May, 2004

"The mission of Penn State Cooperative Extension is to extend nonformal outreach educational opportunities to individuals, families, businesses, and communities throughout Pennsylvania. Cooperative Extension education programs enable the Commonwealth to maintain a competitive and environmentally sound food and fiber system and prepare Pennsylvania's youth, adults, and families to enhance the quality of their lives and participate more fully in community decisions."

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Director

Penn State Cooperative Extension is a great organization with a great and wonderful purpose. Extension is about building human capacity-of individuals and groups-to learn and to address and solve problems. This work revolves around human and community development, and it is essential for sustainable civil societies. Our challenge is to continue at the forefront of this work into the 21st Century, in the face of the proliferation of information now easily accessible to the public and a growing number of private and public organizations offering outreach educational programs.

I believe society will support the work of Penn State Cooperative Extension in the future. Why? Because we address issues of importance to the citizens of the Commonwealth: enhancing profitability in the food and agricultural system, managing natural and environmental resources, improving food safety and nutrition, and strengthening families, youth, and communities. We meet the needs of our constituents through a grassroots orientation and consumer-driven approach. We engage with individuals, businesses, human service organizations, and government executive and legislative branch leaders at all levels. Our business is education; we are dedicated to fostering individual and community growth. At its best, our work models democracy, and in the process builds individual and civic capacity for democratic deliberation and action. The recent Pennsylvania General Assembly Senate and House resolutions recognizing the importance of Penn State's contributions to the Commonwealth are a reaffirmation of the societal value of the land-grant ideal and of Penn State Cooperative Extension and Outreach.

We need to ensure that this public support for our mission and efforts continues, and the best way to do that is to persist in building strong relationships and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholder groups--both internal and external to the University. We have nurtured our relationships with groups such as the Pennsylvania Council of Cooperative Extension Associations (PCCEA), the Penn State Ag Council, and with legislators and county commissioners with notable results. Many efforts are under way with our Penn State Outreach partners and with faculty in other colleges. But we need to explore and act on the many other opportunities open to us. We also must expand our efforts to work with government agencies new to us, businesses, and the philanthropic and nonprofit organizations that will support the important work we do across the Commonwealth.

I am optimistic about the future of Penn State Cooperative Extension, about the values and contributions inherent in the land-grant ideal, and about our ability to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. We have tremendous support across the state; we have outstanding faculty, extension educators, and staff with extraordinary expertise; and we have a great University to sustain us on our journey.

While I believe positive institutional transitions and changes have occurred during my tenure as director, I also believe that leadership change is good for an organization. I will be returning to my academic pursuits as a faculty member in the college when a new director of cooperative extension has been named. It has been a great honor and privilege to work with and learn from all of you. I value highly your incredible expertise, and I thank you for your dedication, commitment, and leadership. I encourage you to stay focused on the challenge of transformation and accept the leadership opportunities open to you in the future.

Best regards,
Ted Alter
Associate Vice President for Outreach, Director of Cooperative Extension, and Associate Dean

News to Know

Director's Awards
The Penn State Cooperative Extension Director's Awards were presented at the County Extension Directors' Leadership Institute held in May. Dr. Alter presented the awards and offered some highlights from the nomination materials, which appear in quotes. The following individuals and team members were recognized.

William Kleiner, County Extension Director in Adams County, received the Leadership Award. This award honors an extension professional who has a strong history of outstanding leadership and contributions in Penn State Cooperative Extension and has demonstrated the highest overall standards of performance.

"Bill Kleiner demonstrates a heart that is focused on enlarging the lives of others through his enthusiastic, passionate and visionary leadership. His heart for Penn State Cooperative Extension and those in and related to the organization has indeed enlarged the lives of many others and is a most deserving candidate for the Director's Leadership Award."

