The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
(Vol. 16 No. 18)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Making a Difference.... Telling the Story. Spring Action Conference 2010 is coming up in less than a month. Focus is on gathering the evidence that shows how K-State Research and Extension is making a difference, and helps to tell our stories. So, why is that important? Is it worth your time and expense to participate?
Important? You bet it is. Now more than ever to be able to tell the REAL story as to how the work of K-State Research and Extension is making a difference is critical. Budgets are tight at all levels. Stakeholders are having to make tough choices. If those stakeholders don't have the evidence in their hands, we've put our organization at great risk of losing support and ultimately funding.
Worth time and expense? I believe it a great investment. You will engage with Mr. Steve Siemens , a motivational speaker, who will help to set the stage and frame our minds towards a productive time. He will also close us out on an "UP" presentation to send us off with excellence, passion, and enthusiasm!
Dr. Debra Gebeke will lead us through an interactive discussion of the process, tools, and usefulness in documenting the effectiveness of our educational programs. She brings years of experience, examples, and outcomes with the Extension faculty at North Dakota State University. There will be time to work with your program focus teams to develop tools that will help us gather evidence to tell a statewide story related to the action plans that you are beginning to implement.
Expectations? My expectation is that each agent and specialist will commit to gather evidence for at least one program related to their program focus team work that will contribute to a statewide impact statement. By the time the team adjourns, all members should understand how that will be achieved and who is responsible to make it happen.
Register! So, if you haven't already done so, register for Spring Action Conference 2010 and make your hotel room reservations now! A block of rooms has been reserved under K-State Research and Extension at the room rate of $60 per night. Please make your room reservation by calling 620-792-2431 or 1-866-212-7122. The deadline to receive this rate is March 23, 2010.The cost of registration is $80, but if your registration and check are received by March 23 you will only be charged $65! So act now!
And, have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR K-STATE LEADERSHIP SEMINAR
Seats are filling quickly for the 14th annual K-State Leadership Seminar, "Adaptive Leadership: Leading in a Permanent Crisis." The seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24, at the K-State Union on the Manhattan campus.
The deadline to register is this Friday, March 12. The $85 registration fee includes lunch. Detailed seminar information and online registration are available at www.k-state.edu/leadershipseminar.
Register today for this provocative and challenging seminar as we explore the concept of Adaptive Leadership, the practice of mobilizing people individually and collectively to tackle tough challenges and thrive. Gain insights from experienced practitioners, and engage with other participants in interactive breakout sessions to enhance your learning about the skills and tools utilized by Adaptive Leaders. Three exceptional keynote speakers headline this year's seminar:
* Kristin von Donop, Principal, Cambridge Leadership Associates
* Dr. Peter Cohen, Dean and Professor, College of Health Professions, Wichita State University
* Ed O'Malley, President and CEO, Kansas Leadership Center
For questions about registration, please contact the Division of Continuing Education, or call 785-532-5569. --Robert Wilson rmwilson@k-state.edu
DIVERSITY PROGRAMS OFFICE UPDATE
Spring has finally sprung, and the Diversity Programs Office
is celebrating with numerous activities. In February, Terry Garvert was named the College
of Agriculture Alumni Fellow. During his campus visit to receive this
honor, the K-State MANRRS chapter held a pizza party in his honor and invited
the Cargill Scholars from around campus to attend. Also in February, the first black graduates
of the College of Agriculture
were honored at the Alumni Center
with stone pavers.
Coming up this month,
the MANRRS students are excited to participate in the MANRRS National
Conference from March 24-27. Ten
students will be attending the event in Orlando,
Florida. They are Mychal Davis, Olivia Moore, Eric Houston, Oliver Freeman, Amber
Tyler, Lauren Brewer, Ian Smith, Anikka Ahmed, Donald Walls, and Sonia
Gonzalez. This conference will mark the 25th anniversary of the
organization. The theme for the event
is, 'MANRRS: 25 Years of History, Excellence and Opportunities... The Best is
Yet to Come!'
Upon the group's return we
will be holding MANRRS Week. During this
celebration the organization will be holding workshops, participating in
community service, and presenting speeches.
Finally at the beginning of April, the College
of Agriculture's Diversity
Committee will be taking part in the University Diversity Summit by
participating in a panel discussion.
