The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
(Vol. 20 No. 40)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Engaging Program Development Committees. As
agents complete 2014-2015 Professional Development Plans in the
next few weeks I strongly encourage you to plan to participate in an "Engaging Program Development Committees" workshop that will be
held in April 2015.
Here is some background on
these workshops. In July 2013, 48 randomly selected agents participated
in a phone survey about their partnership with their Program
Development Committee(s). While most agents agreed that
their program development committees are important, they also indicated a need for resources and
skill building to more effectively work with and provide leadership to those committees for the expressed purpose of building better educational program plans for the local Extension unit.
As a followup to the survey, a task force has focused on barriers identified in the survey, and ways to break down those barriers. I will always remember one of our State Extension Advisory Board members telling me that if Extension allows for one weak board or program development committee, that weakens all of Extension. When the task force first came together, I gave them a charge to truly come up with strategies that will truly improve the work of program development committees. Further, I told them that there have been numerous trainings and various activities towards improving the utility of program development committees, with very limited success. We have got to bring forth strategies that will make a difference.
From that charge, the task force will be hosting workshops in April 2015, as follows:
April 1 in Manhattan
April 2 in Iola
April 7 in WaKeeney
April 8 in Garden City
April 9 in Pratt
Additional information will be coming later but I ask that you build this into your personal professional development plan, put it on your calendar, and plan to attend one of these workshops.
On a lighter note, Wednesday, August 13, is Left Handers Day. A day for all of us lefties to celebrate our right to be left handed!
Thank you, and have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REORGANIZATION NEARS COMPLETION
The integration of K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) technology staff within Information Technology Services is almost complete.
Our last step is the integration of help desk and tech support functions with the IT Help Desk and Client Services of the Information Technology Assistance Center (ITAC). This move will begin during the week of August 18th. As part of the move, the KSRE support number, 785-532-6270, and email, ksresupport@ksu.edu, will be forwarded to the IT Help Desk. We would encourage everyone to start calling the IT Help Desk number of 785-532-7722 or toll free at 800-865-6143 beginning the week of August 18th. You can email the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@ksu.edu. The help desk team will provide support or get you transferred to the proper team to resolve your issue.
For those on campus who dealt with KSRE tech support for their computers and do not have their own departmental support, you can contact the IT Help Desk and if needed, someone from Client Services will be assigned to take a look at your computer and if necessary take it back for repair.
If you are planning to come to campus and want to bring a computer in for repair, please contact the IT Help Desk in advance of coming to campus. They may be able to resolve your issue before coming to campus and it will allow the staff to schedule and prepare any necessary items for your arrival. Please be sure to bring your computer to room 214 of the Hale Library.
As part of the move, Gary Kepka, David Dunn, and Steve Spencer will now be part of Client Services under Eric Dover, edover@ksu.edu. Gary will be located in room 214 of the Hale Library. The phone numbers for Gary, Dave and Steve, will remain the same. Gary, Dave, and Steve, along with the rest of the Client Services team, will provide Information Technology support to the Counties, Districts, Area Offices, Farm Management Districts, Research Centers, and other offices that have been supported by the KSRE Technology team.
Our student techs, (Ian Speer, Kadin Zimmerman, and Bryan DeBaun) will be joining the IT Help Desk. Janelle Harvey, our student receptionist and user account manager, will be joining the Client Services team.
The goal of integration with Information Technology Services is to provide the level of services and support that the faculty and staff of Kansas State University need to fulfill the Land-Grant missions of teaching, research, and extension. By combining people and resources, we bring a larger pool of talent and ideas to that service and support. By doing so we can also look to reduce costs by avoiding duplication of effort and look at technologies that can help both on and off campus faculty and staff.
For more information on the reorganization with Information Technology Services, visit the ITS reorganization page at http://www.k-state.edu/its/about/itsreorg.html. You can also find this page by going to http://www.k-state.edu/its, mousing over the About ITS at the top of the page and clicking on ITS reorganization.
If you have any questions about the reorganization, who to contact for assistance, or you’re having trouble getting an issue or problem resolved, do not hesitate to call or email Joe Lear, Director of Information Systems, at 785-532-3962, or learj@ksu.edu. We’ll do our best to resolve any issue or problem as fast as possible. We know that there will be a learning curve as we merge our clientele and staff, and we appreciate your understanding and patience as we learn the best ways to support your efforts now and into the future. --Joe Lear learj@ksu.edu
HELP WANTED AT THE KSRE AND COA STATE FAIR BOOTHS
The College of Agriculture and K-State Research and
Extension will once again have booths in the Pride of Kansas building at the
Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. The Kansas State Fair runs from Friday,
September 5, through Sunday, September 14, 2014. We are celebrating 100 years
of the Kansas Cooperative Extension Service. Exciting year for all of us.
