The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
(Vol. 20 No. 51)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
K-State Research and Extension 2014 Annual Conference is now
history. As you scroll down
through my comments, and several other messages in this Tuesday Letter, you
will see that some of the highlights can be revisited. The goals for annual conference were to:
- Celebrate the historical importance of the
Smith-Lever Act that created the Cooperative Extension Service 100 years ago.
- Promote learning through innovative programs
based on our five grand challenges.
- Build personal and professional relationships
through networking with colleagues.
- Recognize outstanding programs and contributions
by faculty and staff.
I hope each of you did experience opportunities that fulfilled several of
these goals personally.
Our keynote speakers on Wednesday morning were
outstanding. You can view their
presentations, thanks to the work of Gerry Snyder and the Mediated Education
team, using the following link: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/Seminars/p.aspx?tabid=626.
You will soon be asked for your feedback on the conference. I am happy to receive an email any time, and
we will also be sending out an evaluation survey. Thanks for your input and suggestions on
strengthening the content and our overall ability to deliver on the goals of
Annual Conference.
Huge thank yous go to all members of the planning committee
and the vast number of people working behind the scenes to make Annual
Conference run so smoothly. Special
thanks to Debbie Hagenmaier, our conference coordinator with KSU Global Campus;
Gloria Holcombe, editor within the KSRE Communications group; and Stacey Warner,
Leader and Doris Merrill, Administrative Specialist, in Extension Operations. These individuals do much of the lifting behind the scenes to see that all the
details are going to successfully be carried out! Thanks so much to each of you for your
commitment to an outstanding experience with Annual Conference year after year! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
UNIVERSITY CLIMATE SURVEY
As
you know, we are in the midst of conducting an important Kansas State University climate
survey. The response rates after the first week the survey was open are:
1. Overall rate: 9%
2. Students: 6%
3. Faculty/Staff/Administrators:
19%
We need at least an overall rate of 30% to draw the best
conclusions from the survey results.
If you have not already
done so, I encourage you to go to https://rankinsurveys1.com/k-state to fill out the University Climate Survey. Also
note there are survey awards available as part of drawing that will be
conducted after the conclusion of the survey, so please be sure to sign up on
the Thank You page after you have submitted the survey, if you wish to be
included in the drawing.
Please
be sure to share this message with your colleagues.
A
small investment of your time will pay a big dividend for our university. Your
voice will help ensure a stronger K-State! Thanks so much! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
MAKING A DIFFERENCE - REMINDER
Two different formats are available for 2014 Making a Difference reports.
One, a Publisher document, is available for local units to share their outcomes
and impacts with stakeholders. The template and a sample are available under the
Impacts header at www.ksre.ksu.edu/programming.
The other format, a Word document, is available for PFTs. To assist with
the editing process, a Word format, along with an example of the finished
product and instructions can be accessed under the Program Focus Team header at
www.ksre.ksu.edu/programming. The Word document should be emailed no later than November 1 to me, and also Assistant Directors, Gregg
Hadley, Paula Peters, and Barbara Stone. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
FOUR-STATE MISSOURI RIVER CORRIDOR STRATEGIC PLANNING CONFERENCE
The upcoming four-state strategic planning conference for counties and
businesses along the Missouri River Corridor is quickly approaching.
The conference is November 17-18, at the Kimmel Education and Research
Center in Nebraska City, NE. Pre-registration is required by November
3.
Strategic planning in the fifty-mile corridor on each side of
the Missouri River crosses many local community, county and state
boundaries. Extension professionals from four states, through their
access to research-based information systems, will lead a two-day
retreat for MINK - Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas members and other
interested individuals from within the MINK Corridor. By
collaboratively identifying the strongest, regional development focus
and developing a plan to be collectively implemented, local communities
can eventually increase their business profitability through the
heightened awareness of a regional brand and identity. Actions
communities can take to increase their market strategies and services
across state lines will be identified so profitability and
sustainability can be more fully implemented. The focus of the strategic planning will be: ¨ identifying and engaging regional representation that will unite around the economic strategic planning process. ¨ assisting with the interpretation of data to focus on the best decisions for economic development. ¨ developing the mission and message that will attract investors, stakeholders and citizen support. ¨ developing an economic strategic plan for the region with associated actions necessary for implementation. ¨ incorporating good practices and associated tools for attracting and securing public and private investments.
