Extension Update: April 2003 Archives
The vote the House took yesterday regarding the state budget and USNH specifically, is basically the same as what is reflected in the chart delineated in the attached minutes of our 3/20 Extension Management Team meeting under the section titled: FY04-05 Proposed Biennial Budget and Deficit Reduction Plan.
The Governor and the House have proposed $160,239,626 in biennial funding which is a $22 million reduction when compared to the USNH FY04-05 request of $182,364,828. Funding for the FY02-03 biennium was $162,223,902. If the state budget for the upcoming biennium is approved at these levels it would mean a deficit of approximately $1.4 million for Cooperative Extension in FY04.
The budget process now shifts to the Senate. Once the Senate votes on the budget, there will likely be a "Committee of Conference" formed sometime in June to reconcile the differences between the Senate and the House versions of the budget bill. Once passed by both houses, the bill goes to the Governor for disposition. At that point, it may be either signed, vetoed or permitted to become law without signature.
Here are listings of the members of the Senate and the House:
Senate Members: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/members/
Senate Committees: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/billstatus/sencommittees.asp
Senate Finance Committee: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/billstatus/commdetails.asp?txtcommcode=S07
Senate Districts: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/redistricting/senateredistrict.pdf
House Members: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/legdetailstable.asp
House Committees: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/billstatus/hsecommittees.asp
House Finance Committee: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/billstatus/commdetails.asp?txtcommcode=H34
House Districts: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/houseredistrict/plans/houseredistrict.pdf
When extension advocates ask "what can I do to help", I'd suggest you emphasize the need to deliver a simple, clear message to key legislators about the need to increase the funding level proposed by the Governor and House, ideally restoring the 6.4% and 6.2% increase requested by the Trustees over the biennium. The following are some succinct talking points provided to me by Steve Reno, USNH Chancellor, relative to the Operating Budget to assist in delivering your message of support to legislators. These talking points encompass the key messages USNH is attempting to deliver:
Talking Points - FY 04-05 Operating Budget
* We sympathize with the budget challenge faced by legislators and the need to cut unnecessary spending. USNH has requested a FY 2004 operating budget of $88.4 million which is a $5.4 million (6.4%) increase from FY2003 and a FY 2005 budget of $93.9 million, a $5.5 million (6.2%) increase over FY 2004. This funding level is necessary because the budget:
o Provides affordable, quality education to in-state students. It minimizes tuition increases to a few hundred dollars. (ave. of $285/yr UNH; $205/yr KSC and PSC 4.5%/yr. And, no tuition increase for CLL in FY04)
o Maintains a competitive academic edge allowing USNH to attract nearly 10,000 out-of-state students each year. These students pay higher tuition rates helping to keep in-state tuitions low.
o Funds direct services to assist hundreds of thousands of NH residents (i.e, Cooperative Extension) and helps fund some of the 700 collaborative programs that service dozens of NH communities, and thousands of NH small businesses. (The Community Research Center at KSC, The Small Business Institute at PSC; The Center for Family Business at UNH)
o Stimulates the economy. USNH has an economic impact estimated to approach one billion dollars annually. Each state dollar invested in USNH returns $3-5 dollars, a wise investment of state funds in this slower economic period.
The State Advisory Council met last night via interactive video along with members of county advisory councils. Participants were located at Extension's six PictureTel sites and the North Country Education Foundation. Following the welcome and introductions led by council chair, Chris Streeter, the remainder of the meeting was devoted to a review of the FY04-05 biennial funding situation as described above. The Budget Reduction Strategies. were reviewed, and talking points for use in discussions with legislators were also provided (detailed above).
Cooperative Extension's Annual Professional Development Conference will be held May 20 at the Marriott Courtyard in Concord. All staff are invited and expected to attend. An announcement and agenda was sent via email earlier this week. Don't forget to register by May 1.
I also encourage you to consider preparing a poster or display to showcase your programs and accomplishments. Along with President Hart, a number of guests including donors and supporters have been invited to the luncheon. The hallway displays provide a great opportunity for them to learn about the scope of our work. To register for a poster/exhibit, contact Cheryl Smith and Cheryl Estabrook by May 6.
Nancy Franz will assume the Associate Director position on Monday, May 5. In preparation for Nancy's arrival, Ed McAlllister has moved to another office in Taylor Hall. His new phone number is 862-0613. Ed's previous number (862-2161) has been assigned to Nancy.
Congratulations to Colette Janson-Sand who has been recognized as the Outstanding Dietetics Educator in the Northeast (New England, New York, New Jersey) by the American Dietetics Association. The award recognizes Colette's work in teaching, mentoring and leadership in a 4-year dietetics program. Colette's nomination was supported by letters from peers and students citing her innovative teaching skills and techniques, student mentoring, leadership through dietetic association activities, community service, honors received and professional presentations and publications.
