Extension Update: September 2003 Archives

As you know the Biennial Budget for FY 04-05 was signed into law on September 4 and provides for flat funding for the University System of New Hampshire. I am now able to definitively report to you that our deficit is $784,220. This takes into consideration all revenue sources and fixed expenses for Cooperative Extension including the fringe benefit rate in FY04 rising to 40% of salary and salary increases of 3.5%. UNH traditionally covered these increases for non-grant funded salary through the general fund. With no increases to the University budget, this support cannot be sustained in FY 04.

On a positive note, UNH has provided a total of $280,775 from the net tuition revenue that is associated solely with the USNH Board of Trustees decision to increase tuition rates in direct response to a reduction in state funding. This will be the first time Cooperative Extension receives direct tuition support. Without tuition funding our deficit would be over one million dollars. In addition to level state funding, Federal Smith-Lever appropriations have had no significant increase for approximately ten years. Finally, counties have not been asked to increase their level of county educator salary support since 1988. These factors, combined with minimal FY03 savings through staff vacancies, created this budget deficit.

The Extension Leadership Team met earlier this week and a major item of discussion was to review our fiscal situation and agree on a process for reducing the deficit. Since 70% of our total budget covers salary and associated fringe benefits, Cooperative Extension will begin to offer separation incentives to staff. When approved by USNH which we anticipate will happen soon, the separation incentive is proposed as follows:

Separation Incentive
A one time payment equal to six month salary for those status employees who meet one of the following age and service requirements: Age 50 with at least 20 years of service or any age with at least 25 years of service. These age and service requirements are consistent with retirement qualifications under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Individuals who don’t participate in CSRS and have at least 5 years of service in a benefits eligible position and might want to consider voluntary separation may be considered. Anyone eligible and interested in a separation incentive should formally inform Jim Grady by October 15 of their intent and the separation must occur by April 15.

Prorated Reductions
The shortfall has been prorated for all 5 program areas and Extension administration/operations based on the percent of state funding supporting each unit. The prorated amounts are as follows:

Administration/Operations $184,592
Agriculture $194, 362
4-H $134,548
Family Development $158,720
Forestry $ 76,416
Water Resources $ 35,582
Total $784,220

Each Program Leader/Administrator working with their staff will determine how best to reduce budgets and achieve their prorated goal based on program and staffing priorities. Deficit reduction plans will be submitted by January 1, 2004 and will be approved by the Associate Director in consultation with both Assistant Directors and the Dean and Director and will be effective no later than April 15, 2004.

Questions have been raised by staff regarding the status of vacancies and the process for filling positions. Program Leaders have the authority to determine if vacant positions will be filled upon approval by the Associate Director in consultation with Assistant Directors and the Dean and Director along with a specific budget reduction plan to achieve the program area’s prorated target. When a decision is made to fill vacant positions, the salary and associated fringe benefit costs will be added to the program area’s prorated deficit target.

We will pursue a variety of deficit reduction strategies which you can review in detail at: (http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/BudgetRD.pdf) The impact of budget and staff reductions to individual counties will be considered in the overall statewide strategy to cover high priority programs as identified through our plan of work and strategic plan. We will work closely with each county developing the new statewide Cooperative Extension budget for FY 2004-05. We look forward to hearing your ideas and reactions around the budget challenges ahead and ways we can continue to strengthen the organization.

Don’t hesitate to contact me or your supervisor if you have any questions or suggestions.

The signs of fall are slowly entering New Hampshire, from cooler weather to the sprinkling of reds, yellows and oranges in our foliage. It also comes with a list of deadlines and visits important to the future of UNH Cooperative Extension. Please review the following timeline to ensure a successful reporting system this year. If you have any questions, make sure to contact your Program Leader.

* September 20 - ES 237 4-H data is due as well as other reports for special funders such as forestry
* September and October – County Plan of Work meetings
* September and October – UNH Presidential visits to Merrimack and Grafton Counties
* November 1 - FY 03 individual accomplishment reports, POW updates for the next year, performance review materials and professional development plans are due
* November 15 - Program impact data and/or key theme reports are due to theme lead staff
* Advisory Council input is due on performance appraisals
* December 20 - State impact reports are due to Program Leaders

I appreciate the hard work many of you are putting into our two-year plan of work needs assessment process. We have 10 county gap analysis sessions scheduled this month and next month to gather local needs and to share our recent work with key community members. In addition, we'll conduct an online survey with non-Extension users in November and map staff interests and capacity in November and December. This should position us well for the statewide caucus we're conducting in January to determine key themes addressed in our plan of work for the next two years and beyond. For more details, click on the attached plan of work process document

Merrimack County legislators, commissioners and USNH Trustees participated in the first “County Conversation” Wednesday at Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can partner more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues are specifically facing Merrimack County. Earlier in the day, President Hart and Jennifer Murray, UNH’s Vice President for Communications, traveled to the Merrimack County office to learn more about UNH Cooperative Extension’s programming in the county. My thanks to the staff of Merrimack County for their hard work on this event. They did an excellent job of showing how they positively impact the residents of the county. The next “County Conversation” is set for Grafton County on Oct. 16.

