Extension Update: General Archives

UNH Cooperative Extension, along with a diverse team of partners from the Governor’s Office of Economic Stimulus, UNH President’s Office, UNH Vice President’s Office for Outreach and Engagement, UNH Audio/Visual Services, N.H. Public Television, Granite State Distance Learning Network and several others, delivered a three-hour program on New Hampshire’s response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on April 7 to over 800 representatives of business, education, non-profits and municipalities located throughout the state.

The program focused on resources available to New Hampshire through federal dollars from ARRA, how to apply, and reporting requirements. In addition, it highlighted the many educational resources including web-based videos that UNH is producing for distribution through the state’s Recovery website.

David Foote, Communications and Information Technology director for UNH Cooperative Extension, coordinated the event’s "Tech Team," making sure all the technology worked as planned, including the technology in the MUB's Strafford Room, the technology that made the broadcast to remote sites possible, and the technology used to stream the program to the web from NHPTV.

Charlie French, Community and Economic Development Extension specialist, coordinated the remote site facilitators and developed and processed the event’s evaluation forms. Cooperative Extension facilitators included Debora Cheever and Nancy Evans (Concord), Dan Reidy, Sharon Cowen and Holly McKinney (Manchester), Seth Wilner and Steven Roberge (Keene), Sue Buteau and Larry Barker (Gorham), Ann Hamilton and Tina Savage (Conway), Deborah Maes (Littleton), and Michele Gagne (Rye). Remote site facilitators reported very positive reactions from participants and a quick scan of evaluations indicated participants felt the conference information was very useful.

Orville “Bud” Fitch, Deputy Attorney General and Office of Economic Stimulus director, said in a letter to President Huddleston, "On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, myself, and the team here at the Office of Economic Stimulus, I commend the University of New Hampshire and the excellent team you fielded that made this statewide informational event not only possible, but a complete success! This kind of collaborative effort reflects the ideal for state government and our university working together to do public good. The University's willingness to make this contribution and the talent, commitment and the attitude of your team is part of what makes New Hampshire a special place in which to live and work!"

For more than four years, Paul Bonaparte-Krogh has served in the role of Assistant Director for County Operations. This position was newly created following the recommendations submitted to me in May, 2002, by the Committee to Review the UNH Cooperative Extension Structure (CRAS).

Key components of the position have been to manage and coordinate county and field operations, supervise County Office Administrators (COA), support County Advisory Councils and provide leadership for external relations. Effective December 3, 2007, I will be reassigning some of the responsibilities associated with the position currently held by Paul to the Associate Director and will be adding new responsibilities, including volunteer management, to Paul's position.

As a result of these revised responsibilities, I will be dropping the designation of "County Operations" and referring to the position as Assistant Director. The responsibilities associated with the supervision of County Office Administrators will transition to the Associate Director on December 3. UNH Cooperative Extension currently has more than 4,000 volunteers. A new component to the revised responsibilities of the Assistant Director position will include an emphasis on volunteer management.

Our five year (2007-2012) Strategic Plan acknowledges that volunteers extend the reach of UNH Cooperative Extension, multiplying the educational effect and increasing visibility of the organization. Three related strategic plan implementation action steps include: 1) recruit high-quality volunteers and retain them by offering continuing education and recognition; 2) provide better access to facilities, equipment and other resources for volunteers to carry out their duties; and 3) determine how volunteer management can be made more effective to achieve the desired outcomes.

An additional strategic action step is to effectively utilize each County Advisory Council to communicate UNH Cooperative Extension program impacts to legislators, key decision-makers and the media. The Assistant Director, in keeping with the volunteer management responsibilities and in conjunction with the Associate Director, will continue to serve as the administrative liaison with County Advisory Councils. Here is the revised description for the position of Assistant Director in PDF or Word.

For more than a year, Jim Grady has been in the role of Associate Director for Cooperative Extension, as well as the position of Assistant Director/Finance and Human Resources. I have approved the filling of the assistant director's position and named a search committee. Members of the committee are Geoffrey Njue, Julie Sabol, Matt Tarr, Charlene Baxter, Leigh Anne Melanson, Associate Provost for Academic Administration, and Jim Grady, chair.

The plan is to have Jim work directly with his replacement through a fiscal cycle as he continues to fulfill the responsibilities of Associate Director.

You can view the position announcement at UNH's on-line system.

Engaging UNH - Connecting Business with the University of New Hampshire is a new publication from the Office of the Vice President for Research at UNH.

The publication is already available online, and will be sent to New Hampshire businesses and others to help provide them with resources available at the unviersity.These resources and points of contact are identified throughout the document, including contact information for Cooperative Extension and specific Extension programs. Please take a moment to review this new document.

Cooperative Extension staff from throughout the state enjoyed a full day of workshops and activities May 16 at our annual conference at UNH's Memorial Union Building.

