Extension Update: Administrative Reporting Archives

The new UNH President, Mark Huddleston, has been busy learning about UNH Cooperative Extension, and he already has plans to join us for two important events in September and October. While in Coos County on July 24, he visited the Extension staff in Lancaster and was very impressed with our extensive outreach efforts.

On August 2, the Leadership Team briefed President Huddleston on Cooperative Extension's programmatic, financial and strategic planning efforts that are currently underway. Following the briefing in Taylor Hall, President Huddleston noted, "UNH Cooperative Extension does some really great work for UNH and the people of New Hampshire. I look forward to helping to get that word out."

President Huddleston will be a guest of honor at a September 26th dinner hosted by our State Advisory Council, along with USNH Board of Trustees Chair Andy Lietz. He also will participate in our next combined Belknap-Carroll County Conversation October 26, tentatively scheduled at a location on Squam Lake featuring our Lakes Lay Monitoring Program (LLMP). The LLMP has grown into an internationally recognized volunteering effort, with 500 volunteers monitoring the water quality at hundreds of lakes and tributaries. Squam Lake volunteers are one of the program's longest participants and in 2008, will celebrate 30 years as a participant.

Lastly, President Huddleston looks forward to not only continuing the tradition of "County Conversations" but also seeing all our staff at our next conference on May 19, 2008.

The 2006 UNH Cooperative Extension annual report has been submitted to our federal partners at CSREES and is available to print and review on our web site. The annual report contains executive summaries and outcome data about our educational programs, organized around five federal goals:

Goal 1 - An agricultural system that is highly competitive in the global economy
Goal 2 - A safe and secure food and fiber system
Goal 3 - A healthy, well-nourished population
Goal 4 - Greater harmony between agriculture and the environment
Goal 5 - Enhance economic opportunity and quality of life for Americans

Thanks to all staff who collected data and submitted key theme reports that became part of this document and to Lisa Townson for the work she does in coordinating the process. The impacts you make and communicate on the state's youth, families, communities, businesses and environment are important contributions to the outreach mission of UNH and the national Extension system.

UNH Cooperative Extension's Fiscal Year 2004 Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results to CSREES was accepted with no required improvements for next year. The review team of National Program Leaders made the following commendations and suggested recommendations for next year's report:
1) the report is nicely formatted,
2) there are excellent examples across the USDA goals for a nicely balanced portfolio,
3) the use of the logic model strengthens outcome and impact statements,
4) the ability to continue to conduct a broad array of quality programs given the number of staff who have retired or separated and the number of positions that have remained vacant for long periods of time,
5) the need to continue strengthening impact statements by including methods used to support conclusions,
6) the need to be more clear to what extent under-served and under-represented audiences and youth are intentionally sought for input in program planning,
7) there is a wide range of long-term and collaborative multi-state efforts but more data is needed on the impact of these efforts,
8) there are some targeted and successful approaches to reaching under-served and under-represented audiences but more are needed in agriculture and natural resources programs,
9) good progress was made over the past two years in formulating logic models to frame program areas and articulate expected outcomes that strengthens outcome and impact statements,
10) include a more descriptive overview of research/Extension projects on how faculty and staff contribute to Extension outreach programs and how Extension programs specifically inform the research agenda and
11) include more background information and statistical data on New Hampshire issues as compared to the national picture.

Thanks to everyone for your outstanding programming and reporting efforts that made this report successful. A special thank you to staff who reported on the key themes that helped shape this report.

Amazingly, the time has come to begin work on our 2007 to 2011 program plan of work. Nancy Franz has put together an initial draft of the plan, based on current program area and work team logic models.

Program Leaders and interdisciplinary team chairs have the draft plan and will work with staff to update it by August 1. Then, from August 1 through January 1, Nancy will share this updated plan with county staff and advisory councils. She will bring the feedback from these sessions to program area and interdisciplinary team meetings in January and February and change the plan accordingly.

During the month of March, she will meet with Program Leaders and interdisciplinary team chairs to cross walk the plan with CSREES problem areas for final submission to CSREES on April 1, 2006. This plan will be available on line so staff can develop program plans for the next plan of work cycle between April 1 and September 30, 2006. You'll hear more about this new electronic system over the next year. Feel free to contact Nancy if you have questions or suggestions for this process.

