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OSU Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Communiqué June 24, 2011

Organizational Update

-Dr. Keith Smith, director, OSU Extension

As we announced earlier this month, as of July 1, Dr. Ken Martin will be serving as interim chair of the Department of Human & Community Resource Development (HCRD). Ken will also maintain most of his duties as chair for the Department of Extension (OSUE). His time will be split between HCRD and OSUE.

Ken replaces Dr. L.H. Newcomb who came out of retirement to serve as interim chair over the last two years. Ken will assume the HCRD interim chair position until a permanent department chair is named. Dr. Bob Birkenholz is continuing to lead the HCRD Chair Search Committee.

Within Extension administration, we have made some adjustments to handle Ken’s duties as associate director, programming for OSU Extension. Bev Kelbaugh will now serve as interim co-associate director (.5 FTE) with Ken. Bev will then share some of her regional director duties; and Ted Wiseman has agreed to serve as interim co-regional director (.5 FTE) for the South Central Region. Additional adjustments will be made to handle Ted’s EERA leader and ANR duties.

I ask for your patience as we make these adjustments to assist HCRD in the coming months and cover our own administrative needs for the organization. The Extension Administrative Cabinet members have determined that this is the most efficient and economical way to address this process for the time being.

OSUE Structure Refinement
Administrative Cabinet continues to work on the menus of services for our program areas, best practices, and most-effective ways to move forward. We will be discussing a number of these items at our next Cabinet meeting on July 14. I also continue to update our faculty and staff whenever possible. I talked with FCS educators via WebEx last week; I met in person with our CD educators this week; and we have several WebEx meetings scheduled for 4-H professionals in mid-July.

We’re also moving forward in the counties where possible, based on input from county commissioners. In those counties where funding is available – and if it is feasible to do so, we’ve posted a few select positions. Please note: we’re doing this only where we’ve had the appropriate conversations with the commissioners; and in those cases, we’ve made a joint decision with them to move forward.

As always, my door is open and I appreciate your thoughts and insight about this process. If you have constructive input on our Extension philosophy, the key elements of the refinement plan, or other needs that you see for the organization, please e-mail me. (smith.150@osu.edu). 

CFAES Voluntary Separation Incentive - A Reminder

-Dr. Bobby Moser, vice president for agricultural administration & dean, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

A Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) has been announced for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and all of its entities. The attached document describes this program, including the eligibility guidelines and requirements, the incentive offered, the timing of the program, and important dates, resources and contacts.

It is important to note two critical dates:

  • All who are eligible and intend to pursue this offer must sign and submit the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program Request form (included on page 4 of the attachment) no later than June 27 at 5 p.m. as directed within the program description.
  •  August 31 is the last day to separate if one accepts the VSIP payment.

Related Documents

Changes Made to A&P Guidelines - for A&P Educators

-Dr. Ken Martin, chair, Department of Extension

A change has been made to the A & P Guidelines posted on the Extension Administration Web site. This change will apply for fall submissions.

The change was made to #5 under the heading of Service that reads: “Other professional/public service such as reviewer of grants or proposals or as external examiner, if not listed elsewhere.”

The updated information to #5 reads:

“Other professional/public community service directly related to your professional expertise (Community service not germane to a faculty member’s professional expertise is not relevant to promotion reviews.), if not listed elsewhere."

Online Registration - An Ohio State Credit Card Policy Reminder

There have been a number of questions asked recently about the acceptance of credit cards at the county level for meeting registrations – specifically related to PayPal.

The University does NOT allow the use of PayPal, and also imposes significant security measures for the acceptance of credit cards. You can review the credit card policies for Ohio State online (http://www.busfin.ohio-state.edu/FileStore/PDFs/515_CreditCard.pdf). The Extension Business Office realizes that a less expensive option is preferred, and the costs to the current system are reviewed each year –  but there are no options available yet that have met the University’s requirements.

The University assumes significant risk when accepting credit cards, especially when distributed across small departments that may not have the required segregation of duties for personnel, physical security, and computer security. Among the requirements, attendance at a three+ hour class on PCI (Payment Card Industry) data standards (https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/documents.php) is mandatory. The credit card companies have developed these standards, and all credit card merchants must comply with them. If the University does not adhere to the PCI standards, significant financial penalties may be levied upon the University. For these reasons, there are no plans to expand the ability to accept credit cards at the local level other than through the current system.

