The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 20)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Last week I was attending the National Extension Directors and Administrators Conference. Theme for the conference was "Opportunities of Change for Transformational Education." Throughout presentations a recurring message was one of embracing change through a willingness to understand the forces driving the change.
Extension has undergone substantial change over the past few decades. We're no longer the sole-source provider of information. Technology has flattened the information pipeline. A greater diversity of research engines and information sources have emerged. We've had to learn to partner. To retain respect in today's information age, we must look at ourselves LESS as "THE EXPERT," and more as a trusted translator, guide, or facilitator in decision processes and transformational education.
We can view ourselves in competition with other sources, or we can work aggressively at being better partners. In the long run, partnering will be most productive and most helpful for our clientele and all those for whom we serve. And, "partnering" requires that we show up, invest ourselves in building relations, and figure out how we can contribute to solutions by sharing resources and sharing credit. Successful partnering and engagement were described appropriately as full contact sports! If we wait for others to come to us, we won't be in the information and transformational education game in the future.
Lots of food for thought on how we've changed, and how we need to aggressively continue to change for our future if Extension is to continuously improve upon its ability to be a reliable, relevant, responsive, and rewardable organization. Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
KSRE LIST SERVER WILL BE TURNED OFF APRIL 2
We are in the process of decommissioning the KSRE List Server "@ksre.ksu.edu," and in preparation for that move we have been working with KSRE List owners and moderators to transition their lists to use K-State's Listserv system "@listserv.ksu.edu." Most of the currently used "@ksre.ksu.edu" lists are already available through K-State's "@listserv.ksu.edu" system and are ready for use.
On April 2nd we will be turning off the current KSRE List Server. At that time, any emails sent to any "@ksre.ksu.edu" email addresses will no longer be delivered, and the sender may receive a returned message stating it is undeliverable, depending on their email service provider.
However, we do request that everyone start using the new K-State lists now to make sure they are all working correctly. This will help minimize the impact when the old system is turned off as everyone will already be using the new system.
Also, if you or your office is in charge of maintaining a website, please make sure you update all "@ksre.ksu.edu" email addresses to their corresponding "@listserv.ksu.edu" email address. This will help make sure that clients finding us on the web will still be able to contact us if needed. For the local office CMS sites, we will automatically update the email address in the purple footer at the bottom of the page, but the local office is responsible for the rest of the site.
When updating a clickable email link on a CMS website, remember that changing just the text displayed WILL NOT change the email that the clickable link points to. To update that, you must right click the text while editing the page and select Edit Link, then update the "E-mail Address" box with the new address and click OK before publishing. Otherwise, when a client clicks the link they will still be sent to the old email address. Here are some answers to a few Frequently Asked Questions that you may have:
- How do I find the addresses of the new "@listserv.ksu.edu" lists?
The lists officially maintained by KSRE are available on our TechWeb site. It requires a valid KSRE account to log in.
If you have an account on the K-State Listserv system, you can also log in there and find all the lists on the K-State system. If you would like assistance with that, please contact KSRE Support at 785-532-6270 or ksresupport@ksu.edu.
For lists not maintained by KSRE, it is up to the list owners and moderators to make the address available.
- I currently use an "@ksre.ksu.edu" list but don't think it has been moved to the K-State "@listserv.ksu.edu" system. What should I do?
If you know the owner or moderator of the list, feel free to contact them and ask if it has been moved. If not, or if you aren't sure who to talk to, feel free to contact KSRE Support at 785-532-6270 or ksresupport@ksu.edu for assistance.
