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October 22,
2004
Topics in today’s issue of Extension Update:
AG 2005: THE WSU AGENDA FOR CATAPULTING AGRICULTURE
TO THE NEXT LEVEL
A $57.1 million Biotechnology Life Sciences
Building in Pullman,
a new partnership with Pacific Northwest Laboratories to add value
to Washington commodities, and a UW-WSU operating budget request
that builds and protects core land grant programs are highlights
of Washington State University's 2005-2007 legislative agenda to
impact agriculture. For the full story Olympia
Update No. 1, October 15, 2004.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR GLOBALIZATION, DIVERSITY,
AND EDUCATION CONFERENCE
By now you’ve seen the call for the cosponsored
conference in Pullman, March 3-5, 2005, “Globalization, Diversity
and Education.” This is a joint venture with the College
of Education and WSU Extension. There is no overlap with the All
Extension Conference
the same week. The AE Conference ends with lunch on Thursday, March
3 and the Diversity conference begins at 1:00 pm. I encourage you
to go to the
Web site to learn more about proposal submission and
the conference agenda. Proposals are due December 12, 2004.
ATTENTION ALL EMPLOYEES ON WSU BENEFITS
The annual Open Enrollment
period for benefits starts October 18 and runs through November
30, 2004. The Public Employees Benefit
Board (PEBB) and the Health Care Authority (HCA) sent the PEBB
Perspective to employees' homes to provide an overview of the 2005
changes to health care plans and to announce the new 2005 premium
rates. This is the only mailing you will receive regarding open
enrollment. Additional valuable information can be found on the
Benefits Web page click
on the "Medical/Dental
Open Enrollment 2005" link listed under "Hot Topics".
You may also visit HCA's Web
site to download the entire open enrollment
packet. Also, please mark your calendars
for the upcoming Benefits Fair on the Pullman campus. You can receive
information directly from the different vendors and the HCA representatives
at the fair, to be held on Monday, November 8, from 10:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m. in French Administration and Lighty.
Contact: Ann Monroe.
EMPLOYEES INTERESTED IN FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS FOR 2005
The
annual open enrollment period for Flexible Spending Accounts is
October 18, 2004 through November 30, 2004. Your 2005 plan year
starts January 1, 2005 and goes through December 31, 2005. In order
to enroll for 2005 (either as a new enrollment or a renewal of
your 2004 enrollment), you need to complete and returned the Enrollment
Form by the November 30, 2004 deadline to the WSU Benefits Office,
232 French Administration, Pullman, WA 99164-1024, campus zip 1024.
Enrollment forms and information can be found at www.wsu.edu/benefits
under “Hot Topics”.
Once you review the Flexible Spending Account guidelines and become
familiar with how the program works, you will be able to determine
how the program can save you and your family a significant amount
of tax money.
If you have any questions regarding Flexible Spending Accounts,
please visit Jan M. Rauk at the Benefits Fair, November 8, 10:00 – 3:00,
or reach her at 335-2523.
REVISED ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL HANDBOOK
The revised Administrative
Professional Handbook is now available on the Human
Resource Services Web site.
Please contact Human Resource Services at 335-4521 if you have
any questions or comments.
EXTENSION EXCELLENCE AWARD
CAHNRS recently sent
out a “Call for Nominations” for
the CAHNRS Excellence Awards which includes the Extension Faculty
Excellence Award. This award was established to recognize extension
faculty for program innovation, scope and impact of their programs,
and leadership. These areas could include development of new or
innovative programs, expanded linkages with non-college organizations,
or innovative program delivery. CAHNRS faculty, staff are encouraged
to submit nominations for this or any of the CAHNRS Excellence
Awards.
For more information on these awards including guidelines, evaluation
criteria and selection process go to the Awards
Web page.
Deadline for all award nominations packets is January 21, 2005.
Award announcements will be made April 9, 2005 at the Annual CAHNRS
Awards Banquet held during Mom’s Weekend.
