conferences. I've hotlinked it, "Attitude more than Skill gets the Job" . Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu and Fred Cholick fcholick@ksu.edu
COMMUNITY IMPACTS OF BIOFUEL
DEVELOPMENT: REFLECTIONS FROM KANSAS AND IOWA This workshop is designed to provide lessons learned in Kansas and Iowa around these driving questions. You will also gain understanding of some of the current sustainability issues in order to inform your constituents about the opportunities available in bioenergy development. *Presenters:* David Swenson, Associate Scientist/Lecturer at Iowa State University in the Department of Economics, works on community economic analysis and affiliated projects in community development and in extending services related to economics education to the public. *How To Connect:*
VOLUNTEERS
REQUESTED TO HELP IN OUR BOOTHS AT THE KANSAS STATE FAIR
We would appreciate faculty and staff from campus, area offices, counties/districts, Agronomy Fields, and Research-Extension Centers coming to the fair and working a few hours in one or both of the booths. Also, we would really appreciate agents and/or faculty, who are coming to the fair anyway, signing up to work a couple of hours in the booth before or after your activities. Days and times that our KSRE/COA fair booths still need volunteers:
If you would like to work in the K-State Research and Extension booth, please contact Katie Wedel, kwedel@ksu.edu by August 28. If you would like to work in the College of Agriculture booth, please contact Sharon Thielen, sthielen@ksu.edu by August 28. We will be in touch in late August to finalize days, times, entrance tickets, etc. Thank you. --Sharon Thielen and Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu
STATE FAIR 4-H HORSE SHOW -- COMBINED
CLASSES Class number 3001 (Yearling Geldings) and
3003 (2-3 year old Stock Type Geldings) will be combined Class number 3002 (Yearling Fillies) and
3004 (2-3 year old Stock Type Fillies) will be combined Class number 3007 (Non-stock & Pony
Geldings 2 & older) and 3008 (Non-stock & Pony Mares 2 & older) will be
combined Class number 3023 (Hunter Hack over
Fences 9-13) and 3024 (Hunter Hack over Fences 14-18) will be combined Class number 3043 (Team Roping 14-18) and
3045 (Team Roping 9-13) will be combined We have combined these classes due to the number of entries and so that we do not have to cancel classes. There will be no Tie Down Roping at the 2009 State Fair Horse Show, as we did not have any entries. Please contact Sarah Dick, Kansas 4-H Horse Program Coordinator, sarahdd@ksu.edu , with any questions. --Sarah Dick
RECYCLE OLD 4-H
GEOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY BOXES Geology/entomology members would place a self addressed stamped envelope inside their box. Alan would sell the used box for $10 plus cost for repairs. For example, some boxes might need to be refinished and need new Plexiglas. Once the box is sold, Alan would return $10 to the past owner. If the present owner did not want any money in return for the box he would sell the box for any repairs or just pass it on to any first year geology member. Remember that most of the display boxes would be sold in the spring at the state geology trip in June. It could take awhile for the box to sell and the money returned to the owner. The three most convenient times that Alan could pick up the boxes would be at the state fair (September 11), Geology leaders meeting in February, or on the state geology trip in June. Extension agents could also deliver boxes to Jim Adams at the State 4-H Office. If you have any questions, you can reach Alan at 620-343-7368 or e-mail anmeinholdt@sbcgobal.net . --Jim Adams jadams@ksu.edu
RESULTS OF RESEARCH WITH AGENTS
K-STATE RESEARCHERS FIND THAT EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR WORK HAVE HAPPIER HOME LIFE MANHATTAN -- A Kansas State University study shows that invigorated and dedicated employees carry over their positive work experiences for a happier home life. K-State psychology researchers studied how positive work experiences extend into family life and facilitate family interactions. They found that employees who are engaged in their work, which includes higher levels of vigor, more dedication and absorption in daily activities, have better moods and more satisfaction at home. The K-State research group included Clive Fullagar, professor of psychology; Satoris Culbertson, assistant professor of psychology; and Maura Mills, graduate student in psychology, Manhattan. They presented the research in April at the annual conference for Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in New Orleans. The study was partially funded by K-State's Center for Engagement and Community Development. "Our research indicated that individuals who were engaged in positive experiences at work and who shared those experiences with significant others perceived themselves as better able to deal with issues at home, became better companions and became more effective overall in the home environment," Culbertson said. The researchers tracked 67 extension agents for two-weeks to determine the relationship between daily work engagement and work-to-family facilitation. The participants responded to two daily surveys, one at the end of their workday and the other immediately before going to bed for the night. They also completed a separate survey prior to the start of the two-week period and another after the daily data collection had ended. Culbertson said stress at work and stress at home interact in ways that affect outcomes in both domains. The study results suggested that engagement is significantly related to daily mood, and mood also is positively correlated with work-family facilitation. The researchers found that both work engagement and work-to-family facilitation vary considerably from day-to-day. "Just because an employee might not be invigorated or dedicated to his or her work on a Monday doesn't mean he or she won't be engaged on Tuesday or vice versa," Culbertson said. "Additionally, one's work can facilitate things at home to a different extent depending on the day and what has happened on that particular day." The researchers also found that daily work engagement had a positive effect on family life after controlling for workload -- heavy or light work hours were not a factor. Culbertson stressed that engagement refers to positive work involvement rather than more negative forms of job involvement like workaholism and work addiction, which differ in their effects on home lives. "Work addicts, or workaholics, have been shown to experience higher levels of work-family conflict," Culbertson said. "On the contrary, our study showed that higher levels of engagement were related to higher levels of work-family facilitation rather than conflict." Culbertson said organizations could build on these findings and intervene in the workplace. She said that it is important for organizations to help employees balance their work and personal lives. Prior research has shown that people who report high levels of work-family conflict tend to also report experiencing lower job satisfaction, poorer health, lower job performance and a greater likelihood of leaving the organization. Thus, helping employees helps the organization, she said. "Practically, our results indicate that engagement is controlled by situational factors that are manageable by the organization," Culbertson said. "Generating high levels of engagement among workers has a positive impact on the work-family interface." (News release prepared by Kristin Hodges for K-State Media Relations. The source of the information is Satoris Culbertson.)
NEW PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN "FORM" The following steps will help guide the process: 1. Employee Resources > Professional Development> Professional Development System 2. Select Catalog tab. "Check" in boxes left of the 2009-10 professional development offerings which you plan to participate in. Click the "Add/Update" button at the bottom of the page. The search component may be used to narrow down focus areas or core competencies offerings in the catalog 3. Select "My Professional Development Plan" tab 4. Select your primary area of program focus (this would be the program focus team you are on) 5. Select one core competency (descriptions linked at Professional Development website) 6. Review your selections and "check" those you want to included in your plan. 7. Add additional professional development that are not listed in the catalog
--Margaret Phillips margaret@ksu.edu
EXTENSION
COUNCIL/BOARD RECRUITMENT The process outlined in the Extension Council/Board Recruitment module begins with identifying strengths of the current board, and developing criteria of characteristics needed in Council/Board members. The module includes worksheets, scripts and additional resources that will be valuable to use. It takes time to engage in a process that involves many people and includes providing them with adequate information to make the decision to become a candidate. The Extension Board Leadership site includes this and many other modules which you may find helpful when working with the local Extension Board. --Margaret Phillips margaret@ksu.edu
FAMILY DAY, 4TH MONDAY IN SEPTEMBER Family Day emphasizes the importance of regular family activities and encourages Americans to make family dinners a regular feature of their lives. A poster, flyer and about 50 recipe cards will be sent to each office through your county packets from KSU. The recipes are from the Kids a Cookin’ series. For more details on Family Day, go to the following website: http://www.kansasfamily.com/GetInvolved-FamilyDay.cfm . --Carla Morrical-Frederking cmorrica@ksu.edu
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!
