Recently in the Awards Category

Vince Fritz, Extension horticulturist and professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, has won the 2013 American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Extension Educator award, which recognizes contributions for 10 or more years in horticultural science.

Jeff Gunsolus, crops program leader and professor of agronomy and plant genetics, received the 2012-13 CFANS Distinguished Extension/Outreach Award. This award recognizes significant contributions that link the University to the citizens of Minnesota.

The President's Award for Outstanding Service recognizes exceptional service to the University by any active or retired faculty or staff member. Award recipients have gone above and beyond in their commitment to the University. Congratulations to Emily Hoover, Extension horticulturist and professor and head of & the Department of Horticultural Science.

Abby Gold, Shelley Sherman and Kathleen Lovett, Extension educators in health and nutrition; Trina Barno, program leader in health and nutrition; and G. Ali Hurtado, research fellow, published an article in the April 2013 Journal of Extension titled, "Creating a Minnesota Statewide SNAP-Ed Program Evaluation."

Would you like to encourage co-workers who have done excellent work?  Reward their efforts by nominating them for one of the several awards available at the University for bargaining unit employees. The deadline for many of these awards is fast approaching in April and May. Visit the U Awards & Honors website for descriptions, nomination instructions and deadlines for each award.

The Extension Staff Consultative Committee (ESCC) also invites you to submit nominations for the annual Dean's Awards, which will be awarded at the Extension Staff Conference on April 25 (deadline to submit a nomination is April 1). Categories include: campus-based support staff, field-based support staff, program support staff and community nutrition educators. Visit the Extension intranet for nomination instructions and award information.

Elaine Hardy
ESCC Chair & Regional Support Staff, Brainerd

Congratulations to Gary Hachfeld, David Bau, Rob Holcomb, and Bill Craig, Extension educators in agricultural business management, on their February 2013 Journal of Extension article, "Multiple Year Extension Program Outcomes and Impacts Through Evaluation." The article illustrates how starting a program with the end in mind can provide meaningful and measurable outcomes and impacts across years.

Extension Entomologist Kenneth Ostlie has been awarded a research grant from Monsanto to further study corn rootworm, currently one of the most damaging corn pests. This award will fund Ostlie's research in retooling scouting methods and recalibrating action thresholds for trait and insecticide management options.

Call for Nominations: Dean's Distinguished Staff Awards

You are invited to nominate outstanding colleagues for the 2013 Extension Dean's distinguished awards for civil service and bargaining unit staff. The award categories are: distinguished campus and field support staff, program staff and community nutrition educator. All supervisors are encouraged to nominate an individual worthy of an award.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 1. Guidelines and more information on how to nominate are available on the Dean's section of the Extension intranet. For questions, contact Shelly Tschida.

Bev Durgan
Dean

Each year the Dean's Leadership Council chooses several Extension staff for the chance to participate in Leadership for the 21st Century (Lead21) and National Extension Leadership Development (NELD)--two professional development programs with the goal of enhancing the work of Extension and staff leadership skills.

2013 Lead21 participants include: Laura Kalambokidis, Extension economist, Cathy Jordan, director, Children, Youth & Family Consortium, and Holli Arp, regional director, southwest. The primary purpose of LEAD21 is to develop leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics, and Extension in order to lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment, either in their current positions or as they aspire to other positions.

2013 NELD participants include: Amy Baker, chief technology officer, Kia Harries, Extension educator in educational design and development, and Susanne Hinirichs, regional director, northeast. The NELD program goals are to provide the opportunity for current and future Extension leaders and administrators to enhance leadership at all levels and provide vision as well as cutting-edge organizational tools.

Bev Durgan
Dean

Sharon Danes, family resource management specialist, has been inducted into the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) as a fellow. The designation is a recognition of Sharon's contributions to the family business field, especially in the area of bringing in family systems and rigorous modeling of family constructs in studies of business families, as well as her many contributions to IFERA over the years.

The Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture is once again seeking nominations to honor outstanding Minnesotans and University of Minnesota graduates who help feed the world.  The deadline to submit nominations is January 15.

Established in the early 1990s by a generous gift from New Ulm-area livestock breeder and businessman Eldon Siehl, the Siehl prize is awarded annually in three categories: knowledge (teaching, research and outreach), production agriculture and agribusiness. Recipients receive a $50,000 award as well as a sculpture and lapel pin designed by Minnesota artist Thomas Rose especially for the Siehl Prize.

More information about the prize and how to submit a nomination may be found on the Siehl Prize website.

Fritz Breitenbach, Extension educator in crops, received the Distinguished Achievement Award for Professional Staff from the North Central Weed Science Society (NCWSS). He will be presented with the award at the NCWSS Annual Meeting being held December 10-13 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Mary Meyer, Extension horticulturalist, received the 6th Annual Terrace Award from Terrace Horticultural Books. The award recognizes outstanding achievement and service to horticulture in Minnesota.

The Forest Pest First Detector Program was honored with the Carol Mortensen Invasive Species Award for Team Achievement, presented at the Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on October 30. Team members include representatives from the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Extension members are: Jeffrey Hahn, Extension entomologist; Dean Herzfeld, coordinator, pesticide safety and environmental education; and  Angela Gupta, Mike Reichenbach, Gary Johnson and Gary Wyatt, Extension educators in natural resource management and utilization.

Dorothy McCargo Freeman, associate dean for the Extension Center for Youth Development, was awarded the 2012 WEM Outstanding Educator Award for Excellence in Education, which recognizes superior contributions of educators whose leadership and dedication inspire a spirit of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities outside the traditional education system and classroom.

Margo Herman, Extension educator in youth development, educational design and development, published an article titled "THINKING SPACE: Reflective Practice Meets Youth Work Supervision" in Youth and Policy, an online journal in England.

Margo Herman, Extension educator in youth development educational design and development, published an article titled, "THINKING SPACE: Reflective Practice Meets Youth Work Supervision" in the September 2012 issue of Youth and Society, an online journal in England.  

The Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Initiative (MIRC), a collaborative technology adoption project headed by the Blandin Foundation, won a Tekne Award in Minneapolis on November 1 from the Minnesota High Tech Association for their work on broadband access and adoption. Dick Senese, Extension senior associate dean; Matt Kane, community economics program leader; and Adeel Ahmed, Extension educator in community economics, were among the partners collecting the "Innovative Collaboration Award." For more information, view a video about the award.

Bill Angell, Extension housing specialist, received the Housing Education and Research Association's Housing Impact Award for his research and outreach in radon and other aspects of indoor air quality.

Diomy Zamora, Extension educator in natural resource management and utilization; Charlie Blinn, Extension specialist in forest resources; Eli Sagor, Extension educator in natural resource management and utilization; Larry Coyle, coordinator for distance education; Dave Chura; and Grant Domke published an article in the October 2012 issue of Journal of Extension titled, "Converting Face-to-Face Curricula for Online Delivery: Lessons Learned from a Biomass Harvesting Guidelines Curriculum."

Sarah Eichberger, Extension educator in community food systems, received the Excellence in Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Leadership Award during the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual conference. This award is given to professionals who show exemplary leadership and advocate strongly for hunger and environmental nutrition issues through program development, media relations, policy or legislation.

The following Extension employees are recipients of the North Central Regional National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) awards:

• Trisha Sheehan, Extension educator, regional 4-H youth development programs, Rebecca Harrington, Extension educator, volunteer & partner development, Heidi Haugen, Extension educator, volunteer & partner development, Eric Vogel, Extension educator, educational design and development, Maki Kawase, Barbara Piehl, and Amanda LeGare, Educational Technology (Team)
• Melissa Koch, county 4-H program coordinator, Mower County, Excellence in Teamwork
• Rebecca Harrington, Extension educator, volunteer & partner development, Educational Piece (Individual)
• Mamie Luhmann, county 4-H program coordinator, Goodhue County, LeeAnn Howard, county 4-H program coordinator, Fillmore County, Kim Asche, and Shirley Doering, Educational Piece (Team)

The following Extension employees are recipients of the National NAE4-HA awards:

• Mamie Luhmann, 4-H program coordinator, Goodhue County, and Carissa Akpore, 4-H program coordinator, Dakota County, Achievement in Service awards
• Amy Nelson, 4-H program coordinator, Waseca County, and Marcia Woeste, Extension educator, regional 4-H youth development programs, Distinguished Service awards
• Brenda Shafer, program leader, 4-H youth development, 25 Years of Service awards

The following Extension employees received awards from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS):

• Deb Botzek-Linn, Extension educator, food science, Minnesota & National award winner, Distinguished Service
• Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Extension educator, family resource management, Minnesota & National award winner, Continued Excellence
• Sara Croymans, Extension educator, family resource management, Patricia Olson, associate director, family development and family resource management program leader, Lori Scharmer and Phyllis Onstad, Minnesota, 1st Place Central Region & 1st Place National award winners, Florence Hall award: "Recovery After Disaster: The Family Financial Toolkit"
• Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Extension educator, family resource management, Sharon Danes, family resource management specialist, Cindy Petersen, Extension educator, family resource management, Rosemary Heins, Extension educator, family resource management, Phyllis Onstad, Dung Mao, Minnesota & 1st Place Central Region award winners, Dean Don Felker Financial Management award for "Invest NOW: Money in Retirement: An Asynchronous Web-Based Course"
• Mary Caskey, Extension educator, health and nutrition, Trina Barno, program leader, health and nutrition Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator, food science, Marla Reicks, Extension nutritionist, Minnesota award winners, School Wellness award: "Keeping Kids from Falling Short: A New Look at Fruits and Vegetables in the School Cafeteria"
• Extension educators in family resource management, Lori Hendrickson, Sara Croymans, Rebecca Hagen Jokela, with Janene Gilman, Candy Lee, Suzy Wheeler, John Comer, Minnesota & 3rd Place Central Region award winners, Community Partnership award, "Partnering to Provide Financial Literacy Resources to Libraries"
• Extension educators in family resource management, Lori Hendrickson, Sara Croymans, Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Patricia Olson, associate director, family development and family resource management program leader, Janene Gilman, Dung Mao, Weiyang Xie, Minnesota award winners, Communication award (Internet Education Technology), "Connecting the Dots Financial Capability Webinar Course"
• Mary Caskey, Extension educator, health and nutrition, and executive office and administrative specialists, Lisa Brownstein and Shari Schmidt, Minnesota & 2nd Place Central Region award winners, Communication award (Newsletters), "Food Bytes" Newsletter
• Kathleen Olson, coordinator, partnering for school success, served was elected as president-elect at the NEAFCS annual session in Columbus, OH.  

