November, 2003

"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

Becoming a 21st-Century Cooperative Extension Organization

What does it mean to be a 21st-century organization? What must Penn State Cooperative Extension do to become a 21st-century organization? I believe we must transform ourselves -- that we cannot do business as usual if we are to be such an organization.

Cooperative extension is about science, technology, and the transfer of science-based technologies and their application to practical problem-solving, economic and community development, and improving the quality of life in our society. Most fundamentally, though, cooperative extension is about individual and collective human development through education. It's about increasing the knowledge and wisdom of groups to perceive and solve issues and problems important in their lives. Cooperative extension is about building human capacity for the long term.

Picture the young 4-H'er working with and showing her dairy cow. Is cooperative extension about the cow or the young person? I submit to you that cooperative extension is fundamentally about the young 4-H'er. The cow is simply the vehicle for educating the young person. Do not ever lose sight of our core mission, our core product: education.

What do we need to do to transform our organization so we are strong and viable in the 21st century? How do we need to transform our organization and ourselves? Here are some things that come to my mind.

• Transforming our organization for the 21st century means transforming our programming, organizational structure and staffing, and revenue portfolio. I believe the need to transform cooperative extension is urgent. We must not be complacent. If we are, we will likely become irrelevant and our fortunes will wane.
• Our programming must have fewer foci and be more in-depth, higher quality, more relevant and responsive, and demonstrate positive impact. We must program across the social and economic space of the industries and people we serve, not county by county. We must be strategic, without selling out our mission and our individual and organizational souls.
• Our core permanent staff must be smaller in number than now and will be a considerably smaller proportion of our permanent budget, so that discretionary funding for programming, staff support and venture capital is increased, making us more flexible and agile as an organization. Our total staff will be larger than now, but only as a result of new resource partnerships, special funding, and grants or contracts.
• We must radically diversify our resource portfolio: appropriated funds from all levels of government must be a smaller percentage of our total funding; funds from fees and charges, grants and contracts, new public and private sector resource partnerships, and development (private, corporate, and foundation giving) must all increase significantly as a percent of total funding.

Having outlined some thoughts on transformation, I emphasize that we must always be seeking to balance continuity and change. We must honor the past, recognize its greatness, and build on that greatness to meet the future and embrace change as an opportunity to demonstrate again our strength, expertise, and creativity.

What are some of the values and attitudes we must embrace as individuals and as an organization to make this transformation? Here are several I argue are essential if we are to be strong and viable in the 21st century:

• Entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and experimentation are essential and must be rewarded. We must innovate, innovate, innovate!

• Think big, think long-run, think with vision, see situations and our programming through new and different lenses and reframe our extension view of the world to see new opportunities.

• Excellence must be the by-word that guides us as individuals and as an organization. We must hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of scholarly and educational excellence.

• We are in the education business, we all have areas of expertise, and we must think of ourselves as scholars. You should especially think of yourselves as scholars responsible for providing intellectual and educational leadership in your disciplinary expertise and for your programming responsibility in your community.

• Scholarship is about creating, synthesizing, and applying knowledge to address the world's issues. Scholarship is also about respecting and learning from the knowledge and wisdom of others, our colleagues, and the citizens with whom we work. Extension educators are both catalysts and full players in that process.

• Embrace diversity, and act on that value, in our programming and employment practices. That is the "right" thing to do morally and ethically. It is also good business. It not only benefits our organization, it enriches our contribution to the communities we serve. Focusing on diversity is non-negotiable. We must do it.

• It is essential that we internationalize extension. That means working overseas. It also means reflecting global perspectives in our domestic extension work. We must internationalize extension to be indispensable in the future, given the demographic, economic, social, cultural, and political forces of globalization.

These are some of the factors that are essential for Penn State Cooperative Extension to be a 21st-century organization. I will continue to share my thoughts on this topic in future issues of Extension Directions.

Finally, with the year quickly coming to an end, I want to extend early holiday greetings to you and your families. Take well-deserved time away from your professional activities and enjoy time spent with family and friends during the holiday season!

