November 20, 2009
Hass assumes POD leadership
I would like to announce that effective November 13, Dr. Lanny Hass has assumed the position of interim director of Personal and Organizational Development for North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
To the position, he brings 28 years of Cooperative Extension Service as well as a national reputation for expertise in organizational development. Coming to North Carolina after 11 years as an agricultural economist at Virginia Tech, Lanny has served in many roles, ranging from county agent to area farm management specialist to associate director of Personal and Organizational Development.
As the interim director, Lanny will lead the POD team as it continues to focus on building Cooperative Extension’s capacity through organizational and individual growth. Please join me in welcoming Lanny to his new position.
--Dr. Jon Ort, director, N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, N.C. State University
Posted by Natalie at 03:04 PM
October 01, 2009
A&T Extension contributions to get Honors Lecture Series spotlight
The inaugural A&T State University Honors Lecture Series will include a program on Cooperative Extension and the University's land-grant mission on Monday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Godfrey Multipurpose Room at Coltrane Hall. Two specialists with The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T have put together a presentation they've entitled "Planting Seeds, Developing Potential - Solutions for Growth with Cooperative Extension Specialists."
Dr. Montreka Dansby, Cooperative Extension's nutrition specialist, and Dr. Joshua Idassi, Extension's natural resources specialist, have prepared an overview of current Extension outreach efforts focusing on sustaining agriculture, protecting the environment, maintaining viable communities, and developing strong, healthy and safe families.
Read more from Ag e-Dispatch
Posted by Natalie at 09:20 AM
August 28, 2009
Evaluation page offers resources
A new Web site provides educational resources and evaluation tools to help North Carolina Cooperative Extension agents learn how to conduct Extension evaluations. The evaluation tools allow agents to document program outcomes and impacts and determine needed program improvements. The page was developed by Dr. Jay Jayaratne, state leader for program evaluation and assistant professor. These tools are based on evaluation theory and practice. For more information, visit the Web site: www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/exeval/Home_Page.html.
Posted by Natalie at 09:17 AM
August 04, 2009
New LEAD issue is available
A new issue of L.E.A.D. (Learn - Educate - Appreciate -
Develop) newsletter is now available online. The L.E.A.D. newsletter is published by the Personal and Organizational Development team and involves Extension leaders who contribute to the content. L.E.A.D. is designed to assist you in honing your personal leadership skills and provides you with cutting-edge ideas and information as you develop yourself and those around you.
The newsletter contains relevant articles on leadership, book reports, administrative perspectives and more. One valuable piece that is offered in the newsletter is the “Leadership Excellence” magazine. This electronic magazine is recognized and read by many leaders throughout the country.
Access the L.E.A.D. newsletter through: intra.ces.ncsu.edu/lead.
Posted by Natalie at 10:42 AM
May 28, 2009
Secrets of Success: North Carolina Values-Based Leadership now available
General H. Hugh Shelton’s coffee table book takes a very special look into leadership and values. General Shelton will sign books at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on June 12 at 7:30 p.m. Through the black-and white portrait photography and the book’s voices, readers will experience leadership first-hand from some 35 men and women with a unique and special North Carolina connection.
Readers will learn how leadership impacted pivotal moments in world politics, business, the military, athletics, religion and the arts. Proceeds from the sale of this book will support programs for the General H. Hugh Shelton Leadership Center, including 4-H Shelton scholarships and enhanced initiatives for young people statewide. Available through your local bookstores and www.amazon.com. Visit cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/secrets-of-success.
Posted by Natalie at 09:42 AM
March 02, 2009
CEFS Farm to Fork Summit canceled
It is with much regret that we have decided to cancel the farm-to-fork summit for March 2 and 3 due to hazardous driving conditions across the state. This has been an agonizing decision for us, but we feel that the safety of travelers must take top priority. During this cold snap, there will be some very happy and well-fed folks at food shelters as we will be donating some wonderful local foods that were purchased and donated from farmers across the state for the summit. That perhaps is the silver lining. We will assess and evaluate how and when we can reschedule and will let you know as soon as we are able.