I want to thank all of you for your hard work and strong impact programming. We recently received a letter from the CSREES Director of Planning and Accountability stating, “The FY 2003 annual report contains excellent examples of impacts. Many of the impacts reported are as a result of collaborations with other agencies and organizations through the involvement of multi-state and joint efforts. UNH CE has a large portfolio of educational programs and external grants support many of their efforts as they seek to demonstrate impact.”

I am especially grateful to all of you who recently shared one page impact reports with the Leadership Team. Even though no merit increases are available to tie to these reports and other performance criteria, we will use your impact reports to prepare the biennial budget request for UNHCE. These reports also provide very valuable baseline data for measuring impact in our Plan of Work and Strategic Plans over the coming years. I also hope you will find these reports helpful in informing our stakeholders about our outstanding work and encourage you to share them with advisory councils. Thanks again for your hard work in helping us achieve our mission.

To handle all updates to our website, an on-line form is now used to request web updates, deletions, and the addition of new content. The form is located at: http://cecf1.unh.edu/webupdate/index.cfm?fuseaction=webupdate.home .

To log in, use the username sent to you in October (e.g., sjudd) and the password you received, or the one you changed it to. If you're not sure of your password, you may have it emailed to you from the login form.

All requests for changes to the website must be made using this form. Please do not email or call in your requests, as this new system enables us to track changes and distribute workload when necessary. Any content for the front page of the website needs to be approved by Nancy Franz, Peg Boyles, or Holly Young. Anytime you login, you’ll be able to see the status of your requests

I currently serve on a campus committee charged by President Hart to develop a strategic plan for the future of the University's Division of Continuing Education (DCE), in line with the University Academic Strategic Plan. For those unfamiliar with DCE, click on these two web pages: http://www.learn.unh.edu/ and http://www.undergradcat.unh.edu/webdce.html.

Discussion has taken place regarding how DCE and Cooperative Extension should and could work together. To answer this question, I need help from each of you with the following questions:
Have you ever done anything in your CE role with DCE? If so, please identify.
How could DCE add value to or help in CE programming efforts?
How do you think CE and DCE should and could work together?
I need the information quickly so I’d appreciate it if you’d please send me your responses ASAP and by next Thursday (1/29) utilizing this link: http://cecf1.unh.edu/formbuilder/intforms/form27_ceanddce.htm

To help expedite publication orders please observe the following procedures:
Combine as many orders as possible into one order and email it to the Publications Center (check with office coworkers to see if they're placing orders, too) – this results in more efficient processing and mailing for each county.

When possible, place your orders well in advance of program events - a month's notice is ideal

When questions arise about an order, call Holly Young directly for assistance
With less help at the Publication Center due to budgetary constraints, following these procedures results in more efficient processing of orders. The Publication Center lacks a work study student until the week of January 19, so please direct your queries until that time to Holly. Your patience and support is appreciated. Holly, Jim Grady and Nancy Franz are exploring ways to make the Publication Center more efficient and cost effective. They welcome your comments and suggestions about our publications and the Publications Center.

My thanks to all who participated in the plan of work process to date. The county gap analysis sessions, online survey and data interpretation parties set the stage for the next steps in the process. This month, specialists meet to discuss the data and offer some conclusions and recommendations, a staff capacity inventory takes place, and the last data party will set the stage for the January state plan of work caucus. Program Leaders are currently identifying caucus participants. In January and February, program areas, work/issue teams, county and individual staff will shape plan of work initiatives using logic models in preparation for submission of the federal plan of work. Please contact Nancy Franz with any questions on this process.

The deadline for providing peer performance feedback continues until the end of November. The extension stems from confusion over which form to use for this program year. To provide peer feedback, click on the performance management form link: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/admin/Secure/persinfo.htm#GS_Fou

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

UNH Cooperative Extension's FY02 Annual Report, including Key Theme impact reports, was submitted last week as required to CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service). The document (66 pages) is posted in the protected area of our web page and can be accessed at: http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/Common/Documents/FY02Report.pdf

Ellen Snyder, Extension Faculty and Specialist, Biodiveristy, is serving on a national strategic planning team for RREA – Renewable Resources Extension Act. RREA was passed by Congress in 1978 for "an expanded and comprehensive extension program for forest and rangeland renewable resources." The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) distributes approximately $3 million in federal funds to its university partners to conduct RREA extension education programs. The UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program receives about $49,000 annually. The Planning Team is convening a 2 ½ day workshop March 18-20 in Denver to gather input from all state partners on vision, mission, priority regional and national issues, increased funding, and marketing strategies for RREA.

