April 5, 2002

MASTER GARDENER WEEK April 14-20, 2002

The WSU CE Master Gardener Program, the only “uniquely WSU CE” program with both national and international prominence, is pleased that Governor Locke has proclaimed the third week of April as “ Washington State University Master Gardener Volunteer Week.” This premier WSU CE program engages 3,100 volunteer “field educators” to improve environmental stewardship, educate youth, provide research-based knowledge, and promote community development. The success of the program, now in its 29th year, is reflected by its adoption by all 50 states and 4 Canadian provinces. We celebrate the accomplishments of our dedicated staff and volunteers!

TEACHING ENHANCEMENT WORKSHOP

April 10, 2002
Time: 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.
Place: Smith Center for Undergraduate Education Bldg.
Room 512 (New Center for Teaching and Learning Building)
Topic: "What is a Quality Learning Experience"
Speaker: Sharon Roy, Course Designer, Distance Delivery Program

This is the second workshop in a series designed to explore issues around the convergence of on campus students and learners at a distance. During the first workshop, we surfaced concerns about how we ensure the quality of the educational experience for learners at a distance. The next two workshops will provide us with a forum to more fully explore those issues: the first of those two workshops will provide a forum through which we can explore and articulate what quality means to us, and in the next workshop, we'll begin to look at how we ensure that quality is not compromised in the programming we offer to learners wherever they are.

WSU EXTENSION ENERGY PROGRAM NAMED THE CLIMATE CENTER

Last Friday, March 29th Governor Locke signed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2326 which created the state Climate Change and Rural Development Center.The legislation designated that the Center be part of the WSU Cooperative Extension Energy Program in Olympia effective July 1, 2000. The center is "to serve as a central non-regulatory clearinghouse of credible and reliable information addressing various aspects of climate change and clean energy activities." Funding for the activities is to come from grants and other non-state sources of funding.The legislation had strong support from the League of Women Voters, the Audubon Society as well as British Petroleum and Alcoa.

OVER 3 MILLION HOURS PLEDGED

Check out the Power of YOUth Pledge Campaign www.4hcentennial.org. Over 3 million hours of community service have been pledged more than double the 1.3 hours announced on March 1, 2002! Here’s some of the latest statistics towards the goal of 5 million hours (as of 4/2/02).

Hours pledged …
Adults 778,476 hours
Youth 2,694,413 hours

More than 1 million hours pledged…
Washington 1.8 million

More than 100,000 hours pledged
Wisconsin 343,858
Pennsylvania 185,937
North Carolina 115,127

More than 50,000 hours pledged
Minnesota 85,136
Iowa 62,784
Tennessee 62,754
North Dakota 61,989
Missouri 59,646
Kentucky 56,552

PERSONNEL

Jerry Newman, 4-H, has just had hip replacement surgery and would love to hear from you between now and May 20 when he returns to the office.

Ann Diede underwent surgery yesterday at Wenatchee Valley Hospital to replace the mitral valve in her heart. Her husband, John, reports the procedure went very well and that she will be intensive care for one more day. He anticipates she will be in the hospital for 5-7 days.

SCHEDULE

The week of April 8 - 12, Mike and Linda will be in Pullman.

Mike Tate
Dean and Director
Linda Kirk Fox
Associate Director
Cooperative Extension
PO Box 646230
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6230
Ph 509-335-2933
Fax 509-335-2926
lkfox@wsu.edu