The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
(Vol. 20 No. 46)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Difference Makers Blog. I give a shout out to Josh Coltrain
for authoring this week's Difference Makers Blog. Thank you, Josh, for
challenging all of us to improve our commitment to strengthening our
educational programs through feedback and evaluation, and for working to
improve participation numbers in your
programs through your use of K-PICS! The future of Extension depends on
many things, including a commitment to continuous improvement. Josh, you've said it
very well!! All the best!
Martha Van Rensselaer. For
many people, the purpose and work of Extension was initially focused
only on agriculture, after all, it was AGRICULTURAL Extension. We
hear the stories of Seaman Knapp, Booker T. Washington, George Washington
Carver, Liberty Hyde Bailey, and the list goes on among individuals who indeed
were focused on improving the agricultural capacity of this nation. But, the purpose was much broader than
that.
Quoting from Seaman Knapp, "to
create a better people…. high-minded, stalwart, courageous, and brave. You are
beginning at the bottom to influence the masses of mankind, and ultimately
those masses always control the destiny of a country. If you allow their
practices to sink lower and lower, the country must ultimately drop to a lower
level in moral, political, and religious tone, and we go down to degradation
and infamy as a nation; But, if we begin at the bottom and plant human action
upon the rock of high principles, with right cultivation of the soil, right
living for the common people, and comforts everywhere … the people will lend
their support and all civilization will arise higher and higher, and we shall
become a beacon light to all the nations of the world.”
Those words of Seaman Knapp do indeed suggest a broader
mission for Extension. As with last week’s
mention of Liberty Hyde Bailey, I’d encourage you to search out information
about Martha Van Rensselaer. Martha Van
Rensselaer was one of many women who were also pioneers in the Extension
movement across this nation. She was asked
by Liberty Hyde Bailey to organize an extension education program for New York
State women in rural areas. She did that
very successfully beginning in 1900, reaching over 20,000 women. She went on to be co-founder of the
Department of Home Economics at Cornell, later to establish what is now the
College of Human Ecology located in Rensselaer Hall at Cornell University.
Women carrying out such pioneer work of Extension was not
unusual. You might also check out the
work of Annie Peters Hunter, the first federally appointed black home demonstration agent. These women had a great vision for the contributions
of women and the importance of family and consumer sciences to the destiny of
this country. Extension was the vehicle
to bring that science of home economics to rural families.
More to come on persons who shaped Extension's history and vision for our future.
Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz
dbuchhol@ksu.edu
ANNUAL CONFERENCE UPDATES
This year’s conference theme, “Honoring the Past, Forging the Future,” celebrates the centennial of the Cooperative Extension Service with a look at the organization’s future. The conference dates are Tuesday, October 21 through Thursday, October 23. Please register by October 10.
Conference highlights:
If you need a hotel room and have not made your reservation, the room block at Holiday Inn at the Campus ends September 25. The block at the new Bluemont Hotel at the corner of Bluemont and Manhattan avenues expires on September 29. The block at Fairfield Inn by Marriott closed on September 19.
Most agent association meetings are on Tuesdays; however, the Kansas Extension Agents Association business meeting will be over lunch on Wednesday. The Tuesday 4 p.m. session with administrators is open to all conference attendees.
The awards luncheon is Thursday, October 23. You must register for the conference and check that you will be attending the luncheon to receive a ticket for the free lunch.
“What Can We Learn from a Century?” is the topic for Provost Mason’s remarks. Dean and director John Floros will follow with “Starting the New Century.” Jim Richardson, Kansas native and National Geographic photographer, will illustrate his talk on “Food, Agriculture and Feeding the Planet" with his amazing photos. Marshall Stewart, special assistant to the dean and director of college strategy and leadership at North Carolina State University, will conclude the Wednesday morning general session with “Celebrating the Past, Leading the Future.”
A draft schedule for the Wheat Research Symposium (October 22, 1:15 to 6:30 p.m.) is posted to the website. The schedule now includes a meal. If you plan to attend, please register for the session to ensure there is ample food and beverages.
You will be able to access the conference schedule on your smartphone or tablet. Download the free app at http://free.eventbase.com/download. After the app is fully loaded, search under conferences for k-state research and extension. The session locations have not been determined at this time but will be added before the conference. You will be able to mark the sessions you plan to attend as favorites to customize your conference schedule.
Register for the conference by October 10 by clicking “Register” on the conference website. --Gloria Holcombe gloria@ksu.edu
LAST WEEK TO ORDER A NEW NAME BADGE BEFORE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
All
participants attending the upcoming Annual Conference, October 21-23,
2014, will be asked to wear their K-State Research and Extension
name badges.
If you have never received a name badge, if you
still have one of the old variety, or if you wish to purchase a new
badge, email Sue Robinson, srobinso@ksu.edu.
Be
sure to specify the kind of backing you want - magnet, clip or pin -
and specify how you want your name on the badge. There is not room for
titles, but department, area, county, district, research center, etc., will
be shown.
Each new employee, at
the instructor level or above, receives his/her first name badge free
of charge. Counties, districts, areas and departments are encouraged to
order name badges for other employees and will be invoiced in the
amount of $4.50 for each name badge.
If a new name badge is
needed, please order by this Friday, September 26, so you can receive them in time for
Annual Conference. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
KSRE ADOBE CONNECT WEBINAR TRAINING: SEPTEMBER 24
Reminder for Adobe Connect training offered Wednesday, September 24, online 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/ and sign-in as a guest during the training time.
KSRE Adobe Connect is free for
KSRE and College of Agriculture to use for online meetings, research
collaboration, giving online classes and for
online presentations, "webinars."
For more information, visit the Technology site, www.ksre.ksu.edu/technology/, or contact Gerry Snyder, gsnyder@ksu.edu,
IET, 785-532-1179. --Gerry Snyder
TEAMLEAD21
K-State Research & Extension and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Extension are pleased to announce the launching of the TeamLEAD21 program. Teamwork and team leadership are important skills for Extension professionals and Extension in general. TeamLEAD21 provides team effectiveness and leadership development training to Extension professionals. The inaugural offering of this exciting program will be held October 1 through October 3, 2014.
K-State Research & Extension will have twelve people participating. The majority of the participants were nominated by their Program Focus Team (PFT). Our participants will be Lisa Newman (Family and Childhood Development PFT ), Tanda Kidd (Nutrition, Food Safety and Health PFT), Cynthia Williams (Family Resource Management PFT), Anna Muir (Adult Development and Aging PFT), Brenda Taxeras (Youth Development PFT), David Kehler (Farm Management PFT), David Hallauer (Crop Production PFT), Austin Sexten (Livestock Production PFT), Jaime Menon (Community Development PFT), Travis Carmichael (Horticulture PFT), Janel Koons (Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services) and Megan Kennelly (Plant Pathology).
Additionally, two of our colleagues, Shawnee County's Laurie Chandler and the Department of Animal Science and Industry's Dr. Michael Tokach, will be a part of the capstone event, a speakers panel of Extension professionals who are well known for their teamwork and team leadership skills.
Let's wish all of these participants well as they enhance their team effectiveness knowledge and team leadership skills!
If you would like more information about future offerings of TeamLEAD21, please contact Paula Peters, ppeters@ksu.edu; or Gregg Hadley, ghadley@ksu.edu; for more information. --Gregg Hadley
2014 KANSAS OUT-OF-SCHOOL CONFERENCE
Want to engage youth in long-term, structured
learning-environments that address their interests and help develop their
physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills and abilities? Are you
interested in expanding your youth programming into the after-school hours?
This
one-day conference, sponsored by K-State Research and Extension 4-H, Kansas 21st
Century Community Learning Centers and the Kansas Enrichment Network, highlights
hands-on curricula that adapt easily for out-of-school settings. The conference
is open to anyone, including certified teachers, afterschool program directors,
community or faith-based afterschool providers, summer recreation providers and
extension agents.
Date:
October 7, 2014, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Sedgwick County Extension Office in Wichita, Kansas
Cost:
$15 per person (includes catered lunch)
Register online at https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=QTOHNlEkzef0jUuQZqBCVA#. For questions, please contact Beth Drescher, drescher@ksu.edu. --Beth Drescher
DIVERSITY PROGRAMS OFFICE UPDATE
DPO would like to share some information about our upcoming events:
• Thank you to everyone that supported our KSU MANRRS Chapter at their fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings. MANRRS was able to raise funds for participation at the 2014 Regional Conference in Ft Worth, TX.