If you would like more information on any Diversity Programs events, please
contact your Diversity Programs Office or Dr. Zelia Z. Wiley, Assistant Dean
for Diversity, at zwiley@ksu.edu or
785-532-5793. --Zelia Wiley
CELLULOSIC BIOFUELS WEB SEMINAR SERIES 2010
Announcing a series of in-service webinars for extension
educators, biofuel industry stakeholders, and producers focusing on Cellulosic
Biofuels will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 26. The first presentation of this series is
'State of the Industry: Corn and
Cellulosic Ethanol.' Todd Sneller,
Administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, will deliver a snapshot view of
the ethanol industry as of March 2010.
Webinar Series
Purpose
Cellulosic ethanol production is an emerging industry. Production practices, materials and business
methods are expected to be different from those currently used in agriculture. This webinar series is intended to provide
interested individuals with an overview of anticipated needs, from production,
agronomic, and contractual perspectives for supplying cellulosic materials to
an ethanol plant. This webinar series is
presented by the High Plains Extension Energy Team for Community Redevelopment.
Webinar Series Topics
& Dates:
The seminar series will consist of 1 hour long webinars
approximately once a month for the next six to eight months. The current list of topics and planned dates
are:
- State
of the Industry: Corn and Cellulosic Ethanol-Friday, March 26. 11 a.m.
Central
- Economics
of Cellulosic Biofuels'Friday, April 30, 2010, 11:00AM Central
- Cellulosic
Biofuel Logistics'TBA (Expected to be late May).
- Agronomic
Impacts of Cellulosic Material Harvest ' perspectives from the eastern and
western corn belt TBA. (Expected to be in July)
- Contracts
for Cellulosic Biomass TBA.
- Rural
Community Infrastructure TBA.
How to Connect:
Start connecting 5 minutes prior to the start time. You need
a computer with Internet access and speakers. At the meeting time, copy and
paste this URL into your browser to enter the meeting: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/agenergy/.
At that URL you will find a login page. 'Enter as a Guest'
with your name, and business or institution and click 'Enter Room.' The audio
portion of the meeting will be come through your computer speakers.
Anytime before the meeting you can visit the following URL
to confirm your ability to connect: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect/. --Ed Brokesh ebrockesh@ksu.edu
BENCHMARKING YOUR SUCCESS
Attend
this training and the next time that someone wants to know about the
impact of your local PRIDE program, you will have all the information
that you need to highlight the importance of your PRIDE work to your
community. This training is for all PRIDE communities and we encourage
each community to send a delegation to participate in one of the
following trainings, which will be presented by Trudy Rice and/or
Jeanne Stinson from the Kansas PRIDE program.
March 29 in Lenora, KS at the Lenora Library April 5 in Perry, KS at the Perry American Legion Building April 12 in Larned, KS at the J.A. Haas Exhibit Building
April 15 in Humboldt, KS at the Humboldt Library April 19 in Park City, KS at the Park City PRIDE Building
Note: All trainings will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Buildings will be open at
5:30 with refreshments available. The meeting will start promptly at
6 p.m.
During the training you will learn how to
collect the information you need to tell the story of your PRIDE
program to the people who need to know. Everyone will go home with a
'tight, bright, and to the point' message about the importance of PRIDE
to your community as well as knowledge on how to collect the right
information and who to share it with. The ability to tell your story
to the right people will enhance your community's ability to access
outside resources.
For reservations, please e-mail
PRIDE@ksu.edu or call the Kansas PRIDE office at 785-532 5840. Addresses and driving directions are available on the PRIDE website. --Trudy Rice trice@ksu.edu
JAN STEPHENS TO BE HONORED FOR 39 YEARS OF SERVICE
You are invited to attend a retirement celebration in honor and recognition of Janet F. Stephens, Multi-County Extension Specialist, Southeast Area. Jan will retire after 39 years of working for K-State Research and Extension. She has served in her current position since October 2002. Prior to that she was the Greenwood County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences.
When: Friday, April 2, 2010
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (Library meeting room)
Where: Eureka Public Library
606 N Main
Eureka, KS 67045
We would like you to send a letter, card, and/or pictures (some from the early days if you have them), articles, or memories of your time spent with Jan to be placed in a memory book. Please send these to Karen Walters, at the Southeast Area Office, 308 W. 14th Street, Chanute, KS 66720, by March 29. Karen's e-mail address is kwalters@ksu.edu. If you have questions, please contact the Southeast Area Office at 620-431-1530.
