August 9, 2002

NAME CHANGE FOR FRIDAY UPDATE
To coincide with the new look of the CE web page (coming soon), the Friday Update will change to the "Extension Update." The schedule will stay the same; continue to look for the Extension Update on Fridays.

CONGRATULATIONS ON CE FEDERAL REPORT
In July we received from CSREES the review of our "Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results." Congratulations to all of you who contributed quality impacts via the Accountability, Information and Communication System (AICS) system. Information in AICS is how the program directors and I build the federal Annual Report. Each year we submit the Annual Report on March 1st to CSREES. Specifically, the federal Review Team compliments our report, "WSU Extension has provided a substantive and nicely structured annual report. The most significant strength is the inclusion of an impact statement with each of the key themes." The Review Team provided suggestions for improvements for next year, including more information on how we "are responding to stakeholder input and recruiting and involving under represented populations to our advisory processes."

WEB TEMPLATE DESIGNS FOR COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICES
The Information Department is reminding all county offices of their previous offer to provide customized templates for County Extension Web sites.

This provides an easy route to compliance with WSU's Web Identity Guidelines. WSU would like all Web sites in compliance with the new guidelines as soon as possible.

All you need to do is contact Bob Hoffmann, Extension web coordinator, and provide him with photos, special link information, and a few design details pertinent to your particular county. Bob will then provide templates for your home page and any major program areas.

Once the template is provided, the counties are responsible for using the provided template to convert their existing pages to the new format. But if you need help with this piece, Bob might be able to provide some assistance if he has the time.

Some counties and program areas have already taken advantage of this service. See links to Web sites that are based on Information Department custom templates. Also see links on "Requesting Your Own Web Template" and "After Requesting Your Template."

REMINDER TO STAY CURRENT ON YOUR LEAVE REPORTS
This is a friendly reminder to keep current on your leave/time reports. This comes to my attention at the end of the fiscal year as we have to submit our state financial report. We must report annual and sick leave balances and if you are behind in submitting the reports, our report is inaccurate. We can be audited on this so accuracy is critical. University policy states Employees must submit Leave Reports within five working days following the month's end. Thanks for your attention to this important matter.

SCHEDULE
Next week, both Mike and Linda will attend the Deans' Council Retreat on Monday. Mike will be in Washington DC the remainder of the week. Linda will be in Walla Walla County on Tuesday and touring several counties in the SW District the remainder of the week.

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