The Team Award, which recognizes cooperative extension administrative and program teams that work together to address a special initiative or goal, was awarded to the Southeast Pennsylvania Urban Agricultural Agents Committee. The team members are Emelie Swackhamer, Mary Concklin, Scott Guiser, Cheryl Bjornson, Warren Goll, David Suchanic, George Perry, Julianne Schieffer, Doris Stahl, Nancy Bosold, John Berry, Stanley Green and David Sanford.

"The SE PA Urban Agricultural Agents Committee is committed to regional programming. They have established goodwill through long-term, successful relationships between cooperative extension and client leaders in the green industry. The quality of the program is of the highest standards. Extension educators have developed a high level of competence in serving their audience and subject matter. The committee developed and follows a strategic plan."

Several Director's Spirit Awards were presented to individuals who show an outstanding commitment to cooperative extension and their community through their dedication, enthusiasm, and quality performance. The following individuals received Spirit of Extension Awards:

Outstanding County Educator - Phyllis M. Wright, Senior Extension Educator, Warren County. "Attitude. Phyllis truly believes that education can improve the lives of Pennsylvania residents. Phyllis excels at developing leadership and bringing out the best in people, both of which can truly change a person's life. Phyllis leads by example and, in doing so, portrays extension as an effective, dynamic and relevant organization. She possesses a passion to improve the community and a need to leave things in better shape than she found them. These things make Phyllis's programs almost magical."

Outstanding Research Partner - Barbara Christ, Professor of Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology. "Dr. Christ truly is a research faculty member who exemplifies the spirit and mission of extension, not only because her potato research is extensive and of the highest quality, but because she consistently carries the practical results of the research to the growers and the potato industry. Dr. Christ is a superior extension partner."

Outstanding Staff - Shawna Jones, Nutrition Education Adviser, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, Erie County. "Shawna is always looking for ways to promote EFNEP and cooperative extension and serves as a strong ambassador of all programs within our college. We can always count on Shawna to be on top of possible leads, follow up with continued perseverance and commitment, and provide top-notch educational outreach to families in need."

Outstanding State Specialist - Alyssa Dodd, Extension Associate, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. "Alyssa's enthusiasm and commitment to the educational process and to our audiences demonstrate how she represents cooperative extension's spirit. She sets an example for others through her energy, perseverance, and professionalism. Alyssa is influencing others to work more productively and effectively through collaboration. As a result, Penn State is having more impact and visibility as it provides timely and balanced information on agricultural environmental policies that will affect the future of farming and the environment in the Commonwealth."

Outstanding Volunteer - Lee Curtis, Warren County. This award was presented at the PCCEA Annual Meeting which was held in April at Toftrees in State College. While Lee is a farmer, he is also an advocate for extension's work with youth development, low-income families, and community and economic development. Lee's insights and leadership have been invaluable in his efforts with the Northwest PCCEA and state PCCEA. "Lee is an avid and staunch supporter of cooperative extension. He truly believes that extension is valuable to both Warren County and Pennsylvania residents."

Congratulations to each of these outstanding individuals for their commitment, leadership and efforts on behalf of Cooperative Extension!

CASPAR
The development of CASPAR, the new college planning and reporting system, is moving forward with the focus on the extension Plan of Work (POW) section of the system. The extension section has been pilot-tested by several groups and orientations to the system are continuing. These pilot-test groups, as well as the regional directors and POW Issue Team co-chairs, are providing feedback on the system. Plans are under way for training in the regions and at University Park this spring and summer. The Action Plan portion of the Extension POW will be ready for FY2005 input on August 1, 2004. The reporting section will be available for input on October 1, 2004.

Our thanks to these groups and the staff in ICT who have spent countless hours designing, developing, and refining the CASPAR system.

Program Updates and New Directions
Multi-state Effort
A team of extension personnel in the Mid-Atlantic region have expressed interested in producing a multi-state berry production guide. Penn State and institutions from five surrounding states have begun discussions about the key issues related to producing a multi-state guide. Initial discussions include addressing the issues related to providing, producing, and delivering the content to inform the region's 2,400 berry growers. Kathy Demchak, senior extension associate in the Department of Horticulture, is providing regional coordination.

