June 2010 Archives

Dear Colleagues,

Lately, most of my columns have been about the budget - and I am sure many future columns will cover budget news as well. But today I want to write about our programs. While Extension never really has a lull in its work, summer tends to be an especially busy time of year for us. From field days to county fairs to professional seminars, a lot of hands-on programming happens during the summer months.

While it is sometimes easy to get caught up in the fears and concerns about future funding, we need to remember that the most important thing we can do today is continue to create and deliver the trusted education and information our customers count on to make their lives better. Thanks to Extension, this summer, producers will learn new ways to manage their crops, adults will learn how to develop positive youth programs for kids, families will learn how to eat healthier, woodland owners will work with us to address the ecological and economic impact of emerald ash borer, communities will use our research reports to make better decisions ... and the list goes on.

If we stay focused on the impacts Extension can have in Minnesota through our research and education, we will make a difference. When we make a difference and address the critical issues that Extension's state, county and federal stakeholders need us to address, we are making ourselves relevant and vital for the future, even during difficult budget years.

I look forward to hearing about your programs and their impacts this summer.

Bev Durgan

Important due dates for submitting financial transactions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 must be followed to help minimize last-minute problems.  Respecting these deadlines will provide adequate time for appropriate review, approval and processing of transactions, and will reduce the risk of improperly posted documents due to system delays, unavailable approvers, unforeseeable errors or other problems. 
FY2010 deadlines include:

- June 17, noon - Requisitions (requests that are $50,000 and over)
- June 17, noon - PO Vouchers (any invoice that is matched to a PO) 
- June 23, 2 p.m. - Non-PO Vouchers (Single payment requests including expense/travel reimbursement.  Reminder:  University policy states that all expense and travel reimbursements should be submitted within 15 days of the scheduled trip return.)
- June 23, 4:30 p.m. - A/R Billing (customer maintenance requests)
- June 25 - Purchasing Card (PCARD) reconciliation
- June 29, noon - A/R Billing (customer profile exists)

Madonna Monette
Finance Director

Creating products and publications is just another way Extension specialists and educators can help Extension's programming achieve its intended impact.  The Program Resource Unit has recently updated a products and publications resource section on the employee website to help you create, manage and sell your products.  The page includes time saving informational resources to:

- Get started
- Identify information to have on your publication
- Make a publication available for sale
- Manage a publication, and
- Determine your Center contact for publications assistance 

In addition to print publications, you can now sell your virtual products as a download in the Extension Store.  Your Extension Center and/or program team earns back 80% of all gross sales revenue.  A new decision guide illustrates the different types of Extension publications and shows an example of each.  For details on selling your products through the Extension Store, contact Erik Bremer.

Neil Anderson
Director, Resource Development Unit

On June 1 and 2, the Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences hosted a series of presentations by Mario Piedra, director of EARTH University.  The presentations were part of an ongoing effort that started in 2009 called "Extension in the World" - an effort focused on evaluating Extension's role and potential impact in international work. 

Both days of the June presentations are now available via UMConnect web recording. The June 1 presentation focused on EARTH University's three educational approaches in Central America. The June 2 presentation discussed biodiversity and how to strike a balance between production and conservation.

Renee Pardello
Assistant Dean, Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

The National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, Minnesota Affiliate, an organization that educates and recognizes Extension professionals who improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities,  is hosting a professional development day on Tuesday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Cargill Building, Room 105, St. Paul campus. All Extension faculty and staff are invited to attend and learn about aging populations and the use of technology, how to reach out to an aging rural population through the use of social media, and techniques to train your brain and keep it sharp. View the online event form for a detailed agenda and registration information.

Minnell Tralle
Professional Development Chair, NEAFCS, MN Affiliate

All University employees will receive the paycheck originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 30, 2010, on Thursday, July 1, 2010.  This is a one-time occurrence. You are receiving this notice so you can make accommodations for this one-day change in the pay date. In particular, if you have set up auto pay to cover any bills, we ask that you plan accordingly and make adjustments with your bank, if needed. For those with Direct Deposit, the funds for that pay period will not be available until Thursday, July 1.