We would like to make sure this transition happens as smooth as possible. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact KSRE Support at 785-532-6270 or ksresupport@ksu.edu. -- Russ Feldhausen russfeld@ksu.edu
JO ELLEN ARNOLD'S RETIREMENT RECEPTION
K-State Research and Extension, Frontier District, cordially invites you to attend a retirement reception in honor of Jo Ellen Arnold, Friday, March 30, from 3 - 6 p.m., in the Franklin County Annex Meeting Room (1418 South Main, Ottawa). There will be a special presentation at 5:15 p.m. Anyone wishing to send cards, letters, or memos for her memory book may send them to Rebecca McFarland, Frontier Extension District - Ottawa Office, 1418 South Main, Suite 2, Ottawa, KS 66067. Come celebrate Jo Ellen's 34 years of dedicated service!! --Rebecca McFarland rmcfarla@ksu.edu
LEARNING TO VIEW THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY
Do you always wear the same pair of sunglasses, day after
day? Do you drive to work the same way every day? What if you were able to learn to see things
differently around you and appreciate some things that you see every day in a
different way?
Navigating Difference is an opportunity to change your lens
and grow in the appreciation of the world around us. In
this training you will discover that each of us has a
culture and begin to understand it; you will gain some knowledge of other
cultures; learn skills to interact with cultures other than your own; and
skills to be sensitive to cultures other than our own.
We encourage you to attend one of the Navigating Difference Training being offered in 2012 and 2013. By following the above link, you will find
the brochure which announces the new training dates and also the application
process.
We held our first training this past February and here are
some comments from the attendees about what they learned:
-
Difference is not just about race.
It has many aspects.- The ability to view the difference others see. Not only mine but the rest of the group. - Better awareness of different cultures and differences between my
culture and theirs. Strategies for working positively with other cultures.
- How privileged I am - and how I did not earn it.
- I will encourage others in our office to participate in this
training.
Come to the training to learn to see the world differently! --Melinda Daily mdaily@ksu.edu and Linda Lamb llamb@ksu.edu
ASK THE OEIE EVALUATOR: COLLECTING FOLLOW-UP IMPACT DATA
To gain robust information on the impact of your programs,
it is very valuable to collect follow-up data from participants several weeks
or months after their initial participation. Collecting follow-up data can help
you determine how the knowledge, skills and attitudes participants gained may
have led to behavioral changes and other impacts – and to convey these
impacts convincingly to stakeholders. In this installment, we discuss features
common to several follow-up data collection approaches.
Q: What should I consider when collecting follow-up data from
participants three to six months after the program?
When we evaluate our programs, we often conduct our
evaluation at the conclusion of the program, typically, with an
end-of-program survey. While these immediate activities can provide valuable
information about short-term impacts of your program, such as knowledge or
new attitudes participants gained, you may increase the value of your
evaluation significantly by continuing your efforts a few months
after the program. By collecting follow-up data from your
participants, you may learn how participants applied new knowledge, skills, or attitudes to make behavioral changes later on.
When you decide to collect follow-up evaluation data there
are typically a few things you want to achieve: 1) to gain information about
the continued impacts of the program, especially participant behavioral
changes; 2) to align data gathered from participants in the short-term with the
medium-term; and 3) to get more in-depth stories of impacts for individual
participants. With these goals in mind, follow-up evaluations, whether a
survey, interview, observation or other approach, will often have the following
features:- Elements that illuminate behavioral changes in
participants. In an interview or survey, this may be a question like, "Have you
done anything different because of your participation in this program?" In an
observation, for example, of children’s eating in a lunch room or of gardeners’
work in a community garden, an observation checklist will guide you to look for
evidence of new behaviors.
- Aspects that clearly connect short-term to
medium-term data to illustrate how the short-term impacts associate with medium-term
impacts. With a follow-up survey or interview, you can ask questions that build
directly from the short-term data. For example, if Participant #325 reported in the initial survey that he learned "important information for the successful
management of my operation," then in a follow-up phone interview you may want
to ask, "How have you applied information from the program to the
management of your operation?"
- Items that gather more in-depth information
about specific impacts for individual participants. Open-ended questions in an
interview or survey, like those shown above, can elicit detailed accounts from
participants that go far beyond "Yes" and "No" or "Agree" and "Disagree" (including "success stories").