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

News to Know

Search for Director of Cooperative Extension
A search committee has been appointed for the position of Director of Cooperative Extension, Associate Vice President for Outreach, and Associate Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences by Dean Robert Steele and Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach. The search committee is co-chaired by David Sylvia, head of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Gary Miller, associate vice president for Outreach and executive director of the World Campus. The committee members are Ken Bailey, Cathy Bowen, Dennis Calvin, Dave Filson, Jim Finley, Tracy Huston, Bob Pollock, Gabriella Varga, Neal Vines and Eileen Wheeler.

The position is being posted internally and externally; screening of applicants is set to begin on January 5 and will continue until the position is filled. Details about campus interviews will be forthcoming when the candidate pool is narrowed down to a short list of finalists.

Extension Administrative Uplink
The annual cooperative extension satellite teleconference will be held on Monday, December 8, from 10:00 a.m. until noon. The teleconference will include remarks from Bob Steele, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach, and Cooperative Extension leadership. The teleconference will feature programmatic highlights and an administrative update. Major national award winners will be recognized during the teleconference.

Budget Update
As of this date we do not have a state budget. We are proceeding with our planning based on the assumption of an eventual 5 percent cut. This cut and increased operating costs will leave the college with a $4.3 million deficit. Some of this will be taken centrally, but approximately $2 million will be required in spending cuts from cooperative extension. This $2 million extension portion will be divided between University Park and field operations.

We will keep you informed of decisions regarding the implementation of cuts. Fortunately, conservative budget management, including keeping positions vacant, has given us more flexibility than in the recent past. We are developing steps for meeting this deficit and making strategic plans for a more sustainable organization.

Outreach Scholarship Conference
The 2003 Outreach Scholarship Conference was held in Madison, Wisconsin, in October with good representation from Penn State. This conference continues to grow and attract people from many universities. It was announced that the University of Georgia will join Ohio State, Penn State, and the University of Wisconsin as co-hosts of the conference. Next year's conference will be held at Penn State in October and we encourage you to begin thinking about submitting a proposal. We have many excellent outreach initiatives to showcase! (See: http://www.outreachscholarship.org)

Agricultural Education Workshop
Ted Alter and Bruce McPheron, associate dean for research and director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, attended the Agricultural Education Workshop held in October and organized by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Dr. Alter presented information about Penn State Cooperative Extension's role in Pennsylvania and extension's educational programming emphases, while Dr. McPheron discussed the College's portfolio of research activities addressing biosecurity in the agricultural system.

Penn State Outreach Strategic Directions Teams
Penn State Outreach has embarked on a strategic positioning process and charged organization-wide teams to address objectives and make recommendations to the Executive Team (Craig Weidemann, Ted Alter, Pat Book, Ted Krichels, Gary Miller) in the following four areas: Outreach Core Competencies, Fiscal Stewardship, Academic Relationships, and Innovation. Each team will be chaired by one of the associate vice presidents and will include broad participation throughout outreach. Ted has responsibility for the Core Competencies Team. Teams are meeting to identify key strategic directions for the future of outreach and tactical recommendations in support of strategic initiatives. Initial findings and short-term recommendations will be included in a final report for the May 2004 Board of Trustees meeting.

2005 POW Issue Teams
The Plans of Work (POW) process for FY2005-09 began in earnest with the Kick-Off Meeting for POW Co-Chairs held in State College in early October. The event was planned to prepare the co-chairs for their leadership role in guiding the teams through the POW process and the development of statewide programming for the next cycle. Team members for each of the 17 POW issue areas were identified in mid-October and Working Sessions were held for the Issue Teams in late October. The purpose of the POW process, which included a statewide needs assessment, is to help cooperative extension better serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.

The co-chairs are engaging their teams and working diligently to develop the new POW to meet the issues facing Pennsylvania in the next 4 to 5 years. The teams also are developing the products needed for the extension section of the College of Agricultural Sciences Planning and Reporting (CASPAR) system for FY2005. The names of the co-chairs of the POW Issue Teams are listed in the Well Done section of the newsletter.

College of Agricultural Sciences Planning and Reporting (CASPAR) System
In early 2003, the College began development of an integrated reporting system for Extension, Teaching, and Research. The CASPAR system will provide all College faculty, staff, and extension educators with a single place to report activities and information for a variety of individual and college-related needs. The system will allow for the collection of information related to extension Plans of Work, faculty and agent promotion dossiers, annual performance reviews, and program planning. CASPAR will provide multi-year reporting capabilities allowing individuals to build professional vitas over time. The goal of CASPAR is to streamline an individual's reporting needs while strengthening the College's ability to report its activities and impact. The system is scheduled for release in Fall 2004.

