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OSU Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Communiqué April 24, 2013

Contents

Positive Thinking Quotes to Get You Thinking

-Keith L. Smith, associate vice president, agricultural administration and director, OSU Extension

As I continue our series on positive thinking, I would like to share with you some thoughts from the book Attitude is Everything - 10 Rules for Staying Positive by Vicki Hitzges (2010) published by Simple Truths.

Rule # 2 is Keep an Attitude of Gratitude

The author of the book once worked for Zig Ziglar. She said she cannot remember a time seeing him when he was not happy and upbeat. She described him as a carbonated guy. What was Zig’s secret? He was grateful. You’d think that anyone that grateful must have had an easy life. But that’s not so. Zig started out poor. His father died when he was six, leaving his mother to raise 11 children alone. Despite their poverty, Mrs. Ziglar instilled a strong work ethic in her children as well as instructing them to say “please” and “thank you.” “When we neglect to require our children to say “thank you” when something is given to them, we raise ungrateful children who are highly unlikely to be content. Without gratitude, happiness is rare. With gratitude, the odds for happiness go up dramatically.”

According to Ziglar, “The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for.” As Oprah Winfrey said, “It’s not easy being grateful all the time. But it’s when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you.”

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie

Count your blessings. Jot them down.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” - William Arthur Ward

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OSUE Budget Update – Still in Progress, but Some Positive News

-Keith L. Smith, associate vice president, agricultural administration and director, OSU Extension

A number of budget discussions are still underway and the federal budget sounds discouraging at the moment, but we are also hearing good things and positive support for Extension in this budget cycle.

Federal Budget: NIFA just released FY13 Smith-Lever 3(b) and 3(c) funding, which shows a reduction of approximately $218,000 (2%). This is preliminary and may be subject to further reduction based on final sequestration amounts, but we are pleased with the news at this time.

State Budget: We asked for a 3.1% increase; however, the Ohio House of Representatives has passed a budget bill that includes a 3.9% increase for OSUE (about $865,000) in 2014 and a 3.1% increase for OARDC (about $1 million)for both FY14 and FY15. The bill includes a 3.76% increase for OSUE in the second year (2015). This equals approximately $835,000 because the suggested increase is based on our 2013 budget.

An exciting addition to the state budget is a separate line item included (via amendment) to support a STEM agricultural awareness pilot program in one school each in Cleveland and Cincinnati. State 4-H Leader Tom Archer helped with the proposal for the amendment, which was developed by state Representative Jim Buchy. The funding for this program is separate from our general OSU Extension line item.

We will know more about the state budget after the Senate and conference committee discuss it, and final details will be worked out with Governor Kasich by June 30.

It is important to remember that we will also have Ohio State-required salary and benefit increases, although we do not know yet what will be the parameters for this adjustment.

County Budget: In calendar year 2013 to date, 82 counties are reporting a 2% increase overall. This includes 45 counties with increased funding; 30 counties with level funding, and seven counties with decreased funding. If we account for one county which has a 90% decrease in funding, our county support has increased by 5% overall.

We also are encouraged by a recent news article that reports sales tax collections in Ohio rose by 7% statewide in 2012. Only one county declined in sales tax collections last year.

Our “other” account is also looking positive in comparison to last year at this time. Other funding includes grants and contracts, program revenue, gifts, earnings, and investment income.

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OSUE Innovative Grant Proposals Due May 15

OSU Extension Administration is again making available grants to support innovative outreach/engagement work with Ohioans; interdisciplinary work; and initiatives that, once seeded through this funding, will expand Ohio State’s engagement and OSU Extension’s work with the community.   

Click on the following link for information about submitting a proposal: http://extensionstaff.osu.edu/policy-and-procedures-handbook/ii-administrative-and-program-resources/extension-innovative-grant. If you have questions about the innovative grants, contact Ken Martin (martin.1540@osu.edu or phone 614-292-8793).

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CFAES Diversity Catalyst Team Wins Award

The CFAES Diversity Catalyst Team has been awarded the 2013 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award from the University and will be honored at a luncheon on April 25, in addition to a $1,200 award and being recognized on the football field during the October 19 game against Iowa.

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CarmenConnect Reminder

WebEx Meeting Center will no longer be available after April 28. Thanks to all of the participants in "CarmenConnect Overview and Introduction" meetings.  If you were unable to attend you can view the two meeting recordings here:

Here is a link to a three-minute Tips and Tricks video that covers two very important steps you need to take to insure that your meeting participants can hear you and you can hear them. 

Here is a link to the first Tips and Tricks video that covers the differences between uploading a document into a CarmenConnect meeting room and sharing a document/desktop. 