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has appointed Kathryn Draeger to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizens' board. An adjunct professor of agronomy and plant genetics and statewide director of Extension's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Draeger will serve as the board's agricultural representative. Previously, Draeger served as Iowa's Environmental Protection Commissioner and on Governor Arne Carlson's Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development. She and her family practice sustainable farming in rural Big Stone County.

Extension Children, Youth and Family Consortium (CYFC) Director Cathy Jordan was featured in an article in the August 2012 edition of Metro magazine titled, "The Kids Are Not All Right."

Sara Langworthy, CYFC coordinator, Sara Benning, CYFC coordinator, and Cathy Jordan, CYFC director, published an article in the July 2012 SRCD Developments Newsletter titled, "Wonder Years Project Breaks Ground in Sharing Early Childhood Research with the Public."

Mary Meyer, Extension horticulturist, was elected president of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

The Minnesota Master Naturalist program was selected as Program of the Year by the Alliance of Natural Resource and Outreach Programs at their 2012 annual national conference in Philadelphia.

Extension Educators in Natural Resource Management and Utilization, David Wilsey, Julie Miedtke, and Eli Sagor, published an article in the Journal of Extension titled, "The Minnesota Maple Series: Community-Generated Knowledge Delivered Through an Extension Website."

Ryan Allen, assistant professor, leadership and civic engagement, received the 2011-2012 academic year Humphrey Institute Distinguished Teaching Award. This award recognizes the significance of excellent teaching by inducting the faculty members into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. It is given to the instructor on a required course who earned the highest marks from students on course evaluations.

The Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) team received the following awards at the 2012 Business Retention & Expansion International conference held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in June:

BR&E Team Hugo, comprised of Liz Templin and Bruce Schwartau, Extension educators in community economics; Brigid Tuck, community economics analyst/writer; and Michael Darger, Extension specialist in community economics; along with community partners and DEED Labor Market Analyst, Rachel Vilsack, won the "Outstanding Single Community with a Population under 20,000" Business Retention and Expansion International Award of Excellence.

BR&E Team Lyon County, comprised of Neil Linscheid, Extension educator in community economics; Brigid Tuck; and Michael Darger; along with community partners and DEED Labor Market Analyst, Cameron Macht, won the "Outstanding Multi-Community with a Population under 50,000" Business Retention and Expansion International Award of Excellence.

• Instructional Writing: "Reviewing and improving your content during a website redesign" from the Extension web guide. Awarded to Jessica Franken, editor in the Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (EFANS), Rebecca Noran, communications manager for EFANS at the time of the project, Danny Sussman, information technology professional, Tom Stanoch, web designer, and Karen Lilley, retired web manager.
• Website: Extension Food Safety website. Awarded to Jessica Franken, Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator in food science, Rebecca Noran, Katie Gallagher, communications designer in EFANS, Tom Stanoch, Danny Sussman, Katherine Waters, Extension program leader in food systems, Karen Lilley, Sara Haugen, and Kristeen Bullwinkle.
• Print--Card: Farm Information Line trading cards. Awarded to Katie Gallagher, Tim Arlt, program leader for EFANS and ag business management, Jessica Franken, Rebecca Noran, and Peggy Rader.
• Campaign--Promotional: Farm Information Line campaign. Awarded to Katie Gallagher, Tim Arlt, Jessica Franken, Rebecca Noran and Peggy Rader.

The 2012 Minnesota Gardening Calendar won Best In Show - Offset at the In Plant Print awards. Karl Foord, Extension educator in horticulture, and Julie Weisenhorn, state Master Gardener director & Extension educator in horticulture, were part of the team of writers and photographers on this award-winning project.

Mike Reichenbach and Eli Sagor, Extension educators in natural resource management & utilization; Becky Hagen Jokela, Extension educator in family resource management; and Allison Eklund, attorney, won the Joint Council of Extension Professionals 2012 Excellence in Teamwork Award for their project, "Intergenerational Land Transfer Class Evaluation: Family Communication and Succession Planning Toward the Retention of Family Forestlands."

The University of Minnesota President's Emerging Leaders (PEL) program held its 2012 commencement, poster session and recognition event June 20 at the Humphrey Institute. Among the 25 participants completing the year-long program were Terry Straub, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator, and Rebecca Noran, former EFANS communications manager. Julie Weisenhorn, Extension Master Gardener director, served as a project sponsor during the year for a PEL team that undertook a project to examine the redesign and marketing of Master Gardener curriculum as individual online classes offered to the public. David Moen, Extension Master Gardener program manager, was recognized with the 2012 PEL Supervisor Partnership Award.

Angela Gupta, Extension educator in natural resource management and utilization, Andrea Lorek Strauss, Extension educator in environmental science education, and Samantha Grant, Extension educator in youth development program evaluation, published an article in the June issue of Journal of Extension titled, "4-H and Forestry Afterschool Clubs: A Collaboration to Foster Stewardship Attitudes and Behaviors in Youth."

Extension Business Retention and Expansion Strategies Programs in Hugo and Lyon County won international awards of excellence at the Business Retention and Expansion International annual conference on June 21 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The city of Hugo received the award for Outstanding Single Community with a Population under 20,000 category. Lyon County received the award for Outstanding Multi-Community with a Population under 50,000 category. Extension Educators in Community Economics, Bruce Schwartau and Liz Templin, contributed to the Hugo project, and Neil Linscheid contributed to the Lyon County project. Brigid Tuck, community economics analyst/writer, conducted the analysis and wrote the final reports. Michael Darger, Extension specialist in community economics, accepted the award on their behalf at the conference.

Angela Gupta, Extension educator in natural resource management and utilization, received an Early Career Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi.

Jill Sackett, Extension conservation agronomist, has been selected as the north central regional winner in the category of sustainable agriculture in the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Search for Excellence. Jill will be presenting "Third Crop Programs" at the NACAA annual meeting in July.

The book by Mark Seeley, Extension climatologist, and Don Breneman, retired Extension photographer, Voyageur Skies won this year's Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for Art and Photography.

Kathy Zuzek, Extension educator in horticulture, developed the rose, "Summer Waltz," that debuted at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on National Public Gardens Day.

The following Extension employees received 2011-12 faculty and staff awards from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences:

• Larry Jacobson, Extension engineer, livestock, Distinguished Extension/Outreach Award
• Dale Nordquist, Extension economist, agricultural business management, Professional and Academic Staff Award

The following Extension employees are North Central Region Finalists for the 2012 National Communications Awards of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA):

• David Bau, Extension educator, agricultural business management, leaning module/notebook
• Chuck Schwartau, Extension educator, livestock, audio recordings; personal column
• Gary Wyatt, Extension educator, natural resource management and utilization, program promotional piece; fact sheet

The following Extension employees received awards from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS):

• Debra Botzek-Linn, Extension educator, food science, Minnesota's Distinguished Service Award
• Mary Caskey, Trina Barno, and Marla Reicks, Extension educators in health and nutrition, and Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator, food science, Minnesota's School Wellness Award for "Keeping Kids from Falling Short: A New Look at Fruits and Vegetables in the School Cafeteria"

Mark W. Seeley, Extension climatologist and professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, is a 2012 recipient of the President's Award for Outstanding Service. The award recognizes active or retired faculty or staff members who have performed exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments and service units. Recipients of this award have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University and those of us who study, teach and work here.  

Catherine Jordan, director, Children, Youth and Family Consortium, recently received the University of Minnesota Outstanding Community Service Award, an award that recognizes members of the University community who have devoted their time and talent to make substantial, enduring contributions to the community and to improving public life and the well-being of society.  Read a full description of the award and highlights of Catherine's work on the Public Engagement website.

David Wilsey, Extension educator in natural resource management and utilization, published an article in the February 2012 issue of Journal of Extension, "The 'Ballot Approach' to End-of-Event Evaluation in Indian Country and Beyond."

Ingrid Schneider was recently inducted into Academy of Leisure Sciences. The mission of the Academy of Leisure Sciences is to advance the field of leisure studies through three main activities: recognizing outstanding scholars, creating forums for exchanging knowledge and ideas, and promoting the study through scholars programs.

You are invited to nominate outstanding colleagues for the 2011-2012 Extension Dean's distinguished awards for civil service and bargaining unit staff. The award categories are: distinguished campus and field support staff, program staff and community nutrition educator.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 2. Guidelines and more information on how to nominate are available on the Dean's section of the Extension intranet. For questions, contact Shelly Tschida.

Bev Durgan
Dean

Ryan Allen, Barbara Radke and Tobias Spanier, Extension educators in leadership and civic engagement, and Scott Chazdon, interim associate dean for the Extension Center for Community Vitality, published a chapter in the book, Community Visioning Programs: Processes and Outcomes. Their chapter, "Ready to Vision?  Evidence from Social Capital Assessments in Four Minnesota Towns," pp. 53-73, focuses on the relationship between social capital among members of a community and the readiness of community members to engage in visioning and other community development processes. 