In earlier communications, you learned that in fiscal year 2009-10 (FY10) there are 27 paydays instead of the usual 26. Anticipating that the budget shortfall for FY10 would be more significant than in FY11, the decision was made to move this extra pay date from Wednesday, June 30, 2010 to Thursday, July 1, 2010, thus moving the financial impact from FY10 to FY11.

University Office of Human Resources
Original message sent to all University faculty, staff and student employees on 5/25/2010

Dorothy McCargo Freeman, associate director for the Center for Youth Development and state 4-H program leader, has been selected to receive the 2010 Epsilon Sigma Phi National Distinguished Ruby Recognition. The Ruby Recognition is the most prestigious award presented by Epsilon Sigma Phi, a national member organization for Extension professionals that provides development and educational opportunities. Ruby Recognition recipients are honored for outstanding thinking, performance and leadership in Extension and are chosen for making highly significant contributions on the state, regional, national and (when applicable) international Extension scenes in a variety of ways and over their career.

As the national honoree, Dorothy will present the keynote address during the Ruby Recognition luncheon at the ESP National Conference in Jackson, Wyoming, October 12-15.

Marcia Woest
President, ESP - Pi Chapter
and
Tamie Bremseth
Chair, Awards and Recognition Committee, ESP - Pi Chapter

The Minnesota Agri-Women have selected Shirley Doering, Extension educator for regional 4-H youth development programs, as one of the recipients of the 2010 Outstanding Agricultural Mentor Award. The award was presented on April 7 during the 2010 Women's Agricultural Leadership Conference at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The award recognizes people in agriculture who have been positive mentors and role models for people in agricultural fields, especially women, and identifies mentors that are an integral part of the development of agricultural leaders.

John Bilotta, Extension educator, water resource management; Cindy Hagley, Extension educator, water resource management and policy; Barb Liukkonen, program leader, Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences; and Jesse Schomberg, Extension educator, water resource management and policy, as part of the Northland NEMO program, and in partnership with Wendy Strombeck of One.D.Design, received a bronze award in individual graphic design from the Summit Creative Award program for the Northland NEMO Watershed Game. SCA recognizes creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies.

Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences staff Jessica Franken, editor;  Rebecca Noran, program and communications manager; Sarah Jameson-Jones, web and communications designer; Doug Tiffany, Extension educator, ag business management; John Byrnes, marketing communications director, AES; Dave Hansen, communications specialist; and Honey VanderVenter, constituent relations coordinator, CFANS, received three awards for communications excellence at the recent University of Minnesota Communicators Forum Maroon and Gold Awards: Maroon Award (for instructional writing) for Late Harvest Resources, Green Award (for environmental awareness) for Should I Buy a Hybrid Car?, and Margo Award (for efficient use of resources and collaboration) for Renewable Energy Banner.

Extension Educator in Natural Resource Management and Utilization, Julie Miedtke's work on the Itasca County Chipper Days Program was featured as a success story on the United States Forest Service's website.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the University of Minnesota's Children, Youth and Family Consortium will be joining Extension on July 1. The mission of the CYF Consortium is very complementary to Extension's mission and will enhance the work we do with children, youth and families. The CYF mission: to build the capacity of the University and Minnesota communities to use research, inform policy and enhance practice to improve the well-being of Minnesota's children, youth and families.

The CYF staff will work closely with Extension centers for youth development and family development. Their offices will remain in the McNamara Center where they already share part of the second floor with the Extension Center for Youth Development.

Please join me in welcoming the Children, Youth and Family Consortium staff to Extension.

Bev Durgan

The Policy Fellows Program, offered by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, is now seeking applications for the 2010-11 program.  

This nine-month program, sponsored in part by Extension, offers participants practical training in public affairs leadership for emerging leaders seeking new experiences and skills. The program equips participants with three core leadership competencies to inspire, organize and work effectively with others to advance the public good: mindfulness, strategic effectiveness in context, and persuasion and collective action.

The deadline to apply is June 14. For application instructions and additional information, visit the Hubert H. Humphrey website; or contact Kate Cimino at 612-625-8330 or cspg@umn.edu. You can also contact a fellow alumni or Extension staff member such as Bruce Schwartau, Mary Ann Hennen, Toni Smith, Toby Spanier and Cindy Bigger to hear about personal experiences. If you are interested in participating in the program, contact your supervisor.