I'm providing this update to follow-up a discussion of multi-state programming during the Campus Staff Meeting on Monday:

Congress passed AREERA (Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act) in 1998 requiring Extension in all states to invest 25% of federal formula funding in Multi-State Activities. All staff, and particularly specialists, are strongly encouraged to work with Extension colleagues in one or more other states to co-plan and conduct programs that address regional needs. Two mechanisms are in place to help facilitate and fund regional work.

First, grants are offered by the New England Extension Consortium to promote regional work. Planning Grants up to $1500 and Implementation Grants up to $10,000 to address emerging regional issues are offered annually. Although the Request for Proposals for 2003 grants has not yet been released, the expected due date is March 17. Proposals are most competitive when most or all New England states are involved in the initiative. Information about 2003 grants will be provided in the Biweekly Update as soon as available.

The second opportunity is formation of a Northeast Research & Extension Collaborative (NEREC). Such initiatives combine resources, expertise and delivery systems across the Northeast to address regional issues and needs, and serve the public good. Procedures are posted on our website under Policies & Procedures: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/admin/nonsecure/NERECP02.pdf

If you are involved in any Multi-State or National efforts, please consistently report this work on TERS under LOCATIONS. Reporting this work is essential because we are subject to periodic audits of our Multi-State funds and TERS is our best method for documenting this work. When submitting travel expenses for Multi-State work, please note this on your reimbursement form under Business Purpose (applies mostly to campus staff whose travel is paid with state/federal funds). Thanks for your conscientious reporting of Multi-State activities. Please contact your Program Leader if you any questions.

Congress passed AREERA (Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act) in 1998 which required Extension to invest a portion of its federal formula funding in Multi-State Activities. If you are involved in any Multi-State or National efforts, please be sure to report this on TERS under LOCATIONS. Reporting this work is essential because we are subject to periodic audits of our Multi-State funds and TERS is our best method for documenting this work. When submitting travel expenses for Multi-State work, please note this on your reimbursement form under Business Purpose (applies mostly to campus staff whose travel is paid with state/federal funds). We encourage staff to seek opportunities for Multi-State work and request that you report all efforts as described above. Thanks for your conscientious reporting of Multi-State activities. Please contact your Program Leader if you any questions.

A "Writing Effective Impact Statements" in-service is planned for Tuesday, November 26 (note date change - from November 21) on campus. This in-service is specifically designed for staff writing Key Theme reports. A similar workshop with a slightly broader focus has been scheduled for April 16, 2003. The agenda topics are planned to increase skills in writing effective impact statements:

* Format and requirements of a Key Theme report;
* Understanding the difference between outputs and outcomes;
* Exploring how impact reports are used;
* How to write effectively for a variety of audiences; and
* Making the most out of limited data.

Participants will be asked to bring draft impact reports or raw data and workshop time will be devoted to strengthening reports in progress. If you are interested and haven't already signed up, please call or email Lisa Townson.

A reminder that impact data and reports are due to POW Key Theme Lead Staff by November 15 (see 8/22/02 request from Program Leaders). State Key Theme reports are due to Program Leaders on December 20. A list of Key Theme reports to be submitted for FY02 is available at: http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/FY02KeyT.PDF.

Contact your Program Leader if you have questions. State Key Theme reports will be combined with other required reporting information due to CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service) each winter. Reporting the scope and impact of our work in New Hampshire is required to secure USDA annual appropriations.

About 3 years ago the Leadership Team embarked on a project to build a portfolio of program evaluations including a diversity of programs and evaluation techniques. The goal is to collect 10 comprehensive program evaluations (2 per program area) per year for 5 years. After the written evaluation is submitted to the Program Leader, the staff member is usually invited to present the results to the Leadership Team.