OSUE Family and Consumer Sciences is Now on Facebook

OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) is now on Facebook. Check out the page and “like” us at https://www.facebook.com/osuefcs. This site will feature highlights of the tremendous impact our Extension FCS programs are having in Ohio. If you have items you would like to feature on this link, please send them to fcs@osu.edu.

Professonal Development Modules Now Available from CFAES Diversity Catalyst Team

The CFAES Diversity Catalyst Team is pleased to announce the launch of the first series of diversity-related professional development modules for faculty and staff. There are five modules. Each module is independent and can be completed in any order; however, the team recommends completing them in the order that they appear. On the same page, you will also find recorded sessions of the CFAES Diversity Speaker Series.

The modules are housed on the CFAES Moodle Web site and can be accessed at the following link: http://production.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/apps/courses/cfaes/login/index.php. If you have an account, log in as usual and follow the directions below. If you are new to Moodle, see the information below the “I have an account” instructions.

I have an account:

Once you are on the front page, complete the following steps:

  1. On the right side, under “News,” click on the name or you can select “Sandbox” and scroll through the list to select “College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Professional Development Series.”
  2. You are now on the front page.
  3. Under the “Administration” box, select “Enroll.” This allows you to access all of the features of the site.
  4. Once you enroll, you will receive an e-mail welcoming you to Moodle and asking that you set up a profile.

I do not have an account:

For full access to courses, you'll need to take a minute to create a new account for yourself on this Web site. Here are the steps:

  1. Fill out the New Account form with your details.
  2. An e-mail will be immediately sent to your e-mail address.
  3. Read your e-mail, and click on the Web link it contains.
  4. Your account will be confirmed and you will be logged in.
  5. Select the course in which you want to participate (see directions above).
  6. You can now access the full course. From now on, you will only need to enter your personal username and password (in the form on this page) to log in and access any course you have enrolled in.

Required IT Security Training

-Dr. Bobby Moser, vice president for agricultural administration & dean, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

The University depends upon each person to understand his or her individual role in maintaining the best IT security practices. In order to do this, CFAES is requiring that all faculty and staff complete the recently revised Institutional Data Policy training. ALL faculty and staff, including those who previously completed Institutional Data Policy training, must complete this training no later than October 31, 2011. Those who have not done so by this time will be denied access to the University's network resources until successful completion of the course. The course is a brief, self-paced module accessible through Carmen, and it takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

The requirement for this training applies to:

  • Regular and temporary employees, including all faculty and staff.
  • Student employees who may come in contact with restricted data; supervisors’ discretion may be used for other student employees.

New Staff
On an ongoing basis, individuals who are new to CFAES must complete the training no later than one month after their respective start date.

Supervisors
All supervisors are responsible for ensuring that their staff members complete the training. Supervisors are also responsible for ensuring that contractors, consultants, or other personnel who will have access to the University network complete the training. In addition, supervisors should incorporate the training requirement into performance plans for fiscal year 2012. The performance objective should be stated as “Successfully complete the Institutional Data Policy training and apply the knowledge gained to all aspects of your job,” with a due date of July 2012.

Getting Started
Log in to Carmen (www.carmen.osu.edu) and join the Institutional Data Policy 2 course to enroll. Once enrolled, you must select the student tab to see the course. A job aid detailing the enrollment steps is available at http://buckeyesecure.osu.edu/Policy/InstitutionalDataTraining.

A Frequently Asked Questions document will be developed and made available via the CFAES Web site. If you have questions, contact Rob Luikart (luikart.7@osu.edu).

Ohio State Implements Password Change

In late May, Ohio State’s Chief Information Officer, Kathy Starkoff, sent everyone an e-mail announcing a new procedure for managing our University Internet account and password. The bulk of the message is repeated here:

“This summer, Ohio State will improve identity and password management with the release of a new Web site: my.osu.edu. This new site will enable implementation of standard password practices for Ohio State usernames (lastname.#). You will be receiving communications throughout the summer and fall encouraging you to reset your password at my.osu.edu. This will be the single location used to manage your Ohio State Username and password anytime, anywhere. Once you have changed your password, you will be on a 90-day reset cycle. For some, this means a new way to think about passwords, while for others, it will simply mean expanding an existing routine.

You can better understand the importance of this change by familiarizing yourself with the University password practices at BuckeyeSecure. By meeting these University standards, you are contributing to a more secure online community. Every detail of this process has been carefully planned to ensure minimal disruption in your daily activities. In addition, extensive support will be provided every step of the way.

Your help in making this a successful transition is greatly appreciated. Be sure to change your password before October 31 to ensure that you have continued access to University resources.”

This new procedure involves several important changes you should be aware of, such as:

  1. Strong passwords are required (8 to 10 characters, upper and lower case with letters and numbers).
  2. You cannot reuse passwords.
  3. Your password must be changed every 90 days.
  4. Failure to comply will result in loss of access to University systems and services.

Be aware that changing your University password will NOT change the password that you use to log in to your computer, or the password you need to access the CFAES e-mail system. These passwords will not change automatically when you change your University password. Until the CFAES systems can be synchronized with the University's new identity management system, you will need to maintain these passwords separately from your University password.

The CFAES IT Help Desk can assist you with changing your CFAES system passwords. Because the University's password change is being managed by the Office of the CIO at the University level, questions about changing your University password must be directed to the University's IT Service Desk (8-HELP). Summaries of Ohio State’s Standard Password Practices Initiative and Fast Facts about the change are availabe online.

CFAES IT Advisory Council

In April 2011, the Vice President’s Cabinet announced the formation of an Information Technology Advisory Council for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The Council will be focused on IT policy and strategic direction for the college. Members will represent the IT and business requirements of their respective areas and interests, and they will work together to build consensus for recommendations for their areas and for CFAES executive leadership. The Council’s primary role will be to establish effective IT policy through feedback, analysis, and collaborative agreement on decisions that serve the entire college organization.

Members of the council are (representing their constituencies):

  • Ron Henrick: Chair
  • Steve Nameth: School/Unit
  • V. (Bala) Balasubramaniam: Faculty (Columbus)
  • Luis Canas: Faculty (OARDC)
  • Mark Light: Faculty (Extension)
  • Sherry Ferrell: Staff
  • Matt DeVore: IT

Members’ terms will be for one year, with the option of reappointment at the recommendation of the Vice President’s Cabinet.

The Council is expected to meet quarterly, on a schedule that follows the academic calendar. Meetings will be scheduled approximately the third week of each academic term (autumn, spring, summer). The CFAES Chief Information Officer, Rob Luikart, will serve as the vice chair of the Council, with responsibility for organizing its agenda and meeting schedule.

Autumn 2011 Online Course Offered in AEE

AEE 795.01 Seminar: Contemporary Issues and Problems in Agricultural and Extension Education (AEE)

Autumn 2011 – Call #25908 – 3 credits for S/U

Participants in this course will: gain an understanding of issues and problems facing contemporary agricultural and Extension organizations; develop an awareness of the background and contrasting viewpoints of issues in AEE; and enhance scholarly skills and abilities related to problems and issues in AEE. Specific areas to be examined include communications, diversity, globalization, funding and other areas determined by participating students. Course is offered online through CARMEN.

For more information, contact Dr. Scott Scheer (scheer.9@osu.edu; 614-292-6758). You should be able to enroll without Dr. Scheer’s permission, although the course description may indicate you need permission. AEE 795.01 can count toward a total of six credits, so it is okay to register for this class if taken as a different course or HCRD orientation class.

Advanced Energy Industry Roadmapping Events Announced

A series of free Webinars, workshops and networking presentations about the growth of the advanced energy industry in northeast Ohio is being offered during the next month.

Stakeholders throughout the region are invited to participate and provide feedback on four regional advanced energy roadmaps. The roadmaps will be used to set priorities, allocate resources, and focus regional efforts. The specific topics include biomass/waste-to-energy; energy storage; smart grid; and transportation electrification. A list of the events hosted by NorTech Energy Enterprise is posted online.