Animal Agriculture and Federal (EPA) Air Compliance Agreement
Virginia Ishler and Robert Graves provide the following summary of this important issue:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively considering the status of animal agriculture under existing air pollution regulations (the Clean Air Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ). To provide additional data on ammonia and other air constituents from Animal Feeding Operations (AFO) and offer protection from regulatory action, EPA is proposing an Air Compliance Agreement (Safe Harbor Agreement) with the livestock industry. EPA has agreed not to sue participating CAFOs for Clean Air Act violations during the period monitoring is in effect.

Currently, egg layers and swine appear to be the animal producer groups making aggressive moves toward responding. They are supporting the process by contributing $2.8 million and $7 million respectively to conduct research around the country to obtain better air emissions data. Dairy, beef, broiler, and turkey producers do not appear to be putting together an industry-wide response. The cost and difficulty of monitoring naturally ventilated buildings and outside lots and the lack of a logical coordinating and funding organization may be the reason.

It is important for Penn State to focus our attention on conducting research to obtain solid data regarding air emissions. Several faculty and staff have submitted proposals to evaluate instrumentation and feeding strategies to measure and monitor emissions from various housing facilities (especially dairy and poultry). More information on this topic can be found at the Air Emissions WEB site at Agricultural and Biological Engineering http://www.abe.psu.edu/airemissionindex.html.

[Note: This issue should not be confused with what is currently happening in Pennsylvania regarding CAFO rules and the Nutrient Management Act.]

Pennsylvania State 4-H Council Launched
The new Pennsylvania State 4-H Council (formerly called the 4-H Keystone Teen Council) was launched this spring with a group of very enthusiastic, committed 4-H youth leaders. The council is the state-level teen leadership council for the 4-H Youth Development program. The council will function as the representative body for Pennsylvania 4-H members. Throughout the year, they will develop their leadership and communication skills through their involvement in state conferences and community service projects. They also will support state events such as State 4-H Achievement Days and other special events related to Penn State Cooperative Extension.

The state council members will be available to represent 4-H during official functions and events where youth organizations are represented and where adult/youth partnerships are supported. The youth council members are excited and honored to be involved and would enjoy assisting with regional and county youth education events upon request. Contact Dr. Jacklyn Bruce, adviser to the Pennsylvania State 4-H Council, for more information.

Well Done

Congratulations to the extension educators, faculty, staff and volunteer who were recipients of the first cooperative extension director's Leadership Award, Team Award and Spirit Awards! The names and awards received are listed in the News to Know section. These awards recognize the individuals and teams who demonstrate extraordinary personal commitment to the mission of Penn State Cooperative Extension.

We Are Penn State Extension Proud

Congratulations to James A. Clark, extension educator in McKean County, who was chosen as the winner of the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals' (ANREP) Individual Program Leadership Award for 2004. This award recognizes achievements of an ANREP member who exhibits leadership and excellence in planning, designing, delivering and evaluating a specific extension natural resources program. Jim will be recognized at the ANREP conference being held in West Virginia in May.

The Extension Spirit

It's Time To Adjust Our Sails
by William C. Kleiner, County Extension Director, Adams County

Are you willing to adjust your sails?

I am sure many of you are saying, what exactly does that mean? Well, I was listening to a book on tape the other day called Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell. In his book, Maxwell made a statement that really made me think about us in the Penn State Cooperative Extension organization. He said, "The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, but the leader adjusts the sails!"

We are in a period of fast and furious change. We are also in a time when it doesn't matter what organization or business you are in: we all have been in the midst of a mighty economic storm since September 11, 2001. This, of course, leads us into a period of working with limited resources and trying to change to meet the needs of our clientele.