• In preparation for the MANRRS 2014 Corporate Showcase, Mary Ellen Barkley held a Resume Workshop on September 17th. The Corporate Showcase will be held Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 6:00pm in Waters Hall, Room 137. The showcase will feature three future employers, Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), and Frontier Farm Credit. Representatives from these corporations will discuss internships and job opportunities with the students.
• Opening Doors: An Event for Multicultural Students will be held on Monday, September 29, 2014 at 3:30 pm in the K-State Union, Room 227. This is a great way to learn about opportunities and resources at K-State. Please RSVP to Lindsay Dillon, llinsday@ksu.edu, by September 25th.
• On Sunday, October 5th Project IMPACT will be holding a Guaranteed 4.0 Training. Dr. Donna O. Johnson, the creator of the Guaranteed 4.0 Learning System, will be here to train our Project IMPACT students on the system. The Guaranteed 4.0 Learning System is an innovative approach to learning and success! This system ensures academic excellence and professional growth – both in and out of the formal educational system.
• The 8th Annual Midwest H.A.L.O. Encuentro will be held on Tuesday, October 7th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Kansas State University Grand Ballroom. Gabe Salazar, professional youth speaker, will be their guest speaker. They will also have entertainment by El Mero Norteño. For more information visit the event’s website: http://www.k-state.edu/halo/encuentro/
• The deadline to submit either a faculty or student nominee for the Commerce Bank Awards for Diversity is October 17, 2014. For more information please visit http://www.k-state.edu/diversity/commerce/
• The Tilford Conference at Emporia State University will be held on October 20th and 21st. For more information please visit their website: http://www.emporia.edu/jones/tilford/
• The Tilford Grants deadline is Friday, October 24, 2014 and for more information about this please go to http://www.k-state.edu/tlc/funding/tilford.html
• The Diversity Summit will be held on November 14, 2014 with more information to come.
Please continue to look for more diversity events as we continue to advertise. We appreciate your support. For more information about upcoming events or to collaborate with the DPO, please call 785-532-5793 or contact Dr. Zelia Wiley, Assistant Dean of Diversity, zwiley@ksu.edu. --Zelia Wiley
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks are outcomes and
success stories from Becky Reid, Cowley County; Chelsi Myer, Dickinson County;
and Mary Sullivan, Grant County:
**Thirteen
families with Pre-school children participated in "Simple Suppers." Families
had hands-on activities to explore new foods and age appropriate kitchen skills
for pre-school children. Participants set goals each session related to
planning healthy meals, trying new foods and having children help with food
preparation. The eight session class was spread over five months to help
families practice food preparation skills, problem solving and building
relationships.
**Testimony
from a Food Solutions program participant:
"We
have been busy with the new baby, however we always budget for groceries. Our
work schedules don't always allow for planning of meals, however we plan them
out when we can. And our 3-year-old ALWAYS helps mommy with food preparation
every time we cook. Your class helped us out a lot with all three areas and we
enjoyed it. Looking forward to another class sometime soon. Thank you!"
**The
Family Nutrition Program is always a joy for children who do not get to eat
naturally colorful foods at home. Trying new foods is an adventure for some,
but their awareness of what is 'good' versus what is 'not so good,' develops
quickly. Children's minds sponge up information so easily. Many kids cringed at
spinach and yet ended up enjoying it once they tried it. This is true for many
"health foods." Kids have a pre-conceived decision of certain foods
they may not have tried due to how it looks or even a parent's opinion they
have heard expressed. The quick, healthy snacks prepared during their classes
really shocked some of the kids on how easy a snack came together. The
same goes for teachers or paraprofessionals that looked on. This awareness
development and positive attitude change was obvious when trying the easy-made
snacks.
**A
church member who reads the weekly articles I write for the Abilene
Reflector-Chronicle that usually address healthy eating or increasing physical
activity told me that if he keeps following all the advice I share he might
live forever.
**We are seeing healthier choices at our grocery store
and restaurants. These are from the community asking the store to carry these
items. For example, kale is now a staple in our grocery store. The
healthier choices at the restaurants have become permanent offerings.
The
attendance at our farmers market has increased because of the FNP gardening
lessons in school that reinforce the farmers market. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
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