The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
(Vol. 17 No. 18)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
From one of the Tuesday letter messages dating all the way back to 2005, I was describing key themes that had emerged from our Kansas Extension strategic plan that was just being completed at that time. One of those themes that showed up throughout the strategic plan was strengthening the engagement of local Extension Boards and Program Development Committees with community/county leadership. The theme was evident in Organizational Structure and Staffing (recommendation #3), Resource Development (#2), Education and Information Development and Dissemination (#1), and Constituency Development and Marketing (#3). The need for K-State Research & Extension to expand the training and development we provide to our local Boards and PDCs was clearly evident. Since that time, several web-based resources have been developed to provide for Board development.
I had to chuckle a bit as I am quoted as saying in that 2005 message, “And, keep in mind that while I am sharing the content of the strategic plan, some of these developments will take time and effort before implementation takes place.” Well, here we are 6 years later.
A new Board Assessment Tool (this hot link will open a pdf file of the Board Assessment Tool) was introduced at the 2011 Partnership Meetings. Board members attending those meetings suggested a best way to use that tool was to go over it early in the year. Some Boards may have already worked through the tool. My encouragement to county and district Extension directors would be to get the assessment tool out to your Boards and ask that they each review it and plan to discuss it at the next Board meeting. Through that discussion, goals could be set and plans to work towards continuous improvement and eventual recognition for Board excellence per the instructions.
I hope you, as county and district Extension directors, will help your local board to be the best it can be. Thanks for all you do, and have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
P.S. If you want some more good reading, check out the article by Jim Langcuster, Auburn University, entitled "Seven Reasons why Extension is Needed Today."
ASSISTANCE DOG EXHIBITION IS TODAY!
Visit with puppies-in-training and volunteer puppy raisers. Meet assistance dogs and handlers. Listen to
their stories. Learn about their lives. Decide if an assistance dog
might be for you. Discover how you can change a life...Join us for the Assistance Dog Exhibition scheduled for today, March 8, 2011.
Kansas State University, Student Union
Informal Meet-N-Greet from 11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m., Ground Floor
Formal Presentation from Noon-1:00 p.m., Forum Hall
Or, join live via the Web or view the recording (formal presentation only) at http://ksre.ksu.edu/seminars.
The ultimate
objective of the Exhibition is to raise awareness of the role of assistance dogs in the lives of
people with disabilities. Dean Ralph Richardson, from the College of Veterinary Medicine, will open
the presentation, and various speakers from two organizations, Canine
Companions for Independence and KSDS, Inc., will present.
There is no cost to attend the presentation live or via
the webcast.
The Assistance Dog Exhibition is just one of the events planned for this year's K-State for All! (Disability Awareness) Week, March 6-12, 2011. To see other events, please visit http://www.k-state.edu/dss/ksfa.html.
Please contact me for additional information, or if I can answer any questions
for you. --Deb Sellers dsellers@ksu.edu,
785-532-5773
K-STATE LEADERSHIP SEMINAR: IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW... IT’S ABOUT WHO KNOWS YOU... AND HOW YOU LEARN AND WORK TOGETHER.
The early registration deadline for the 2011 K-State Leadership Seminar has been extended through Friday, March 11. Act now to take advantage of the $95 registration fee and the opportunity to participate in a social network analysis to better understand your connection to other seminar participants and explore ways to strengthen these connections.
Learn more about becoming a well connected leader at the 15th Annual K-State Leadership Seminar, NETWORKS MATTER: LEADING IN A CONNECTED WORLD, on Thursday, April 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the K-State Student Union on the Manhattan campus.