If you take a look at our history, extension has weathered many storms and changes since the creation of our organization in 1914. Cooperative extension has played a big role in helping people make it through many of those storms and teaching them to adopt new changes.

For example, "…the United States entered World War I in April 1917. For the next eighteen months, extension bore the brunt of defense-related activities in agriculture at most land-grant institutions. 'Food Will Win the War!' was the rallying cry, as Americans prepared to expand agricultural output to meet swollen foreign and domestic needs."

"During World War II, the war put a premium on increased agricultural production. In extension, county agents promoted the USDA's Victory Garden program. Thanks to extension, they doubled the amount of gardens in the previous year."

In extension's history, we also have had many internal storms that caused all kinds of issues in our organization. Can you imagine in the 1960s when the extension director, Russell Larson, moved to replace the official title "Division of Agricultural and Home Economics Extension" with the name "Cooperative Extension Service"? Then the administration, under President Walker, studied the feasibility of consolidating all the University's extension programs in a single administrative branch. This meant teaming up with the Division of Continuing Education, which had always been required to be financially self-sustaining.

How about that! Forty years later we are under the one administrative branch called "Outreach!" Cooperative extension still maintains its identity, but the times have changed, and we are shifting into a more self-sustaining organization. This, of course, is due to a time of limited tax-payer dollars and ever-increasing operational costs.

In the next ten years, we are going to change fast and furiously as an organization. Again, my question to you is, "are you willing to adjust your sails?"

Each one of us who is employed by Penn State Cooperative Extension needs to ask, am I "complaining about the wind?" Many of us can get very pessimistic. When we do, we blame our administration, commissioners, legislators, and anybody who even makes a comment about us. We blame the Conservation District, the Department of Agriculture, the Farm Bureau, and other groups for invading our territory in education. Are we really that insecure about our positions and our organization? If we were proactive and taking the lead, we wouldn't be worrying about other organizations competing with us.

Many of us in extension are also optimists-we expect everything to change for the better…someday. "We have gone through many hard times, so we will make it through this storm…in a few years we will resume business as usual." Well, we will be around in 10 years, but we definitely will not be doing business the same way. It is good to be an optimist, but don't forget that we need to be proactive and engaged in our communities.

How many of us are ready "to adjust our sails?" If you are, you are ready to move our organization forward into the 21st century and provide extension with the leadership necessary to make our organization "great." Every one of us is not only an educator, but also a leader. We will have the opportunity to take risks and be leaders on various issues in the communities we serve.

An important factor, which will make or break us, is how well we develop our relationships with our clientele. We need leaders who know how to build relationships and networks throughout our local, regional, state, national, and international communities. With these relationships built, extension will be around for a long time! We will "enable the Commonwealth to maintain a competitive and environmentally sound food and fiber system and prepare youth, adults, and families to enhance the quality of their lives and participate more fully in community decisions," as our mission states.

Are you ready to be a leader and adjust your sail?

Bezilla, Michael. 1987. The College of Agriculture at Penn State: A Tradition of Excellence. The Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park and London. 362 pp.

Leadership Thoughts

"Inclusion is a powerful value: when we open up the organization, dispersing the leadership and including people from across the enterprise, there is a new energy, a new synergy."

Hesselbein, Frances. 2004. Circles of Inclusion. Leader to Leader, 32 Spring, p. 4.

The We Are Penn State Extension Proud section recognizes an extension employee's outstanding accomplishments.

The Extension Spirit section enables Penn State Cooperative Extension employees to share meaningful work experiences, articulate the values and goals behind their efforts, and present inspirational ideas.

Send your suggestions for the Well Done, We Are Penn State Extension Proud, and The Extension Spirit sections to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu. Nominations will be reviewed and selected by the director. The deadline for receiving nominations for the May issue of the newsletter is July 16.

NOTE:
After being distributed, issues of Extension Directions will be archived at: http://www.extension.psu.edu/Newsletters/archives.htm.

Please send submissions to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu.