OSU Extension is “Alive and Well”
-Dr. Keith Smith, director, OSU Extension
As I meet with county commissioners throughout the state this month – to present an Extension update on our structure during the CCAO (County Commissioners’ Association of Ohio) fall budget meetings, I have been pleased to hear again firsthand how supportive our local stakeholders and partners are of our work. Extension is anything but dead – we are alive and well! As you know, we have good things going on:
- our faculty and staff are experts in their respective fields;
- we have some good partnerships from the local level on up;
- valuable research is being conducted across the state, and even across state lines;
- and we’re tailoring our efforts to meet a variety of clientele needs.
Bottom line – we do good work! And we know where we’re going – we have stated this in our strategic plan, as well as our philosophy and key elements. We also have a plan to update our structure, and we’ve vetted this particular plan over much of the past year with outside supporters, interest groups, funders, clientele, colleagues, and university peers.
We’re now sharing more details with our partners, and I’ll present a quick update here. I’ve mentioned before that we first met with county commissioners this past May, via an open forum hosted by Extension to share our initial budget and structure thoughts. We promised to come back to CCAO this fall with an update and to share our plans on how we’re moving forward. We met with CCAO members twice last week, and we’ll be part of three CCAO regional meetings next week.
We’re sharing again the Extension philosophy and key elements, as well as an overview of programming, local educational program options, operations and support staff highlights, and a ‘points of contact’ list. The same presentation is being delivered at each meeting (to which our county Extension directors are also invited); and we’re asking that our CEDs, the commissioners, and local advisory committees then compare notes and determine together what is best for each county. I’m sure CEDs will be updating your office staff during this time as well.
As I’ve mentioned many times, “patience is a virtue” and I continue to request your continued patience as we work through this process. “Process” is the operative word…Extension is flexible on working to meet individual county needs and requests, so there could be a number of ways the local educational programming options, support staffing, operations, and other pieces of the structure fit together for your particular county – and that will be a process of identifying needs, balancing budgets, and creating workable solutions.
Our plan is to hold advisory committee meetings and local discussions over the next few months, with initial implementation beginning in January 2012 – with the start of the new county budget year.
Administrative Cabinet has also just confirmed the first few field specialist positions to be announced. The position descriptions and application instructions will be available soon, with a start date in early 2012.
As always, as soon as more information is available, it will be shared with you. I believe there are good things ahead for Extension; and I thank you again for your professionalism, your dedication to your work, and your embodiment of our Extension mission that help make these things possible.
Extension Annual Conference RFPs are Due by October 1
You are invited to attend and participate in the OSU Extension 2011 Annual Conference on December 15. This year’s conference theme is “Extension…Now, More Than Ever!”
Proposals are due by October 1. All topics are welcome, but the planning committee is especially interested in proposals covering the following topics: use of tablet/iPad/smart phone, WebEx, Camtasia, Web-based surveys, social media and policy, eXtension, Microsoft Office programs, eReports, PeopleSoft, Quickbooks; time management tools; designing marketing/communications pieces; clicker technology for evaluation; and presenting information via the Pecha Kucha technique. Proposals may be submitted to present in one of the following formats: half-session, full-session, or poster. See the attached summary for an overview and submission instructions.
Note - association meetings will be held this year the evening of December 14; specific times to be determined. More information will be distributed when available.
Related Documents
Extension Annual Conference Attendance Expected
-Dr. Keith Smith, director, OSU Extension
ALL Extension professionals are encouraged to attend this year’s Annual Conference to be held at the Ohio Union in Columbus on December 15. The theme is “Extension: Now, More Than Ever!” ESP, OAEP and CES are providing leadership for the event along with Extension administration.
As we did in 2010, Extension Administrative Cabinet has agreed that county offices may choose how to handle their office hours during that day. Options include:
- Closing the office for the day with a sign indicating that everyone is participating in the annual conference and recognition event, and that the office will reopen on December 16. Remember to change your voice mail or answering machine message also.
- Utilizing volunteers to keep the office open.
- Using students who are home from college to keep the office open.
- Using a temp agency or temporary employee to assist during this one-day event.
In these times of change throughout our organization, we all benefit from attending the conference and comparing notes with our peers - and this is designed to be an all-inclusive meeting. Every Extension employee is important to this organization, and I believe it is valuable to have all of us learning together when possible. We are all working together for the good of the entire organization. I look forward to seeing all Extension professionals at this year’s conference!
EERA Leader Update
As part of the organization’s structure updates, the EERA leader positions will be phased out by year-end 2011. We appreciate the tremendous efforts of our EERA leaders to date, but there are several reasons for the adjustment at this time. The EERA concept has become a well-functioning part of the Extension structure since 2009; the program faculty and staff now have a number of EERA activities well underway; and at this time, the EERA leaders need to be able to refocus their complete attention to their own educator duties. Program area leaders in each EERA will be expected to oversee our cross-county and EERA efforts, with continued support from all faculty and staff in each EERA.
Because four of the EERA leaders retired on August 31, we’ve asked several individuals to serve as interim leaders through year-end. They are:
- Erie Basin – Beth Fausey Scheckelhoff
- Maumee Valley – Glen Arnold
- Top of Ohio – Brian Raison
- Miami Valley – Kathy Michelich
CFAES Dean Moser Announces His Retirement
Bobby D. Moser, vice president for agricultural administration, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), and executive dean of the professional colleges, has announced that he will not go forward for a fifth, five-year term. Moser will continue to serve as vice president and dean until his replacement is hired and on board. He will stay during a transition period and work on other Ohio State assignments until October 2013.