Program Updates and New Directions
Community Champion Campaign. In response to increasing concerns about children's health and weight, a new coalition, Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA), has launched the Keystone Healthy Zone Campaign with the assistance of county extension educators. The extension educators helped host a Community Champion satellite training on October 24, 2004. The event was organized to promote the coordinated School Health Model as a framework for improving nutrition and physical activity in school environments. Community Champions encourage schools and the community to support the Keystone Healthy Zone Campaign. The campaign will recognize and reward schools for their efforts in supporting physical activity and good nutrition as part of the total learning environment.

The role of extension educators in this initiative will vary from county to county depending on local community leadership. However, the overall role on a local level will be to encourage community partners to get involved, support nutrition education programming within the schools, and support the Keystone Healthy Zone School Recognition Event. Mini-grants will be available to schools who make a commitment to the recognition program. With Penn State Cooperative Extension at the table, there will be an opportunity to include nutrition education programming into the mini-grant application.

Cooperative extension's involvement as a major state partner in the PANA organization will provide opportunities to promote extension nutrition programs to new audiences and encourage other organizations to become involved in extension programs.

Agricultural Innovation Center Grant. A team of faculty and regional extension directors -- Kathy Brasier, Jeff Hyde, Tim Kelsey and Martin Shields, Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology; Dave Filson, South Central Region; and Michelle Rodgers, Capital Region -- worked together with Jack Watson and Cheryl Cook, Deputy Secretary in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and PENNTAP to develop an Agricultural Innovation Center grant proposal during the summer and early fall. An award of $990,000 was recently announced by USDA-Rural Development in support of the project. One focus of the center will be to enhance the capacity of county-based extension programs to respond to needs for agricultural enterprise development.

In-service Opportunities. A series of water In-services were conducted in October and November, incorporating partners from several disciplines (Forest Resources, Dairy and Animal Science, and Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology) and agencies (USDA-NRCS, State Conservation Commission, Department of Environmental Protection).

In-service programs conducted by extension faculty in Crop and Soil Sciences, Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Horticulture occurred in October and November. If you missed these opportunities, we encourage you to participate in the future. The mid-Atlantic Dairy training is being planned for June. Your participation is encouraged!

Well Done

Agricultural Innovation Center Grant
Congratulations to Kathy Brasier, Dave Filson, Jeff Hyde, Tim Kelsey, Martin Shields, Dave Filson, Michelle Rodgers, Jack Watson, and Cheryl Cook, Deputy Secretary in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for their collaborative effort in submitting a proposal, under a very tight timeline, and for their success in receiving an award of approximately $990,000 for the Keystone Agricultural Innovation Center. The Center will provide a combination of education and technical assistance to agricultural producers interested in initiating or improving value-added activities (e.g, processing of products, business analysis, basic market research, etc.) through a seamless distributed network of three regional sites in Pennsylvania.

Youth Engaged in Technology Grant
Daniel Perkins, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education, received a 5-year CYFAR New Communities Grant from USDA, entitled "Youth Engaged in Technology" (YET). The newly created YET program employs technology as a tool to engage young people in learning and contributing. Through YET, youths will enhance their marketable job skills, develop leadership skills, and participate in community service activities related to technology. The program is designed to foster a sense of belonging to their community. During the first year, students in grades 9 and 10 will be invited to participate in the afterschool YET Club meetings, which will be held twice a week. The major focus of the meetings will be on technologies such as robotics, GPS/GIS, Web page development, and nanofabrication.

YET is being pilot tested in Potter and Washington Counties. These sites were selected because of the keen interest shown by local school personnel and the extension agents in applying technology as a vehicle to foster positive youth development and to combat the risk indicators (e.g., low income and lack of engagement) facing families and youths in those counties. Phillip Hoy, 4-H youth program management coordinator, will administer the program with Paul Webster, youth development agent in Potter County, and Lee Young, county extension director for Washington County.