Well connected leaders are:
* positioned at key points in their networks
* highly sought out for their ideas and perspectives
* keenly aware of the strengths and abilities of people across their networks
* strategic in establishing and maintaining high quality relationships
* far more likely to have connections outside their own organization(s) and to provide connections between their networks
Learn more about how you can contribute leadership to networks that you’re a part of, including:
* How to build the capacity for “net work” within your organization
* How to build on traditional leadership skills to work effectively with others in networks
* How to leverage technology to build relationships and accomplish shared goals
* How to map your personal and organizational networks to address a leadership challenge
The keynote speaker is Patti Anklam, an independent consultant with expertise in collaboration practices, social network analysis, and knowledge management systems strategy and architecture. She is author of "Net Work: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Networks at Work and in the World," published in 2007. Visit the seminar website to learn more about Patti Anklam.
More information and online registration are available at http://www.k-state.edu/leadershipseminar. --Robert Wilson rmwilson@ksu.edu
COMMUNITIES SELECTED FOR 2011 GET IT - DO IT! FUNDING
Seven small towns have been awarded Get It - Do It! grants for 2011. The $3,000 grants which support youth-adult partnerships that promote community health were awarded to: Alton, Council Grove, Glasco, Grainfield, Grinnell, Mt. Hope, and Smith Center. Funded projects range from Alton building a skate park and engaging the "White Chocolate" company of Hays, to establish skate events for surrounding communities to Smith Center's design and construction of a nature/fitness trail.
The towns were selected after a competitive review of proposals and site visits by K-State Research and Extension personnel. In order to be awarded the funds each community had to demonstrate: a) active involvement and decision-making of youth, b) desire to support positive youth-adult partnerships, c) projects designed to address the "cornerstones" of Community Health, and d) being Kansas PRIDE members in good standing. Additionally, local Extension agents were required to be involved in the development of the grant proposals and to participate in the community youth development projects should they be funded. Agents sharing in the awards are: Laura Marks (Morris County), Sarah Molzhan (Post Rock District), Pat Gerhardt (River Valley District), Sandra Wick (Smith County), Bev Dunning (Sedgwick County), Jennifer Schoenfeld (Gove County).
Next steps for Get It - Do It! communities with their PRIDE, school and Extension partners include attending the 7th Annual Extension HealthFest! (April 1-2) at Rock Springs 4-H Center. This year's HealthFest! focuses on building youth-adult partnerships, learning "old world" games (e.g., Bocce Ball) and working with K-State Department of Kinesiology staff to learn more about city parks and park audits.
For more information about the Get It - Do It! program, contact Kansas PRIDE, 785-532-5840; or Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu, 785-532-7720. --Elaine Johannes
USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN EXTENSION PROFESSIONAL
The Youth Development PFT is sponsoring a half-day social media training on Friday, April 1, from 8:15 to 11:30 a.m. at Rock Springs 4-H Center. This interactive session will be a time to discuss opportunities, concerns, and questions around being online as an Extension professional, particularly as an adult working with youth. Examples and questions are welcome.
Worldwide per second, there are approximately 28 million text messages sent, 700 status updates to Facebook, 600 tweets on Twitter, 1 million videos watched on YouTube and 285 million e-mails delivered. (Statistics from RevealYourCharacter.org.)
The instructor will be Anne Adrian, eXtension Social Media Strategist for the Military Families Partnership. She will define social media and online networks and communities, share some statistics about youth online and lead a discussion around current guidelines and policy considerations. The basics of maintaining a Facebook page and Twitter account, MySpace, my4-H and other online tools like blogging and YouTube will also be discussed.
Adrian holds a doctorate in Management and has worked for Auburn University and Cooperative Extension for 23 years. Most of her online work can be found on her blog - Anne’s Spot, in Twitter--@aafromaa, and in Slideshare. Adrian believes that online networks give Cooperative Extension and universities ways to include citizens into collaborative education, opening new opportunities to learn from others and build knowledge with others.
Non Youth Development PFT members please register online at Doodle, http://doodle.com/yn3z2ff8if5xqca4, by Monday, March 21. Registration fee for non-YD-PFT members is $25. Make checks payable to 4-H Youth Development and mail to NE Area Extension Office, Attention Diane Mack. Space is limited to the first 35 registrants. --Beth Drescher drescher@ksu.edu, and Diane Mack dmack@ksu.edu, Youth Development PFT co-chairs
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