Brian Doyle is coordinating this project and has master copies of completed evaluations for all program areas. If you are interested in reviewing or borrowing one of the completed evaluations, please contact Brian at 749-1565 or brian.doyle@unh.edu. Another 5-8 completed evaluations are expected soon. Evaluations on file to date are:
GIS Training for Local Decision-Makers - Jeff Schloss and Nancy Lambert
Community Conservation Assistance Program - Frank Mitchell
NH Professional Logger Program - Sarah Smith
Master Gardener - Margaret Hagen, Peg Boyles, Amanda Stone
State Strengthening Project - Paula Gregory
Great Beginnings - Val Long
Family, Home & Garden Education Center Review - Karen Bennett, et al
Community Profiles in 4 NH Towns - Michele Gagne

Program Leaders have approved the following timeline for FY02 reporting:

Due September 20 - ES237

• Youth served with a minimum of 5 hours of education by all program areas

Due November 1

• FY02 individual accomplishment reports
• Update of individual POW for FY03
• Professional Development FY02 report and FY03 plan
• Self, peer, and COA performance evaluations

Due November 15

• Program impact data and/or key theme reports due to key theme lead staff

Due. December 20

• State impact reports (reported by key theme) due to Program Leader from lead staff

A reminder to report all multi-state work on TERS. This documentation is necessary to verify compliance with the 1998 Agricultural Research, Extension & Education Reform Act (AREERA)

New Hampshire's FY01 Annual Report has been submitted to CSREES. Thanks to everyone who made special effort this year to collect impact data and contribute to this comprehensive report. It is posted on the web page at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/Common/Documents/FY02AR.pdf

Congress passed AREERA (Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act) in 1998 which required Extension to invest a portion of its federal formula funding in Multi-State Activities. If you are involved in any Multi-State or National efforts, please be sure to report this on TERS under LOCATIONS. Reporting this work is essential because we are subject to periodic audits of our Multi-State funds and TERS is our best method for documenting this work. When submitting travel expenses for Multi-State work, please note this on your reimbursement form under Business Purpose (applies mostly to campus staff whose travel is paid with state/federal funds). We encourage staff to seek opportunities for Multi-State work and request you report all efforts as described above. Thanks for your conscientious reporting of Multi-State activities. Please contact your Program Leader if you have any questions.

By now all staff should have received a printed copy of the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan. In addition, it has been distributed to UNH administration (i.e., Presidents Staff, Provost & Deans Council, Central Budget Committee, Department Chairs, et. al), USNH Board of Trustees, county advisory council members, and other key partners and organizations. Implementation of this plan is my highest priority for the coming years as we will be held fully accountable by UNH Administration for achieving the goals outlined in the plan. To eliminate any confusion, the Strategic Plan is an operational plan. The 2000-2004 Plan of Work is our program plan and remains in effect until Sept. 30, 2004. We will begin another plan of work development cycle later next year. To further help distinguish between these two plans, here's the explanation we provided last year:

Strategic Plan - Applies to Cooperative Extension as an organization. The plan addresses our structure, focus, financing, position and future as a UNH outreach unit.

Plan of Work - Applies to Extension's educational programs. Developed based on the needs of NH people, the plan of work describes in detail the programs to be conducted to achieve defined educational goals.

The Strategic Plan has been finalized and printed for wide distribution. Copies are being distributed to UNH administration, USNH Board of Trustees, Extension staff, advisory council members, and other key partners and organizations. Another thanks to the Strategic Planning Committee for their leadership and painstaking effort in creating this excellent plan that will direct our organization in the coming years.

I encourage you to review the draft report, The Cooperative Extension System: A Vision for the 21st Century at: http://www.adec.edu:8080/ces21/. This draft was created by a national committee commissioned by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) to conduct an assessment of what Cooperative Extension needs to do to insure its relevance and effectiveness into the 21st century. The committee is seeking reactions before producing their final report in February. The report will be removed from this web site on December 21. By that date, I would appreciate it if you would please review and forward to me any comments or suggestions.

The Strategic Plan strategy addressing restructuring the Leadership Team (Issue 4, Goal 1, Strategy D) has been revised and now reads: "Reorganize Extension Administration to include regional administrators, or other administrative structure, to achieve multi-disciplinary and regional programming, expanded stakeholder involvement, increased external relations, and enhanced communications".

I am seeking volunteers to serve on a committee to study our current needs and recommend by April 30 an administrative structure that addresses these needs and positions us to accomplish the above functions cited in the Strategic Plan. Please contact me by Dec.10 if you are interested in serving on this committee.