Val Long and Debbie Luppold have been awarded $777,753 for the development and implementation of nutrition education activities for food stamp recipients and eligibles. This grant is funded for FY03, and includes a variety of interventions including one-to-one, small group, and social marketing. In its 14th year, New Hampshire was one of the first states to work with USDA Food and Nutrition Service to provide nutrition education to food stamp recipients.
Julie Steed Mawson received a $49,690 grant from the NH Coastal Program to develop, with Lisa Townson and the 4-H Science and Tech Work Team, a 4-H marine project entitled, "4-H Goes to Sea."
President Hart's scheduled visit with the Merrimack County staff and advisory council on April 14 was cancelled due to the death of her sister last weekend. Paul Bonaparte-Krogh will work with the Merrimack staff and council to re-schedule the visit, and will coordinate President Hart's visits to the other counties over the next couple of years.
Minutes of the March 20 meeting of the Extension Management Team (EMT) are posted in the protected area of our web page and can be accessed at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/Admin/Secure/EMT32003.pdf
Dr. Donald Sundberg, Vice President for Research and Public Service, will return to a faculty position effective August 30. He will be replaced by Dr. John Aber, Professor of Natural Resources, who's been appointed as Interim Vice President for one year while a national search is conducted to fill the position. Don Sundberg will be returning to the Materials Science Program where he has a long record of teaching and research accomplishments. As VP, he is credited for the ongoing growth in UNH research grants and contracts, reaching $86 million last year. Cooperative Extension is among the many units under the leadership of the Vice President for Research and Public Service.
This Biweekly Update feature describes resources available through the UNH Library including a wide variety of databases and electronic journals directly related to our programs. You can access the on-line resources featured below at:
http://www.library.unh.edu/tools/ (master list of all databases)
http://www.library.unh.edu/onlinejournals/ (master list of online journals)
http://grinnell.unh.edu/digibio.html (list of COLSA oriented resources)
http://library.unh.edu/ (online catalog for UNH Dimond Library and branches)
This installment focuses on a couple of library databases that are used to find more information about books, primarily. Of course, you can use commercial web sites such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble to find out about current books that are available for purchase, and BookFinder to search for books that are out-of-print but still available from rare and out of print book dealers.
WorldCat searches the OCLC catalog of books, web resources, and other material worldwide. It contains all the records cataloged by OCLC member libraries (generally academic, special, large public libraries, and library consortia) for a total of over 48 million records covering the last 4000 years. It can be searched by subject, title, author, keyword, or a variety of other access points. Materials found via WorldCat (and not in the UNH Library collection) can be ordered through Interlibrary Loan through the WorldCat interface.
Books in Print includes citations for over 3.5 million books currently in print with more than 600,000 full-text reviews from 11 leading sources. It also includes video and audio listings, as well as out of print titles, titles by award, best-sellers, biographies, and publisher directory information.
Please send questions, comments, and suggestions to David Lane, Biological Sciences Librarian, Biological Sciences Library, Kendall Hall, UNH or send email to david.lane@unh.edu.
The last issue of Biweekly Update (March 21) included a detailed list of Deficit Reduction Strategies ( http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/BudgtR03.PDF ) recently approved by the Leadership Team. Based on Governor Benson's proposed reductions in the USNH biennial funding request, and with "level funding" by the legislature speculated to be the likely "best case" funding scenario, we're projecting a deficit on July 1 between $500,000 and $1.3 million. Therefore, all measures outlined to reduce our budget have been initiated.
As directed in strategy #18, please contact Jim Grady if you are interested in or would like further information regarding potential separation incentives. Contact your Program Leader or supervisor if interested in considering a reduced-time appointment as cited in strategy #19.
If all measures taken including separation incentives and reduced-time appointments fail to meet our July 1 deficit, the shortfall will be prorated for all 5 program areas and Extension administration based on the percent of state funding supporting each unit (see strategy #20). Each unit will then determine how best to reduce budgets and achieve the prorated goal based on program and staffing priorities. Contact any member of the Leadership Team if you have questions about any of the Deficit Reduction Strategies.
The House Finance Committee has until April 10 to makes its recommendations and the full House votes April 17. The budget process will then crossover to the Senate for their deliberations.
President Hart will visit Merrimack County on April 14 in the first of a series of visits with Cooperative Extension staff and advisory councils in all counties over the next 2-3 years. Hosted by the county advisory council, county legislators will also be invited to meet informally with the president. She's interested in learning about the contributions and impacts of Cooperative Extension and UNH throughout the state. She also wants to create a forum for local leaders to identify needs and consider how UNH can better engage with NH people and communities to address them. Prior to the council visit President Hart will meet with the Merrimack staff to learn about county programs and accomplishments.
