The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
(Vol. 16 No. 36)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Today I am reinforcing the note that went out last Friday regarding nominations for the various awards and recognition. Opportunities exist for nominations to both K-State Research and Extension and Epsilon Sigma Phi. In the grand scheme of things, we sometimes pooh-pooh this recognition and fail to nominate. However, like I heard from one individual recently, "I didn't think such recognition was all that big a deal, until I was recognized and realized how good it made me feel, both to be nominated and selected." Whether it is you or someone you nominate, know that the recognition is a bigger deal than you think!
So, please nominate for the K-State Research and
Extension recognition that will be presented at the Annual Conference
Awards Lunch. The categories are Builder, Diversity, Team, Mentoring,
County/District Office Professional and Unclassified Employee.
The
nomination deadline is Monday, August
2. Hard copies can be mailed to Dr. Gary Pierzynski at
114 Waters Hall, Manhattan KS 66506 or e-mail nominations to Dorothy Doan at ddoan@ksu.edu.
Nominations
should include the name, title, address, e-mail and phone number of both
the nominator and nominee along with a maximum of a two-page
justification for the award.
Information regarding criteria for each award and former recipients of this
recognition are listed on the Employee Resources website at www.ksre.ksu.edu/employee_resources.
Click on Nominations for Awards.
When you take the time to make a nomination for someone else, I can guarantee you will "Have a Great Week!" --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks (outcomes and impact - what the clientele have done [NOT the agent - i.e., NOT "I offered / I provided / I taught . . . "] and success stories were reported by Denise Dias and Beth Drescher in Sedgwick County.
When EARTH held its eleventh workshop this spring at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center, 610 youths completed four workshops focused on soil, water, air, and living resources. All participants gave the day a thumbs up, signifying that they had learned something new and had a fun experience.
A success story from one of our teachers: "I just wanted to send a quick note - as we have finally settled a bit from testing - we have been able to really set fire to this EARTH curriculum. All three fifth-grade teachers made it through earth and are well into water, (and how timely could the oil slick experiment be??) - we love it - but more importantly - the students are greatly engaged and learning!! . . . Keep this coming—what a great curriculum." --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
KAW VALLEY RODEO GOING PINK TO BENEFIT K-STATE'S JOHNSON CANCER CENTER
The Kaw Valley Rodeo Association is again offering
the opportunity for cowboys and cowgirls to prove that they are
tough enough to wear pink.
The association's fourth annual "Tough Enough to Wear Pink"
rodeo will be Friday, July 23, to raise awareness
of breast and other cancers, and raise funds for Kansas State
University's Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research.
The July 23 pink rodeo is part of the Kaw Valley Rodeo shows
July 22-24 at the Riley County Fair. All shows start at 8 p.m. in
Wells Arena in Manhattan's CiCo Park. Ticket information is
available at http://www.rileycountyfair.com/rodeo/.
"We want all rodeo fans to pack the arena with pink that Friday
night," said Dr. Gene Klingler, rodeo association member and Pink
Committee chair.
The evening will begin with a pink balloon launch to honor
cancer survivors during the grand entry. Audience members and rodeo
participants are encouraged to wear pink. Pink T-shirts, bandannas
and more will be sold, with all proceeds going to the cancer
center.
"The pink rodeo is a touching and exciting event. We thank the
rodeo association and sponsors, as well as everyone who helps fill
the arena with pink and who support cancer research at K-State,"
said Rob Denell, director of the Johnson Center for Basic Cancer
Research.
Several events are scheduled in conjunction with the "Tough
Enough to Wear Pink" rodeo. A spaghetti buffet will be 11:30 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 11, at Gilio's, 3003 Anderson Avenue; and a
steak fry and live auction will be at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at
R.C. McGraw's, 2317 Tuttle Creek Boulevard. Auction items include a
custom pink belt buckle. Reservations are needed for both events
and can be made by calling the center at 785-532-6705.
The mission of K-State's Johnson Center for Basic Cancer
Research is to further the understanding of cancers by funding
basic cancer research and by supporting higher education, training
and public outreach. All of its programs are supported by private
contributions. More information about the center is online at
http://www.cancer.k-state.edu. --Marcia Locke marcia@k-state.edu
NEWEST PROVISIONS OF THE CREDIT CARD ACT MAY BENEFIT YOU
The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (also known as the Credit CARD Act), was designed to reign in some of the insidious practices of the credit card industry. The law's provisions become effective in three stages. Requirements already in effect include written notification by a credit card company 45 days before increasing an interest rate or making significant changes to terms of the account, mailing statements at least 21 days before a payment is due, and allowing interest rate increases only on new balances, rather than existing balances.
The final phase of the Credit CARD Act goes into effect August 22, 2010. New protections will include restrictions on late payment and inactivity fees, as well as the requirement to periodically re-evaluate, and possibly lower, the interest rate of a consumer's account, after an interest rate increase.
Check out the interactive Website, http://www.federalreserve.gov/creditcard, created by The Federal Reserve. It is designed to help cardholders understand the Act's safeguards, and provides other resources to assist with credit management. --Valeria Edwards valeria.edwards@jocogov.org
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE THE RETURN TO A HOME COMMUNITY?
This supplemental professional development opportunity is open to all KSRE staff interested in learning more about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is scheduled in conjunction with the FCS Agent August Update. Participants will attend a fieldwork experience at Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital, a Kansas Medicaid Approved Brain Injury Rehabilitation facility. Attendees will tour the hospital, attend lectures from facility staff, and interact with former patients and caregivers who will share their experiences with TBI and the challenges to community reintegration. The overall objective for participants is to gain knowledge about traumatic brain injury, particularly as it relates to acute care and the transition to community living.
The opportunity is offered on Thursday, August 26, from 8 a.m. to noon in Gardner, KS. Participants may choose to attend as part of the official group or may choose to attend as an individual. Group members will leave from the Alumni Center on Wednesday, August 25, at 5 p.m. to travel to Gardner, KS, and will spend the evening in a local hotel. Group members will return to Manhattan at approximately 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 26, after attending the fieldwork experience and eating lunch. Alternatively, individuals may choose to make their own travel arrangements and join the official group from 8 a.m. to noon on August 26, at Meadowbrook.
REGISTRATION FOR EITHER OPTION IS REQUIRED, AND IF REGISTERED, ATTENDANCE IS EXPECTED. When registering, please indicate your intention to participate as a group member or individual so that transportation and lodging reservations may be made accordingly. Participants will absorb all costs associated with this experience (transportation is free for group members).
For more information, or to register, contact Deb Sellers, dsellers@ksu.edu. --Deb Sellers
COMMUNICATION MINUTE: COMING FACE-TO-FACE WITH FACEBOOK
Facebook continues to be a
highly-popular social media tool with Americans, and recent statistics indicate
that the fastest growing segment of the population is those who are 55 and
older.
In fact, from January 2009 through
January 2010, Facebook reports a 900-percent increase in users over age 55.
Users in the 35-54 age group increased by more than 300-percent during the same
period – the second highest increase.
Further, users in the 35-54 age
group are now the largest number of Facebook users, topping 29 million people
in 2010. Among all Americans, Facebook recently reported the following numbers
of users, by age group:
13-17 – 10.7 million
18-24 – 26.1 million
35-34 – 25.6 million
35-54 – 29.9 million
55-older – 9.8 million
It will remain important for
organizations like K-State Research and Extension to continue building
relationships with younger Kansans – they are the current and future users of our services and programs. But the older age
groups continue to be important supporters and influencers for K-State Research
and Extension, and Facebook appears to be one very good way to get information
to them.
K-State Research and Extension is
consistently looking for ways to improve its Facebook presence. If you have
ideas, please share them with Pat Melgares, melgares@ksu.edu.
And, if you haven’t done so already, find out how to build your own local
Facebook page. --Pat Melgares
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