-Nancy Creamer, CEFS Director
Posted by Natalie at 03:05 PM
September 26, 2008
ESP to host annual meeting, development tour
The Xi Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Guilford County center of Cooperative Extension. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. with an education program, followed by a business session, awards ceremony, silent auction and dinner banquet. A professional development tour has been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 31. The session will begin at the Guilford County center with a program focusing on an internal look at Extension's visionary leadership, followed by lunch. The afternoon session will be held at the facilities of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro. The center has developed a session specifically for Cooperative Extension titled, "How to be an Innovative Leader." For more information on the annual meeting and the professional development tour, visit the Web site:
Epsilon Sigma Phi Annual Meeting and Professional Development Tour
Posted by Natalie at 10:28 AM
September 12, 2008
Dr. Jon Ort: Update on Extension team at research campus
The new North Carolina Research Campus at Kannapolis is an exciting development for our state and for N.C. State University, along with the other seven universities that have programs at the campus. I am pleased to share with you that North Carolina Cooperative Extension is also a part of this new venture. Our Extension team at the new campus will move into the N.C. State University building in October, just in time for the building dedication on October 20.
Earlier this year, the Program for Value-Added and Alternative Agriculture, initiated by Dr. Blake Brown, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, relocated to temporary offices at the new campus. With the move came the development of a multidisciplinary team to build on the value-added program and to develop programs that will complement the work of N.C. State University’s Fruit & Vegetable Science Institute at the new campus.
Here are the members of the new team:
* Dr. Blake Brown, the Hugh C. Kiger Professor in Agricultural and Resource Economics, directs Cooperative Extension program faculty.
* Gary Bullen, Extension associate, specializes in new enterprise evaluation, business skills development, direct marketing and financial management. He provides in-service training, programs and supporting resources for Cooperative Extension and community and government agencies.
* Leah Chester-Davis, coordinator of communications and community outreach, and Extension communication specialist with the Department of Communication Services, provides team leadership for communication plans, program delivery, packaging and marketing, and media relations.
* Diane Ducharme, Extension associate, horticulture and food safety, shares leadership of the N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Task Force, which is developing a comprehensive educational program on fresh produce safety.
* Rod Gurganus, Extension associate, entrepreneurial horticulture, works with agribusinesses, economic development officials and farmers to identify and develop horticultural opportunities for value-added and innovative agriculture.
These new positions have been set up so that team members retain their status as faculty members of their respective subject matter departments or are closely aligned with the appropriate subject matter department. We expect this to help strengthen collaboration and linkages throughout the system.
The team, under the direction of Dr. Brown, has secured more than $1.8 million in grant funding, which will be used to develop educational resources and to support statewide Extension efforts in the areas of value-added and alternative agriculture, and fresh produce safety. As things progress, we will keep you informed. For now, I encourage you to visit the team’s new Web site: www.cals.ncsu.edu/value-added/. This site has more information on our Extension program at the campus plus information about the campus itself. The site is your resource center for entrepreneurship in value-added and alternative agriculture.
-Dr. Jon Ort
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Associate Dean and Director
Posted by Natalie at 02:40 PM
January 05, 2007
Communication Services updates home page, news site
The Communication Services Department has updated its Web page to give Extension and college employees better access to its news and educational resources. The home page can be reached at: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/index.html.
Under the "Resources" link, employees can find links to logo download sites, publication information, media library resources and order forms for various Communication Services products.
Recent news releases can be found under the department's "News" link. From the news page, visitors can find links to other college and university news resources, including Extension Online News, Economic Perspective audio downloads and N.C. State's New Services' site. Perspectives Online can be reached from all departmental Web pages.
Posted by Natalie at 09:01 AM
January 03, 2006
Employees can contribute to remembrance fund
Extension Remembrance Fund is provides contributions to memorial funds and cards to bereaved Extension families. A contribution to a memorial fund and a card are sent in case of the death of an employee, employee's spouse, child or parent. A card is sent in case of the death of a sibling or in-law. The fund is maintained by voluntary contributions, on a call basis, from both EPA and SPA employees of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
Our last call for contributions was in January 2005, and we were honored to send 47 memorial contributions totaling $1,175 in calendar year 2005. Now the fund is almost exhausted. Please consider making a contribution. The suggested contribution per person is $2; however, any amount would be appreciated. Checks should be made payable to: The State Extension Remembrance Fund, and forwarded to:
Tom Mease
Box 7602 NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695-7602
Notification of a death should be directed to Suzanne Tal in our office at suzanne_tal@ncsu.edu, and she will notify our employees via the Announce email alias.