Highlights included the awarding of the sixth Maynard & Audrey Heckel Extension Educator Fellowship to Charlie French, an introduction of new staff and a great keynote address by Dr. Woodie Flowers, the Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachuetts Institute of Technology and a Distinguished Partner at Olin College, who talked about "Gracious Professionalism."

The 2007 "Friend of Extension" award was presented to Joe Stone, of Deerfield, a retired New Hampshire legislator who served on the Rockingham County Advisory Council, for his many years of support and commitment to Extension. He is shown in the photo to the left.

Also on hand was Steve Taylor, recognized for his support of Extension throughout his 25-year career as New Hampshire Commissioner of Agriculture.

Another highlight of the day was the presentation of several awards, including the Professional Courtesy Award to Janell George, Hillsborough County, and Nancy Oakley, Moiles House. Receiving the Diversity and Pluralism award were Thom Linehan and Sharon Cowen, Extension Educators, Family & Consumer Resources, and Awilda Muniz, Educational Program Coordinator, Nutrition Connections.

There were three recipients for the Program of Distinction award: Gail Kennedy, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources and Nancy Berry, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, David Leonard, Educational Program Coordinator, Food & Nutrition, and Amanda Stone, Community Conservation Assistance Coordinator. Four staff members received the Performance Beyond Expectations award: Alan Eaton, Extension Professor/Specialist, Entomology, Jim Grady, Associate Director, Steve Judd, Manager, Information Technology & Distance Education and Seth Wilner, Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources.

UNH Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Bruce Mallory offered remarks during the recognition program. Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for their excellent work in designing this educational and fun-filled event. Members are Charlene Baxter, Shane Bradt, Sue Cagle, David Foote, Becky Levesque, Sadie Puglisi, Gail Ramsey, Deb Russell, Sarah Smith, Barbara Wright and Holly Young.

UNH Cooperative Extension Professor/Specialist Suzann Enzian Knight received the Distinguished Service award from the National Endowment for Financial Education.

The award, which acknowledges those who work to advance financial education in their communities, was presented to her at the MoneySmarts conference in Concord May 9. The conference, sponsored by the NH Jump$tart Coalition, helps educators learn how to increase their own personal financial literacy skills to enhance the delivery of current programs and curriculum, in particular the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program.

"In presenting the NEFE Distinguished Service Award, we demonstrate our appreciation to those who share in our mission: helping all Americans become empowered to achieve their financial independence," said Ted Beck, president and CEO of the Colorado-based National Endowment for Financial Education. "Because of Suzann Enzian Knight's dedication, many people in New Hampshire have gained a renewed sense of hope and determination in managing their finances."

Congratulations, Suzann!

Please join me in congratulating the following staff for their years of service to UNH Cooperative Extension. They were formally recognized Friday during the UNH 2007 Staff Recognition Program, hosted by Interim President J. Bonnie Newman and the UNH Council Chairs.

This year, there were 192 Operating Staff, PAT and Extension Educator staff recognized for their years of service and outstanding contributions to the University. Their combined years of service equal 3,640 years.

Recognized for 10 years of service:
Tim Fleury, Extension Educator, Forest Resources
Mary Tebo, Extension Educator, Community Forestry
Steve Judd, Manager, Information Technology & Distance Education
Dan Reidy, Extension Educator, Community Development

15 Years
Cheryl Carter, Administrative Assistant
Christine Parshall, Extension Program Associate, Food & Nutrition
Deb Russell, Administrative Assistant

20 Years
Larry Barker, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
Margaret Hagen, Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources
Deb Luppold, Extension Professor/Specialist, Food & Nutrition
Alice Mullen, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources
Jeff Schloss, Extension Professor/Specialist, Water Resources

25 Years
Charlotte Cross, Extension Professor/Specialist, 4-H Youth Development

Presidential Award of Excellence
Alan Eaton, Extension Professor/Specialist in Entomology, received the UNH Presidential Award of Excellence. In nominating Alan for this award, it was noted that he epitomizes the mission of UNH Cooperative Extension, bringing research-based education and information to New Hampshire residents.

Alan has conducted research on numerous integrated pest management topics in this state for more than 20 years. His work has resulted in the state's farmers saving many thousands of dollars. This reduction also protects the state's environmental resources such as water and wildlife.

Last year, Alan compiled a guide on effectively using control methods for mosquitoes carrying Eastern Equine Encephalitis and sent these guides to all town governments in time for spring Town Meeting sessions so voters and selectmen could make informed decisions about protecting NH citizens. He also gave several presentations to decision-makers and state health officials regarding EEE in New Hampshire.

In addition to his multiple duties and teaching responsibilities, Alan chronically updates New England guides for Integrated Pest Management for fruits and vegetables and identifies unknown bugs for the public. Please join me in congratulating Alan.

