The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
(Vol. 20 No. 11)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Legislative Update. Per our promise, we are going to keep feeding
you as much factual information as we have throughout the legislative session
with respect to those issues affecting the work of K-State Research and
Extension. This past week our
Director/Dean John Floros provided testimony to the House Agriculture and
Natural Resources Committee. He will
have provided similar testimony to the Senate Agriculture and Senate Natural
Resources committees per requests from those committees. Those hearings are happening today as you
read this. We have also received a
request to provide testimony to the House Appropriations committee. As I am writing this, that scheduled time is
yet to be determined. Our approach has
been to provide our Legislative report and to review and highlight some
successes we’ve achieved in the past year.
We also discuss the impact of the budget reductions that we have and are
slated to receive in both our current FY14 and next year’s FY 15 budgets. The total reductions over the 2 years as was
passed by the legislature last year is $4.8 million (10.1%) for all of K-State
Research and Extension.
Governor’s Budget
Recommendations. With Governor
Brownback’s State of the State address, he also publishes his set of
recommendations for any adjustments to the budget that was passed last
year. With respect to Research and
Extension and Kansas State University, he did recommend restoring 1/2 of the
salary-based reductions in FY14 and to restore all salary-based reductions in
FY15 for both KSRE and K-State. His
recommendations would move the total reduction for K-State Research and
Extension from $4.8 million to an estimated $1.9 million (4.0%) reduction over
the 2 year budget cycle. Additionally,
he recommends a 1.5% salary increase for
all classified employees, but does not provide the funding for that increase,
indicating that increase will be self-funded. The KSU Office of Government Relations also released this statement on Friday, January 17.
It is important to remember that last year the Governor’s
recommendation was for a 1.5% across the board budget reduction and to hold
higher education including K-State Research and Extension harmless with respect
to the salary-based reductions. At the
end of the session, the Governor’s recommendations did not prevail. Both the 1.5% across the board reductions and
the salary-based reductions were what legislature
passed and the Governor signed which gave us the 10.1% reduction in our base
funding from the state over the two years we are in right now.
What I am saying is that if our stakeholders and advocates
don’t want to see further reductions in our abilities to deliver our high
impact programs relating to Kansas’ grand challenges, we need them to step up
and convince the legislature to accept the Governor’s recommendations AND to also
remove the 1.5% across the board reduction.
Stay tuned, have a great week, and we'll see many of you this week and next at Partnership Meetings around the state. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGEMENT AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE FEBRUARY 1
Extension does engaged work. Great examples of engaged work occur when we address difficult projects. In those times where we bring our clientele and resources from the University together to collectively problem solve and address issues, we are doing engaged work. When we share the resulting learning, through talks, conferences, and publications, we are advancing the scholarship of our discipline. This type of work takes persistence, collaboration, knowledge and professionalism, and deserves recognition! KSU is seeking your stories of engagement.
Submission of nominations for the KSU Excellence in Engagement awards are due February 1, 2014. Nominate yourself or others to be recognized for their engaged projects. Examples of engaged work will be shared through the Center for Engagement. Nomination details and guidelines are available at http://www.k-state.edu/cecd/initiatives/ExcellenceInEngagementAward.html. Two projects will be selected for recognition by the Provost and awards. These will be announced the week of February 15.
This is an important way to tell the story of how your work is contributing to a better, smarter world! --Dan Kahl dankahl@ksu.edu
FEBRUARY 1 DEADLINE FOR VIP REGISTERED VOLUNTEERS
This is a reminder that on or
before February 1, 2014, local units must submit a list of all registered
volunteers to the Department of 4-H Youth Development. The list should contain
1) all registered 4-H volunteers who have completed the VIP process, 2) have
been approved and appointed by the local Extension Board and 3) are up to
date in their renewal status (for those VIP registered in previous years). The list must be verified by the Extension Board chair.
The Extension Board does not
need to approve the list. Only the Board chair has to approve that the list of
volunteers is accurate and can be verified through Board minutes. This would
include all volunteers approved and appointed up through January 31, 2014.
An Excel
template is available by contacting Keli Yungeburg, keliy@ksu.edu. Please send the list electronically to Keli Yungeberg, keliy@ksu.edu. Upon receipt of the list,
an email confirmation will be sent to you and the area director.
If you have additional
volunteers that are still waiting for approval/appointment then you can approve
them at your upcoming February Board Meeting. After February 1, we will post
the steps for how you can prepare to manage the registered volunteers
through ACCESS. We will be able to see the progress you have made that
way.
This is a
preliminary measurement of where we are on January 31, 2014. It is not meant to
be a punitive. Local units will have until July 31, 2014 to get any
volunteers not already registered approved under the current system.
Beginning August 1, 2014 they will need to go through the revised volunteer
screening process. --Barbara Stone bjstone@ksu.edu
RETIREMENT CELEBRATION FOR BEV DUNNING
Bev Dunning, Sedgwick County Extension Director, is retiring after 50 years of service to K-State Research and Extension. Join us in honoring her at an open house and reception on
Sunday, February 23, 2014,
2-4 pm in 4-H Hall,
Sedgwick County Extension Education Center.
A short program will be held at 3 p.m.