Posted by Natalie at 09:28 AM
October 07, 2005
Dr. Ort and Dr. McKinnie on change management and marketing initiative
After evaluating the marketing and change management research we have determined how to strengthen North Carolina Cooperative Extension and position this great organization so that it continues to remain vital and strong and plays a critical role in our state’s future.
To post questions or comments on the initiative, visit the 'Comments' section below.
We believe that Cooperative Extension’s strength is its people. Our hallmark is our statewide educational network that provides citizens with the knowledge, information and skills they need to enhance economic prosperity and preserve our natural resource base. Our core focus will be to use our educational network to disseminate unbiased, research-based information from our universities related to the food and fiber system in the areas of agriculture, food and nutrition, biotechnology, environmental science, and our natural resource base. This focus includes both our unique work with communities, as well as our expertise in working with youth and families to improve their quality of life.
What has been going on for the past 18 months? For a year and half, Extension has been conducting market research and an internal dialogue led by our consultants Carolina PR/Marketing, Inc. to determine our strategic focus for the future. Reaching consensus about the future of Extension is essential to our marketing effort because it ultimately clarifies our identity with the public. But this conversation has also been essential to those of us inside Extension. We have not had a unified strategic view so it has been difficult to move forward together effectively to make a truly powerful impact on key issues facing the state. We now have clarity about strategic direction. We have committed to this direction, and we are ready to move forward. We are adopting the marketing recommendations and are working with Carolina PR to set priorities.
We will work to build a network of relevant programs around this core so that we can have a significant impact -- and wide recognition and support as an essential partner in North Carolina’s progress. Now that the core has been set, our work continues. All of us must be committed to working together to move our organization forward. Extension will build whatever capacity is needed to deliver in our core areas of expertise. Extension Administration will clearly communicate our expectations to you, and we will advocate internally and externally for support as we work together to strengthen this great organization.
Some of you may see this as business as usual. Let us assure you that change is imminent. We are working to create a marketing infrastructure, establish consistent use of the Extension brand in all of our marketing materials, and bundle programs and services around the issues that affect North Carolinians every day. By taking this approach, we will ensure that this state and its citizens recognize and appreciate the value of Cooperative Extension.
Employee Action Teams, involving approximately 100 employees from throughout the organization, are making recommendations that will further define these changes and how they will impact your work. These Action Teams are working to help us define how we:
· measure our performance and impacts
· plan and prioritize our resources
· assign, train and motivate employees
· design and evaluate programs
· communicate and market Extension, internally and externally.
In November, we will review all of the Action Team recommendations. Shortly afterward, we will provide more details about the changes we expect to implement first.
This is an exciting time to be part of Cooperative Extension. All of us have an important role in moving our organization forward. We must do this, and we must do this together. By revitalizing how we do business, we will continue our 91-year tradition of serving as a vital and indispensable partner in providing knowledge and solutions for individuals, families, communities, governmental agencies and businesses across the state.
Extension has a reputation for helping North Carolina weather change. But the future promises to bring more change than we have ever seen before. We must embrace the opportunities that change will bring and let go of the things that hold us back. The work ahead of us will keep us on the road to success.
As your administrators, we look forward to traveling with you on this journey. Only by working together with one mission, one vision and one Cooperative Extension will we be able to ensure a bright future for both Cooperative Extension and North Carolina.
For more information, go to http://intra.ces.ncsu.edu/marketing/
Jon F. Ort, Director
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
N.C. State University
M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Program
N.C. A&T State University
Posted by Natalie at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2005
Helpful Hands, Healing Hearts
Cooperative Extension responds to Katrina
In response to the continued need for hurricane relief assistance as
requested by our sister Extension Services, the North Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Foundation and the 4-H Development Fund have responded with a comprehensive plan. I am asking each of you to thoughtfully consider
how you might personally be involved in this effort and how you might involve your constituency groups (Extension and Community Association, 4-H clubs, civic clubs, etc.) It will also be helpful to designate a coordinator for each county.