TEACHING AND LEARNING GRANTS DEADLINE NOVEMBER 15
For the third
year, WSU will award grants for faculty/staff projects that assess
undergraduate learning outcomes and use the results
to improve teaching and curriculum. This year, however, applicants
are asked to focus their projects specifically at the program and
department levels. Also new: The contact person and “answer
man” for those with questions about the proposal process
will be Tom Matthews, who
recently was appointed to the new position of assistant vice provost
for educational assessment. He can be
reached at 335-4203. His office is in Smith
CUE 503K. For the full story, see WSU
Today online.
REMINDER: APPLICATIONS DUE TO WESTERN EXTENSION LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT (WELD) PROGRAM
Application forms for Western
Extension Leadership Development (WELD) Program are available online
and are due in the Extension Dean and Director’s office October
29th. WSU Extension will pay the registration costs ($1,200) for
at least two WELD participants. Should prospective WELD interns/participants
want additional information on past WELD programs you may refer
to:
Overview of WELD: http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/weld/
Reference to the intern projects:
http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/weld/interns/01_02/projects.html
http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/weld/interns/03_04/projects.html
USDA/CSREES COMPETITIVE GRANTS WORKSHOP DECEMBER 6, TUCSON, ARIZONA
The Western Association of Agricultural Experiment
Station Directors (WAAESD) and the University of Arizona, College
of Agriculture
and Life Sciences are hosting a Workshop on CSREES, USDA Funding
Opportunities, with emphasis on the National Research Initiative
Competitive Grants Program (NRICGP) and Higher Education Programs
(HEP). The workshop is designed for an audience of researchers,
extension specialists and administrators. Registration and workshop
and information can be found on the Web site.
CSREES HALL OF FAME
The CSREES Hall of Fame was created in 2004
to recognize the Agency’s
tenth anniversary. In 1994 two USDA agencies, the Cooperative State
Research Service and the Cooperative Extension Service were joined
by Congressional mandate. The Cooperative State Research, Education,
and Extension Service (CSREES) at USDA http://www.csrees.usda.gov/
has inducted ten individuals into a newly created Hall of Fame
recognizing their outstanding support for research, education,
and extension in advancing knowledge for agriculture, the environment,
human health and well-being, and communities. The full story of
the 2004 CSREES Hall of Fame inductees can be found at the CSREES
Web site Newsroom Highlights.
- Jane Coulter, Virginia
- Dan Dooley, California
- Rodney Foil, Mississippi
- Vic Lechtenberg, Indiana
- Martin Massengale, Nebraska
- Madeline Mellinger, Florida
- Rubie Mize, Maryland
- Eldon Ortman, Indiana
- Leodrey Williams, Louisiana
- Edward M. (Ted) Wilson, Florida
PERSONNEL
Retirement:
Mary Robson, Extension Educator, King County
Funding: 100% Extension
Effective November 4, 2004
Resignations:
Allison Bennett, Extension Coordinator, Whatcom County
Funding: 100% Extension
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective August 19, 2004
Appointments complete:
Joyce Olsen, Extension Coordinator, Thurston County
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective October 8, 2004
Qadra Ali, Extension Coordinator, King County
Funding: 100% Extension
Status: Administrative Professional
Effective September 30, 2004
SCHEDULE
Next week Linda will be in Washington DC attending the
USDA Obesity and Health national conference and she will be facilitating
the
meeting of the multi-state integrated research project W1187 on
obesity and health. Next week Ed will be in Moses Lake on Tuesday
at the Animal Sciences Update and in Prosser on Wednesday, and
in Spokane at his office the other days.
Linda Kirk Fox, PhD
Interim Dean and Director
Washington State University Extension
411 Hulbert Hall
PO Box 646230
Pullman, WA 99164-6230
509-335-2933 Office
509-335-9223 Desk/Voicemail
509-335-2926 FAX
lkfox@wsu.edu
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