Extension Educators and PAT employees are eligible for professional development leave. Such leave is a benefit of UNH employment but considered a privilege rather than right. Leaves are granted to eligible professional staff members only when established criteria are met. Each application is judged on its own merits and availability of funding. The development of any requests should fully involve both the employee and her/his supervisor. Further details can be found in the online UNH Policy Manual at: http://usnholpm.unh.edu/USY/V.Pers/E.htm. The Application for Leave of Absence is posted in the protected area of the UNHCE web site under Policies and Procedures: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/admin/nonsecure/LOA.pdf
As the Northeast faces severe fiscal and economic distress, our communities...especially rural communities...must build capacity for community and economic development. In preparing to address these capacity-building needs, Cornell University is hosting a Community and Rural Development Institute on July 20-23, as part of the annual conference of the Community Development Society. The institute is designed as an opportunity for Extension Educators in the Northeast to meet with community development professionals, practitioners and scholars from across the country to explore best-practice case studies and thinking. Posted for further information is a conference overview and publicity flyer. Visit http://www.cds2003.org/ for full conference details and online registration.
Many of New Hampshire's sawmills and other manufacturers now employ workers who are recent immigrants to the United States. Many of these workers are just beginning to learn English. As a result, employers aren't able to effectively communicate with these workers. This communication gap can lead to misunderstandings about work expectations and, more importantly, safety. The employer is responsible for communicating all company safety regulations. While there is a wealth of information available in Spanish, the availability of materials in Cambodian and other Southeast Asian languages is sparse.
Forest Industry Specialist, Sarah Smith, and UNH videographer, Scott Jones, are working with two sawmills on a pilot project to develop materials...written, video and audio...to communicate safety rules to Cambodian workers. The project is funded by the USDA Forest Service's Economic Action Program, which funded a similar program in Minnesota directed at Laotian workers.
All employees should plan to attend the state conference on May 20, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Concord. The conference committee has been working for several months to plan this event and details will be provided shortly.
The poster session is back by popular demand, and if you would like to bring a display, the contact person is Cheryl Smith at cheryl.smith@unh.edu Cheryl will provide more information about the displays in a direct email to you.
The following staff have recently received grants:
* Suzann Knight, National Endowment for Financial Education, a $1,000 grant for the High School Financial Planning program
* Sharon Meeker and Ann Reid, NH Office of State Planning, a $5,000 grant for Great Bay Coast Watch volunteer training enhancement
* Charlotte Cross, The Endowment for Health, a $13,683 grant for a TAP Multi-Community Gender Study
* Ellen Snyder, NH Audubon Society, an $18,000 grant for support of the NH Living Legacy Project
* Bill Lord, Cornell University, a $3,000 grant for the NH IR-4 Liaison program
* J-J Newman, University of Delaware, a $7,519 grant in support of the project, "Determining the Demand for Locally Produced Baitfish in the Northeast"
* John Roberts, New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation, a $10,000 grant for the "Turf Tolerance Covered by Ice" project
* Pingguo He, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a $246,341 grant for the project, "Effect of Mesh Size on Trawl Codend Selectivity."
Belknap, Carroll and Strafford counties have agricultural educators with expertise in three different subject areas. Amy Ouellette, a UNH graduate, specializes in fruit and vegetable production; Tina Savage, former assistant manager of the UNH Dairy Teaching and Research Center, concentrates on livestock; and Geoffrey Njue, originally from Kenya, has years of experience in ornamental horticulture. This combined talent forms a very well-rounded agricultural educator team working together in the three counties. Planning joint programs and traveling to commercial produce, livestock and greenhouse operations together have made efficient use of their time and resources.
A recent program entitled "Tri-County Vegetable and Cut Flower Seminar" drew 119 people to the Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, a location central to all three counties. The main objective was to provide answers to the three counties' most common questions regarding annual row crops. The second objective was to make the program affordable, even to the smallest commercial vegetable and cut flower growers. These two goals were met by using UNH Cooperative Extension specialists Alan Eaton and Cheryl Smith, and Dean Kopsell, Associate Prof. of Plant Biology at UNH. Concord Crop Center covered travel expenses for Lois Stack, Ornamentals Specialist for U-Maine Extension and Eric Sideman, technical director for Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. A few comments from the seminar's evaluations were "a wonderful change of pace," "this was a very good and informative seminar, the number of attendees was impressive," "do it again," "great seminar! I learned a lot" and "thank you so much." Future joint programming includes the second in a series of goat workshops and a cover crop/crop rotation seminar, to be held in May and August, respectively.