Extension Update: July 2009 Archives
The UNH Cooperative Extension’s Strategic Planning Implementation and Leadership Teams believe it’s important for staff to consider recently identified and reviewed significant issues by our stakeholders and work towards strengthening or refocusing existing programs to address them.
The teams also encourage staff to develop and support new program initiatives that further address the issues, through existing staff, strategic grant opportunities, and partnerships with other UNH colleagues and state agencies.
Close to 30 staff members, including all program leaders and every program area, met recently to discuss the next steps needed to address identified significant issues. Further input towards a final version of these statements is now taking place, along with identifying campus and agency partners to work with as responses are developed.
One of the next steps is to form issue “teams,” which may be virtual in nature, and/or there may be several "subteams."
Goals of a significant issues teams will be to:
- Identify existing programs/projects UNH Cooperative Extension already does relating to the issue,
- Maintain communication/coordination among those who provide programming/projects relating to the issue,
- Seek out faculty and agency partners to work with Extension on the issue,
- Identify grant opportunities for external funding to support our responses to the issue, and
- Develop new projects/programs that complement our existing programs.
If you're interested in becoming a member of one of these “issues” teams, speak with your program leader or Lisa Townson about your interest.
These highest priority significant issues will become the basis for re-framing existing programs (including the expansion of some,), strategically seeking external funding resources, and developing new programs in 2010 and beyond. These issue statements will remain as drafts through formation of teams and as they begin framing Extension’s responses.
Highest Priority Significant Issues
High Stress on Community Members, Community Services and Civil Life (Sustainable Communities)
Excessive Reliance on Unsustainable Fuel Systems (Energy)
Increasing Rates of Financial Instability Among Families, Individuals and Seniors
Increasing Rates of Obesity and Rising Health Care Costs
Lack of Support and Infrastructure for Small Businesses
John Aber is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at UNH, pending approval by the Executive Committee of the USNH Board of Trustees.
Aber, a renowned research scientist and professor of natural resources, was one of three finalists for the position. Earlier this spring, he was named a University Professor, UNH's highest form of recognition for excellence in teaching, scholarship and engagement.
UNH President Mark W. Huddleston, in naming Aber to the position, said, "John Aber embodies the best of UNH: excellence in teaching, research and service. He has contributed enormously to the worlds of higher education and science, not only at UNH, but around the country and around the globe."
In 2003, Aber was ranked 11th in the world in the field of ecology/environmental science by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), an organization that measures how frequently a scientist's work is cited by other researchers. His appointment, pending approval by the Executive Committee of the USNH Board of Trustees, is expected to begin with the start of the fall semester.
UNH Cooperative Extension recently received the following grants:
Extension Educator Seth Wilner, $5,828 from the University of Vermont for “Tracking Labor for Time and Enterprise Budgeting,” a project to evaluate the feasibility of using an electronic hand-held tool to track labor and equipment on three diversified vegetable farms.
Extension Specialist Jeff Schloss, $29,949 from the U.S. Dept. of Geological Survey, for the project, “Boron Septic Source Trace,” to study septic traces as part of the New Hampshire Lakes Lay Monitoring Program.
Extension Specialist Matt Tarr, $30,000 from the NH Fish and Game Dept., for the “Extension Wildlife Technical Training and Information” project. He also received $69,817 from NH Fish and Game for NH Coverts.
Extension Specialist Paula Gregory, $50,000 from the National 4-H Council for the “Wal-Mart Foundation Healthy Living 4-H Youth Grant: Youth Voice: Youth Choice” project.
Extension Specialist Stan Swier, $9,556 from Syngenta Crop Protection, for the “Evaluation of Grub Insecticide.”
Extension Specialist Mark Wiley, $14,150 from the NH Dept. of Environmental Services for the Great Bay Coast Watch water quality monitoring efforts.
Extension Specialist Suzann Knight, $1,860 from the National Endowment for Financial Education, for the High School Financial Planning Program.
Extension Specialist Becky Grube, $9,981 from the University of Vermont, for the “Winter Sprouting Broccoli” project.
Extension Specialist Charlotte Cross, $21,500 from Kansas State University, for the 2009 Operation Military Kids Camp.
Our Cheers for Peers winners, chosen at random from all names accumulated in the April, May and June quarter, are Shirley Clark and Siobhan Craig. Congratulations also go to Ken La Valley and Julie Sabol for being randomly selected from the list of those who sent a Cheers for Peers card to a colleague. Contact Holly Young for your reward.
Mike Toepfer was recognized this week as a recipient of the 2008 Recognition Committee's Innovative Delivery Method award.
Mike was selected for his work on creating an online database system used to record, track and three-dimensionally observe marine debris. This online system is the first of its kind in the nation and will provide opportunities for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers to provide additional curriculum to their students when teaching marine science. (Mike is shown receiving his plaque from Recognition Committee Chair Ken LaValley, left.)
In addition to inputting and tracking beach clean-up data and ocean-sourced marine debris, Mike worked with our GIS specialist to implement a dedicated GIS server for UNH Cooperative Extension. Congratulations, Mike!
UNH Cooperative Extension is the recipient of a $50,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation to launch Youth Voice: Youth Choice, a program created by the National 4-H Council to encourage young people to develop and maintain healthy, active lifestyles. The program tackles wellness issues such as nutrition, physical fitness and safety.
According to the grant’s recipient, 4-H Youth Development Extension Specialist Paula Gregory, "Youth Voice: Youth Choice participants in New Hampshire will work in tandem with Land Grant university experts and 4-H volunteers to mobilize young people and get them excited about living healthy lifestyles.”
The NH 4-H Youth Voice: Youth Choice program will reach 1,000 youth through 4-H Healthy Living projects. Existing 4-H forums, teen clubs, and projects will emphasize nutrition, physical activity and wellness. Participants will be “challenged” to maintain learned wellness practices through personal action plans, and act locally by identifying community resources, joining local wellness projects, raising public awareness and leading by example.
UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist Trent Schriefer participated in the “Generation: Ag Summit” in St. Louis where more than 150 of the nation’s leaders in the field of agriculture gathered last month in St. Louis to discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in developing America’s future agricultural industry workforce.
The Generation: Ag Summit, hosted jointly by National 4-H Council, DuPont and Monsanto, brought together top minds in agribusiness and higher education to accelerate partnerships and pose solutions to drive young people to pursue college degrees and professional opportunities in the agricultural sciences.
In response to the nation’s ag workforce development dilemma, 4-H is crafting a new customizable, online learning system called Project Pathways. Created to spark early youth interest in the ag sciences, Project Pathways features a wide variety of hands-on topics and activities from genetic engineering, agro-robotics and sustainable agriculture to product marketing, plant science, animal science and ag communications.
An exciting new part of 4-H’s existing research-based, Ag Science programming, Project Pathways, was developed by the scientists and educators within America’s unique land-grant university system.