The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 43)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
It is rare anymore that I reflect and point to The Extension Worker's Code by TJ Talbert, Extension Bulletin 33 (February 1922), but today I thought it worthy to be reminded.
Keep your eye on the big things!
Everywhere we see workers neglecting the big things to attend to the little. While they are doing some little detail that should be left to a clerk, a stenographer, or an office boy, they lose sight of some great advantage which they might have gained--some real problem they might have solved, had they been free to attend to it. No one is great enough to be a leader and at the same time bury himself in details. Either the big things or the little things must predominate; the one is sure to outweigh the other.
Do The Things Which Will Count
"It is a great art to know what to leave undone, to know how to weed out the less important things and to spend one's energies in doing the things which will count."
If we do the things that will count we must have a plan or project and a program of work, either written up carefully and referred to from time to time or so thorourghly impressed in our minds that there is no chance of forgetting it. Once we have formulated a plan and program of work we must stick to it regardless of our tendency to be side tracked by other pressing duties and obligations. Otherwise, all our good resolutions and work begun will amount to little or nothing.
All of us need reminders from time to time that "Programming is the only real reason for Cooperative Extension!" Without having set priorities and put forth a meaningful plan of work, or action plan as we call it today, odds favor a much weaker, less valuable educational product. In the economic and political climate of today, our work must be well focused, planned, meeting critical needs, and making a difference. Are your action plans well developed and providing you with the direction and guidance you need to achieve high impact outcomes? Are you on track with your plans and evaluations? We all make choices and commitments. When they align with a plan, outcomes will be stronger.
I really like this quote: "Never mistake activity for achievement." -John Wooden
Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
HELP STILL NEEDED IN OUR STATE FAIR BOOTHS AND AT FAIR ENTRANCE GATES
There are some days and time slots that still need to be filled, so please see if you can find a couple of hours to help. We need workers on the following days and times:
Sunday, September 9, 5 - 9 p.m.
Monday, September 10, 4 - 9 p.m.
Thursday, September 13, 4 - 9 p.m.
Saturday, September 15, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday, September 16, 12 - 7 p.m.
Please respond to Maria Sweet at marswe@ksu.edu --Steven M. Graham
PASSWORD CHANGE DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 12
It's
time once again to update your K-State eID password. This must be done
between August 1 and September 12, 2012. You can change your eID
password by visiting the K-State eID page
and logging in with your current eID and password. Once you have logged
in, click the "Change your eID password" link to change your password.
We
highly recommend making your passwords longer than the 10 character
minimum. One way to do this is to use a pass phrase, or several words
put together or separated with spaces or other symbols. Those words must
not be identifiable in the dictionary, but the phrase itself can be
remembered much better than a short, complicated password. For more
information on the password requirements, see the eID password FAQ page.
While
on the eID site, you will also be prompted to update your password
reset options. We encourage you to keep that information current,
especially the alternate email address, since that can be used to reset
your password if needed. You can also sign up for K-State Alerts on the
eID site to receive emergency email and text message notifications as
needed.
Once you have changed your password, make sure you
IMMEDIATELY update it in any software or devices that receive your
K-State email. If you do not get it changed quickly, you may get locked
out of your email for a while. If you have multiple devices, we
recommend turning them all off before you change your password and
turning them on one by one afterward and updating the password as you
go.
Finally, if you have a laptop or mobile device that you use
on the "KSU Wireless" network on campus, you will have to update your
password there as well. Simply visit the K-State Wireless page and follow the steps there to update your settings.
For more information and in-depth instructions, please see this post on our KSRE Support blog.
If
you have any problems getting your password changed or have any
questions at all, please feel free to contact us at 785-532-6270 or ksresupport@ksu.edu.
For help with eID password issues, you may also contact the K-State IT
Helpdesk at 785-532-7722 or 800-865-6143. --Russ Feldhausen russfeld@ksu.edu
AUTHOR TO GIVE SUSTAINABLE NUTRITION SEMINAR AUGUST 28
Anita M. Kobuszewski, Registered Dietitian, author and Kansas State
University alumna, will present a seminar on sustainable nutrition on
Tuesday, August 28, on the K-State campus.
“Eat,
Write, Move: Living Green and Simply Sustainable from the Field to Your
Fork” will be presented at 11 a.m. in 247 Justin Hall.
We invite faculty, staff, students and the public to join us for this presentation.