Cost
for the conference is $55. Registration deadline is November 3. For
more information and a registration brochure, visit the website at “MU
Extension in Buchanan County.” To register for the conference, contact
the University of Missouri Extension center at 816-279-1691, or alpersm@missouri.edu. --Trudy Rice trice@ksu.edu
TIME TO SIGN UP FOR NAVIGATING DIFFERENCE TRAINING IN NOVEMBER
There is still time to sign up for the Navigating Difference cultural competency training on November 12-13, in Ft. Scott the first day and Pittsburg the second day. All KSRE employees are encouraged to take the training - KSRE will take care of registration expenses and housing costs for double occupancy at the Comfort Inn in Pittsburg. You will need to take care of your transportation. Trainers will be Debra Bolton, Nozella Brown, Brian Rees, Charlotte Olsen, and Zelia Wiley. To register, go to http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/employee_resources/p.aspx?tabid=206.
All registered participants will be sent names of other participants and training preparation in the next few days. This will allow you to connect with each other for hotel reservations that you must make on your own. Hope you give it some thought as part of your professional development plans. Next year's trainings will be March 3-4, 2015, in Dodge City and November 17-18, 2015, in Leavenworth. --Charlotte Olsen colsen@ksu.edu
DIVERSITY PROGRAMS OFFICE UPDATE
DPO would like to share some information about our events:
• K-State Research and Extension held their Annual Conference October 21st- 23rd. During the conference the Navigating Difference Poster Session was held to learn about the training and how to become a trainee. • The Tilford Conference at Emporia State University was held on October 20th and 21st. • In observation of the College of Agriculture and in partnerships with KS-LSAMP, there was a Student Panel discussing their summer internships or summer research experiences. They spoke about why they applied, when they applied and how the experiences have helped shape their academic experiences. This panel took place on October 23, 2014. • Multicultural Pride Day was on Friday, October 24, 2014 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the K-State Union. This day served as a way to have high school students, groups and their parents spend a day exploring K-State's campus and learning about college life. • First Generation College Students Awareness Week is November 4 -7, 2014.
o Tuesday, November 4, 2:30 – 4 p.m. “A Walk in my Shoes” Premiere. o Wednesday, November 5, 3 – 5 p.m. Panel of Experts: Issues, Implications, and Further Considerations. o Thursday, November 6, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sugarfest 2014: A Sweets & Treats Meet & Greet Celebrating K-State as a Frist- Generation Friendly University o Friday, November 7, 3:30 – 5 p.m. Behind the Scenes with “A Walk in my Shoes” Director Rust Earl.
• The Diversity Summit will take place on Friday, November 14, from 8 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. in the Alumni Association Ballroom. Dr. Wiley will be on the Featured Panel: “A Showcase of Faculty Excellence in Multicultural Curriculum Transformation” at 1:00 p.m. The Summit Registration can be found at http://www.k-state.edu/diversity/events/SummitRegistrationForm.htm. While the Summit Schedule can be found at http://www.k-state.edu/diversity/events/fy2015summit.html.
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 pick is a success story from the Risk Management aspect of the Farm Management PFT.
The new farm bill, known as The Agricultural Act of 2014, was passed and
signed into law by President Obama on February 7, 2014. On that day,
the Department of Agricultural Economics announced the Farm Bill Webinar
by Dr. Art Barnaby, to take place on February 21 at 12:00 noon and
opened registration. The lines for the webinar sold out on February 18.
The webinar had a total live participation of at least 874 persons.
At least 42 groups were involved, with at least 720 persons, as well as
individuals who participated on their own. At least 143 more individuals
viewed the recording of the webinar. Thus it is possible to account
for a total participation of at least 1,017 persons, but in reality,
more than that, since several of these recordings were viewed by
multiple people. People from 27 states, the District of Columbia, and
one foreign country (Taiwan) were involved in viewing the webinar,
either participating live or purchasing the recording.
One
indication of the intense interest in the program was that the Q&A
period following the 48 minute presentation went for more than an hour and had
a total of 56 questions, all of which were answered by Dr. Barnaby.
Responses
on evaluations indicated that the webinar helped
farmers, as well as crop insurance agents, lenders and others who
participated, learn how the new programs would work and what
decisions would be necessary by farmers. As one producer said: "This
helped me learn what programs are gone, what programs are now available,
and what might be the best choice between the different programs." Responses averaged 4.53 out of 5.00 when asked how much value they
placed on the information gained from the webinar. More than 96% indicated
they would recommend such a webinar to others, while 91% said they were
"Extremely" or "Very" interested" in additional webinars on this
subject. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
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