Francis Svoboda, president of the McLeod County Corn & Soybean Growers Association, honored Nathan Winter, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, with the 2011 Friend of Agriculture Award.

Members of Extension's American Indian Task Force, Diana Martenson, organization and program development specialist, Dawn Newman, American Indian and tribal partnerships liaison, and Deb Zak, regional director, northwest region, published an article in the October 2011 issue of Journal of Extension titled, "Building Community-University Partnerships by Listening, Learning, and Responding."  Outcomes achieved are attributed to mutual respect for the strengths of each partner and the joint identification of opportunities, solutions and success.

The Extension Evaluation Team, Tom Bartholomay, Scott Chazdon, Mary Marczak, and Kate Walker, published an article in the December 2011 issue of Journal of Extension titled, "Mapping Extension Networks: Using Social Network Analysis to Explore Extension's Outreach." There has been substantial interest in other states in replicating this type of analysis of Extension's organizational reach.  

Rebecca Harrington, Extension educator in volunteer and partnership development, Trisha Sheehan, Extension educator in regional 4-H youth development programs, and Dale Blyth, associate dean for youth development, published an article in the summer issue of Journal of Youth Development titled Examining the Reasons and Relationships Between Why Youth Join, Stay in, and Leave 4-H.

The First Detector Team, won a national teamwork award from the National Plant Diagnostic Network at their national conference in November.  Read the NPDN newsletter (Nov. 2011) for more information about the award.  Extension team members include:  Jeffrey Hahn, Extension entomologist, Dean Herzfeld, coordinator in pesticide safety and environmental education, and Extension educators in natural resource management and utilization, Angela Gupta, Gary Johnson, and Gary Wyatt.

Tom Bartholomay, evaluation specialist, and Whitney Meredith, evaluation coordinator, were recently awarded the Water Equals grant. The grant is a $2.7 million Federal USDA-NIFA grant aimed at changing the way youth connect (or relate) to water across the country by injecting messages about water into popular youth culture.  Tom and Whitney will be evaluating the effectiveness of the program that includes mass media, leveraging of traditional and nontraditional outreach networks, and electronic media.

Marla Spivak, Extension entomologist, and her work with honeybees were the subject of an hour-long radio program called The Promised Land from American Public Media.

The Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture is once again seeking nominations to honor outstanding Minnesotans and University of Minnesota graduates who help feed the world.  The deadline to submit nominations is January 15.

Established in the early 1990s by a generous gift from New Ulm-area livestock breeder and businessman Eldon Siehl, the Siehl prize is awarded annually in three categories: knowledge (teaching, research and outreach), production agriculture and agribusiness. Recipients receive a $50,000 award as well as a sculpture and lapel pin designed by Minnesota artist Thomas Rose especially for the Siehl Prize.

More information about the prize and how to submit a nomination may be found on the Siehl Prize website.

John Byrnes
Program Director, Agricultural Stakeholder Outreach

Congratulations to the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) Minnesota award winners in Albuquerque, N.M. on September 27:

Extension Educators in Family Resource Management Rosemary Heins, Shirley Anderson-Porisch, Cindy Petersen and Jean Bauer, with Susan Hooper (Florence Hall Award, first place central region, second place national).

Extension Educators in Family Resource Management Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Sara Croyman, Jan Gilman and Lori Hendrickson (Dean Don Felker Financial Management Award, first place central region).

Kathy Brandt, Extension educator in food science (Newsletters Award, first place central region, second place national).

Extension Educators in Health and Nutrition Sara Van Offelen, Dee Ann Leines and Mary Schroeder (Educational Curriculum Package Award, third place central region).

Extension Educators in Family Resource Management Rebecca Hagen Jokela and Lori Hendrickson (Educational Publications Award, first place central region, first place national).

Mary Caskey
Extension Educator, Health & Nutrition

Dear Colleagues,

This week, Extension faculty and educators from across the state met in St. Paul for the annual program conference focused on professional development, program building and organizational networking. During the conference, I gave the annual State of Extension Update. You can view the presentation slides on the intranet.

Also, at the conference, I had the pleasure of giving out the annual dean's awards. Please join me in congratulating the award winners:

Friend of Extension -- Robert Bruininks, President Emeritus University of Minnesota
Campus Faculty - Dr. Ken Ostlie, Extension entomologist
Field Faculty - Bob Olen, Extension educator, St. Louis County
Outstanding Leadership - Lee Raeth, director of field operations
Team - 4-H Aquatics Robotics Team , Joe Courneya, Brian McNeill, Samantha Grant, Patrick Jirik, Cara Miller, Brad Rugg and Pam Larson-Nippolt
Diversity - Toby Spanier, Extension educator, leadership and civic engagement

President Bruininks was traveling and not able to join us this week. However, we did show a video of his acceptance that you can watch on the intranet. His comments about Extension are very inspiring and I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch the video. A news release with information about each of the awards winners is on the Extension website.

Bev Durgan

Jodi Dworkin, Extension specialist in family relations, Colleen Gengler and Kathleen Olson, Extension educators in family relations, along with Family Social Science Ph.D. graduate Chris Gonzalez, published an article in the winter 2011 issue of the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences titled "Using Newsletters to Improve Parents' Communication with Their Early Adolescents."

Cindy Hagley, Extension educator in water resources, received the Outstanding Educational Programming for Youth and Teachers Award at the Lake Superior Binational Forum's annual Environmental Stewardship Awards program in July. Cindy earned this recognition for her work helping to organize a highly successful youth symposium about Lake Superior and her skill at bringing scientists and educators together aboard the Environmental Protection Agency's research vessel, Lake Guardian.

Rob Blair, Karen Oberhauser, Andrea Lorek Strauss,  Amy Rager, Extension educators in environmental science education, Nate Meyer, program leader in environmental science education, and DNR partner Dawn Flinn, received the 2011 ANREP Silver Award for Educational Materials--Long Publication for "Big Woods, Big Rivers: An Introduction to the Natural History of Minnesota's Deciduous Forests."

Charles Blinn, Extension educator in water resource management and policy, Eli Sagor and Diomy Zamora, Extension educators in natural resource management and utilization, Larry Coyle, Extension coordinator for distance education, and partners won the 2011 ANREP Gold Award for Outstanding Team for Computer-Based Biomass Harvesting Guidelines.

The Extension Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Watershed Game Train-the-Trainer Program, led by water resource educators Jesse Schomberg, Cindy Hagley and John Bilotta, won the 2011 ANREP Bronze Award for Innovative Programming. The program has provided professional skill building to more than 60 educators and water resource professionals across the nation, and has increased Extension and Sea Grant's capacity to provide water resource and land use education to communities, citizens and local leaders. 

Nominations for the Minnesota Association of Extension Educators (MAEE) awards are due August 12.  All Extension employees are eligible to nominate a colleague for an award in the areas of innovation and technology, effective leadership, scholarship, and teamwork; self-nomination is also encouraged.

Award winners will be honored at the MAEE awards banquet at Extension's Program Conference in October.  Details and nomination forms are available on the MAEE awards website.  For questions and additional information contact Carrie Olson, 320-589-1711 or olson166@umn.edu.

Cindy M. Petersen
MAEE Awards/Public Relations Committee

Bradley Heins, Extension educator in livestock, was appointed to Minnesota's Organic Agriculture Task Force.

Jim Linn, Extension educator in livestock, completed his tenure as the president of the American Dairy Science Association.

Karen Oberhauser, Extension specialist in fish, wildlife and conservation biology, and Andrea Lorek Strauss, Extension educator in environmental science education, were selected for the 2011-2012 University of Minnesota Women's Leadership Institute.

Jeff Reneau, Extension animal scientist/program leader, received the 2011 American Dairy Science West Agro Award for "his outstanding contributions to milk quality research."

Recognize and celebrate the achievements of your colleagues (or yourself) by nominating them for an award from the Minnesota Association of Extension Educators (MAEE).  Apply for one of the following awards: Innovation and Technology, Effective Leadership, Scholarship or MAEE & ESP Teamwork.  MAEE is a professional organization of Educators working in county, regional and state positions within Extension representing professional development, personnel policy and public awareness interests of its members.  Any current Extension employee can nominate a colleague but must fulfill eligibility requirements to receive an award.

Completed nomination forms are due August 12.  For a description of each award, eligibility details and information about how to submit a nomination, please visit the MAEE awards website.  Award winners will be honored at the MAEE awards banquet at the Extension program conference in October.  For questions or additional information contact Carrie Olson, 320-589-1711 or olson166@umn.edu. 

Cindy M. Petersen
MAEE Awards/Public Relations Committee

Tom Bartholomay, evaluation specialist, and Cindy Tong, Extension post-harvest horticulturist, published an article in the Journal of Extension titled "Obtaining valid and useful evaluations from immigrant conference participants."

Stephan Carlson, Extension educator in environmental science education, and colleagues from the Institute for Learning Innovation published an article in the International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education titled "Validating an environmental education field day observation tool." It describes one step of the process used to develop the Field Days Observation Tool.

John Loegering, Extension specialist in environmental science education, was featured in a Minnesota Public Radio piece titled "Minnesota research project focuses on saving tiny songbird." The piece covered John's research on the golden-winged warbler.

Jean Bauer, family resource management specialist, received the University of Minnesota President's Award for Outstanding Service at a reception on June 7 at Eastcliff.  The award is given for outstanding service and recognizes individuals who have provided exceptional services to the University and demonstrate unusual commitment to the University community. 

Jeff Gillman, Extension educator in horticulture, published the book, "How the Government Got in Your Backyard: Superweeds, Frankenfoods, Lawn Wars, and the (Nonpartisan) Truth about Environmental Policies."

