The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
(Vol. 20 No. 3)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Extension is relational and built upon trusted networks...
Extension provides practical education you
can trust – to help people, businesses, and communities solve problems, develop
skills, and build a better future. Our focus in Kansas is on solving grand
challenges in our state around water, health, global food systems, vitalizing
our communities, and growing tomorrow’s leaders. We are Kansas State University
in your local community. We have numerous opportunities for you to get involved
in making serious progress on each of these grand challenges. Will you join us?
I know many of you are committed and motivated to want to improve your professional capacity as an Extension educator. I listened and learned of the great work you are doing through a panel discussion recently at the Kansas Association of Counties. It was local government officials, county commissioners, county administrators, clerks, registers of deeds, and others singing the praises of your work in their communities and the positive difference your educational programs are making! Congratulations! It was a wonderful experience to listen to their testimonies about all of you!!
I encourage you to step up and accept the challenge of the online course, “Certificate in Teaching and Learning in
Extension.” Any K-State Research and Extension employee who is engaged
in delivering Extension educational programming is eligible to apply. (That means everyone who has any kind of an Extension appointment, INCLUDING YOU!) The
scholarships are funded by a grant from the Alpha Rho Chapter of Epsilon
Sigma Phi. Read more about this great opportunity below, and put forth your application to become a better Extension professional!
And, have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
NOVEMBER 15 DEADLINE TO QUALIFY FOR ALL-UNIVERSITY CAMPAIGN DONATIONS AND PRIZES
Time is running out to support the All-University Campaign. Through your participation, you send a powerful message to our donors, legislators, alumni and friends that we believe in K-State's future. Every donation – even one dollar – counts toward participation. We usually have 30 percent of faculty, unclassified and classified personnel participate in the campaign. Please consider making a donation of any size to raise our participation rate.
This campaign allows you to choose where your donation will be used. This site lists College ofAgriculture/Research and Extension accounts.
At annual conference, Dean and Director John Floros announced incentives to thank those who have pledged and encourage those who are still thinking about making a pledge:
Call Hall ice cream coupons,
Dinner at the Bluemont Room in the Union,
K-State Research and Extension items from the KSRE Bookstore,
Use of his reserved parking space for a designated time while he is out of town, AND
Access to the K-State Research and Extension/College of Agriculture skybox at a 2014 home football game.
The campaign officially ends November 15. For more information, go to www.found.ksu.edu/auc. –-KSRE Campaign representatives Daryl Buchholz, Susie Wilkinson, and Gloria Holcombe
TIME TO GET A FLU SHOT
 Flu
and cold season is here. Most respiratory bugs come and go within a few days, but
some can cause serious health problems. While symptoms of colds and flu are
similar, the two are quite different.
A
stuffy or runny nose and sneezing are common symptoms of a cold. You may also
have coughing, a scratchy throat, and watery eyes. Colds come on gradually, and
there is no vaccine against colds because they can be caused by many types of
viruses.
Flu
is more serious than a cold. It comes on suddenly and lasts longer. Symptoms
include fever, headache, chills, dry cough, body aches, fatigue, and general
misery. You may also have a runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes, or even
nausea and vomiting.
A
flu vaccine is the best way to prevent and control influenza. A good time to get a flu shot is right now.
Other things you can do to avoid the flu bug is to wash your hands often, eat a
balanced diet, get enough sleep, keep stress in check, and exercise (this helps
your immune system to fight off the germs that cause illness.)
If
you are sick, try your best to not make others sick too. If you have a fever –
stay home from work. CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours
after your fever is gone. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a
fever-reducing medicine.) You should
also stay home from work if you are contagious and coughing a lot, if you have
a hard time functioning at your normal level, and if you are taking medications
that could alter your ability to think, work, or drive.
When
making a decision about staying home when you are sick, think about how you would
like to be treated. Not exposing others to illness is part of preventive
medical care and one of the attributes that contributes to a healthy
environment.
If
employees at your workplace stay home when they are sick, your team has
achieved attribute #34 on the Healthy You
Recognition checklist. More on this recognition and the checklist can be found
at http://www.healthyyou.ksre.ksu.edu/Controls/FCKeditor/editor/~/doc8501.ashx. --The Healthy You: Wellness in the Workplace Team
K-PICS TRAINING WEBINAR – FCS FOCUS
The K-PICS Support team would like to cordially invite you to attend a K-PICS training webinar with a Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) focus to be held on November 22, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The webinar will walk you through several FCS program scenarios, from the Family Resource Management and the Family & Child Development PFTs, while explaining the K-PICS structure and features. This webinar will be recorded and posted in the K-PICS Support section for reference and additional training opportunities.
We will use Adobe Connect. Before the webinar, please test or retest your computer before entering the Connect meeting room: http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.
This test will take about 30 seconds, and will help you add whatever you need to make the connection work. Once it is complete and ready you will have check marks by the four items. The test truly assists in mitigating connection and audio issues that you may encounter when attending this webinar.
On Friday, November 22, please start connecting ten minutes prior to the start time (10 a.m.). Copy and paste this URL, http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/oeie/ into your browser to enter the meeting. Login as "Enter as a Guest" with your name and unit, then click "Enter Room."
Remember: The K-PICS Support Team is available via phone, 785-532-5930, and email, kpics@oeie.ksu.edu, to assist you with the system. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about K-PICS. --Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation
FOUNDATIONS OF FACILITATION DEADLINE IS APPROACHING
This one day workshop will help you identify
the terminology and tools used in everyday meetings, public issues and conflict
resolution. It is designed to serve as a stand alone introduction to
facilitation or a precursor to a more in depth multi-day training that can be
taken through K-State ICDD such as the Public Issues Facilitation or the Public
Decision Making conferences. Even if you don’t pursue the intermediate training
opportunities, it will serve as an excellent foundation for your educational
events and meetings.
Our trainers will include class room
instructors from K-state, Donita Whitney, David Procter, Dan Kahl and some
possible surprise presenters. Topics that will be addressed include what
is a facilitator, what a facilitator does, facilitator beliefs, content vs
process managing, resistance in
organizations, skills for understanding and navigating diverse perspectives and
positional viewpoints. The group will explore how to understand diverse
perspectives and how to sort through and address diverse interests.
The
training will be held at the Dole/Spectrum Conference Center in
Russell, KS
on December 4 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A block of rooms has been
reserved for the night before at $79/night at the Fossil Creek Hotel
and Suites, 785-483-4200. Registration of $25 will include
lunch, and help cover cost of trainers and facilities.
The
deadline for registration is November 29, but there is limited capacity
and your early registration is requested. So don’t delay, sign up
today by calling or emailing Sara, sjuenema@ksu.edu, at the Northwest Area Extension Office, 785-462-6281. --Chris Onstad constad@ksu.edu
COMMUNITY GARDEN GRANTS DEADLINE APPROACHING
The Kansas Community Garden Grants program, a joint project of K-State Research & Extension and the Kansas Health Foundations, promotes the development of community gardens by providing seed money to new gardens. In the first two years of the project a total of 39 gardens received grants totally $250,000. As a result of this project nearly 1,200 new allotment plots have been created; over 450,000 sq. ft. of space has been put into communal gardens; and a total 859,153 sq. ft. is in community garden projects across the state of Kansas. More than 3,500 individuals have participated in community garden projects funded through the grants.
The program has $150,000 available to distribute in 2014, the third and final year of the project. Groups can apply for up to $5,000 to start a new community garden. To learn more about the grants and access the grant application, visit www.kansascommunitygardens.org. Applications are due January 15, 2014. --Evelyn Neier eneier@ksu.edu
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