Kobuszewski's
visit is sponsored by K-State Research and Extension and the
Departments of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management and Dietetics,
both in the College of Human Ecology. --Mary Meck Higgins mhiggins@ksu.edu
MORE KSRE CONNECT WEBINAR TRAINING - AUGUST 29, 30
Training continues for KSRE Adobe Connect web conferencing. Join us on either August 29 or 30, at 9 a.m.
This one-hour session is a
good overview for both new and experienced Connect users. No
registration is necessary. Simply go to http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/connecttraining/ during the training time.
If you are new to Connect, this free program is a great communication tool. It is used for on-line
webinars, research, educational classes, collaboration, and even KSRE District meetings.
For more information, visit the TechWeb site, www.ksre.ksu.edu/technology/; or contact Gerry Snyder, gsnyder@ksu.edu,
IET, 785-532-6270. --Gerry Snyder
PLANTING SEED IN YOUR COMMUNITY
A couple weeks ago, Gordon Dowell, Gift Planning Officer for Extension and Real Estate, provided us with information on our possible role in helping with the challenging -- yet rewarding -- task of identifying potential Kansas State University donors. With the many clientele we serve each year, just planting that “initial seed” may be all it takes to start the process that is so important to our communities and to our university.
I had the privilege of riding along with Gordon in Smith County to visit with a donor. Even though Gordon had made the initial contact, I was able to visit with the gentleman -– at a personal, local level -- because I had shared experiences with the donor’s family for several years. It was a wonderful opportunity to visit and share memories of Kansas State University along with events and activities taking place today, especially in our community.
I would strongly encourage you to participate in similar donor meetings and also to include Gordon and his “What’s Next?” presentation with your program planning for this winter’s educational meetings or workshops. If asked, don’t hesitate to share in this unique opportunity of “bridging the connection” with citizens in your county or district with the office of gift planning at Kansas State University.
Gordon shared details about a remarkable gift that developed out of a leasing meeting in Belleville. Together, we can educate people about the opportunities available and match their passions with local and K-State programs. Our local donor is ecstatic about his gift plans. It might just provide you with a renewed commitment of Purple Pride for not only your county or district, but for the entire state of Kansas. --Sandra L. Wick swick@ksu.edu
PART 6 FINNEY COUNTY HEALTH/WELL-BEING ASSESSMENT AND SOCIAL CAPITAL STUDY
Since I skipped last week (family reunion in Colorado), I will begin with a take home message from the previous submission: Non-Anglo, under-educated, low-income, under-employed respondents who primarily speak Spanish at home know that it is necessary to acquire more education in order to improve their lives. Qualitatively, respondents did not make the distinction between formal and informal education. Those whom I interviewed made it a point to share that they greatly valued any educational [curricula] offered in community settings, in their homes (home visits), and other [non-institutional] settings. It told me that Extension has some great opportunities to reach under-served populations.
Back to the data, when I factored needs by education, those with <high school and high school diplomas said that improved health and improved English skill would help them to live better lives. The need for more access to recreation and parks grew from 4% for those with <high school to 25% of those with a graduate degree. Education had no effect on the need for mental health counseling, affordable child care, and for children, senior, and elder services. Those services were needed equally regardless of educational background.
When needs were factored with age, the 25-34 age range was in the greatest need of transportation. The need from improved English skills was reflective of the county’s immigrant population. The younger generation came early enough to easily acquire English (It’s more difficult to acquire new languages as you get further away from puberty), so we saw that the age range 18-24 did not list “improved English” as a need for a better life. However, the percentages for improved English were high in the 25-54 age range. It makes sense since the older adults are often working in places (beef processing and other agricultural industry) where they are usually speaking their native languages while the children are in school learning English. Of greatest importance for populations who are learning English are those opportunities where conversations take place in non-threatening environments. One can sit in a classroom to learn another language all day, but it does not make a lot of sense until one gets to use that new language in a conversational setting.
As might be expected the younger age ranges were in greatest need of affordable child care, and 65+ was in greatest need of senior services. For Extension, that means our aging programs, SHICK, and other curricula that address the needs of aging and elderly populations. Needs not effected by age were improved health, children’s services, and mental health counseling.
Next time I will discuss health conditions in the Anglo and non-Anglo communities. There will be some usual expectations and some surprises. --Debra Bolton dbolton@ksu.edu
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