Whatever approach you take, doing additional evaluation work
months after your program is complete can feel burdensome. However, with a few simple actions you can make this valuable next step more manageable. Plan and develop
your follow-up evaluation materials when you develop your initial
evaluation materials. By developing these consecutively, you will ensure that
your priorities for the entire program evaluation remain consistent and
complementary. By seeking email
addresses in the contact information you gather from participants can allow for the possibility of conducting an online survey later on. You
can also limit a follow-up survey or phone interview to a few key questions to make it easier for you to conduct and for participants to
complete. Sampling a portion of your participant group for interviews,
observations, or surveys can also make follow-up evaluations much more
practical.
Questions about evaluation? Contact Amy Hilgendorf, aehilgen@k-state.edu, 785-532-5538; or Mandi Peters, mpeters8@ksu.edu, 785-532-3423; at OEIE. --Amy Hilgendorf
HEALTHY YOU SUCCESS STORY
 We want YOUR success story! It doesn't matter how large or small the
steps that you are taking to become a 'Healthy You' ... we just want
you to share! You can find the form to share your story by clicking on
the Success Story tab on the Healthy You website, http://healthyyou.ksre.ksu.edu.
Here's how Andrea Feldcamp used the accountability partner method to reach her running goal:
I love to run, and have generally been running 2-3 miles per
run -- typically about 5 days per week. About three years ago, I hooked up with another runner, and
we decided to tackle a half marathon (13.1 miles) together. The experience of
setting a goal, taking time to train and consuming the right types of food made
a difference. We achieved our goal, and set another goal for another half
marathon. I achieved a personal best time and, for me, running is a great way to relieve
work stress.
When I became pregnant, I still continued to run. Obviously the length and
intensity of my runs changed, to accommodate my pregnancy. I competed in my
final 5K (3.1 miles) while six months pregnant. I think my physical activity
contributed to a relatively easy labor and delivery. Post-baby, it has been tough to set aside time to run. Our extension work
schedule requires creativity and flexibility in workout times, and an infant
can demand much of the remaining time. Now I am running about three days per
week, and hope to eventually work back up to my five-day time frame. --Denise Sullivan dsulliva@ksu.edu<
PRIDE COMMUNITY REPORTS
Extension agents worked with 69 PRIDE communities in 2011. By assisting the community volunteers with organizing, assessing the community situation, goal setting, and project implementation support, KSRE enabled volunteers to effectively step up and make meaningful community change.
PRIDE communities reported completing 1266 community improvement projects last year. That averages more than 25 projects a week for the entire year! The state PRIDE program views project completion as an indicator. A successfully completed project reported through PRIDE implies that there is an engaged group of citizens working effectively with their local government to address a locally identified need. If there is distrust, unwillingness to work together, or ineffective follow-through, community projects often don't get done.
PRIDE asks communities to report a second variable that reflects community capacity for change.We ask PRIDE communities to share how many hours of volunteerism they have generated. Civic engagement, measured through volunteer hours, is a common measure of social capital. In 2011, PRIDE reported 94,263 hours of volunteerism.
The State PRIDE program asks a third variable to indicate bridging social capital. We ask communities to tell us how many other organizations or groups they are partnering with to accomplish their projects. PRIDE groups reported 637 collaborative project partnerships in 2011.
Local agent work with communities is making a difference in building local capacity for effective community change!
If you have questions about the PRIDE program, please contact Dan Kahl or Trudy Rice at the PRIDE office. --Dan Kahl dankahl@ksu.edu
PURPLE UP FOR MILITARY KIDS FRIDAY, APRIL 13
April marks the nation's "Month of the Military Child," a time to honor youth impacted by deployment. In celebration, Kansas Operation: Military Kids (OMK), part of the 4-H Youth Development program of K-State Research and Extension, invites you to join us for "Purple Up! For Military Kids."
We are encouraging everyone across the state of Kansas to wear purple on Friday, April 13, as a visible way to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifices. Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is the combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red and Navy blue. OMK hopes everyone will take this opportunity to appreciate and celebrate these young heroes.