The Strategic Plan was reviewed with staff during the three recent Regional Meetings and endorsed last month by the State Advisory Council. Before the document is finalized and printed in final form, I'm offering one last opportunity to comment on the plan. Please do so by Nov. 16 using this template http://coopext1.unh.edu/ques/ques_home.cfm

During development of the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan this past year, two support documents were also updated. The CIT Team lead by Jeff Schloss revised the Communications & Technology Strategic Plan. The Strategic Marketing Plan was also updated by the Marketing Team, chaired by J-J Newman. Both documents are posted in the protected area of the web page under the Strategic Plan:

Communications & Technology Plan: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/admin/Secure/CITSP01.pdf
Marketing Plan: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/admin/Secure/MRSP01.pdf

The final draft of the Strategic Plan and implementation budget will be available early next week for your review prior to Regional Meetings. The link will be forwarded as soon as the document is posted on our web page.

Two other documents I'm asking you to review in preparation for Regional meetings are

* Strategic Plan Process and Chronology: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/Common/Documents/SPPC01.pdf

* UNH Strategic Plan (particularly note the ENGAGEMENT section): (http://www.unh.edu/academic-affairs/apsc/strategic-plan.html)

FY01 annual reports for the year ending Sept. 30, 2001 are due as follows:

November 1 - County Plan of Work Impact Reports (reported by Key Themes)
December 20 - State Impact Reports (reported by Key Themes)

We have implemented a new and easier procedure for reporting our Plan of Work accomplishments against USDA Key Themes. Reports must be concise (not to exceed 1-page, shorter reports are preferred). For each Key Theme in which you have worked, you will report only:

1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
2. SHORT IMPACT STATEMENT (identified as Economic, Environmental, Social or Other)

Impacts reported should be in response to the Outcome Indicators in the POW. Key Theme lead staff have been asked to inform staff working in their Key Theme area what information should be reported to ensure data can be combined to produce accurate state accomplishment reports and impact statements. A list of Key Themes and state lead staff appeared in the June 22 Biweekly Update: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/common/documents/biw62201.htm#AN_Rep

Reporting Instructions:

1. Enter TERS
2. Select #5 "Key Theme Entry Page"
3. Using the drop down window, select the key theme you are reporting against.
4. Using the drop down window, select the location(s) your efforts had impact.
5. Complete the description of situation and appropriate impact sections. BE CONCISE.
6. Submit your report by clicking on the [submit] button.
7. The server will provide you with a summary of the information you just entered. If you want to edit the information click on the [edit theme] button. If the information is OK click on the [submit theme] button.

Writing Tips:
Impact reports should focus on quantified outcomes/impacts in terms of knowledge gained, practice changed, attitude change, dollars saved, etc. Focus reports on outcomes, results and change. Listings of activities and numbers of people reached should not be reported as impact.

The 2001 Science and Education Fact Sheets prepared by CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service) were released recently. There are 22 individual fact sheets highlighting research, education and extension projects and programs throughout the USDA/Land Grant partnership. These fact sheets are distributed to Congress and through a national marketing plan. This year there are four New Hampshire examples included. I suggest you review the fact sheets and bear in mind this is the type of impact data of most value in accounting for the federal investment in our work. Fact sheets are located on the web at: http://www.reeusda.gov/success/impact.htm

A new and easier reporting system will soon be ready for submitting FY01 impacts (year ending Sept. 30, 2001). We will report our Plan of Work accomplishments against USDA Key Themes. Reporting will be basic and brief. For each Key Theme in which you have worked, you will report only:

1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
2. SHORT IMPACT STATEMENT (identified as Economic, Environmental, Social or Other)

Impacts reported should be in response to the Outcome Indicators in the POW. The Key Theme lead staff have been asked to inform staff working in their Key Theme area what information should be reported to ensure data can be combined to produce accurate state accomplishment reports and impact statements. A list of Key Themes and state lead staff appeared in the June 22 Biweekly Update: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/common/documents/biw62201.htm#AN_Rep

While we expect the new reporting system described above to be easier and provide more useful data, it reports only impacts. It is not intended to report total audience and it will be necessary for all program staff to continue to document and file annual audience numbers in each program area by race and gender. This information must be provided when periodic on-site USDA civil rights audits are conducted. While TERS reports daily audience contacts, the same individuals are often reported several times per year. Your annual audience counts should not include duplicates. Contact your Program Leader or Ed McAllister if you have questions.

=============================================

* October 19
o Individual Accomplishment Reports
o Professional Development FY01 Report and FY02 Plan
o Self, Peer, and COA performance evaluations

* November 1
o County Plan of Work Impact Reports (reported by Key Themes)

* December 20
o State Impact Reports (reported by Key Themes)

A separate memo providing instructions and more detail will be sent to all staff on September 4.