Extension Educator in Ag Business Management, Rob Holcomb's thesis paper, "Producer attitudes and education," was selected as the top 2011 professional paper by the National Association of Farm Business Analysis Specialists (NAFBAS).

Larry Jacobson, Extension educator in livestock, is the lead author on a new Council for Agricultural Science and Technology paper titled, "Air Issues Associated with Animal Agriculture: A North American Perspective."

Krishona Martinson, Extension educator in livestock, received the Equine Science Society Outstanding Young Professional Award.

Rebecca Noran, assistant director and communications manager for the Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and Terry Straub, master gardener program coordinator, were accepted into the University of Minnesota 2011-12 President's Emerging Leaders program.

Mark Seeley, Extension climatologist, and Don Breneman, photographer, just released a book titled "Voyageur Skies: Weather and the Wilderness in Minnesota's National Park" featuring photos from all four seasons with explanations about the effects of weather and climate on the shaping of the park's pristine landscape.

The Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences communications team, Rebecca Noran, Jessica Franken, and Katie Gallagher, received four awards at the annual University of Minnesota Communicators Forum conference in May: Instructional Writing Award (Extension Website Governance Guidelines), Script Writing Award (About University of Minnesota Extension presentation slides), Green Award (EFANS Connects: A Quarterly Webinar For Employees) and Margo Award (Extension Program Website Pilot Project).  The Margo Award was for a collaborative team effort that included Extension's central web team, Karen Lilley, web manager, Danny Sussman, web master, Tom Stanoch, web designer, and Ruth Ellis, web production assistant.

The following employees in the Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences won awards in the 2011 MAEAP-NACAA Communications Contest at the State, Regional, and National levels. Phyllis Bongard, national finalist, regional finalist, state first place; "Riparian forest buffers for trout habitat improvement," (publication)

• Krishona Martinson, state second place; "Equine winter care," (publication)
• Chuck Schwartau, regional finalist, state first place; "Are you a looking up manager?" (feature story)
• Gary Wyatt, regional finalist, state first place; "Winter habitat for pheasants," (fact sheet)
• David Bau, state second place; "Flexible land rental agreements" (fact sheet)
• Nathan Winter, state first place; "Spring and fall safety," (audio recording)
• Chuck Schwartau, state first place; "Culture and compensation" and "Where do I park my car?" (personal column)
• Jerry Tesmer, state second place; "Houston County land rent survey results" and "Farm labor hour estimates," (personal column)
• Betsy Wieland, state first place; "Small Farms Newsletter," (newsletter individual)
• Gary Wyatt, state first place; "Riparian forest buffers," (website)
• Lizabeth Stahl, state first place; "Southern Minnesota Corn College brochure," (program promotional piece)
• Laura Kieser, state second place; "Small scale sheep production and forage basics program," (program promotional piece)
• Laura Kieser, regional finalist, state first place; "City to country tour," (agriculture awareness and appreciation award)
• Jerry Tesmer, regional finalist, state first place; "Farm Safety Day Camp," (search for excellence in farm health and safety award)
• Betsy Wieland (achievement award)
• Bob Olen (distinguished service award)

Distinguished Dean's Staff Awards
The 2011 Distinguished Dean Staff Award recipients were announced on April 28 at the Extension Staff Consultative Committee (ESCC) Staff Day in Duluth.  We are very proud to have such dedicated and excellent staff within Extension, and I encourage you to congratulate them for their outstanding efforts.

• Patrice Johnson - Campus Support Staff
• Mary Jo Fox - Field Support Staff
• Lisa Fest - Community Nutrition Educator
• Linda Houglum - Program Staff

Bev Durgan
Dean

John Loegering, Extension specialist in environmental science education, is one of a 12-member research team that was awarded a Strategic Habitat Conservation Award by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for bringing recognition to the survival of the Golden-winged Warbler, a small forest songbird that is under consideration for placement on the Threatened Species list. The award recognizes individuals and teams who apply the principles of Strategic Habitat Conservation in an exemplary manner to their conservation activities. Visit the University of Minnesota Crookston website to read a full review of this award.

John Loegering, Extension specialist in environmental science education, was elected to the position of president-elect of the North Central Section of The Wildlife Society (TWS). The three-year commitment includes serving as the section's president and past-president as well. Visit the University of Minnesota Crookston website to read a full review of this award.

Jodi DeJong-Hughes, Extension educator in crops, and Les Everett, Extension water quality project coordinator, published an article in the April 2011 issue of the Journal of Extension titled "Factors of Success for Large Agricultural Field Events."

Robert Blair, Extension specialist in environmental science education, received a 2011 University of Minnesota Outstanding Community Service Award. This prestigious award recognizes members of the University community who have made "substantial, enduring contributions to the community and to improving public life and the well-being of society."

Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator in food safety, successfully completed the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) Experience Documentation process. Suzanne has the honor of being among the first class of MCHES credential holders. The initiation of an advanced level of certification is a significant development in the history of the health education professional.

Extension Ag Business Management Educators, Rob Holcomb, David Bau, Jim Kurtz, Don Nitchie, Gary Hachfeld, and Extension Livestock Educator, Chuck Schwartau, were awarded a grant from the USDA and the Risk Management Agency to fund the North Central Risk Management Education Center.

Karen Oberhauser, Extension specialist in environmental science education, received the 2011 Richard C. Newman Art of Teaching Award, presented annually to a faculty member who focuses on the natural resource sciences, achieves excellence in teaching, and has a positive impact on students.

Robert Olen, Extension educator in ag production systems and horticulture, will be honored by the American Horticultural Society (AHS) June 9 at an awards ceremony during its national meeting. Bob is being recognized with the AHS's Teaching Award for 2011. This is a singular award: only one horticultural educator from across the country receives the award each year. Bob has been a horticultural educator in St. Louis County for 34 years. He works on commercial and consumer horticulture issues and conducts cold-climate research on fruits and vegetables.

Rob Blair, Extension specialist in wildlife and fisheries, Amy Rager, Extension educator in environmental science education, and Dawn Flinn from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources published the Minnesota Master Naturalist curriculum, Big Woods, Big Rivers: An Introduction to the Natural History of Minnesota's Deciduous Forests. This text is one in a series of three that will be produced to support the Minnesota Master Naturalist program.

Laura Kieser, Extension educator in ag production systems, was selected as the Carver-Wright-Hennepin Holstein Association Person of the Year. This award recognizes Laura's work with the dairy industry in this region.

John Lamb, Extension soil scientist in crops, with Albert Sims from the Northwest Research and Outreach Center, received the Meritorious Service Award from the American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists. The award is for members who have been outstanding in promoting the objectives of the Society or who have made significant contributions to the sugar beet industry.

Marla Spivak, Extension entomologist, was featured as one of seven "mad scientists" in the March 2011 Wired magazine.

Jim Stordahl, Extension educator in ag production systems, was named 2011 Friend of the Farmer by the Northern Plains Sustainable Ag Society. The society cited his extensive work with organic and conventional producers in Minnesota and knowledge of organic grain and livestock production.

Scott Chazdon, research and evaluation coordinator for the Extension Center for Community Vitality; Catherine Rasmussen, Extension educator in leadership and civic engagement; and Jessica Armstrong, graduate assistant, published an article about the impact of a leadership and civic engagement program. The article, "Bridging Brown County: Captivating Social Capital as a Means to Community Change," was published in the Journal of Leadership Education Winter, 2011 edition.

Joyce Hoelting, assistant director for the Extension Center for Community Vitality, and Monica Herrera, program director for Horizons, contributed a chapter to "Educating for Deliberative Democracy" in the journal New Directions for Higher Education published by Jossey-Bass. The chapter offers a case study of the Horizons program, a multistate initiative to reduce poverty, describing how the program affected the community and the institutions that were engaged in the program.

Suzanne Sheridan, coordinator, "On the Move for Minnesota Families," recently was honored by the Dakota County Board of Commissioners as the recipient of the HEROES Award:  Honoring Effective Responsive Outstanding Efficient Service.  This award honors collaborative partnerships among county entities that increase efficient, effective and responsive government.

Last summer, in partnership with Dakota County Public Health, On the Move reached over 500 underserved residents with educational and recreational activities.

Jayne Hager Dee
Regional Director, Farmington

Stephan Carlson, Extension educator, environmental science education, had his paper "Factors that influence student's satisfaction in an environmental field day experience" published in the January 2011 issue of the International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education.

ESP MEWS FUND Scholarships Awarded

Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP), the Minnesota chapter of the National Honor Society of Extension, provided nine professional development scholarships to members this past fiscal period. Recipients of the scholarships include:

• Dorothy McCargo Freeman, 4-H youth development state program leader, 2010 Ruby Recipient at the 2010 ESP National Meeting in Casper, WY
• Becky Harrington, Extension educator in volunteer and partner development, to present and attend the 2010 Children, Youth, and Families Conference in San Francisco, CA
• Sheila Craig, retiree, to present and attend the National Environmental Health Association Conference in Albuquerque, NM
• Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator in food science, and Toni Smith, field operations outreach director, to attend the Extension Public Issues Leadership Development Workshop in Nashville, TN
• Marcia Woeste, Extension educator in regional 4-H youth development, and Kay Stanek, retiree, to attend the ESP National Meeting in North Dakota as voting delegates
• Rosi Heins and Becky Hagen-Jokela, Extension educators in family resource management, to attend and present at the National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences Annual Conference held in Birmingham, AL

Professional development scholarship applications for current members and retirees are due on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. For more information about scholarships and to become a member of ESP, visit the ESP website.

