The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
(Vol. 16 No. 41)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
This past week our Change
Agent States (CAS) catalyst team met in Lawrence. As a
part of our time together we toured the Haskell Indian Nations University campus and its Cultural Center and Museum. The Cultural Center and Museum provide a rich history of Haskell’s transition from a
boarding school to today’s unique role as the only 4-year University to serve
all the Indian Nations across the country. Stephen Prue, Executive Assistant to the President of Haskell, gave the
group an outstanding walking tour of the campus and conveyed the history and
pride for where Haskell Indian Nations University is headed in the future.
On a personal note,
whenever I take the time to learn about different cultures, I am humbled by how
little I truly know about the American Indian history in this case. It is truly amazing how far Haskell has come
as an institution of higher education for the American Indian.
We’ve all been in
situations where individuals will make fun, laugh, or ridicule someone else for
having a ritual, belief, or practice that is somehow different from the norm of
that individual’s life experience. I’ve
appreciated being a part of the CAS catalyst team and how it has helped me to first seek
understanding, rather than ridicule for such differences.
I am excited for the
plans of the CAS catalyst team which includes a commitment by 15 individuals
within our system to become trained to provide educational training for our
workforce on “Navigating Differences.” Functioning effectively as a
professional in our global society demands that we become better skilled and
knowledgeable in working across cultural, ethnic, race, gender, and all other
forms of difference that might limit our ability to accomplish the KSRE
mission. Thank you for the patience you’ve
shown to the catalyst team as that team has learned the processes for more
effectively working in a diverse society.
And, closing out, I
saw this quote from Peter Drucker recently, and thought it had great meaning
for the Extension professional. “Knowledge is information that changes
something or somebody — either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an
individual (or an institution) capable of different or more effective
action.” — Peter
F. Drucker
I often hear that K-State Research and Extension provides information. I suggest that we do more than that through our educational programs as we help others to grow in knowledge for all the reasons stated by Peter Drucker. Have a great week!
--Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
AGENT ACTION PLAN WORKSHOPS -- REGISTRATIONS DUE AUGUST 27
Don't forget to register for the upcoming Action Plan Workshops!! We will be there to help you with:
• Understanding how to identify what action plans to develop
• Identifying program action plan outputs and outcomes
• Identifying ways to measure program outcomes
• Developing a strong, focused Extension Action Plan
• Learning to use the on-line action plan system effectively
The dates and locations of the workshops are:
September 1, Garden City, Finney County Fair Grounds Grandstand Meeting Room
September 2, Quinter, Quinter Inn
September 7, Wichita, Sedgwick County Office
September 8, Chanute, SE Area Office
September 9, Manhattan, Pottorf Hall, Cico Park
You are welcome to attend whichever one fits your schedule best, but
check out the workshop registration information on the Employee Resources page
on the website for who to call. --Paula Peters ppeters@ksu.edu
VOLUNTEERS REQUESTED TO HELP IN OUR BOOTHS AT THE KANSAS STATE FAIR
The College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will once
again have booths in the Pride of Kansas building at the Kansas State
Fair in Hutchinson. The Kansas State Fair runs from Friday, September
10, through Sunday, September 19, 2010.
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 are open are:
Friday, September 10 - 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday, September 11 - (KFMA taking this entire day)
Sunday, September 12 - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Monday, September 13 - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Tuesday, September 14 - (Sedgwick County taking this entire day)
Wednesday, September 15 - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Thursday, September 16 - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday, September 17 - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday, September 18 - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday, September 19 - 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
If you would like to work in the K-State Research and Extension booth, please contact Maria Sweet, marswe@ksu.edu, by August 27.
If you would like to work in the College of Agriculture booth, please contact Sandy Klein, sandy@ksu.edu, by August 27.
We will be in touch in late August/early September to finalize days,
times, entrance tickets, etc. -- Sandy Klein and Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu
LONG TERM CARE - PROGRAM INFORMATION UPDATE
With the addition of a new State group program, employees at K-State now have two Long Term Care Insurance options: Legacy Services, our current individualized policy program broker; and the new group policy offered by the Kansas Health Policy Authority (KHPA) through Genworth.
Information on the new KHPA Long-Term Care program was mailed to benefits-eligible employees at their home address directly from KHPA. Information sessions will be held in Topeka, Pittsburg, Manhattan, Hays, Wichita, Dodge City, Overland Park, and Lawrence. For dates and meeting locations see http://www.sehp2010ks.org/group-long-term-care or call 888-285-4889.
Current employees will want to pay close attention to the new KHPA policy because there is an Initial Enrollment Period, August 1 – September 30, 2010, during which sign-up is necessary to take advantage of the “no underwriting” provision of this group policy for employees under 66 years old. With no underwriting of the policy, employees’ current health status is not a factor in coverage nor is it a factor in price. Those who sign up during the Initial Enrollment period for this benefit will not be denied coverage or pay a higher cost due to preexisting conditions. This is a limited time offer and will not be available each year with the same terms. After the initial enrollment period, all applicants will have to go through underwriting, i.e. health screening.
Why consider Long Term Care Insurance?
Long Term Care insurance covers expenses for long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. Here are a few quick points to consider:
• Seven out of ten of us will likely need some kind of long term care as we grow older
• Neither health nor disability insurance will cover this kind of care.
• Relying on government programs may not be a viable solution.
• Without insurance, the costs of these services may have to come out of your savings or income.
Take advantage of these opportunities to learn what long term care insurance can do to help protect your financial future. --From the Division of Human Resources at 785-532-6277
SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The 2010 K-State Research and
Extension Annual Conference Committee is accepting proposals for posters and
breakout sessions until Wednesday, September 1.
Take a few minutes to submit a proposal for an interesting project overview,
results, experiences, or educational materials to share with your colleagues.
You do not have to fit within the conference theme (Riding the Wave of Change),
but that would be helpful for your proposal.
To access the proposal form and other information about the conference, go to www.ksre.ksu.edu/annconf. The site
also is linked from the Employee Resources Web page.
The Poster Session will be Monday evening, October 18. The 50-minute breakout
sessions are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, October 19. You may propose your
idea for either or both poster and breakout sessions. Authors will be notified
by September 24 regarding acceptance.
Other important conference dates:
Group rate room block (Holiday
Inn at the Campus) deadline is September 22.
Conference registration
deadline is October 4. --Bob Gillen gillen@ksu.edu
KSRE GRANT WRITING TRAINING: SEPTEMBER 21, SEPTEMBER 27 IN SALINA – REGISTRATIONS DUE SEPTEMBER 6
The current economy, budget concerns and calls for expanded services are creating demand for local grant writing skills.
To meet this demand, attend the Grant Writing training built exclusively for K-State Extension professionals and stake-holders. The one- day (9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.) training will be offered twice at K-State Salina, College Center Conference room, on SEPTEMBER 21 (Tuesday), and SEPTEMBER 27 (Monday).
For $35 you will receive instruction, materials, refreshments, lunch and a copy of the Grantsmanship Center's Program Planning & Proposal Writing- Expanded Version guide (what a deal!).
In response to whether participants of the 2009 training would recommend the session to KSRE colleagues, agents said, "Absolutely! It's a good time to focus and learn about writing grants." "Yes, now that I have been in the system for a few years I think that every Extension Professional should be exposed to some sort of basic grant writing professional development."
Training objectives include:
* Increase awareness and knowledge of grant resources for youth-family- community programs.
* Learn grant writing techniques.
* Increase understanding of the fit between grants, program planning and program management.
* Build a K-State Extension team that supports each other in grant writing and management!
Registration is available through the Kansas PRIDE website. Scroll down to "State Funding," complete the registration form and send it by September 6 to Paula Seele, pseele@ksu.edu.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu, 785-532-7720; or Paula Seele, pseele@ksu.edu, 785- 523-5773. --ElaineJohannes
KANSAS EXTENSION CONFERENCE ON VOLUNTEERISM
Engaging Volunteers in New Ways is the theme of this conference. The conference is for all Extension staff with a special emphasis for staff in districts or forming districts. The conference is co-sponsored by an ESP Endowment Grant and the Volunteer Development Program Focus Team.
Cost is $125 for the conference, early arrival (lodging and breakfast) is $40. Registration is due October 15, 2010 to Rod Buchele, Southwest Area Extension Office, 4500 E Mary St., Garden City KS 67846.
Check out the information and registration flyer online at
http://4-h.k-state.edu/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=9538.
Master Gardeners, Master Food Volunteers, Family and Community Education Clubs, 4-H Leaders and 4-H Master Volunteers are just some of the volunteers Extension Agents work with to expand our educational programming. Volunteers have a long history and tradition of being involved with Extension programming. As our communities and Extension Units change, the value of finding, training and keeping quality volunteers is critical.
The conference will provide insights into organizational and personal readiness for developing and supporting an effective volunteer delivery system, recruiting, selecting, training and retaining volunteers and provide the insights into today's volunteers and how they can connect with our quality Extension programs. You will leave with a plan, tools, and resources to make a difference in your local program.
If you have any questions, please contact Rod Buchele, rbuchele@ksu.edu. --Rod Buchele
COMMUNICATION MINUTE: TIPS ON E-MAIL SIGNATURES
Have you ever received an e-mail and needed to contact the sender by phone or mail? Or perhaps were not quite sure who the person was?
You can use signatures on e-mail messages to clarify your identity and to provide contact information. Most e-mail programs allow multiple signature blocks, so you can create more than one signature.
If you use Zimbra webmail and a local client (such as Pegasus Mail), you want to make those signatures match. Update your mobile device if you frequently use it for e-mail.
Use these guidelines when creating your signatures:
* Keep it as short, but provide information that will be important to the recipient. Four lines of type is recommended.
* Simple, plain text is best; skip colors, special fonts and graphics.
* A simple delimiter (for example, 'dash, dash space, -- ') will help your signature get recognized by e-mail clients. Zimbra webmail automatically adds this to your signatures, so you don't need to add it.
* Be aware that HTML formatting may not appear in all browsers how you intend it to appear. Because of this, you may want to avoid formatting your signature in HTML.
* If you use a digital business card (v-card), also create a signature block. It is much more accessible.
* Test your signature with as many e-mail clients as you can, especially if you use HTML.
* Some people use the pipe symbol ( | ) to separate signature information. (See the example below) -- John Smith Specialist | K-State Research and Extension 555-555-5555 | john@ksu.edu | http://www.myurl.edu Box 555, Scenic Ks, 66555
But some visually-challenged people have their computer read their mail to them and commas would be a better separator. -- John Smith, Specialist K-State Research and Extension, http://www.myurl.edu Phone: 555-555-5555, E-mail: john@email.edu Box 555, Scenic Ks, 66555
A shorter signature could be used for discussion lists and other online forums. You may also create special signatures for organizations you belong to or special positions you hold in associations or committees. --Gary Kepka, Information Technology Specialist, gkepka@ksu.edu
|