All staff are urged to review the current draft of the UNH Cooperative Extension Strategic Plan for 2001-2006 at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/admin/nonsecure/SPAug1.pdf.
Please provide comments and feedback to any member of the Strategic Planning Committee by Aug. 31. Members are: Judy Bush, Nancy Berry, Steve Judd, Stefan Seiter, Sue Buteau, Brian Doyle, Tim Fleury, Jeff Schloss and Ed McAllister. The Strategic Plan will be finalized and presented during the Oct. 19 State Council meeting and at subsequent regional staff meetings.

Cooperative Extension is among 20 units of the University identified to develop Strategic Plans intended to identify goals and strategies aligned with other units and the UNH Strategic Plan. The effort was initiated due to the transition to RCM (Responsibility Center Management) which decentralizes the University giving units more responsibility and flexibility. RCM is based on current and future performance and increases each unit's responsibility for fiscal management, revenue and expenditures. The plans are intended as management tools to help manage more effectively in an increasingly complex environment.

The UNH Strategic Plan was recently approved by President Leitzel and can be accessed at: http://www.unh.edu/academic-affairs/apsc/strategic-plan.html John Pike is a member of the Academic Planning Steering Committee charged to develop the UNH Strategic Plan. It addresses four University themes:

1. Quality, Integration and Collaboration
2. Engagement
3. Community and Diversity
4. Resourceful, Effectiveness and Efficiency

A reminder that we will complete Year 2 of our 5-year Plan of Work on September 30. A new and easier reporting system will be introduced this fall to report Fiscal Year 2001 (FY01) accomplishments. The format matches new CSREES requirements and involves reporting accomplishments by USDA Key Themes. For each Key Theme in which you've worked we will ask you to provide only:

1. Brief Description of Program
2. Short Impact/Accomplishment Statement

Program Leaders have selected the Key Themes we will report for NH and Lead Staff are identified. Lead staff have been asked to inform other staff working in their Key Theme exactly what information to report to ensure they'll be able to aggregate like data and produce accurate state reports. Key themes selected for NH were listed in the June 22 Biweekly Update but can be reviewed at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/admin/Secure/biw62201.htm#AN_Rep

We will complete Year 2 of our 5-year Plan of Work on September 30. A new and easier reporting system will be introduced this fall to report Fiscal Year 2001 (FY01) accomplishments. The format matches new CSREES requirements and involves reporting accomplishments by USDA Key Themes. For each Key Theme in which you've worked we will ask you to provide only:

1. Brief Description of Program
2. Short Impact/Accomplishment Statement

Program Leaders have selected the Key Themes we will report for NH and the list follows with the Lead Staff identified. Lead staff have been asked to inform staff working in their Key Theme exactly what information to report to ensure they'll be able to aggregate like data and produce accurate state reports. Key themes for NH are:

Goal 1 - An agricultural system that is highly competitive in the global economy

1. Adding Value to New and Old Agricultural Products - Mike Sciabarrasi
2. Agricultural Profitability - Seth Wilner
3. Animal Health - Pete Erickson
4. Animal Production Efficiency - Pete Erickson
5. Aquaculture - J-J Newman
6. Diversified/Alternative Agriculture - John Porter
7. GIS/GPS - Nancy Lambert
8. Home Lawn and Gardening - Margaret Hagen
9. Niche Market - David Seavey
10. Pasture Management - Bruce Clement
11. Risk Management - Mike Sciabarrasi

Goal 2 - A safe and secure food and fiber system

1. Food Accessibility and Affordability - Val Long
2. Food Handling - Catherine Violette
3. Food Safety - Catherine Violette
4. Food Security - Val Long
5. Foodborne Pathogen Protection - Catherine Violette

Goal 3 - A healthy, well-nourished population

1. Birth Weight - Val Long
2. Human Health - Val Long/Colette Janson-Sand
3. Human Nutrition - Val Long/Colette Janson-Sand

Goal 4 - Greater harmony between agriculture and the environment

1. Agricultural Waste Management - John Porter
2. Biodiversity - Ellen Snyder
3. Forest Resource Management - Karen Bennett
4. Global Change and Climate Change - Sharon Meeker
5. Intergrated Pest Management - Alan Eaton
6. Land Use - Frank Mitchell
7. Nutrient Management - Tom Buob
8. Pesticide Application - Stan Swier
9. Water Quality - Julia Peterson
10. Wildlife Management - Darrel Covell