Jayne Hager Dee, regional director in the Extension Regional Office in Farmington, was one of twelve people recently appointed to a two-year term as a member of Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) Twin Cities Community Advisory Council (TC-CAC). The goal of MPR's TC-CAC is to meet, review and provide feedback on MPR's programming goals, MPR services and community outreach. Members of the TC-CAC help provide critical feedback to MPR leadership and staff.

David Wilsey, Extension educator in natural resource management, and Susan Beaulieu, Extension educator in volunteer and partner development, published an article in the October 2010 issue of The Journal of Extension titled, "We listen to them: assessing natural resource perspectives and priorities in a Tribal community".

William J. Angell, professor of housing studies and Extension specialist in housing, has been invited to chair a session on radon risk communication for building professionals at a joint World Health Organization and International Atomic Energy Agency sponsored symposium in Geneva, Switzerland in early November. He will also chair a program on the radon remediation and prevention aspects of the development of national radon programs especially in small and developing countries.

On October 19, Angell received the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists Award for his international leadership and scholarship in service to the world radon community. Angell completed two terms as president of the association.

On October 1, Angell also received the Health Physics Society North Central Chapter's Wissink Memorial Lecture Award for his presentation on radon risk, risk communication and radon risk reduction strategies.

Karen Shirer, associate dean for Family Development, has been awarded the Friend of NEAFCS-MN award.

Karen is well-known throughout the University and private and state organizations for her work in bringing research and education to programs serving families.  Karen is dedicated to strengthening families in innovative and collaborative ways.  She has led the Center for Family Development through strategic planning in an effort to identify specific strategies to reach more people with less staff and funds.  With Karen's leadership, educational efforts include web-based resources, key partnerships with state agencies, and training to help other non-University educators reach as many citizens as possible.

Ellie McCann
Extension Educator, Family Relations

Marla Reicks, Extension nutritionist in food science and nutrition, and Elton Mykerezi, assistant professor, community resources and applied economics, received a small-scale developmental grant from USDA, Economic Research Service in September 2010 to enhance research capacity in the application of behavioral economic strategies and interventions to child nutrition programs. They are working with researchers in the departments of Food Science and Nutrition, Applied Economics, Psychology, and Marketing and Public Health to test concepts in local school meal programs that will result in improved fruit and vegetable intake by students.

The project is expected to be finished in September 2011.  Results can be applied in education for school foodservice personnel delivered by University of Minnesota Extension Health and Nutrition Program staff throughout the state. 

Visit the USDA Economic Research Service website for more information about this concept.

Karen Shirer
Associate Dean, Family Development

Amy Rager and Andrea Lorek Strauss, Extension environmental science educators, Rob Blair, Extension specialist in wildlife and fisheries, Nate Meyer, Extension program leader in environmental science education and housing, Karen Oberhauser, Extension specialist in fish, wildlife and conservation biology, and Dawn Flinn, DNR, won the national award for Outstanding Support Materials for the three Linneaus Lists from the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs.

Dear Colleagues,

This week, Extension faculty and educators from across the state met in St. Paul for the annual program conference focused on professional development, program building and organizational networking.

During the conference, I gave the annual State of Extension Update and the presentation slides are available on the employee website. This is my fifth anniversary as dean of Extension and the presentation gave me an opportunity to reflect on the past five years as well as to look ahead to the next five years. You will see that the themes remain consistent: the need for increased accountability; budget strategies that focus on the long-term; making Extension accessible; clear outcomes and impacts of our work; and recruiting and retaining the best Extension professionals by being your employer of choice. I will write more about each of these themes in future enews columns. 

Also, at the conference, I had the pleasure of giving out the annual dean's awards to the following:

Campus Faculty - Dr. Bill Wilcke
Field Faculty - Mike Liepold
Outstanding Leadership - Mary Marczak
Team - Forest Pest First Detector Team: Angela Gupta, Jeffrey Hahn, Dean Herzfeld, Mike Reichenbach, Gary Wyatt, Gary Johnson, Mary Kay Ferguson
Diversity - Urban 4-H Youth Development Team: Becky Carlson, Erica Gates, Jessica Jerney, Maki Kawase, Amie Mondl, Jessica Russo, Kathryn Sharpe, Jennifer Skuza, Joanna Tzenis

The Friend of Extension award was given to the Minnesota Wheat Growers Association and Minnesota Wheat Growers Research and Promotion Council, with special recognition to Dave Torgerson, for their support of research and outreach. Individual members of the association and the council contribute countless volunteer hours to Extension activities at the local and state level and Minnesota Wheat has invested check-off funding to support Extension programming and faculty positions at the University of Minnesota.

Please join me in congratulating the award winners.

Bev Durgan

Marla Spivak, Extension entomologist in apiculture, earned a prestigious $500,000 MacArthur "genius" grant. Read the full article on the Star Tribune website.

University of Minnesota Tourism Center Film Wins Regional Emmy
"Tourism in Minnesota, Ideas at Play," a half-hour special made in collaboration with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) highlighting the role of tourism in Minnesota's economy, won a regional Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The award was announced September 25, at the Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Awards Gala at the Pantages Theater in Minneapolis.

The University of Minnesota Tourism Center video production features the stories of five regional tourism initiatives, highlighting how collaboration among businesses and individuals creates commendable, sustainable contributions to local economies, as well as the important role of research and education in community tourism.

Read the full award news release on the Extension News website. The film can be viewed regularly on TPT stations and is available online on the Tourism Center website.

Joyce Hoelting
Assistant Director, Center for Community Vitality

2010 National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Science (NEAFCS) Minnesota Award Winners

National award recipients:

Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator in food science (Distinguished Service Award).
Debra Botzek-Linn, Extension educator in food science, with team members and Extension food science educators, Carol Ann Burtness and Lou Ann Jopp (Food Safety Award - Peddling Your Pickles Safely?).

Debra Botzek-Linn with Carol Ann Burtness (Communications: Newsletters-Second National-Home Food Preservation Newsletter).

Central region award recipients:  

Colleen Gengler, Extension family relations educator (NEAFCS Extension Educator of the Year).

Kathleen Olson, Extension family relations educator, with team members, and Extension Family Relations Educators, Colleen Gengler, Patricia Stoppa, Joanne Musich and Madge Alberts (Communications: Educational Publication-Second Central Region Winner-Parenting for School Success).

State award recipients:

Cindy Petersen, Extension family resource management educator, with team members, and Extension Family Resource Management Educators, Shirley Anderson-Porisch, Rosemary Heins, Susan Hooper and Jean Bauer (Communications: Educational Curriculum Package - Dollar Works 2: A Personal Financial Education Program).

Ellie McCann, Extension family resource management educator, with team members, and Extension Family Resource Management Educators, Rose Allen, Colleen Gengler, Joanne Musich, Kathleen Olson and Minnell Tralle (Communications: Internet Education Technology - Family Education Network).

Debra Botzek-Linn, Extension food science educator (Communications: Written Press Releases - Thaw and Cook your Thanksgiving Turkey Safely).

Suzanne Driessen, Extension food science educator with team members Elena Yepiz, Extension food science educator, and Joellen Feirtag, Extension food technologist (Public Relations: Marketing Package - Be a Fan of Handwashing Campaign).

The My Minnesota Woods website team, led by Eli Sagor, Extension educator in natural resource management, was awarded a Partnership Award by the Minnesota DNR, Division of Forestry. The award letter from State Forester Dave Epperly noted that "the combination of feature stories, on-the-ground forest practices videos, pictures, and the vibrant conversations on the discussion board makes your website the place to go for information that is important to Minnesota woodland owners."

Dave Wilsey, Extension educator in natural resource management,  and colleagues at Fond du Lac (FDL) Tribal College and FDL Resource Management received the 2010 USDA/NIFA Tribal Extension Program Grant, which provides $400,000 over four years to establish the FDL Tribal College Extension Program using Extension's Thirteen Moons program as its foundation and framework.

Extension Family Resource Management educators Lori  Hendrickson, Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Janene Gilman, Sara Croymans, Family Development Evaluation and Research Specialist Mary Marczak, Family Development Associate Director Patricia Olson, and Associate Professor of Family Social Science Virginia Zuiker published an article in the August 2010 issue of Journal of Extension titled, "The Viability of Podcasts in Extension Education: Financial Education for College Students."

Horizons Program Receives Grant for Alumni Work
Extension is one of seven universities nationwide that will receive grants totaling $1.9 million from the Northwest Area Foundation to expand the work of Horizons. Extension will use the funding to continue ongoing work in up to 25 communities already taking part in Horizons. The work will extend through July 2011, emphasizing education, long-term capacity-building and tangible results. The grant will also strengthen the collaboration between Horizons and Extension's Financial Literacy programs, supporting a new effort to help families in need access financial management training and tax preparation services. A new initiative will train local citizens to participate in public forums and communicate the concerns of small communities to public policymakers. Another program will encourage University graduate students to examine issues of poverty within the context of their fields. Visit the Horizon's website for more information.  

Dick Senese
Associate Dean, Community Vitality and Public Engagement

Amber Runke, state 4-H programs manager, was selected as the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project Salute award national winner for 2010.  Amber will be recognized during the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) awards banquet scheduled in October at the annual conference.

Scott Chazdon, Extension research and evaluation coordinator, and Stephanie Lott published an article in The Journal of Community Development Society titled, "Ready for Engagement: Using Key Informant Interviews to Measure Community Social Capacity."

The Operation Military Kids curriculum: Deployment Cycle Support Yellow Ribbon Youth Outreach Activity Guide and Leader Guide has been selected as the national winner in the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents awards in the Educational Package-Team category.

Dear Colleagues,

It is important that Extension take time each year to honor our outstanding employees. Extension's awards are an important way to acknowledge the high quality staff and impactful programs happening throughout the year.

