August 31, 2007
Topics in today's issue of Extension Update:
PRESIDENT’S BLOG FEATURES WSU STATEWIDE MISSION
Take a minute to read and reflect upon President Floyd’s “blog” on the statewide mission http://www.wsu.edu/president/perspectives/.
WSU TODAY FEATURES EXTENSION TODAY
The latest issue of WSU Today dated August 31, 2007 is hot off the press and features Extension Today. Look for the hard copy in your mail or go on line to http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/extensiontoday/ for the latest issues of Extension Today
You'll find that for this issue we've showcased:
- New Vice President for Economic Development and Extension, John Gardner, explains how Extension and WSU impact and improve
Washington's economy
- WSU Extension's Competitive Orchard Team
- WSU Extension is providing forestry education to new forest owners
- Beach Watchers plan to restore the Puget Sound by 2020
- WSU Extension, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS), and International Programs team up to offer instruction in crops and dryland agriculture systems to Iraqi extension trainers
- Washington public schools can investigate and improve indoor air themselves thanks to WSU Extension Energy Program indoor air quality experts
eXtension LAUNCHES ENTREPRENEURSHIP SITE
Small, micro, and home-based businesses have flourished over the past decade in urban, suburban, and rural areas. eXtension is pleased to announce the "soft" launch of its fifth Community of Practice web site: Entrepreneurs and Their Communities, available at http://www.extension.org/entrepreneurship. This web site will serve as an additional resource that local business owners can depend upon for unbiased information on a variety of business-related topics.
Like all other websites launched as part of eXtension, the Entrepreneurs and Their Communities site is populated with various frequently asked questions (FAQs) responding to the most common set of questions that users are likely to ask. It also offers users the opportunities to submit questions not addressed in the FAQ system, inquiries that will be answered by land-grant university personnel with expertise in these specific topical areas.
"The eXtension entrepreneurship website is a product of countless hours provided by a core team of 20 Extension educators and rural development partners drawn from all parts of the U.S.", said Bo Beaulieu, Director of the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University, and team coordinator.
"Furthermore, over 125 land-grant university researchers, Extension educators, USDA representatives, and rural development leaders outside of the land-grant system, have signed on to actively guide the work of this core team. All in all, we have a talented pool of individuals who are working hard to make the website as useful and effective as possible," he said.
Mary Peabody, University of Vermont Extension specialist and co-leader of the Entrepreneurship team said, "the most exciting aspect of this effort is the number of individuals that have come forward to offer their talent and experience in getting this site up and functioning."
"We are looking forward this fall to hosting several live chats with some highly regarded professionals in the field. These will be terrific professional development opportunities for our Extension colleagues interested in providing direct support to entrepreneurs and rural communities seeking proven strategies for 'home-grown' economic development," said Peabody.
Over the next few months, the eXtension entrepreneurship team will be adding a number of products to the website, including: a synopsis of state and local policies enacted to spur and support entrepreneurship, learning lessons offering a variety of self-paced educational programs, and various case studies on innovative ways communities nationwide have designed and launched local entrepreneurship-friendly programs.
According to Greg Wise, University of Wisconsin Extension community development specialist and member of the entrepreneurship management team, "our website includes a number of unique features, including highlights of recent research articles with 'state of the art' information on entrepreneurship-related topics and Information Briefs providing more extensive information on key topics that are likely to prove helpful to entrepreneurs, service providers, economic development organizations, and local leaders.
Wise also noted that the site will provide "cool tools that showcase a collection of interactive assessments, websites, surveys, and spreadsheets that can help entrepreneurs and communities strengthen and promote their entrepreneurial efforts."
The content of the Entrepreneurs and Their Communities web site has not been developed without significant input from the public. More than 35 listening sessions conducted by the team provided great information.
"As a result of these listening sessions, hosted by the Regional Rural Development Centers across the country, our team was able to examine the views and insights of over 1,200 individuals," said Beaulieu.
"Among the key needs they expressed was the desire to have a virtual library that could offer users ready access to a host of educational products to guide their entrepreneurship development efforts. The launching of the eXtension "Entrepreneurs and Their Communities" web site represents our team's commitment to make good on a product that local people have challenged us to provide," he said.
For more information on the progress of eXtension go to http://about.extension.org.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES RESEARCH MINI-GRANT PROGRAM
The Western Rural Development Center is sponsoring a new "Rural Development and Natural Resources Research Mini-Grant Program."
This program is designed to support innovative social sciences research that advances our knowledge and understanding of rural development and
natural resource issues in the West.
The attached RFP provides detailed information on the grant structure, topics and timeline.
The deadline for proposals submission is November 1, 2007. The maximum amount available for this program is $20,000 with the expectation that one to three proposals will be funded. The WRDC is interested in supporting multi-institutional and multi-state research projects and these will be given top priority.
WDRC is seeking research focusing on: rural economic development, energy, entrepreneurship opportunities, green technologies, land/water
and the economic interface with rural communities as well as forest resources. See the attached RFP for a listing of topics and themes.
If you have any questions please contact the WRDC via e-mail to wrdc@ext.usu.edu or by telephone at 435.797.WRDC.