Keep watching for more Tips and Tricks videos and the next live training session in early May. Users can experiment and practice their CarmenConnect skills in a meeting room at anytime.

If you still need to obtain a CarmenConnect account, you can send a request to CarmenConnect.osu.edu. Be sure to include your name, name.#, your college as CFAES, and your campus location as Extension/county.

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Lunch and Learn: Latinos in Agriculture - May 10

Statistics that show a lack of Latino students enrolling in agriculture are alarming. Latinos will impact the future of our society and will have the potential to impact agriculture. Given the rapidly changing demographics and the low numbers of Latino students entering agriculture, it is time to explore ways to address this crisis. Please join us in beginning a dialogue on exploring ways of working together to engage in a deliberate and collaborative effort to improve Latino representation in agricultural-related careers.

Dr. Jamie Cano and Tyler Agner of ACEL (Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership) will be presenting the class from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 214, Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. Lunch is provided, but you must register https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Latinosinagriculture. If you need accommodations, contact Kathy Lechman 247-7176 or lechman.1@osu.edu. This session will be streamed live as well as recorded for future viewing. http://streaming.osu.edu/mediawww2/presentations/cfaes/051013/.

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The Changing Face of the Organization: Millennials in the Workplace – May 21 Online Seminar

Who are these new employees in your workplace? How do you relate to or manage this latest generation to enter the workforce? These younger employees are technologically wired, highly educated and eager to make a difference in their workplace. This highly interactive workshop is filled with information that you can apply immediately in your organization. 

Millennials were born between 1980 – 2000, and this generation is almost as large as the Baby Boomer generation. An achievement-oriented group, these new employees are technologically connected 24/7 and use social networking to connect with their peers. This high-achieving generation wants to immediately make an impact in their career and are anxious to take on leadership roles. 

  • Learn about the culture and events that have shaped the Millennial Generation.
  • Determine ways to improve communication and build relationships with this generation.
  • Generate ideas about how to manage and coach this generation of employees.

Beth Flynn is facilitating this workshop on May 21 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The registration fee is $60 per participant. https://www.regonline.com/seriesleadership. There is a $5 cancellation fee. If you are unable to attend, you may send someone else.

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CFAES Diversity Dialogue: A Post-Racial United States? - May 21

Many believe that the election of an African American (more precisely bi-racial) to the highest office in the United States, indicates the United States has entered an era in which race is no longer a determinant in shaping the life fortunes and experiences of people of color (Donnor & Brown, 2011). Others (Bonnilla-Silva, 2012) disagree with this position. These contradictory perspectives make it difficult to determine whether or not the United States has entered a post-racial era.

Join Joseph Maiorano on May 21 from 11 a.m. to noon as he facilitates the next CFAES Diversity Catalyst Team’s Community Dialogue—“A Post-Racial Era in the United States?” The goal of this event is to increase participants’ awareness about a specific issue of diversity and multiculturalism—the marginalization of individuals and groups of minority-status populations. The outcome for participants may be improved knowledge, attitudes and skills for struggling against our own bias and privilege, and improving interactions with others who are different. Carmen Connect URL: http://carmenconnect.osu.edu/r117wcltuzh/.

Three articles are posted to review: http://abs.sagepub.com/content/56/5/650.full.pdf+html; closer look at post- racial article for discussion.pdf; http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/no-such-place-as-post-racial-america/. For connection information and access to the articles for discussion, click here.

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Staff Professional Development Award from the CFAES Staff Advisory Council: Application Deadline May 28

Do you need assistance to offset costs associated with professional development and staff career goals? This award can be used toward expenses; up to $200. 

Your CFAES Staff Advisory Council (SAC) is now accepting applications for our staff professional development award. See the link below for the application form and guidelines. Application forms are due to Shelley Whitworth(.2) by May 28. Recipients will be notified by the committee. http://sac.ag.ohio-state.edu/staff-professional-development-award.

This award is made possible through Campus Campaign donations to the SAC Training Fund #312155 http://campuscampaign.osu.edu. For more information about SAC, click the following link: http://sac.ag.ohio-state.edu/.

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Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop Applications due April 30

This intensive professional development program provides advanced doctoral students and early career faculty with:

  • background literature
  • facilitated discussion
  • mentoring
  • presentations

All resources are designed to increase knowledge and enhance the practice of community-engaged scholarship. Participation is limited, and interested applicants must apply to be part of this workshop. 

The workshop is held annually as a preconference to the Annual Meeting of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, hosted by Texas Tech University this year. For more information about the conference, visit: http://www.engagementscholarship.org/. The Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop (EESW) will take place October 6-9 and includes full participation in the greater conference.

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