Travel expenses covered by the university over the last three months must be turned in by September 30th to ensure payment. Be sure to get your supervisor’s signature on your July,August and September expenses by that time.

Program Leaders approved the following procedures to ensure full participation in staff professional development opportunties.

Inservice Participants
Staff who sign up for an inservice and can’t attend must directly inform the presenter as soon as possible. This may result from a schedule conflict, change in employment status or for personal reasons such as health problems. Please show the same courtesy you would expect from colleagues who sign up for your programs. A last minute change of mind, such as "I'm too busy,” isn't an acceptable conflict. You are expected to honor the commitment to the best of your ability. You are also responsible for participant costs if you don’t inform the presenter soon enough to make necessary adjustments. Your registration fee or other costs won’t be refunded if you don't inform the presenter about your absence from the program in a timely manner. Program Leaders will note chronic “no show” practices in performance appraisals, which will be considered poor performance.

Presenters
Check your inservice registration list on our web-based system as you approach the time of the inservice. Don’t depend solely on the initial registration process in the fall to ensure participation in your inservice. Since conditions for inservice participation often change for the participant and the presenter send an e-mail confirming inservice details. The e-mail also acts as a reminder and method of confirming participant participation. Ask for a positive confirmation to your e-mail. Please take into consideration that some registrants may not respond to your communication because they are no longer employed by Extension, have health problems or are otherwise incapacitated. If you suspect or experience a chronic “no show” registrant, contact your Program Leader so the issue can be addressed.

Family Development staff meet September 30 from 9-3:30 pm at the Strafford County office in Dover. Bring your lunch. If there are any questions, call or email Charlene Baxter.

Have you checked JOE lately? There’s a link on our web site, and if you haven’t done so in awhile, take a look at the latest edition. JOE currently averages over 2,000 users a day!

You can also discover whether UNH is among the most frequent universities accessing the JOE web site. Check using (http://www.joe.org/stats.html) This list is based on readers' Internet domain names. In 2002, readers from 139 countries accessed JOE.

JOE also is seeking additional reviewers. With around 200 manuscripts submitted annually, maintaining an adequate pool of peer-reviewers is unending. Those with expertise in agricultural and natural resources, 4-H youth development, communications/information technology/marketing, and evaluation are particularly needed. JOE is a peer-reviewed outlet for outreach scholarship relevant to Cooperative Extension.

JOE will launch a "job bank" later this year, replacing the current listing on the CSREES/USDA web site. The Journal's Board of Directors believes such a site will add further value to JOE as well as meet the needs of the Cooperative Extension System. The "Job Bank" is now being discussed with Extension Directors through ECOP.

The FY04 Inservice Calendar has two additional inservice offerings. Use the online form on our web site for details or to sign up. The workshops are:

Coalition Building from the Ground Up – May 4, 2004
Coalition building is an exciting and effective community intervention based on collaborative problem solving. This workshop will address the principles of success in creating community change through coalitions. Discussions will center on barriers to coalition building, strategies for coalition success and maintaining the coalition's activities and success.

Group and Consensus Building
This is a year-long (7 session) course in facilitation and building group consensus. Sessions introduce the art and craft of leading groups through interactive lecture-discussions, readings, videos and practice. Sample topics are group process, a facilitator’s role, neutrality, the art of recording, design planning and the process to fit group goals, tools to build group consensus, group conflict resolution, participatory designs for dialogue and much more. Space is limited. A commitment to six out of seven of the sessions is critical.

Additional Location: North Country - Berlin Nov. 20, Dec. 17, 2003, Jan. 15, Feb. 19, March 18, April 15, May 6, June 17, 2004 (snow date), 9-3 pm, Woodlands Credit Union, Community Room, Berlin. The facilitator is Charlie French.

Therapeutic Recreation (TR) is defined as the use of treatment, education and recreation services to help people with illnesses, disabilities and other conditions develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, functional abilities, independence and quality of life. This past summer, NH 4-H Camps had seven (five from UNH, one from SUNY-Cortland and one from Green Mountain College) therapeutic recreation undergraduate and graduate students working at its camps. There are no other 4-H Camps in the country that had seven TR students working at camp! In addition to the TR students, Bear Hill 4-H Camp had two UNH occupational therapy students.

