July 31, 2018
Thank You!
Tomorrow marks my seventh anniversary as a K-State Research and Extension professional. It also marks my first anniversary as Director for Extension. I want to thank you for your passion for our mission, profession, and K-State Research and Extension. I also want to thank you for all the support and collegiality you have shown me the past seven years as an Assistant Director, Director, and, most of all, as a colleague and friend.
My first year as Director for Extension has been a doozy! On the plus side, through the Listening Sessions, Partnership Meetings, and other activities - it was a year of discovery. It was also the first year in many that our state appropriations went up. On the negative side, we had to endure a cash callback, a permanent budget reduction, the implications of that budget reduction, the loss of our Director of K-State Research and Extension and a respected department head to other institutions, and the Hale Library fire. Yet, we persevered, and you continued to provide our high quality Extension programming to the people we serve.
While last year was a year of discovery and trials, this year will be a year of planning and implementing as we begin to shape our future. As part of that, we will be implementing the new Extension administrative structure. To all of those who have submitted nominations for and/or applied to our new Extension Program Coordinator position, thank you. We are pleased to see so many interested in these important roles.
Additionally, many of you have been and/or will be asked to serve on committees, task forces, and work groups this year. Please accept these requests when asked. You provided input into last year’s Listening Sessions, which led to identifying the issues that we need to address to become an even stronger Extension system. Now, we need your input regarding how to address those issues and, in the process, make our Extension system thrive. I thank you in advance for your participation.
On another note, August represents another anniversary for me. It is way bigger to me than even my K-State Research and Extension work anniversary. My Better 7/8ths and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary. I will not be able to write my Tuesday Letter articles on August 7 and August 14. Do not worry, however, as two of our colleagues have volunteered to take on that responsibility. I know you will enjoy their articles, and I thank them for their willingness to pinch hit for me.
Finally, I will leave you with this. Thanks for all that you have done. Thanks for all that you do. Thanks for all the great work to come, and thanks for making K-State Research and Extension great.