National Garden Mosaics project
Lehigh/Northampton Counties and Philadelphia County recently received a grant totaling $34,000 (each received $17,000) from the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education Program by cooperating with Cornell University Extension on the National Garden Mosaics project.

Garden Mosaics refers to two beautiful mosaics found in urban community gardens across North America. The first represents the gardeners, a mosaic of cultures from around the world, and the second represents the mosaics of plantings that these gardeners create. Garden Mosaics is a science education and community action program for youths ages 10 to 18. The activities take place in urban community gardens as well as in home and school gardens. Youths in Garden Mosaics learn from elder gardeners about plants and planting practices. The goal of Garden Mosaics is to promote science learning, community action, and intergenerational and multicultural understanding. Currently, educators and youths in 11 cities across the United States conduct Garden Mosaics programs.

Emelie Swackhamer in Lehigh County and Doris Stahl in Philadelphia County are the lead agents for the Garden Mosaics project.

2005 POW Issue Teams Co-chairs:
A special "well done" to the co-chairs of the POW Issue Teams who are bringing together faculty and field-based educators to engage in the development and implementation of extension programming in the following issue areas:

Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability
Jeffrey Hyde, Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
John Berry, Lehigh County

Animal Production
Richard Stup, Dairy and Animal Science
David Swartz, Perry County

Agronomic Production
Gregory Roth, Crop and Soil Sciences
Paul Craig, Dauphin County

Horticulture and Green Industry Production
William Lamont, Horticulture
Mary Concklin, Montgomery County

Food Products
William Henning, Dairy and Animal Science
Marcia Weber, York County

Environmental Stewardship of Land and Water Resources
Bryan Swistock, School of Forest Resources
James Clark, McKean County

Emergency Readiness (Homeland Security)
David Wolfgang, Veterinary Science
Norman Conrad, Union County

Food Safety
Catherine Cutter, Food Science
Mary Alice Gettings, Beaver County

Health and Safety
Dennis Murphy, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Robert Leiby, Lehigh County

Sustaining Pennsylvania Forests
James Finley, School of Forest Resources
Robert Hansen, Bradford County

Managing Wildlife & Fisheries
Margaret Brittingham, School of Forest Resources
David Jackson, Centre County

Forest Products
Charles Ray, School of Forest Resources
Timothy Pierson, McKean County

Nutrition, Diet, and Health
Lynne Brown, Food Science
Lynn James, Snyder County

Strengthening and Supporting Families
Cathy Bowen, Agricultural and Extension Education
Janice Stoudnour, Bedford County

4-H and Youth Development
Daniel Perkins, Agricultural and Extension Education
Suzanne Boarts, Armstrong County

Economic and Community Development
Timothy Kelsey, Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
Walt Whitmer, Juniata County

Leadership and Volunteer Development
Jacklyn Bruce, Agricultural and Extension Education
Joann Kowalski, Susquehanna County

The Well Done section highlights a particular noteworthy extension education effort by an individual or team. Please send your nominations for Well Done to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu, by January 16 for the February issue of the newsletter.

We Are Penn State Extension Proud

2003 Ella Reagle Staff Assistant Award
Congratulations to Maria J. Grauds, staff assistant with Penn State Cooperative Extension's Southeast Region, for being selected as the recipient of the 2003 Ella Reagle Staff Assistant Award! Maria has garnered the trust, confidence, and admiration of her peers and staff alike. In her 23 years of service, she has demonstrated outstanding dedication and commitment to the college. Ted, having worked closely with Maria for five years, can attest personally to the excellence of her work, her extraordinary commitment and leadership, and her exceptional professionalism. The Ella Reagle Staff Assistant Award was presented to Maria at the college-wide staff meeting at University Park on November 3, 2003.

Honorary County Agent Award
John O'Brien recently received the Honorary County Agent award from the Pennsylvania Association of County Agricultural Agents (PACAA). This award is presented to an individual involved in extension or extension related activities who personifies the county-based educator. John has served as a member of the Northampton County Advisory Board for many years and is a strong advocate for cooperative extension with the county council. He serves as the Southeast region PCCEA representative to the state PCCEA board and has served as past president of the statewide PCCEA organization.

