And, I thought you might enjoy a webinar celebrating The Morrill Act and Cooperative Extension. You are invited to an in-person event/webinar sponsored by the Jandris Center for Innovative Higher Education and University of Minnesota Extension:

EXTENSION’S PUBLIC PURPOSES AND VALUE IN TROUBLED TIMES

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Description

As we celebrate the legacy of the Morrill Act and look forward to the Cooperative Extension System’s centennial in 2014, we need to ask some fundamental questions.

• What is Extension?

• What are its public purposes and value in troubled times like ours?

• How does it fit with efforts to reshape and strengthen higher education's public engagement work?

• And what does it offer to the urgent work of renewing and sustaining our economy, our environment, and our democracy?

We’ll take these questions up in conversation at this event, drawing lessons from forgotten aspects of Extension history, and from contemporary work in Minnesota and elsewhere.

This event is part of UMN Land Grant 150, a yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act of 1862—legislation that laid the groundwork for the land-grant research university's ongoing mission: learning, discovery, and engagement for the common good.

 
Presenters

Scott J. Peters, Professor, Cultural Foundations of Education, Syracuse University; Co-Director, Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life

Richard Senese, Senior Associate Dean, University of Minnesota Extension

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This event is sponsored by the Jandris Center for Innovative Higher Education and University of Minnesota Extension. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

• Must currently have a valid passport in hand.
• Open to 3 youths with strong backgrounds in Kansas agriculture.
• Must be at least 18-years-old at time of travel.
• Must be a high school senior or a college freshman.
• Delegates will have about half their airfare and all local accommodations, meals & transportation in Taiwan sponsored by the government of Taiwan.
• Delegates must be able to commit to approximately $1,050 towards airfare costs, plus other personal costs like souvenirs.
• Selection will be based on resume, letter of intent that includes agricultural background, career aspirations, and what you hope to gain from this trip (1 page maximum, 12 point font minimum.), and two reference letters. Include in the letter of intent:  name, address, town, zip, e-mail and mobile phone number. Application package is due Monday, October 1, 2012. All required information pieces should be emailed to the below address as well as questions should be directed to Kate Bormann at Kate.Bormann@kda.ks.gov or at 785-296-7063. --Deryl Waldren dwaldren@ksu.edu

Start connecting 5 minutes prior to the start time. You need a computer with Internet access and speakers. At the meeting time, copy and paste this URL into your browser to enter the meeting: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/agenergy/. At that URL you will find a login page. “Enter as a Guest” with your name, and business or institution and click "Enter Room." The audio portion of the meeting will come through your computer speakers.

Any time before the meeting you can visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect:

 "I previously had a tendency to try to pack too much information into a program. I have been making a conscious effort to select a few major ideas and do a better job of imparting that knowledge well."

"At a recent workshop I taught I focused on engaging the learners and gave them an opportunity to share what they knew."

 "We planned our course with more break time, less lecture and more varied types of learning experiences.

 

Concepts reinforced in Design for Learning include:

•     Understanding adult learners

•     Organizing and designing content

•     Creating an effective learning environment

•     Selecting appropriate teaching tools

•     Teaching for transfer

•     Assessing learning outcomes

 

     "We went through a lot to get to go on this trip, but it really was worth it! We learned from all the fundraising that if you work hard enough, and you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. We can especially appreciate the hard work when we can get something out of it in return."

     "We got to see so much and experience a lot too! We got to interact and meet people from all across the United States, not to mention see monuments and meet some of our state's legislators."
     "The trip has been absolutely amazing. I loved getting to see all the historical sites and meeting people from different states."
     "On this trip I learned how to be a better citizen and how a congressional session works. Touring the Capital was the best."
     "In the end I think that the time we put in was worth the whole trip."
     "My favorite part was the Holocaust Museum. It was breathtaking. There was so much I didn't even know went on."

     "I think anyone that has the opportunity to go on the CWF trip should go, because it's a once in a lifetime trip!"

** A former Osage County 4-Her recently wrote the local extension office to share that she had continued to utilize the skills that she had learned in the 4-H program nearly 20 years prior. She gave the 4-H program credit for a big part of the successful career she has experienced.

** One 4-Her took it upon himself to purchase a BBQ ticket and bring an older handicapped individual who is always around at our fair to the pre-fair BBQ. He sat with him to make sure he had drink refills and homemade ice cream and helped him back to his camper. That is what makes your day! 

Now, instead of my interpreting it, think about what you’re seeing. What are some explanations? Next week, we’ll look to see if primary language spoken at home affects income, education, and needs for a better life. --Debra Bolton dbolton@ksu.edu