Once again, Extension will be honoring employees with the Distinguished Dean's Awards this fall during the October program conference. These awards include: Field-based Faculty Award, Campus-based Faculty Award, Diversity and Inclusion Award, Team Award, and Outstanding Leadership Award.  In addition to the recognition and plaques, individual award winners will receive a $1,500 stipend; teams will receive a $1,500 stipend for the program budget.   

I am asking program leaders, associate deans and department heads to submit the nominations for these awards, and I would like to encourage all employees to take a moment to review the award information and guidelines and share your nomination ideas with the relevant program leader, department head or associate dean. The nomination deadline is September 15.   

I look forward to seeing this year's nominations and honoring and announcing the winners at the fall program conference.

Bev Durgan

Patrick Huelman, Extension specialist in building and energy systems, and John Carmody (University of Minnesota Center for Sustainable Building Research) have been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help develop cost-effective solutions that reduce the average per-household energy use while improving comfort and quality. Nationwide, DOE selected 15 projects to receive a total of up to $30 million over the next 18 months as part of its Building America program. The Minnesota project, called the NorthernSTAR Energy Efficient Housing Research Partnership Team, will apply a holistic approach to building performance, particularly as it applies to housing in cold climates. View the UMNews website for the full news release.

Larry Jacobson, Extension engineer, livestock, was selected as the recipient of the 2010 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Henry Giese Structures and Environment Award. The award is given for distinguished service in advancing the knowledge and science of agricultural structures and environment.

Chuck Schwartau, Extension educator, livestock, will serve as chair of the 2013 Galaxy IV conference for the Joint Council of Extension Professionals.

Troy Salzer, Extension educator, ag production systems, was a national finalist in the Search for Excellence Livestock Production from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. Troy was also the Distinguished Service Award winner from Minnesota.

Barb Liukkonen, Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Science program leader, and co-authors published an article in the May issue of Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. The article is titled "Volunteer monitoring of e. coli in streams of the upper Midwestern United States: a comparison of methods."

Chuck Schwartau, Krishona Martinson, Phyllis Bongard and Mike Boersma recently won communications awards at the state level from the Minnesota Association of Extension Agricultural Professionals (MAEAP).

Fifteen Extension employees recently received awards from the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP). They are: Eleanor Burkett; Mike Reichenbach; Andrea Lorek Strauss; the Forest Pest First Detector team, including Angela Gupta, Jeffrey Hahn, Dean Herzfeld, Mike Reichenbach and Gary Wyatt; the Linnaeus List Booklets team, including Robert Blair, Nathan Meyer, Amy Rager, Karen Oberhauser and Andrea Lorek Strauss; and the Watershed Game team, including John Bilotta, Cindy Hagley, Barb Liukkonen and Jesse Schomberg.

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.

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.

Carl Rosen, Extension soil scientist and faculty member since 1983 in the Departments of Soil, Water, and Climate and Horticultural Science, has accepted the position of Soil, Water, and Climate department head. Carl's Extension role has included training regional educators throughout Minnesota. In the past few years, he's also stepped into leadership positions as interim head of the Department of Horticultural Science and as interim associate dean of the Extension Center for Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.  His official first day as department head will be June 21. 

The Extension 2010 Gardening Calendar received the gold award from the National 2010 In-Print Competition sponsored by In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association and In-Plant Graphics Magazine. 

Distinguished Dean's Staff Awards

The 2010 Distinguished Dean Staff Award recipients were announced on April 29 at the Extension Staff Consultative Committee (ESCC) Staff Day.  We are very proud to have such dedicated and excellent staff within Extension and I encourage you to congratulate them for their outstanding efforts.

• Georgia Dunlevy, Campus Support Staff
• Kristi Stedman, Field Support Staff
• Gloria Wolf, Nutrition Education Assistant
• Valerie Coit, Program Staff

Bev Durgan
Dean

Stephanie Heim, Extension Farm to School Coordinator was recognized by her peers as Minnesota Dietetic Association Recognized Young Dietitian. The recognition is a way to highlight members' volunteer efforts and leadership in the area of food and nutrition.

Heim, in her role as volunteer, has built an intergenerational committee that has tackled tough issues with successful outcomes.  In her Extension role she utilizes her engaging enthusiasm and passion to help Minnesota children have access to healthful foods. 

Phyllis A. Onstad
Extension Educator, Family Resource Management

Doug Tiffany, Extension educator in agricultural business management, received the 2010 ASABE Superior Paper Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). He received this with his co-authors Vance Morey and Matt De Kam for their paper "Integrating Biomass to Produce Heat and Power at Ethanol Plants."

Krishona Martinson, Extension livestock educator, Betsy Gilkerson Wieland, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, and Tom Bartholomay, Extension evaluation specialist, have an article in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Extension titled "Evaluation of an Electronic Horse Owner Newsletter." Read the article on the Journal of Extension website.

You are invited to nominate outstanding colleagues for the 2009-2010 Extension Dean's distinguished awards for civil service and civil service bargaining unit staff. The award categories are: distinguished campus and field support staff, program staff and nutrition education assistant.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 12. Guidelines and more information on how to nominate are available on the Dean's section of the employee website.

Shelly Tschida
Executive Assistant to the Dean

Doug Tiffany, Extension educator in agricultural business management, was named to Minnesota's NextGen Energy Board by Governor Pawlenty. The board studies how the state can wisely invest its resources to most efficiently achieve energy independence, agricultural and natural resources sustainability, and rural economic vitality.

Mike Reichenbach, Extension educator in natural resource management, co-authored a new book titled, Sustainable Development: Principles, Frameworks and Case Studies.

The University of Minnesota Extension Tourism Center won an award from Explore Minnesota for being an outstanding "Friend of Minnesota Tourism." This award recognizes the Center's broad outreach to support the tourism industry, as well as its depth of research and education that support the field. This award will be presented at the upcoming Minnesota Tourism Conference. Visit the Tourism Center website to read a full press release for this award.

Joyce Hoelting
Assistant Director, Center for Community Vitality

Katherine Waters, program leader in food safety, was elected to the American Veterinary Medical Association Food Safety Advisory Board as the representative from the American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians.

David Wilsey, Extension educator in natural resource management, was recently nominated as member of the University of Minnesota Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership Board.

Minnell Tralle, Extension educator in family relations, received the 2009 Ruth Hathaway Jewson Distinguished Service to Families Award from the Minnesota Council on Family Relations. The award is given to a professional recognized for outstanding work on behalf of families.

Minnell has contributed to the well-being of Minnesota families for over 30 years focusing on family relations-particularly families going through divorce and family transition-in her role as Extension educator and leader of the Parents Forever project. She has been an author and contributor to many curriculums and has served as a long time board member of the Minnesota Council on Family Relations. 

Karen Shirer
Associate Dean, Family Development

Kia Harries, 4-H educator, and Nancy Hegland, 4-H program leader have been elected to serve two-year terms on the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, a professional organization dedicated to promoting, strengthening, enhancing and advocating for the 4-H youth development profession.   Kia was elected vice president of member services and Nancy was elected regional director of member services as part of the State Relations Team for the North Central region. 

Dorothy McCargo Freeman
4-H Program Leader

National Associate of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) award winners:

• Linda Houglum, county 4-H program coordinator, and Amber Runke, state 4-H programs manager, Achievement in Service Award

• Extension Educators in 4-H Youth Development, Shirley Doering and Patrick Jirik, Distinguished Service Awards               

The National Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) received the USDA/CSREES Partnership Award for Effective and Efficient Use of Resources.  EDEN earned the award for the collaboration of land-grant university professionals who provide exemplary resources through cooperative extension to reduce the impact of disasters through education.

EDEN is a collaborative multi-state effort by extension services across the country and Minnesota is a very active collaborator in this effort.  Members of the Minnesota EDEN team are: Bob Byrnes, regional director; Julie Christensen, public relations and news media manager; Catherine Dehdashti, public relations coordinator; Gwen Gmeinder, government relations associate; Karen Lilley, public website manager; Jessica Franken, editor; Rebecca Noran, program and communications manager, EFANS; Mark Seeley, Extension climatologist; Katherine Waters, program leader, food science.

More information about EDEN and this award can be found on the EDEN website.

Bev Durgan
Dean

National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS-MN) Awards:

·         Extension Food Science Educators, Lou Ann Jopp, Deb Botzek-Linn, and Carol Ann Burtness, Food Safety - Cooking for a Crowd

·         Carol Ann Burtness, Extension educator, Continued Excellence

·         Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator, food science, elected president of NEAFCS-MN

Minnesota Community and Natural Resource Association Awards (MCNRA):

• Jody Horntvedt and Amy Rager, Extension educators, Distinguished Service Award
• Diomides Zamora, Extension educator in natural resource management, Early Career Award
• Extension Educators in Leadership and Civic Engagement, Jody Horntvedt and Cindy Bigger; Deb Zak, regional director, Crookston; and Howard Person, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, Excellence in Community Programming for Red River Valley Emerging Leadership Program
• Angela Gupta, Extension educator in natural resource management; Andrea Lorek Strauss, Extension educator in environmental science; and Samantha Grant, Extension educator in 4-H youth development, Excellence in Research for 4-H and Forestry Afterschool Clubs
• Extension Educators in Environmental Science, Stephan Carlson and Nathan Meyer; John Bilotta, Extension educator in water resource management; Tom Bartholomay, evaluation specialist; Renee Pardello, program leader; Andrea Lorek Strauss, Extension educator; and Mary Marczak, evaluation and research specialist, Excellence in Natural Resources Programming for Best Practices for Field Days
• Jody Horntvedt, Extension educator in leadership and civic engagement; Donna Rae Scheffert, retired Extension educator; Scott Chazdon, research and evaluation coordinator; and Ryan Allen, Extension specialist and Humphrey Institute faculty member, Scholarship Award, "Our Community: Assessing Social Capital Theoretical Framework"