Oct. 8 will be declared Extension's "Helpful Hands, Healing Hearts Day" and we will have trucks in all four corners of the state begin to pick up items as detailed below and on the 4-H Web site --
http://www.nc4h.org/relief/.
Resources were recently placed on the Web site to describe our four-fold approach to the relief effort and to assist you in marketing the "Helpful Hands, Healing Hearts" Campaign. We are also including press releases and radio announcements that can be made to announce your collection site. Imagine the appeal of a 4-H or ECA member on local radio stations asking the community to help with the campaign!
Several state agencies have called asking if they can assist us with the campaign. The North Carolina Bankers Association has agreed to collect boxes for us. Schools are beginning to ask their families to help (one of our 4-H'ers did an appeal at his school today and the principal challenged the school to do 700 boxes). Our Extension community has a great opportunity to make a difference and we know you will respond by getting our clientele involved.
The campaign is four-fold...
Donations of cash – All of the funds you contribute to the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund will be sent to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama 4-H Funds for direct distribution to Extension families (professionals, volunteers, clientele). With these donations, you can be assured that 100 percent of the funds will get to those who need it most. A form is provided on the Web site to make donations.
ECA and 4-H members are challenged to do community solicitations through faith-based and civic organizations. Jar wrappers have been produced along with an information sheet to provide the potential donor with a legitimizing statement about the campaign.
Clover Kits -- Children will be living in evacuation centers for a long time and need to have activities to do while they are at these centers. A suggested list of items to fill a shoebox is provided on the Web site as well. We are also inviting the preparer of each shoebox to include a letter of encouragement to the receiver.
Essentials Kits -- Shoeboxes filled with items to help meet the basic hygiene needs of the recipient. A list is also provided on the Web site.
We are working with trucking companies to schedule pick-up points across the state, with a central meeting point in Charlotte before they head south. Pick-up sites for these kits (and other supplies that people wish to bring) will be located along four routes that will be placed on the Web site. This will allow you to coordinate delivery to the pick-up site.
"Helpful Hands, Healing Hearts" Wristbands -- These wristbands will be available for sale with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the relief effort. They will arrive before the end of the month and can be utilized with this and other relief efforts.
We are also exploring possibilities about the use of 4-H Camps as Evacuation Centers.
Let's all rally behind this opportunity to demonstrate our compassion! Please contact Shannon McCollum, 919.515, 8486 or shannon_mccollum@ncsu.edu for information about the kits or Jackie Helton, 919.513.8254 or jackie_helton@ncsu.edu for information about cash donations.
--Dr. Jon F. Ort, Director
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Posted by Natalie at 02:00 PM
September 02, 2005
Viewpoints: Dr. Jon Ort on Hurricane Katrina assistance
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Extension personnel in several states in the southern region will need support as they help their communities recover. In this Sept. 2 memo to faculty and staff, State Extension Director Dr. Jon F. Ort encouarges Extension faculty and staff to provide some guidance from our own experiences here in North Carolina.
Extension Faculty and Staff:
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Extension personnel in several states in the southern region will require considerable support to help them assist their citizens in their recovery. It is my hope that we can provide some guidance from our own experiences here in North Carolina to alleviate some of the stress and discomfort that our Extension colleagues are experiencing at this time.
I urge you to think of ways that you can provide assistance to them as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact directly any of your Extension colleagues in the affected states that you may know personally and/or contact your state Program Leader to discuss any ideas you may have that would help support their recovery efforts during this devastating period of time.
The message from Dr. Ed Jones, State Program Leader for ANR/CRD and chair of EDEN has been sent to all Extension directors and ddministrators across the country on behalf of the Association of Southern Region Extension Directors and the Association of Extension Adminstrators to solicit donations to aid in the recovery of our Extension colleagues in these states who personally lost so much so quickly.
The details of where your contributions can be sent will be forthcoming soon.
Again, thank you for your help and support in assuring that our colleagues get back on their feet as quickly as possible. Many of you know too well what these natural disasters can do to individuals and communities both physically and emotionally. Please keep them in your thoughts.
Posted by deeshore at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2005
Administrators issue statement on marketing initiative
Dr. Ray McKinnie and Dr. Jon Ort issue statement on change management and marketing initiative recommendations of June 24.
Continue reading "Administrators issue statement on marketing initiative"
Posted by Natalie at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)