In lieu of personal retirement gifts, donations in her name may be made to the 'Leaders in Residence Fund' - KSU Foundation. Checks should be payable to the KSU Foundation and sent to 2323 Anderson, Avenue, Suite 500, Manhattan, KS 66502. Please indicate on the check or in an attached memo that the donation is for the 'Leaders in Residence Fund.'
This is a come and go reception with a special recognition planned around 2:30 p.m. --Gayle Price gprice@ksu.ed
WEBINAR: AN INTRODUCTION TO LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT
The K-State Pollution Prevention
Institute, housed in Engineering Extension, will be hosting a free Webinar on
Friday, April 2, at 1 p.m. CDT. This one-hour Webinar will
highlight the basics of low impact development (LID) practices and how they can
be integrated into new and existing projects. Discussion will include typical
LID costs, how you can counter resistance to change, and results documents from
LID projects.
Registration is required to receive log-in
instructions. To register and for more information, please visit www.sbeap.org and look for the yellow box, or to register by phone, call 1-800-578-8898 or 785-532-6501. Please contact Ryan Hamel, rhamel@ksu.edu, if you have any questions. --Ryan Hamel
ALZHEIMER'S -- BE WITH ME TODAY
"The Adult Development & Aging Program Focus Team is pleased to
be a partner with K-State's Center on Aging in hosting Mr. Richard
Taylor on April 20, 10 - 11 a.m., at Forum Hall. The presentation will be streamed live via the web, and K-State agents
are invited to host and broadcast the presentation in their local
communities. There is no cost to attend
the presentation either in person or via the web.
The presentation will not be recorded.
Mr. Taylor was diagnosed with dementia, probably of the
Alzheimer's type, when he was 58 years old. Now 66, he is a
world-renowned author, retired psychologist and champion for
individuals with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Mr.
Taylor will speak about his own personal journey with Alzheimer's
disease. He urges audiences to embrace person- centered care
practices for people with dementia, and to recognize that "There is
a Person in There!"
Adult Development & Aging PFT members have used some of Mr.
Taylor's written materials in the past as part of their
professional development activity. Now, all Family & Consumer
Sciences agents have the opportunity to host a "town hall" meeting
to broadcast this presentation, and to engage the audience in a
discussion. Another option for agents is to consider hosting a
panel of local community members to discuss the presentation and
Alzheimer's disease. A short agent guide has been developed, and is
available for agents to use in planning this community event.
For more details contact Nancy Nelson, Meadowlark District Extension Agent, Courthouse, 400 New York, Holton, KS 66436, 785-364-4125, nnelson@ksu.edu; or Deb Sellers, dsellers@ksu.edu,
785-532-5773. --Nancy Nelson "
"WATER AND THE FUTURE OF KANSAS" CONFERENCE - SAVE THE DATE
The 27th "Water and the Future of Kansas" Conference will
be held this fall on Tuesday, October 26, at the Capitol Plaza
Hotel in Topeka. Please put the day on your schedule and plan to
attend.
If you have suggestions for a theme, a breakout
session, or a specific speaker, please send them to me. I will be
working with a committee to organize the conference and we appreciate
your suggestions.
Sponsors of the conference are:
Kansas Water Resources Institute
Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment
K-State Research and Extension
U.S. Geological Survey
I hope to see you at the conference this fall. --Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu
COMMUNICATION MINUTE: WHEN A REPORTER CALLS
Here're a few tips for a successful interview when a reporter calls.
• Ask the reporter's name and publication or broadcast station. • Ask the story angle. • Determine whether you are the appropriate source. If not, refer the reporter to the right person. • Call the reporter back in 10 to 15 minutes so you can prepare. • Simplify your message. Write down your key point(s) before the interview. • Anticipate the tough questions and practice positive responses. • Think of an interview as a way to talk directly to your audience. • Do not use overly scientific or technical terms. Speak in short sentences. • Get to the point. Keep your answers brief, and keep them focused on your message. • Avoid light humor or negative remarks. • If asked to comment on something that's controversial or makes you uncomfortable, tell the reporter that you don't think you are the appropriate person to respond. • Be honest. If you don't know the answer to a question, simply say so.
More information is on the web at Event in the Box. --Elaine Edwards elainee@ksu.edu
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