In lieu of gifts, donations to honor Bev may be made to the Extension Education Foundation, Inc. Cards, letters of appreciation, and donations should be sent by February 17 to Anita Monarez, Sedgwick County Extension Center, 7001 W 21st N., Wichita, Ks 67205. --Jodi Besthorn besthorn@ksu.edu
HEALTHY YOU: HEALTHY TEAMS
 Most people have heard of Stephen Covey and his work in
organizational management. One of the most impacting professional development
programs that I have participated in as an extension professional was the ‘7
Habits of Highly Effective People’ workshop, based on Covey’s work. By
participating in that workshop, I learned a great deal about myself and how I
interact with others, but most importantly I learned about the value of
teamwork.
Covey’s 7 Habits include: 1-Be Proactive, 2-Begin with the
End in Mind, 3-Put First Things First, 4-Think Win-Win, 5-Seek First to
Understand then Be Understood, 6-Synergize and 7-Sharpen the Saw.
Habit 6-Synergize really speaks to the benefits of teamwork.
Synergy isn’t about ‘your way’ or ‘my way’ or even compromise, but about
discovering and creating a better way. Wouldn’t it be great if
we all made an intentional effort to find a better way to work as a team? In
2014, can your ‘office team’ set some goals to be a ‘healthier team’?
This
brings me to Habit 7-Sharpen the Saw. This is the habit of renewal and renewal
is all about wellness! Personally, I think this is a great place to start, so
that we can have the energy and focus to address the other habits.
The Covey Community is a social media platform where you can
set goals and ‘sharpen the saw’. Covey recommends sharpening the saw in four dimensions: physical, social/emotional, mental, spiritual
(body, heart, mind, spirit). Check out the Covey Community at the link below
and set some goals to ‘sharpen your saw’.
https://www.stephencovey.com/community/goal_manager/
By including healthy activities into team-building
functions, your team can achieve attribute #23 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. --Denise Sullivan and the Healthy You Wellness in the Workplace Team
4-H VOLUNTEER SCREENING: CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS
Last October, we announced that all
volunteers who have direct, on-going contact with youth must be screened
through the revised Kansas 4-H Volunteer Screening process. The revised
screening process will begin August 1, 2014. The revised process includes:
1. An
Application
2. Face to
Face Interview
3. References
4. A National
Criminal Background Check (CBC)
5. Orientation
6. Data File
Review
7. Approval by
the Local Extension Board
The
National criminal background checks will be conducted through the Department of
4-H Youth Development by an outside vendor. The criminal background check (CBC)
includes an address history, criminal records in all county and state
jurisdictions within the last 7 years, federal criminal records within the last
7 years, and multi-state sex offender registry from all 50 state registries.
All
volunteers working in direct contact with youth will be required to go through
the initial criminal background check (CBC) before appointment as a volunteer.
After the initial check, a recheck will be required every 3 years for as long
as they are a 4-H volunteer.
The
costs are as follows:
Initial
Volunteer Criminal Background Check: $22.50
Volunteer
Recheck (Every three years): $16.50
Beginning
August 1, 2014 through August 31, 2015, the cost for the criminal background
check (CBC) for all prospective volunteers will be jointly paid for by KSRE
administration, the Department of 4-H Youth Development and the Kansas 4-H
Foundation. Beginning September 1, 2015, the cost of the initial volunteer
check and the recheck will be the responsibility of the local units. We will
continue to explore ways to minimize the cost to local units through the Kansas
Mentor Program, grants, donor support, and incentives to local units that meet
certain criteria.
Budgeting
Considerations
Beginning,
August 1, 2014:
**All
prospective volunteers must go through the initial criminal background check
($22.50)
**The
cost for all prospective volunteers will be jointly paid for by KSRE
administration, the Department of 4-H Youth Development and the Kansas 4-H
Foundation through August 31, 2015.
**No
current registered volunteers will be covered by administrative resources—only
new volunteers.
**All
current, registered volunteers will begin the 3-year CBC cycle and must have a
CBC recheck ($16.50) within 3 years or on or before the 2017 program year.Beginning
September 1, 2015:
**The
cost of the initial CBC ($22.50) for all volunteers and the 3 year recheck
($16.50) will be the responsibility of the local units.
**Over
the next 4 years, local units should estimate $39.00 for every volunteer—to
cover the cost of the initial CBC ($22.50) and a recheck ($16.50) within 3
years. Initial checks of new volunteers and rechecks within 3 years should also
to be considered in the budget.
**Local
units may choose to begin the initial volunteer check ($22.50) for current
volunteers beginning in 2014, to spread out the costs for the initial checks
and the recheck ($16.50) within 3 years.
**After
the initial check ($22.50), a recheck ($16.50) is required every 3 years for as
long as they are a 4-H volunteer.
This information will be communicated
to Extension Board members at the Partnership meetings scheduled the last two
weeks in January. In addition, the quarterly 4-H Update webinar for Extension
staff with 4-H responsibilities is scheduled for February 11, 2014 and will
focus on this topic. The webinar will be archived for future viewing.
4-H Update Webinar, February 11, 2014 , 10:30 a.m. – 11:15
a.m.
Connect: http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu
Sign in as Guest
--Barbara Stone bjstone@ksu.edu
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