ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, 4-HYD MEET AND GREET LUNCHEON:
Each seminar presentation for the Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development position will be immediately followed by a Meet and Greet Luncheon with the candidate. The Meet and Greet Luncheon for Dr. Kirk Astroth will be held October 31 ,12:00pm-1:00pm. The Meet and Greet Luncheon for Dr. Lisa Lauxman will be held November 6 , 12:00pm-1:00pm. The luncheons will both be held at the Controlled Environment Ag Complex (CEAC) Conference Room located on the east side of Campbell Avenue, off Roger Road at 1951 E. Roger Road.
Attendees are asked to arrive at 10:15am so that everyone may be seated when the seminar presentations begin. Those planning to attend must RSVP to Tony Stevens no later than Friday, October 26 for the Kirk Astroth seminar and Friday, November 2 for the Lisa Lauxman seminar. A copy of the position description can be viewed at www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=188654. For more information or questions, contact Glenda Thompson (520.621.3621).
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, 4-HYD CURRICULUM VITAES:
Curriculum Vitaes for Dr. Kirk Astroth and Dr. Lisa Lauxman are now available on the web.
Both CVs can be accessed by clicking on the links below and entering the username of "cals" and the password of "ua".
Dr. Kirk Astroth
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/download/4-H/Kirk_Astroth_Curriculum_Vitae.pdf
Dr. Lisa Lauxman
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/download/4-H/Lisa_Lauxman_Curriculum_Vitae.pdf
For more information or questions, contact Glenda Thompson (520.621.3621).
FOCUS ON FACULTY:
I want to thank Jeff Silvertooth , Bob Roth , Ed Martin, Sharon Megdal and the many other UA faculty and staff for their leadership at the recent MAC Field Day on October 3. It was an excellent program.
EXTENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING:
On September 26, the first meeting of the Extension Advisory Committee took place at the Campus Ag Center. The purpose of the committee is to broaden the scope of information that goes into the Extension decision making process. The goal of the committee is to: 1) help provide vision for the organization; and 2) advise on hiring priorities, program focus, use of initiative funding, communication and marketing, and in-services.
Committee members are Chuck Hutchinson (Department Heads/School Directors chair), Barron Orr (Specialists chair), Jim Sprinkle (CED Chair), Tom Cordell (outside of University), Cynthia Flynn (Special Assistant to the Director for Administrative Leadership), Joe Hiller (Assistant Dean for Native American Programs), Lisa Lauxman (Acting Assistant Director for 4-H Youth Development), Mike Proctor (UA Outreach Representative), myself, Robert Casler-Joanne Littlefield-Susan McGinley (subject matter guest contributors), and Patti Baciewicz & Steven Crofts (support staff).
Key points from the first committee meeting covered plans for filling the Associate Director for Programs position: 1) feedback from specialists is that there should be a set timetable to fill the position, 2) many things Deb did were successful (like working groups), 3) not wanting to lose the good things that we've come to count on, 4) an immediate need for talented people in this role, and 5) the need for clear parameters.
In the area of marketing, Joanne Littlefield facilitated a discussion on: 1) new products and presentations (marketing pieces based on Arizona Deliver entries; standing displays for every county; the Marketing Manual that was created in the early 1990s, adapted online, and new resources added; branding exercise and social marketing presentations at the 2006 CALS Faculty Conference; and a two-day effective communication workshop in Phoenix for professional development working groups); 2) marketing to a 20 something audience (identifying the customer and who we are competing against; use of emerging technologies/tools online, such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube; customizing content for audience; need for a long-range marketing plan; and having one person in charge of developing and implementing with input from faculty, staff and the advisory committee); 3) marketing as a process, not a product alone; and 4) marketing will be a focus of the August 2008 semi-annual Faculty Conference.
FOCUS ON 4-H:
- The Tufts 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), the first-ever longitudinal study to actually measure the characteristics of positive youth development, will launch October 11. This coincides with Tufts
4-H Study's PYD Director, Dr. Richard M. Lerners, appearance on ABC televisions Good Morning America that morning to promote his new book, The Good Teen. A national news release touting the Tufts 4-H Study of PYD also will be released via newswire that same day. For more information, check out Clover Corner News.
Dr. Jo Turner will be presenting on the November AZ 4-H Connections call how Arizona Cooperative Extension can still get youth involved in the Tufts 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development.
- Celebrate National 4-H Week , October 7-13, 2007 : 1) 4-H is one of the largest youth development programs in America with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 538,000 youth and adult volunteers (Arizona 4-H Youth Development has over 56,000 youth participants); 2) for more than 100 years, 4-H has been providing youth with the innovative research and resources from our nations 106 land-grant universities and colleges; 3) 4-H is in every community across America urban, suburban and rural; 4) 4-Hs learning opportunities are intentionally designed around four essential elements necessary for positive youth development by providing youth with supervised independence , a sense of belonging with a positive group, a spirit of generosity toward others and a wide variety of opportunities to master life challenges; 5) the fundamental 4-H ideal of practical, learn by doing experiences encourage youth to experiment, innovate and think independently; 6) 4-H programs are offered through school-based, after-school and camp settings and within community clubs -- clubs represent 35.6 % of the participation, a trend that has been on the increase; 7) 4-H youth participants represent 46.4.% Caucasian, 38.2% Hispanic, 6.5% Native American, 4.2% Black, and 1.4% Asian with the bulk of participants are from 3rd to 7th grade; 8) 4-H members are currently participating in 4-H science, engineering and technology programs ranging from robotics and Web design to animal and environmental science as well as citizenship and healthy living programs; 9) more than 60 million young people across America have been 4-H members since the 4-H Youth Development program began in 1902 - famous alumni include Al Gore, Faith Hill and David Letterman, along with 14 governors, 33 university presidents and chancellors, 31 CEOs and four astronauts.
- The Extension-NAIS Resource Center is designed specifically for Extension educators. The center houses the latest tools to help you inform local livestock and poultry producers about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). On October 18 , at 2:00pm EST, you will have the opportunity to get your questions answered during a conference call with NAIS program leadership and CSREES. To participate in the call, dial 888.790.1712 and enter the passcode of 63520 (and if asked for the call leaders name, it is Ed Curlett).
UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED OUTREACH FACULTY AWARDS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:
A call for nominations has been issued for the University Distinguished Outreach Faculty award. This award was established in 2003 by President Peter Likins to recognize faculty who have made outstanding contributions to outreach at the UA, in the State of Arizona and the Nation, and have demonstrated sustained excellence in the University's outreach mission: "...improving the quality of life for the people of Arizona and the Nation." Tim Dennehy was the winner of the 2005 award. As stated in the UA's 2000 Self-Study Report to the North Central Association, "Central to the UA's unique land-grant responsibility, outreach is a form of education that transcends the classroom and laboratory to bring knowledge to people outside the University. Outreach is a manifestation of the University's teaching, scientific and scholarly research, creative activities and community service. It involves the generation, delivery, application and preservation of knowledge for the well-being of its external constituents." Award recipients will be honored in a ceremony in 2008. Complete descriptions and criteria are attached and also available at http://provost.web.arizona.edu/awards.htm. The success of our university awards program relies on receiving nominations for our colleagues who deserve recognition for their expertise in outreach.
NEW PUBLICATIONS:
There is a new CALS publication that has been posted: Comparing the Ignitability of Mulch Materials for a Firewise Landscape by Alix Rogstad, Tom DeGomez, Chris Hayes, Jeff Schalau and Jack Kelly .