April 6, 2021
Update Review
I hope everyone enjoyed the nice spring weather we had this weekend. In these challenging times, it is important to take every opportunity we have to step back from work, relax, have fun and enjoy time with our families and loved ones.
Thanks to Drs. Onstad and Peterson for filling in for me the past two weeks. Chris and Rick will be writing more in future Tuesday Letters. That will give you a nice break from time to time of only reading about my thoughts on our system, profession and extension life in general.
Last Friday we had our April Extension Update. It was a holiday weekend for some, so I will summarize the main points in today’s Tuesday Letter.
It looks as though our state budget cut will be less than we thought earlier. The governor’s budget proposed a 5ish percent reduction, but it now looks like the state legislature will reduce that to a 2ish percent reduction.
Our State Extension Advisory Council (SEAC) made changes to their bylaws at their winter meetings. These changes were necessitated by the adjustment to our three region system. Regarding representation, there will be a total of six SEAC representatives per region with two SEAC representatives being elected for each region every year. There will also be a total of three SEAC representatives from counties that have a population of 100,000 or more with one SEAC representative being elected to represent these more populous counties. Starting with those elected in the 2021 calendar year, the SEAC representative terms will be decreased to three years in length, but a SEAC member can run for and serve a second consecutive term. After running for, winning, and serving a second consecutive term, a former SEAC member will need to sit out one year prior to running for SEAC again.
The internal search and screen for our open Eastern Region Director is moving forward. Mary Sullivan, our Western Region Director, will be chairing the committee. If you have a master’s degree and five years extension experience and would like to consider, please apply. If you know of someone in our system who you feel would be good, send your nominations to msulliva@ksu.edu. Applications are due on April 7. For more information, please go to KSRE Jobs Page.
Regarding COVID-19 protocols, there has been ONE change. We received permission to alter our face-to-face notification process. Meeting planners only need to submit our notification form when the expected attendance is over 50 participants. All other protocols remain. For example, wearing masks, (faculty, staff, volunteers and participants), maintaining social distance, having hand sanitizer and frequently using it, cleaning work stations, and having virtual options when appropriate are all still in effect. A summary of our meeting protocols and recommendations can be found here. Once again, you need to follow all of the protocols we have been following with the exception of one. That exception is that you only have to submit the face-to-face notification form if the anticipated attendance exceeds 50 participants. COVID-19 protocols may change in the future, so please continue to be on the lookout for email and Tuesday Letter notifications regarding further COVID-19 protocol updates.
One thing that we all noticed during this COVID-19 challenge is that we attracted new clientele by offering programming via virtual means. I believe having virtual options of our programs, when appropriate, is something that is here to stay. Another segment of the April Extension Update was our Communications Solutions own Nathan Leatherman’s excellent presentation regarding equipment and video recommendations. I cannot do it justice here, so please go to the Zoom recording to check out what Nathan has to say. That recording can be found here.
Alright everybody, that does it for this week. Keep up the great work. Thanks for all that you do for the people we serve, our colleagues, and K-State Research and Extension!