Congratulations to Mary Manzoni
Mary Manzoni, staff assistant to Mike McDavid, director for Penn State Cooperative Extension's Northeast Region, has proven her dedication and commitment to the College of Agricultural Sciences and to the regional work unit. Mary's ability to accomplish tasks, her responsiveness to the Northeast region professional and support staffs, and her commitment to the college and the region over many years is outstanding. She excels in the areas of customer service, problem solving, communication, and teamwork while working tireless hours to insure quality service in every aspect of her work responsibilities.

A few of Mary's work assignments include coordinating training and support material loan outs for two regions, arranging itineraries for regional visitors, maintaining the region calendar and Web page, and handling numerous requests from staff and the public. Her commitment to the college extends beyond agricultural sciences to the Wilkes-Barre campus and community with numerous activities in the campus community, including years of service with the Arts at Hayfield Arts and Crafts Festival, Dallas Borough Visioning committee, and the Greater Wilkes-Barre Speaker Series. Such dedication and commitment is truly representative of Mary's tremendous ability, professionalism, and work ethic!

The We Are Penn State Extension Proud section recognizes an extension employee's outstanding accomplishments. Please send your nominations for We Are Penn State Extension Proud to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu, by January 16 for the February issue of the newsletter.

The Extension Spirit

Many of our county extension offices have summer interns who provide "an extra hand" supporting our extension educational programs and activities. A variety of lessons are taught during these experiences. Alexis Schrock, a summer assistant in Columbia County, shares her perspective and appreciation with us in the following letter. If you have additional personal interest stories from volunteers and program participants that exemplify The Extension Spirit, we would like to highlight those examples in future Extension Directions newsletters. Please send them to Margaret Koble.

"What Cooperative Extension Means to Me…"

People can read brochures or search the Internet to learn more about Penn State Cooperative Extension. However, no literature could explain what truly takes place within the realm of this program. I have had the fortune of spending two wonderful summers as the Summer Assistant in your office. I have learned and grown from my experiences with cooperative extension. And I wanted to let all of you know that you are making an impact on the lives of the people you help.

My first 4-H Horse Show literally changed my life. As a new rider at sixteen it was awkward to join a 4-H Horse and Pony Program where at that age most members had been riding for years. I had found my project horse four states away. She was an older horse who had been neglected. However, as she grazed in her pasture, I saw a horse that wanted one last chance. To say the least, both horse and rider were in need of lots of work. When Practice Show arrived, I was nervous, excited, but most of all terrified. No one in my family had any experience in this area prior to purchasing my horse. So we waited for my trainer to arrive and help me prepare for my class. As my classes approached, I began to warm up by myself. I was nervous and Robin (my horse) felt it. I had never been to a horse show before and I was greatly depending on my trainer to show up. Finally, my class was called and I went in. Needless to say, I was not the most composed rider in the ring.

Of course, I pinned last in my class. But then the oddest thing happened. In my second and last class, the voice over the PA system announced that I had won first. I couldn't believe it and I don't think that anyone watching could either. The judge approached my horse. He explained to me that he had pinned me based not on how I had performed in the ring that day but instead on my talent and passion. He explained that he had seen potential and wanted to recognize it. There were so many valuable lessons in this event for me. To this day the infamous blue ribbon hangs in my room as a reminder that sometimes we see the most important things without our eyes.

Each of you has passed on to me an aspect of cooperative extension, whether you realize it or not. Pat taught me the importance of a single smile and that happiness is contagious. Caroline has proved the importance of being multi-talented. Dave has shown me that the people who need extension the most are those we sometimes overlook. Robin has truly demonstrated what it means to lead by example. Chuck has taught me the importance of "people skills." Linda has shown me that it is the little things that count the most.

Thank you for the past two summers, lunch at Applebee's on Thursday, my card and gift, but most of all thank you for showing me what cooperative extension means to you.

By Alexis Schrock, 2002 and 2003 Summer Assistant, Penn State Cooperative Extension in Columbia County, Bloomsburg, Pa.

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. Please send your nominations for The Extension Spirit to Margaret Koble, mak10@psu.edu, by January 16 for the February issue of the newsletter.

Leadership Thoughts

"Effective leaders today use the tools of community building to create an environment in which many leaders can emerge."

Pinchot, Gifford. 1996. Creating Organizations with Many Leaders. In The Leader of the Future, Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M. and Beckhard, R., eds. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, p. 27.

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