The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
(Vol. 17 No. 5)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
This past week a small group, including myself, made a trip to the University of Kentucky to visit with administration and program staff regarding their planning, evaluation, and reporting processes along with looking carefully at their web-based system to support these activities of faculty and staff. We’ve brought back some thoughts and ideas, as well as left a few thoughts and ideas on potential improvements for both systems.
Dr. Jimmy Henning, Extension Director at Kentucky, is a close personal friend and we had a great opportunity to spend some quality time together visiting a local Extension office and a horse farm near Lexington. In our early careers, we were together in Missouri Extension, he as forage specialist and I as soil fertility specialist. As we were driving the back roads of Kentucky last Tuesday, I asked him what he now has learned that he wishes he had known when he was beginning his career as an Extension specialist. Simply stated, he said he wished he’d have understood the power in “programming.” He further explained that all too often he found himself out talking at meetings on various topics without a real connection to any intended outcome for those participating in the meeting. I call that “guest lecturing.” He created a lot of awareness, but not much change. Later on he learned the power of programming, seeing the bigger situation and needs, and then focusing a plan to truly address those needs and encourage change with clientele.
I understand what Jimmy was telling me, because I have gone through the same revelation on the importance of programming, of having a plan, and of having an evaluation plan. I've given hundreds of “guest lectures.” Yet, it's when carrying out the program plan that you begin to feel greater purpose in your work and looking for ways to help make positive change. I really appreciate the Bill Snyder quote from Shoop and Scott. 1999. Leadership Lessons From Bill Snyder:
“Clarifying your goals and making a plan are important, but ultimately meaningless unless you are willing to focus on your plan and put in the tremendous effort and hard work necessary for success.”
I would challenge you to reflect on your Extension work. Are you following a plan that is destined to make a difference with your clientele? Or, are you jumping around to the “flavor of the month” and doing lots of “guest lectures?” It's all about having a sense of the big picture, and a focus on where you need to be putting your effort and hard work to improve the situation. Program planning isn’t easy, but it sure brings greater purpose and success to Extension work! Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
LOCAL UNIT DIRECTOR WORKSHOPS
A workshop for county and district directors will be held on Tuesday, December 14, at the Central Kansas District Office in Salina. The session will begin with coffee at 9:45 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. Registration of $15 is due by Tuesday, December 7, to the Extension Field Operations Office.
Topics to be included in the session are the role of the local director, developing a budget, hiring and supervising of staff, working with local boards, and other topics.
Similar sessions will be held on February 3 in Scott City, March 15 in Manhattan and March 29 in Emporia.
If you have questions, contact Jim Lindquist at jlindqui@ksu.edu or Stacey Warner at swarner@ksu.edu. --Stacey Warner
G2G OUTSIDE EXPANSION MEETING
Are you tired of kids spending so much time inside with technology? Are TV, video games, and the computer keeping your local youth from getting outside to play? If so, you might be interested in learning more about the g2g Outside program and how you can replicate it in your own county.
g2g (got to go) Outside, is an outdoor play initiative that encourages increased physical activity, family time, and connection to nature. This project’s goal is to help families gain the benefits of balancing technology with outdoor experiential learning. g2g Outside promotes unstructured playtime outdoors which research shows has positive impacts on children’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health. g2g Outside seeks to rejuvenate the excitement that kids feel when they “got to go” outside for discovery and fun!
If you are interested in replicating g2g Outside in your county we would like to help. Please come to the g2g Outside Expansion Meeting on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. This meeting will be held at the Sedgwick County Extension Office, Wichita, KS. We will have a "cookbook for expansion" for you with templates for activities, brochures, events, letters, and more. Ted Cable, K-State Professor of Recreation Resources, will join us to talk about interpretation and the importance of outdoor experiences. Register for the meeting at www.g2goutside.eventbrite.com. --Tonya Bronleewe tonyab@ksu.edu
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