WSU EXTENSION FACULTY CO-AUTHOR ARTICLE FOR JOURNAL OF EXTENSION
Congratulations to Jan Busboom and Jerry Newman who co-authored on an article in the August issue of the Journal of Extension. The article is entitled “A Path to Resolution Regarding the Show Lamb Tail Docking Controversy.” You can read the entire article at http://www.joe.org/joe/2007august/a8.shtml.
WASHINGTON STATE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS (SBDC) JOINS WSU ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSION OFFICE
The Washington State Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) will be housed within the Washington State University Economic Development and Extension office, led by newly appointed Vice President John C. Gardner.
The move is part of the university's drive to create more collaborative relationships with economic development entities across the state.
The new move will also give the SBDC and WSU better visibility within Washington state, and is consistent with WSU President Elson S. Floyd's vision for the university's work with the Washington Economic Development Association. For full story see WSU Today online
http://www.wsutoday.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationID=4053&TypeID=1
YOUR INPUT SOUGHT ON SURVEY TO HELP REFRESH WSU GOALS
WSU’s strategic plan is due for review, and initial comments are being solicited through the end of September. The survey will help refresh WSU goals. This is your opportunity to provide direct feedback regarding strategic goals. The four strategic goals under review are:
- Offer the best undergraduate experience in a research university
- Nurture a world-class environment for research, scholarship, graduate
education, the arts and engagement
- Create an environment of trust and respect in all we do
- Develop a culture of shared commitment to quality in all of our activities
The brief online survey asks questions such as whether the plan has been useful, whether or not it should be updated and, if so, how. The survey can be found online at http://CTLSilhouette.wsu.edu/surveys/ZS67806. It is also accessible from the provost’s website online at http://www.provost.wsu.edu. “This is an opportunity for anyone who is interested to participate,” said Mary Doyle, vice provost for academic planning, budget and resource management. “We’re looking for thoughts and ideas from across the university.” (Source: WSU Today, August 31, 2007)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SARE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The National SARE Conference will be held in Kansas City on March 25-27, 2008. Travel scholarships are available from Western SARE to extension educators to encourage their attendance at this important conference. For details on the conference, please go to the SARE National website at www.sare.org. Applications are due not later than December 6, 2007. Western SARE will complete the application review and notify the selected applicants as soon as possible after the application deadline, hopefully in a few weeks. An announcement was sent out this week to all Extension faculty and staff with the scholarship application form and instructions on where to send them.
Additionally, SARE Professional Development Program grants are available. The application deadline for these grants is November 1, 2007 and there are no pre-proposals. Single state grants are for up to $60,000 and multi state applications are considered up to $100,000. In recent years, 30-35% of the applications have been funded. For details on our Western SARE grants, please visit our website at http://wsare.usu.edu.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (LEAD21)
LEAD21 is a program initiated in 2005 that combines the former NELD, ESCOP/ACOP programs for leadership training for Research, Teaching and Extension faculty, educators and administrators. The program provides an excellent opportunity to develop leadership skills and develop a comprehensive understanding of the land-grant system.
Attached is a copy of the internal LEAD21 application form. Additional information regarding the program can be found at http://www.fanning.uga.edu/programs/LEAD21/index.html . In addition to completing the LEAD21 application that is attached, please answer the following question:
- What would be the benefit to CAHNRS and/or WSU Extension by your participation in the program? This information can be included in a cover memo.
All pre-applications for the LEAD21 program are due to the office of Extension Dean and Director or email to extension@wsu.edu no later than 5 p.m., Thursday, October 18th, 2007. The pre-applications will be reviewed and a selection will be made to meet the national deadline of November 15th, 2007.
The cost of participating in LEAD21 is funded by CAHNRS and WSU Extension administration.
PROGRAM PLANNING WITH THE END PRODUCT IN MIND
Jon Newkirk presented an E- workshop targeting the Agriculture Issue-focused Teams on Program Planning, assessment and Reporting Program impacts. While the information was specific to those teams, it is valuable for everyone planning, assessing and reporting program impacts. The workshop focused on “program planning with the end product in mind.” The end product is the impacts that the program generates. You can access a video stream of the presentation at http://eces.wsu.edu/video/stream.html . Look in the recent video stream section for “A one-Hour Short Course on Program Planning, Assessment and Reporting Program Impacts.
SCHEDULE
Linda will be in Pullman on Tuesday. She will be in Seattle Wednesday, Thursday and Friday attending Seattle Week activities, including the WSU at Benaroya Hall “In Concert with Communities” event, the Washington Sustaining Food and Farming Network meeting and the CAHNRS Advisory council meeting. John will be in Pullman on Tuesday and Wednesday and in Seattle on Thursday and Friday attending Seattle Week activities. WSU Extension offices will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day.
Linda Kirk Fox, PhD
Dean and Director
Washington State University Extension
411 Hulbert Hall, PO Box 646248
Pullman, WA 99164-6248
509-335-2933 Office
509-335-9223 Desk/Voicemail
509-335-2926 FAX
lkfox@wsu.edu
ext.wsu.edu
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