Required IT Security Training Reminder
-Dr. Bobby Moser, vice president for agricultural administration and dean, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
Ohio State 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 Password Change Required by October 31
In late May, Ohio State’s Chief Information Officer, Kathy Starkoff, sent 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:
- Strong passwords are required (8 to 10 characters, upper and lower case with letters and numbers).
- You cannot reuse passwords.
- Your password must be changed every 90 days.
- 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.
Family Nutrition Program (FNP) EERA Co-PIs
FNP is an important part of the overall OSU Extension program, complimenting the other FCS programming we conduct. As Extension continues to refine our structure over the next year, each EERA will have at least one FCS educator serving as a Co-PI for the FNP grant, with a total of a 0.1 FTE appointment per EERA:
- Buckeye Hills - Kathy Dodrill
- Crossroads - Melinda Hill and Christine Kendle
- Erie Basin - Elizabeth Smith
- Heart of Ohio - Mary Longo
- Maumee Valley - Cheryl Spires
- Miami Valley - Pat Brinkman
- Ohio Valley - Lisa Barlage, Kathy Jelley and Monadine Mattey
- Top of Ohio - Carol Chandler
- Western Reserve - Linnette Goard
These EERA FNP Co-PIs will not supervise the FNP program assistants (PAs), but will coordinate and give leadership to professional development of PAs and fiscal manage-ment of funds within the respective EERA.
Since 0.1 FTE is a limited amount of time, it is essential that the arrangements counties have for supporting the supervision of the FNP PAs continue. There are three ways that a county can support supervision of the FNP PA: 1) FCS educator in the county provides leadership, management and programmatic oversight of FNP; 2) a county without an FCS educator pays a portion of a neighboring county’s FCS educator’s salary in exchange for leadership, management and programmatic oversight of FNP; and 3) a county without an FCS educator agrees with neighboring county’s FCS educator to exchange education services between the counties so the FCS educator can provide leadership, management and programmatic oversight of FNP.
Thank you to all of our Extension colleagues and especially to our EERA FNP Co-PIs for their support of this important program which impacts the nutrition and well-being of more than 41,000 Ohioans each year.
2011 Annual Women's Reception Hosted by The Women's Place on October 5
This is an open invitation to the OSU annual women's reception at the Longaberger House on Wednesday, October 5 from 4-6 p.m. President Gee, Provost Alutto, and Tally Hart are special guests.
Related Documents
President Gee's Ohio Tours - Accepting 2012 Ideas
From June through August, President Gee made his summer tour in Ohio for 2011. As in past tours, President Gee saw great examples of Extension’s role in local communities – he visited with the staff of many Extension offices, several county fairs, county commissioners, community leaders, and youth at 4-H camps and out-of-school programs. He had opportunities to connect with alumni, elected officials, friends of the university, faculty, current and incoming Ohio State students, and community and business partners involved in engagement efforts.
OSU Extension is a major contributor to helping President Gee’s staff plan his annual summer tour. Local Extension staff are involved in identifying and arranging stops and in hosting many of Gee’s visits, providing excellent visibility for our programs. Thank you to all of our OSU Extension colleagues who hosted President Gee and his staff.
It is never too early to start planning for President Gee’s visits for next year. Is there a major new partnership you are developing in your county, or a community organization or business with whom you are working or who has been a valued supporter? Is there a program initiative that has had great success over the past year, or that you are getting off the ground this year? Any of these could be potential visits for President Gee’s tours next summer.
In spring 2012, we will make official requests for tour stop suggestions; but in the meantime, please send some of your ideas, which we will compile and share with his staff. Share your ideas with Karen Bruns and the OSU CARES staff at osucares@osu.edu or 614-688-4486.
Four Useful eXtension Resources
The eXtension Web site has many valuable links to additional resources. They include:
1) http://www.extension.org/search - Allows you to search for information from almost 1,000 Extension sites across the United States.
2) http://www.extension.org/learn - The official site for online professional development opportunities for the national Cooperative Extension System. Lists webinars from eXtension and other Extension systems. Be sure to check for recordings of past webinars.
3) Facebook tips and links to follow 19 eXtension Communities of Practice on Facebook: http://create.extension.org/node/87209.
4) Get the latest news about eXtension at: http://about.extension.org/.
All OSU Extension employees are required to have an eXtension ID. You can get one at: http://www.extension.org/people/signup.
Have an eXtension ID, but forgot your login credentials? Create a new password here: http://www.extension.org/people/account/new_password.
Contact Jerry Thomas, leader, Innovation/Change, with any questions, comments or suggestions (thomas.69@osu.edu, 419-306-9400).
eXtension Entrepreneurship Webinar Series
Mark your calendars – the eXtension Entrepreneurship webinar series is back for its fifth season. All webinars will air on the second Thursday on the month at 2 p.m. (ET).
The October 13 webinar will feature George Haynes, Montana State University Extension, who will be presenting Disaster and Small Business Survival.
The November 10 webinar will explore The 1099 Economy with Erik Pages, Entreworks Consulting. This presentation will include a conversation about the increasing number of Americans who don't have a "regular job," but instead work on individual contracts with employers or customers.
No pre-registration is required, and there is no fee to participate. About 10 minutes prior to the start time, go to the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room at https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop. You will be presented with a log-in screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option. Enter your full name, then click "Enter Room" to join the conference. You will be able to hear the audio directly from your computer speakers. Newcomers to online learning are welcome! Contact: Mary Peabody (Mary.Peabody@uvm.edu).
OSUE Personnel Update - January to September 2011
The OSU Extension personnel update for January-September is attached.