Minnesota Association of Extension Agricultural Professionals (MAEAP) Minnesota State Communication Award Winners:

• David Bau, Extension educator, Fact Sheet, "Minnesota Corn and Soybean 2009 Budgets"
• Brad Carlson, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, Personal Column, "AgBuzz.com Blog Postings"; Publication, "Managing Soils for Greater Grazing Productivity"; and Video Presentation, "Welcome to the Rice County Extension Office 
• Lizabeth Stahl, Extension educator, Feature Story, "Soybean Planting Population and Profits - Can Less Equal More?"
• Gary Wyatt, Extension educator in natural resource management, Website, "Agroforestry Website with University of Minnesota Extension"

National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) award winners and finalists:

• David Bau, Extension educator in agricultural business management, Distinguished Service Award
• Nathan Winter, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, Achievement Award
• Lizabeth Stahl, Extension educator in crops, first place Feature Story national winner, "Soybean Planting Population and Profits - Can Less Equal More?"
• Laura Kieser, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, national finalist, Search for Excellence in Livestock Production, "Carver County Dairy Day"
• Extension Educators in Crops, Lizabeth Stahl and Jodi DeJong-Hughes, north central regional winners, Search for Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture, "Conservation Tillage Bus Tour"
• Mike Boersma, Extension educator and 4-H program director, regional finalist, Learning Module, "Increasing Producer Awareness of Nutritional Requirements of Growing Beef Cattle with the U of M Feedlot Ration Balancer"
• Brad Carlson, Extension educator in agricultural production systems, regional finalist, Publication, "Managing Soils for Greater Grazing Productivity"

Dear Colleagues,

Last week, more than 300 Extension faculty and educators met in St. Paul for the annual program conference focused on professional development, program building and organizational networking.

During the conference, I gave the annual State of Extension Update. The presentation slides are available on the employee website. As you review the slides, you will see that we have made progress toward the three organizational goals announced at last year's conference: recruiting and retaining the best faculty and staff; making the U more accessible with technology; and ensuring that programs have clear outcomes and impacts. While we have a lot of work ahead of us before we can claim that we have accomplished these goals, I am pleased with the progress we have made in the last year.

I also reported on the state of Extension's budget, much of which has been reviewed in previous dean's columns. While we will continue to be conservative in managing for potential budget unallotments, we will also be making some strategic investments in programs and positions.

Also, at the conference, I had the pleasure of giving out the annual Dean's Distinguished awards to the following:

·         Friend of Extension - Representative Al Juhnke

·         Campus Faculty - Jim Linn

·         Field Faculty - Barbara Piehl

·         Outstanding Leadership - Jeff Gunsolus

·         Team - Extension Beef Team

·         Diversity - Horizons Program Team

Please join me in congratulating the award winners.

Bev Durgan  

Dean Herzfeld, pesticide safety and environment coordinator, received the National Roadside Vegetation Management Association (NRVMA) excellence award.

Jim Kurtz, Extension educator in agricultural business management, was elected president of the National Association of Farm Business Analysis Specialists (NAFBAS) for the 2009-10 year.

Glenyce Peterson-Vangsness, Extension food science educator, and Tom Bartholomay, Extension evaluation specialist, were awarded a USDA grant for work in Spanish language food safety training.

Greg Cuomo
Associate Dean for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences

At this year's National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Science Conference (NEAFCS) held in September, Extension educators in Family Development and Youth Development won several national and regional awards and honors. 

National award recipients: Carol Ann Burtness, Extension food science educator, received the Continued Excellence award; and Kimberly Asche, Extension 4-H Youth Development educator, received the Distinguished Service award.

Kathleen Olson, Extension educator in family relations, was reelected secretary to the NEAFCS National Board.

Shirley Anderson-Porisch, Extension educator in family resource management, received the Written Press Release award for the third central region for her press release, "Avoid the Instant Tax Loan."

The Educational Technology award for the third central region was given to Extension Health and Nutrition Educators Jill May, Sara Van Offelen, Shelley Sherman and Felisha Rhodes, for their program, "Understanding Underserved Audiences: Implications for Improving Programs for African American, Caucasian, Latino and Somali Audiences."

Becky Hagen Jokela
Extension Educator, Family Resource Management

The Extension Center for Youth Development recently received the Star Partner Award from the Minnesota Alliance with Youth, a statewide collaborative network of organizations, schools and communities working to ensure all youth have the resources they need for success.  The award was presented in recognition of Youth Development's many years of work with the Alliance, highlighting the integrated resources the center brings to the field of youth development and its statewide partnerships.

Dale Blyth
Associate Dean for Youth Development

The Environmental Science Education team received a five-year National Science Foundation award that focuses on enabling authentic inquiry through citizen science. The initiative is under the direction of Karen Oberhauser, Extension specialist, fish, wildlife and conservation biology; Andrea Lorek Strauss, Extension educator, environmental science; and Nathan Meyer, Extension educator, environmental science.

Carol Ann Burtness, Extension food safety educator, will receive a Continued Excellence Award from National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in Birmingham, Alabama, in mid-September.

The Soybean Aphid IPM team is the 2009 recipient of the Integrated Pest Management Team award from the Entomological Foundation. David Ragsdale, Extension entomologist, heads this multistate effort, and the other EFANS members involved are: Bill Hutchison, professor, Department of Entomology; Ian MacRae, Extension entomologist; Phil Glogoza, Extension educator, crops; Bruce Potter, integrated pest management specialist; Ken Ostlie, Extension entomologist; and Kent Olson, Extension economist.

Congratulations to Laura Kalambokidis, Extension economist in community economics, who received the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association's prestigious Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Award in the category of individuals with less than ten years experience.

Michael Darger
Extension Program Leader, Community Economics

-Sebeka Connecting Rural Communities initiative (an initiative led by Maxine Norman, Extension educator in leadership and civic engagement, and supported by many CV staff) received the top prize in the broadband improvement/applications category of the Reinventing Minnesota Community Pride Contest.

The communities will receive a $500 cash award from the Minnesota State Fair. All nominated communities will be recognized, and winners will be announced publicly on September 6 as part of the Minnesota Community Pride Competition Showcase at Carousel Park on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The Showcase will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the actual awards ceremony at 12:30.

Mary Ann Hennen
Extension Program Leader, Leadership and Civic Engagement

Nominations for the Minnesota Association of Extension Educators (MAEE) awards are due September 4. All Extension employees are eligible to nominate a colleague for an award in the areas of leadership, innovation, scholarship and teamwork; self-nomination is also encouraged.  Award winners will be honored at the MAEE awards banquet at Extension's Program Conference on October 6.  Details and nomination forms are available on the MAEE website.  Contact Nancy Hegland with questions.

Ryan Miller, Extension educator, crops, has been invited to present at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) meeting in Portland, Oregon in September. His presentation, "Using Audience Response Technology to Make Pesticide Safety Education More Interactive," was selected by the NACAA Teaching and Education Technology Committee (TET) and will focus on the pesticide safety team's use of audience response technology

Jeff Gunsolus
Extension Agronomist, Weed Science

Jennifer Skuza, director of urban 4-H programs, has been appointed to represent Extension on the University Faculty Senate.  Her three-year appointment began on July 1 and will end on June 30, 2012.  We are excited that Jennifer has this opportunity and will support us in this important work. 

Congratulations to Jennifer on being selected to fulfill this important role.

Dorothy McCargo Freeman
Extension Program Leader, 4-H

Beki Saito, senior research associate for the Youth Work Institute, has been invited to be one of 14 advisory board members on Best Buy's national initiative, @15.  During the advisory board's kick-off meeting, a national survey of 1,817 teens was unveiled, which was conducted by Search Institute and Harris Interactive. 

@15 is Best Buy's national initiative to connect youth, give them a voice, and support their efforts to lead social change.  To learn more, visit www.at15.com or contact Beki Saito at saito015@umn.edu.

Joyce Walker
Extension Assistant Center Director and State Program Leader
Youth Work Institute

Dean Herzfeld, Extension coordinator for pesticide safety and environmental education, has been elected president of the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators (AAPSE) and will be installed next month at the association's national meeting. Dean will serve two years as president and will remain for two more years as one of five national officers on the executive committee as past president.

AAPSE membership includes extension pesticide safety education coordinators and other extension faculty and staff, state and federal government staff involved with pesticide education and licensing as well as others who work with or have an interest in pesticide safety education.

Greg Cuomo
Extension Associate Dean
Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

Extension Housing Specialist, Bill Angell has been selected to receive the 2009 Excellence in Extension Award for the North Central Region. This award is presented annually to an individual who has strived throughout his or her career to achieve benchmarks reflective of excellence in Extension educational programming.

The award will be presented on November 15 at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.  Join me in congratulating Bill on this honor.

Bev Durgan
Extension Dean

The National Academy of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) had its nationwide conference and awards ceremony in San Diego in April. Extension's Center for Community Vitality won seven regional and national awards for excellence in community development programming and for service to the field. Six of these awards were listed in the May 14 issue of Extension Weekly.  The seventh award was given to the "Committees That Work" team comprised of Catherine Rasmussen, Mike Liepold, Donna Rae Scheffert, Mary Laeger-Hagemeister and Mary Ann Hennen for best educational package.

Joyce Hoelting
Assistant Director, Extension Center for Community Vitality

The University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) announced the winners of the 2009 Lillian H. Williams Award. Juan Moreno, diversity and inclusion specialist, was presented with a Williams Award at the annual EOAA Liaisons Conference held on May 14, 2009.

Juan Moreno's work has contributed to University of Minnesota Extension becoming a national leader in diversity and inclusion. Read more about the award and Juan's accomplishments and Juan's current work in Extension.