Be creative….the goal is for military youth to actually see the support of their community! Need some ideas to get you started?
• Ask local, regional, and state officials to wear purple on April 13
• Spread the word by inviting newspaper and media outlets to feature a story about Purple Up! For Military Kids
• Involve area schools, sports teams, youth organizations and clubs, afterschool programs, recreation departments
• Engage the Chamber of Commerce, fraternal organizations, social clubs, and Rotary groups
• Request local businesses post a Purple Up! Message on their roadside signs, and ask their employees to wear purple
• Ask stores and restaurants to offer a discount to all patrons who wear purple
• Invite coworkers, members of your spiritual community, exercise class, or golf league to join you in showing support for the military youth in your town.
Remember to send us your photos to post on the Kansas OMK website, where military youth and families from across the state will see them.
For more information, contact Kansas OMK Project Coordinator Ann Domsch at 785-532-5833 or adomsch@ksu.edu. --Ann Domsch
2012 KAE4-HA SPRING DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE DETAILS
The 2012 KAE4-HA Spring Professional
Development Conference will be April 24-25. The conference will be held at the Wetlands Education Center, and the
Front Door, Inc. in Great Bend. The theme will be "Plug into Technology." The
2012 program will focus on increasing new skills in technology featuring
technology guru Cyndi Danner-Kuhn from Kansas State University.
The cost will be only
$40 for KAE4-HA members and for new staff hired since the last annual
conference. Non-members are welcome too,
and pay only $80. Please share this
information and registration information with other Extension professionals who
may be interested.
The registration is due
April 16. We will again be using
the Google Documents registration system. You will need to mail your payment to Beth Hinshaw, but you will register,
sign up for meals, and answer some technology questions – all on-line.
To find more information about the conference
and to register, visit or paste into your browser:
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/agent_association/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=59.
For other information, contact Susan
Schlichting, sschlich@ksu.edu; Deryl
Waldren, dwaldren@ksu.edu; or Beth Hinshaw
for registration questions, bhinshaw@ksu.edu. --Deryl Waldren
4-H FAIR JUDGES TRAINING, APRIL 30 - WICHITA
Sedgwick County Extension will be hosting a judges training
event for current fair judges and others interested in learning how to become a
judge for the 2012 4-H Fair season. It will be held at the Sedgwick County
Extension Office, 7001 W 21st N., Wichita, from 5 – 9 p.m. on
Monday, April 30.
Topics will include: Role of judges, ribbons placings, and
consultative evaluation.
Subject matter sessions are: foods, food preservation,
clothing, fashion revue and Visual Art: Sketching, Drawing, and Painting.
Cost of the training is $15 which includes supper and your
choice of 3 sessions. Pre-registration is due April 20. Information may be
found at http://www.kansas4-h.org/Controls/doc12907.ashx.
For questions, contact Jodi Besthorn, Besthorn@ksu.edu; or Beth Hinshaw, bhinshaw@ksu.edu. --Jodi Besthorn
USDA, AMERICAN LEGION TEAM UP FOR VETERAN EMPLOYMENT
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and American Legion National Commander Fang Wong have signed an agreement that will help Veterans and Service members making the transition to civilian life find jobs that promote agriculture, animal and plant health, food safety, nutrition, conservation and rural communities. With this partnership, officials said, USDA and the American Legion will leverage existing resources to expand opportunities for veterans while promoting USDA programs and services in communities throughout the country.
In addition, officials said, USDA will provide information about the opportunities and support it offers so service members who want to start a rural business, farm or ranch are aware of the department's programs, grants, loans and small business contracts.
USDA education, training, outreach and mentoring programs, such as http://www.START2FARM.gov, will help encourage our Nation's young, hard-working Veterans to be the next generation of America's farmers and ranchers. To understand more about this team effort, please see http://1.usa.gov/wCeWrY. --Steven M. Graham sgraham@k-state.edu
|