This unique opportunity was made possible by the affiliation of NH 4-H Camps with the Dept. of Recreation Management and Policy (RMP) in the School of Health and Human Studies. Most students had taken RMP 501 with Ann Dolloff, CTRS (certified therapeutic recreation specialist), Extension Associate Professor and Specialist. If they hadn’t taken the class, they heard about employment opportunities through other faculty in the department, including staff who work with Northeast Passage. The TR students worked in a variety of positions. Three provided one-to-one support for campers with specific disabilities who required additional support for inclusion into the daily camp program. Two were general counselors, one was a supervisor and one an activity leader. Regardless of their position, all students were exposed to many children of different abilities and gained valuable experiences relevant to their course of study and future career goals. All were advocates for youth with disabilities and witnessed first hand the challenges and benefits of inclusion.

Student comments include:

T

I can not relate to what is being presented in class to reality and the world outside. I have some work related substance to TR to put on my resume and now have the long-term goal (one of many) of running a camp similar to Bear Hill some day.

T

First-hand experience! Can't read it, (can't) listen to someone else's story...do it!

T

I learned more about mental illness and children with disabilities in general than I have in any class or textbook.

T

I learned how to use verbal de-escalation and how to develop the skills of a therapist.

T

I truly believe that inclusion works because I witnessed it.
T It has helped me to form my ideas and philosophy about the benefits and drawbacks of inclusion, the joy of working with children of all ability levels and the importance that camps and recreation have on the growth and development of children and adults

As NH 4-H Camps continues to welcome all youth, regardless of ability, into its programs, such support from UNH faculty and students is invaluable. Campers who have cerebral palsy, bi-polar disorder, anxiety disorder, attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder, Down’s syndrome, William’s syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome, autism, language and cognitive delays, depression and pervasive developmental delays, come to camp and fully participate in all activities.

2003 Camper Statistics:

849 individual campers (92% from NH)
1,262 camper weeks (total of all weekly enrollments)
54% male - 46% female
3% were 4-H members before coming to camp
13% were 4-H members before coming to camp
100% are 4-H members after attending camp!
41% were campers in 2002
75% just finished grades 3-7

USNH hasn't made a final decision on when the FY04 salary increases will be distributed, but it is expected sometime in late fall. As soon as that information is available, staff will be informed. Salary increases will be retroactive to Sept. 1, 2003. Attached are the FY04 Salary Guidelines.

Family Development educators and specialists meet Tuesday, Sept. 30. An agenda and details will be sent to staff next week.

The 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire's annual meeting celebrating the past year of achievements takes place Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Canterbury Woods Golf Club in Canterbury. The evening's festivities begin at 5:30. A major component of this past year's achievements was the $100,000 Centennial Campaign, which successfully reached its goal within a year's time.

The University of New Hampshire honors Tom Fairchild Sept. 18 with the dedication of the Thomas P. Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center. The dedication recognizes Tom's invaluable contributions to dairy science and the University of New Hampshire, including serving as interim UNH President from 1994-95. Tom has always been a great supporter of Cooperative Extension, most recently serving as chair of the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire during its successful Centennial campaign. Tom, a 1959 graduate of UNH, also worked as a dairy Extension Specialist. Tom served as dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and helped establish its biology program. He is a co-founder of UNH's CREAM (Cooperative Real Education Agriculture Management Program.) The event September 18th takes place at the UNH Dairy Barns beginning at 4:00 pm with barn tours.

A decade ago, the word "biodiversity" often brought chuckles among natural resource professionals. Many thought it was another up-and-coming government buzzword. Today, biodiversity is recognized as a serious component of natural resource studies. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety and variability of all living organisms. This variety includes the diversity of plants, animals, fungi, algae, bacteria and other microorganisms, their genetic variability, the natural communities in which they live, and the processes and interactions that weave the biological and physical elements of the planet into a complex web.

Ellen Snyder, Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, Biodiversity, is a leader in New Hampshire's natural resource community for bringing the concepts of biodiversity to the forefront. UNH Cooperative Extension is probably the only Extension system around the country to have a biodiversity specialist.

In her biodiversity work, Ellen led an effort of New Hampshire public and private conservation organizations to maintain and protect important ecosystems. Originally called the "New Hampshire Ecosystem Reserve Project," it is now called "New Hampshire's Living Legacy Project." The mission is to establish and support a well-coordinated, comprehensive system of public and private lands voluntarily dedicated to protecting the full spectrum of biological diversity in New Hampshire.

Ellen is known and respected throughout the state and country for her technical excellence, her ability to convey complex ideas and her tenacity in bringing people together to address biodiversity issues. Ellen is leaving UNH Cooperative Extension Sept. 16. She will continue in her quest to preserve and protect New Hampshire's natural word, including her own community in Newmarket. She leaves a legacy of natural resource professionals, conservation groups, communities, volunteers and other individuals who now have a greater understanding and appreciation of biodiversity, ecosystems and what a great Extension educator can do for New Hampshire's future. That is her "living legacy."