We would appreciate faculty and staff from campus, area
offices, county/district offices, Agronomy Fields, and Research-Extension Centers
coming to the fair and signing up to work a few hours in one or both of the booths. Also,
we would really appreciate agents and/or faculty, who are coming to the fair
anyway, signing up to work a couple of hours in a booth before or after your
activities.
Days and times that our KSRE/COA fair booths are open are:
Friday, September 5 - 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday, September 6 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. (KFMA taking this entire day)
Sunday, September 7 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Monday, September 8 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Tuesday, September 9 – 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. (SG County Extension Office taking this entire day)
Wednesday, September 10 – 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Thursday, September 11 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday, September 12 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday, September 13 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday, September 14 - 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
If you would like to work in the K-State Research and
Extension booth, please contact Maria Sweet, marswe@ksu.edu,
by August 26.
If you would like to work in the College of Agriculture
booth, please contact Sandy Klein, sandy@ksu.edu,
by August 26.
We will be in touch in late August/early September to
finalize days, times, entrance tickets, etc. --Sandy Klein and Steven Graham sgraham@k-state.edu
UPDATE ON TRANSITION FROM ACCESS 4-H TO 4HONLINE
National 4-H Council will discontinue ACCESS 4-H
effective March 2015. Kansas will move to 4HOnline, an enrollment management
system: https://www.4honline.com/.
While we are optimistic about what 4HOnline has to offer, we are also sensitive
to the workload demands this transition will create for local units.
We have prepared a summary
of the key points including what you should know about 4HOnline, what you can
plan on for your local unit and the 4-H families you serve, and what our staff
is doing to make the transition as smooth as possible. The key points can be viewed here: http://www.kansas4-h.org/p.aspx?tabid=602.
Join us for a webinar/conference call that will discuss the key points
above and provide time for an open forum. The calls will be
recorded.
Wednesday, August 13,
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Adobe Connect: http://connect.ksre.ksu.edu/ks4h/
Sign in as a Guest
Conference Call Line: 866-620-7326
Passcode: 479-963-8009
--Barbara Stone bjstone@ksu.edu
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY - NAVIGATING DIFFERENCE
As you plan your professional development for the next year, keep in mind that Navigating Difference is open to ALL K-State Research and Extension employees (including all KSRE staff). The program is designed to assist you in expanding your skills to work with diverse audiences in the office or with programming and community involvement. Hotel (double occupancy), lunches, and materials are paid by K-State Research and Extension. Your responsibility is transportation. Three trainings are listed below. Please go to the link at the bottom to register for any of the three and to get information about training location and lodging.
November 12-13, 2014 - Ft. Scott, KS (first day), Pittsburg, KS (second day).
March 3-4, 2015 - Dodge City, KS.
November 17-18, 2015 - Leavenworth, KS.
Registration link: http://goo.gl/K1QLrv
--Charlotte Shoup Olsen colsen@ksu.edu
NCR-SARE INTRODUCES NEW PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM
The 2015 North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Partnership Grant Program Call for Proposals is now available online at http://www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Our-Grant-Programs/Partnership-Grant-Program.
NCR-SARE’s new Partnership Grant Program is intended to foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture. Individual grants are limited to $30,000. For the current year funding of the Partnership Grant Program, up to $200,000 of the partnership grant pool of $340,000 in funds is available for projects focused on cover crops and soil health. For consideration under the cover crops and soil health funding, applicants are asked to use cover crops and/or soil health in their project title and to make the topic of cover crops and/or soil health the main focus of the application. Other criteria for these applications remain the same.
This special request for proposals on cover crops and soil health is made possible by a match of funds between NCR-SARE and the Harvest the Potential program of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. For the remaining funds of $140,000 or more, other project topics appropriate to the NCR-SARE program will be considered for funding. NCR-SARE will accept online submissions for the Partnership Grant Program using its online submission system.
More information about the online submission system can be found in the call for proposals. The deadline for Partnership Program proposals is October 30, 2014 for projects to begin in April 2015.
NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council (AC) members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. The AC includes a diverse mix of agricultural stakeholders in the region. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, and nonprofit organizations. In addition, regional representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and NCR agribusinesses, state agencies, and foundations sit at the table to distribute grant money.
For questions or additional information regarding the Partnership Grant Program, contact Beth Nelson or Rob Myers at bethnelson@umn.edu or myersrob@missouri.edu. --Keri Ebert kebert@ksu.edu
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