Dick Senese
Associate Dean, Community Vitality and Public Engagement

Extension P&A employees have elected new Council of Academic Professionals and Administrators (CAPA) representatives who will serve for the next three years. They are: Neil Anderson, director, Resource Development Unit; Danny Sussman, webmaster, Information Technology; Renee Obrecht-Como (alternate), associate program director, Health & Nutrition Programs; and Dave Nicolai (alternate, write-in candidate), Extension crops educator, Regional Office, Hutchinson. Thank you to those who have served the past three years: Neil Anderson, Dave Nicolai, Karen Lilley and Claudia Cody.

CAPA ensures that P&A concerns and perspectives are considered in the areas of University governance and representation, compensation and benefits, communications and professional development. The council meets regularly with University administrators, sends representatives to the University Senate and committees, and is represented in all college, campus and administrative units. Extension P&A employees can get involved by bringing their concerns and ideas to their elected CAPA representatives.

Sarah Bjorkman
Employee Communications Manager

All University employees will receive the paycheck originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 30, 2010, on Thursday, July 1, 2010.  This is a one-time occurrence. You are receiving this notice so you can make accommodations for this one-day change in the pay date. In particular, if you have set up auto pay to cover any bills, we ask that you plan accordingly and make adjustments with your bank, if needed. For those with Direct Deposit, the funds for that pay period will not be available until Thursday, July 1.

In earlier communications, you learned that in fiscal year 2009-10 (FY10) there are 27 paydays instead of the usual 26. Anticipating that the budget shortfall for FY10 would be more significant than in FY11, the decision was made to move this extra pay date from Wednesday, June 30, 2010 to Thursday, July 1, 2010, thus moving the financial impact from FY10 to FY11.

All employees are encouraged to read the Frequently Asked Questions related to this payday change.

University Office of Human Resources
Original message sent to all University faculty, staff and student employees on 5/25/2010

Jennifer Skuza, director of Urban 4-H programs; Dorothy Freeman, assistant director and program leader, 4-H; Tamie Bremseth, program leader, 4-H; Shirley Doering, Extension educator, 4-H; Bob Quinlan; Pat Morreim, regional director, Andover; and Jim Deidrick, national program coordinator, Operation: Military Kids, published an article in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Extension titled "Stewardship as a Means to Create Organizational Reform: A View into Minnesota 4-H Youth Development." Read the full article on the Journal of Extension website.

Urban 4-H Extension Educator Maki Kawase, recently authored the book, "Crafting selves in multiple worlds: A phenomenological study of four foreign-born women's lived-experiences of being 'foreign(ers).'" The book was published through VDM Verlag and can be purchased through several online bookshops including Amazon.

Rachael J. Janssen, interim 4-H program coordinator, Martin County, 5/18/10

Emily L. Espersen, county 4-H program coordinator, Polk County, 5/19/10

Kristin E. Sievert, program coordinator, Nutrition Education Programs, Extension Regional Office, Morris, 5/24/10

Debra A. Altepeter, county 4-H program coordinator, Mahnomen County, 5/24/10

Starting June 8, Nate Meyer, Extension educator in environmental science education, and Barb Liukkonen, program leader for local educators, will begin their new roles as program leaders for the Environment Science Education and Housing Technology teams, and Water Resources Management and local programs, respectively. 

Since 2002, Nate has been a regional educator with the Environmental Science Education team, working largely on Best Practices for Field Days and the Nature-Engaged Families initiative. Over the past few years, his focus has been assessing environmental education professionals' leadership development needs and developing resources to support them in using effective presentation practices.   In his new role, Nate will continue to retain some educational responsibilities for environmental science education.

Barb served as an Extension educator in water resources until retiring from this position a year ago. Since rejoining Extension in July, Barb has worked on projects including an EFANS climate initiative, serving as principle investigator on an EPA 319 grant, and coordinating citizen and stakeholder involvement in creating a framework for the future of Minnesota's water resources.  In addition to her water resources duties, Barb will continue in the role of program leader for local educators.