Goal 5 - Enhance economic opportunity and quality of life for Americans

1. Agricultural Financial Management - Mike Sciabarrasi
2. Child Care/Dependent Care - Mary Temke
3. Children, Youth and Families at Risk/4-H Camps - Ann Dolloff
4. Children, Youth and Families at Risk/Teen Assessment Program - Charlotte Cross
5. Children, Youth and Families at Risk/State Strengthening - Paula Gregory
6. Communication Skills - Lisa Townson Community Development - Charlie French
7. Family Resource Management- Suzann Knight
8. Farm Safety - Sarah Smith
9. Leadership Training and Development/Strengthening NH Communities - Judy Bush
10. Leadership Training and Development/4-H Camps - Ann Dolloff
11. Leadership Training and Development/4-H Volunteers - Wendy Brock
12. Parenting - Mary Temke
13. Parenting/Teen Assessment Program - Charlotte Cross
14. Workforce Preparation/4-H Camps - Ann Dolloff
15. Workforce Preparation/Mini Society - Paula Gregory
16. Workforce Preparation/Adults - Suzann Knight
17. Youth Develoment/4-H/Club Delivery - Wendy Brock
18. Youth Develoment/4-H/Life Skills - Lisa Townson
19. Youth Development/4-H/Animal Science Events/Activities - Lisa Townson
20. Youth Development/4-H/Water & Marine Education - Sharon Meeker

While we expect the new reporting system described above to be easier and provide more useful data, it reports only impacts. It is not intended to report total audience and it will be necessary for all program staff to continue to document and file annual audience numbers in each program area by race and gender. This information must be provided when periodic on-site USDA civil rights audits are conducted. While TERS reports daily audience contacts, the same individuals are often reported several times per year. Your annual audience counts should not include duplicates. Contact your Program Leader or Ed McAllister if you have questions.

At Bob Edmonds' request, the following modifiers have been added to the TERS system:
4204 USFS Fire Tower Project
4205 USFS Women in Woods Project
4206 USFS Log Scaling Project

Congress passed AREERA (Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act) in 1998 which required Extension to invest a portion of its federal formula funding in Multi-State Activities. If you are involved in any Multi-State or National efforts, please be sure to report this on TERS under LOCATIONS. Reporting this work is essential because we are subject to periodic audits of our Multi-State funds and TERS is our best method for documenting this work. When submitting travel expenses for Multi-State work, please note this on your reimbursement form under Business Purpose (applies mostly to campus staff whose travel is paid with state/federal funds). We encourage staff to seek opportunities for Multi-State work and request that you report all efforts as described above. Thanks for your conscientious reporting of Multi-State activities. Please contact your Program Leader if you any questions.

Twenty-six new impact statements are now up on our web site. Each statement describes program impacts achieved this past year. They feature a new look coordinated with our updated introductory brochure. The first sets of these impact statements were distributed yesterday to USNH trustees. County offices wishing to order the preprints for use with these impact statements should contact Joan Christman. As we did last year, each county will receive a CD of the impact statements, both with and without the graphics. Call Holly Young if you have any questions.

Although the new TERS Codes and instructions have been on-line for awhile, several staff have requested a printable copy. Attached to this update is a (MSWord) copy of the TERS Codes/Manual for 2000-2001.

All staff received the 2nd draft of the 2001-2005 Strategic Plan on January 11 as an email attachment. It was also reviewed yesterday during the State Advisory Council meeting. Please review the draft and forward comments to any member of the committee before their next meeting on January 25.

New program impact statements for 2000 should be available by February, both on the web and in hard copy. Program Leaders are finalizing information collection today which documents our economic, environmental and societal impacts. Impact statements will be distributed to faculty, legislators, public officials, partnering organizations and all County Advisory Council members.

The first draft of the Strategic Plan was sent with the Dec. 1 Biweekly Update. Please provide your comments and suggestions to any member of the Strategic Planning committee before its next meeting on Dec. 20. Members are Judy Bush, Stefan Seiter, Jeff Schloss, Nancy Berry, Brian Doyle, Sue Buteau, Tim Fleury, Steve Judd and Ed McAllister