Terry Straub, master gardener program coordinator in Hennepin County, and the Hennepin County Master Gardeners received three awards from Metro Blooms, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit. The awards are: Most Valued Professional (Straub), Best Rain Garden (Master Gardener Lori Anderson), and Outstanding Partner (entire program).

Greg Cuomo
Extension Associate Dean
Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

The National Academy of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) had its nationwide conference in San Diego in April with an award ceremony on April 22.  The Extension Center for Community Vitality won six regional and national awards for excellence in community development programming and for service to the field.

• The County Futures program―a statewide leadership program sponsored by the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) to nurture new ideas in county government―won the national award for Excellence in Teamwork.  Team members include:  Catherine Rasmussen, Kim Boyce, Toby Spanier, Maxine Norman, Jim Mulder (AMC) and the Blandin Foundation.   
   
• Ryan Pesch won an individual award for educational materials for his "Market Area Profile of Brainerd, Minnesota."  
   
• The Leadership and Civic Engagement team that conducted the first leadership education program to blend online learning with face-to-face workshops won a regional award for Educational Technology Team.  The team that led this cohort group for Minnesota's public health professionals include: Maxine Norman, Barbara Radke and Sue Crotty.
   
• The long-term leadership education program for the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts won a national team award for Excellence in Community Development Programming.  Members include:  Kim Boyce, Lisa Hinz, Cindy Bigger, Mike Liepold, Mary Ann Hennen, Jody Horntvedt, Donna Rae Scheffert and Toby Spanier.  
   
• Claudia Cody won a regional award for Excellence in Community Development Programming for the Business Retention and Expansion program conducted in Big Lake, Minnesota. 
• Bruce Schwartau was selected for the Distinguished Service award for Minnesota.

Joyce Hoelting
Assistant Director, Extension Center for Community Vitality

Congratulations to Mary Pat Raimondi, program director, health and nutrition, who has been elected as a director to the American Dietetics Association House of Delegates. She is a former Minnesota Dietetics president, and ADA Legislative and Public Policy committee chair.

Sue Letourneau
Program Director for Staff Development

On April 22, Mayor Chris Coleman and the St. Paul City Council presented the Ramsey County Master Gardeners with a 2009 Sustainable St. Paul Award for Green Spaces.
The mayor is committed to making St. Paul "The Most Livable City in America" and a leader in sustainable urban living.  The awards pay tribute to individuals and organizations demonstrating leadership in and a commitment to environmental stewardship.

The county Master Gardeners joined with the American Indian Family Center to create a garden that reflected the pride, heritage and needs of the community. They assembled tools and worked with the family center members and volunteers to amend the eroding, gravel-filled soil with compost and to prepare and plant a garden. Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op donated most of the plants. The garden was planted with a combination of plants as an education tool for neighborhood residents who also want to garden in small urban spaces.

Sarah Jaycocks
County Master Gardener Coordinator

Dear Colleagues,

Today, I have the pleasure of presenting distinguished Extension awards at the Extension Staff Consultative Committee (ESCC) annual professional development day for Extension support staff.

Karla Engels, executive office and administrative assistant in the Extension Regional Office in Marshall, received the Distinguished Extension Support Campus Staff award for her work on the Enterprise Financial System.

Angela Marohl, nutrition education assistant in Swift County, received the Distinguished Extension Nutrition Education Assistant award.

Terrence Straub, Master Gardener program coordinator in Hennepin County, received the Distinguished Extension Program Staff award.

Janel Zimmerman, executive and office assistant at the Extension regional office in Hutchinson, received the Distinguished Extension Support Field Staff award.

While the responsibilities and accomplishments of the four award winners vary according to their roles in Extension, their nomination letters contained very similar messages. Karla, Angela, Terry and Janel were all recognized by the people who nominated them for their ability to manage complex projects, work effectively with diverse audiences, take on new and challenging assignments, and address problems in sometimes difficult situations.

Please join me in congratulating your colleagues and thanking them for making such a positive difference for Extension and Minnesota.

Bev Durgan

The following people have been selected as regional winners for the North Central Region in the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) communications contest. Their submissions are being forwarded for consideration for national awards.

• Lizabeth Stahl, crops--feature story
• Bradley Carlson, Rice and Steele counties--publication
• Michael Boersma, Pipestone and Murray counties--learning module/notebook

Additional state winners:

• Bradley Carlson, Rice and Steele counties--personal column and video presentation
• David Bau, agricultural business management--fact sheet
• Gary Wyatt, forestry--website

Greg Cuomo
Extension Associate Dean

Shirley Mah Kooyman, adult education coordinator at the Landscape Arboretum, received the Bruce Beresford Horticulture Educators Award from the MN State Horticultural Society on February 7 . The award is given to honor people with 15 or more years experience as an educator in the gardening world. Shirley has been at the MN Landscape Arboretum for over 24 years and has been teaching for just as long.  She was nominated for the award by the Hennepin County Master Gardener Program where she has been a member since 1984.

Barb Liukkonen, water resources education coordinator and program leader, is highlighted in the Science Museum of Minnesota's exhibit on water as one of the seven "water heroes" working to protect and improve Minnesota's water resources.

The water heroes portion of the exhibit shows how ordinary people can make a difference. The exhibit panel highlighting Barb describes her work with the voluntary Citizens Monitoring Bacteria network, who regularly collect, observe and share data with the government agencies.  The exhibit runs through April 26.

Crow Wing County 4-H Program Coordinator Jeanne Rohr recently received the Outstanding Volunteer Award for the northeast region of Minnesota from the Minnesota 4-H Adult Volunteer Association (M4-HAVA). This award "recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond the expectations of any volunteer of the 4-H Program."  Jeanne was formally recognized at M4-HAVA's annual forum in Duluth on February 16. 

Jeanne has been the "go-to" volunteer in Cass County for over 28 years. She lead the county ambassador program, served on various committees, and co-lead an active 4-H community club (the Becker Busy Bees). During the county fair season, she helped with judging and arranging exhibits. Last November, Jeanne was officially lured out of retirement and was hired as the permanent Crow Wing County program coordinator.

Please join me in congratulating Jeanne for this well-deserved recognition from M4-HAVA.

Heidi Haugen
Extension Educator, Youth Development

For the past three years, the Campus Community Coordinators Alliance has presented Outstanding Partners in Engagement awards at its annual event (see article above). To nominate a community partner, faculty, staff, student or community-campus collaboration for the 2008-09 Outstanding Partners in Engagement award, contact Diana Martenson or Katie Peacock or call Katie at 612-624-2538 for nomination criteria. Nominations are due by April 3, 2009.

Diana Martenson
Organization and Program Development Specialist

You are invited to nominate outstanding colleagues for the 2008-09 Extension awards for civil service and bargaining unit staff. The award categories are distinguished support staff, distinguished program staff, and distinguished nutrition education assistant. Guidelines and information to nominate are available on the Employee Site, Dean's Office section. The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 20, 2009.

Shelly Tschida
Executive Assistant to the Dean

The University's Outstanding Community Service Awards recognize faculty, staff, students and University-affiliated community members who have made significant contributions to society's well-being by devoting their time, talents, and expertise to serve the public good. Awards will be given for community service in five categories:  Outstanding Faculty Member; Outstanding Student; Outstanding Staff; Outstanding Community Partner; and Outstanding Contributions to the 2008-09 University-wide Theme: Economic Development. 

Awards to faculty or staff will carry a $2,500 annual salary augmentation; other winners will receive a one-time payment of $2,500. Consider nominating a colleague or partner. The application and a list of previous winners can be found online.

Diana Martenson
Organization and Program Development Specialist

Terry Straub, county Master Gardener coordinator, Hennepin County, recently received a Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) award for Excellence in Volunteer Leadership.  This statewide award, according to MAVA, "recognizes an individual who has made a superior contribution to furthering the culture and climate for professional volunteerism in Minnesota. The recipient, through his or her personal model, exemplifies the ideals of selfless contribution to community that professional volunteer administration nurtures."

David Moen
Master Gardener Program Manager

Mike Reichenbach, Extension educator in natural resource management at Cloquet, has been elected 2009 president of the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP). ANREP is a national association for Cooperative Extension Service (CES) professionals working in environmental education, fisheries, forestry, wood sciences, range, recreation, waste management, water, wildlife and related disciplines. Members are active and retired CES employees at the county, area, state or national level.

Mel Baughman
Program Leader

David Wilsey, Extension educator, natural resource management, recently completed a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, School of Natural Resources and Environment, in interdisciplinary ecology. His dissertation was on "Nontimber forest product certification considered: The case of Chamaedorea palm fronds (xate)."

Mel Baughman
Program Leader

The National Association of Conservation Districts presented the Friend of Conservation award to Kim Boyce, Lisa Hinz and University of Minnesota Extension at the 2008 Conservation Awards Ceremony in New Orleans on February 3. Boyce and Hinz are Extension leadership and civic engagement educators serving the east and west metro areas, as well as east central Minnesota. They also deliver several statewide leadership education programs. Boyce and Hinz are part of an Extension team that works statewide to strengthen communities. This is the second national award the team has won. For more information about the award, see the news release.

Sharon Danes, family resource management specialist and professor, along with two Department of Family Social Science colleagues, was selected by the Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship to receive the John Jack Award for a paper titled "Determinants of Family Business Resilience After a Natural Disaster." The award is given to the overall best paper presented at the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship annual conference dealing with entrepreneurship by women or minorities under conditions of adversity.

Study results indicate that small firm disaster training should include identifying, assessing and strengthening owning family capital which includes not only the firm's financial base, but its human capital (skills and abilities of all owning family members) and social capital (social network of owning-family members and in the community), as well. That is because during difficult times, it is human and social capital that sustains small family firms.