"Full Circle" celebrating its fifth year, will be hosting KSN-TV's, Dr. Tana Goering, as its keynote speaker. A Scott County native, Dr. Goering will be talking about "Taking Charge of Your Health... and Healthcare." Other topics for the Expo range from Elder Law to Mind Aerobics. For more information about this premier event, contact Libby Curry at 785-462-6281, Carla Morrical-Frederking at 785-628-9430, or Tranda Watts at 785-443-3663. To obtain registration information, go to www.ellis.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx or www.northwest.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx to download a registration brochure. --Byron Hale bhale@ksu.edu "MOOOVIN' AHEAD II" Shawnee County Master 4-H Volunteers present "Mooovin' Ahead II", a workshop providing project-specific information, tips, and ideas for teaching lessons at project meetings. Adult and youth 4-H project leaders and Extension staff will attend 3 classes during the event on Saturday, November 14, from 1 - 4 p.m. 4-Hers will offer concessions during the event at Seaman High School, Topeka. Registration is available at www.shawnee.ksu.edu . For more information, please contact Sarah Laib at slaib@ksu.edu . --Sarah Laib
NO-COST 4-DAY
LEADER TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR KOHP (KANSANS OPTIMIZING HEALTH PROGRAM) What Does No-Cost Mean? Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) will pay your tuition for the 4-day training, your hotel (shared room), mileage, and most meals. In return, you promise to teach the course with your co-leader twice per year. Trained KOHP leaders may also apply for mini-grants of $1,000 to assist with program implementation in your local community. In today's tight budgetary environment, we are not likely to see many of these opportunities come our way. Please e-mail Joan Kahl at jkahl@ksu.edu to indicate your interest in becoming a KOHP leader. What is KOHP? Individuals are taught how to manage their symptoms and how to impact their health through personal actions. Subjects covered include: 1) techniques to deal with frustration,
pain and fatigue, Research into the effects of the course indicated a decrease in physician visits, an increase in communication with physicians, an increase in exercise levels, and a reduction of health care costs. What is required of a KSRE Leader for
KOHP? Again, please e-mail Joan Kahl at jkahl@ksu.edu to indicate your interest in becoming a KOHP leader. For more information, contact me at the above e-mail or at 785-532-1905. --Joan Kahl
COMMUNICATIONS MINUTE: CORRECTLY USING QUOTATION MARKS IN TEXT The reason the rules seem tricky is that they are, in fact, illogical. A 1957 Harbrace College Handbook explains why: "In using marks of punctuation with quoted words, phrases, or sentences, follow the arbitrary printers’ rules." The rules wouldn’t have seemed so arbitrary back when printers had to set type by hand. To get their demanding job done, printers sometimes blended what’s "right" with what saves time and/or looks best. In this case, they also established grammar rules that appear today in every guide and stylebook. In turn, their rules produced generations of people who seem almost gleeful in pointing out mistakes. Fortunately, avoiding mistakes still requires knowing just three rules, only one of which is truly shifty: 1. The period and the comma ALWAYS go inside the quotation marks. 2. The colon and semicolon ALWAYS go outside the quotation marks. 3. The quoted material itself determines where the question mark and exclamation point go. If the quote is a question or exclamation, the mark goes inside – even if the sentence as a whole is also a question or exclamation. Otherwise, the question mark or exclamation point goes outside the quote mark, because it only applies to the sentence, not the quotation. Examples – "We are here," the Who people said. "We are here, we are here, we are here!" He called it his "river shack"; he could just as easily have called it a mansion! Is this mess another example of technology-related "efficiency"? By the way: Logic suggests that the more degrees you have, the higher your odds for having "unlearned" these rules. The APA and MLA stylebooks, for example, insist on lots of academic-writing exceptions -- even for an Abraham Lincoln classic: "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here". --Kathleen Ward kward@ksu.edu
KSRE MASTER
CALENDAR New features! **When you use the search feature (tab on top row), you can ADD AN EXACT PHRASE OR TEXT to the search parameters. Select "Upcoming Events" to review events and professional development offerings for the next two weeks. Use "Submit Event" to enter your own event dates. Make sure that your events are listed correctly. You can edit events that you have submitted. If you need to correct previously submitted items, contact Marie Blythe. Note: Professional Development entries are automatically added to the new Master Calendar system and do not require separate/duplicate entry! --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.eduPlease 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. |