Have you noticed the new eXtension button on the home page of our web site? That button will connect you to the latest "communities of practice" and showcase how eXtension, a national effort, is working towards transforming the way Extension works.

Staff involved in New Hampshire currently include David Foote, leading our state team, Holly Young on the national marketing committee, Paul Bonaparte-Krogh on the national governing committee and specialists Suzanne Knight, Charlie French and Shane Bradt all have been involved in specific Communities of Practice.

We are fortunate as well to have Terry Meisenbach of the national eXtension team at our May 16 conference. Terry will be leading a workshop on eXtension and will be available throughout the day with information on eXtension. This is an important new initiative that all of us will want learn more about. Click on the eXtension button to learn more.

A New Hampshire high school recently won the National Ocean Science Bowl. Conval High School's national Ocean Sciences Bowl Team consisting of captain Lily Beyer, Lindsay MacLeod, Ryan Howe, Nick Matthews and Nathan Potter won during the national championship event held at Stony Brook University. They have worked closely with Sharon Meeker and Mark Wiley over the past decade competing each year in the Nor'easter Ocean Sciences Bowl.

There were 25 regional championship teams from all over the nation. Conval was the winner of the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont competition. On the first day of competition, Conval won all of its matches in the double elimination tournament. On the final day of competition, the team defeated the 2006 national champion, Lincoln/Sudbury High School in Sudbury, MA., and the 2005 national champion, Cranston-West High School from Cranston, RI., twice, to secure the title. Grand prize for the team is an eight-day trip to the island of Maui. Team Coaches are Jon Manley and Ken Cloutier. Congratulations!

"Tempting New Technologies - The UNH Cooperative Extension 2007 Conference" is a statewide event for all staff to learn about programs, gain new knowledge, improve skills and socialize with colleagues. The date is May 16 and the place is the Memorial Union Building on the UNH Durham campus.

All staff are invited to participate in this professional development conference and I anticipate your full involvement that day. You can register now.

I am pleased to announce our keynote speaker will be Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. Flowers received national recognition in his role as host for the PBS television series Scientific American Frontiers from 1990 to 1993 and received a New England EMMY Award for a special PBS program on design. He is the Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Distinguished Partner at Olin College.

Dr. Flowers participates in the design of the FIRST Robotics Competition game each year. He has served as a National Advisor to FIRST since the inception of the FIRST Robotics Competition. Dr. Flowers will speak on Gracious Professionalism, Lifelong Learning and Change in Organizations.

The Awards Committee is preparing special presentations at our lunch session. The Maynard and Audrey Heckel Extension Educator Fellow Award will also be presented. Plan to arrive in plenty of time for check-in and light refreshments, the registration table opens at 8:15 am right outside the Granite State Room of the MUB. The conference starts promptly at 9 am and concludes at 3:45 pm.

All staff are asked to complete the online form even if they are presenting a workshop or are excused from attending the conference. Twelve dynamic workshops are offered and space is limited in several of them, so sign up early to get your first choice. Workshop assignments are on a "first come, first served" basis.

Register by May 10. Please pay special note to the parking information and a map of the campus.

A special attraction this year: the UNH Bookstore will again offer all conference participants a 10 percent discount on books and 20 percent off giftware if you are wearing your UNHCE nametag.

Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for its excellent work in designing this educational and fun-filled event. Members are Charlene Baxter, Shane Bradt, Sue Cagle, David Foote, Becky Levesque, Sadie Puglisi, Gail Ramsey, Deb Russell, Sarah Smith, Barbara Wright and Holly Young.

Over 100 citizens attended the Epping Community Profile April 14. Approximately 16 UNH students from an applied community development class also were on hand to record the event as well as develop an asset inventory of services and organizations in the community.

A follow-up meeting (facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension) was held April 24 with over 30 in attendance. The following projects/action groups formed as a result:

* Revitalization of the downtown with a focus on zoning for open and green spaces and more sidewalks,
* Enhanced communication through development of a community newsletter, bulletin board and additions to the current website,
* Creation of an Epping Volunteers! committee to train and recognize volunteers and gauge the needs in the community for volunteer activities;
* Development of a recreation activity inventory to include trails, parks and other places in the community to participate in activities for all ages, and
* Encourage the use of the school and facilities for community activities after school hours.

Charlie French was the large group facilitator for the event, Claudia Boozer-Blasco the community liaison and Michele Gagne provided small group facilitation. The community will come together to celebrate accomplishments as well as talk about project progress July 17 at 6 pm for a community picnic.

The 2007 LifeSmarts State Champion, the Sullivan Country 4-H Club, finished fifth from a field of 30 teams in the recent national championship held in Orlando.

Congratulations to team members Allen Abendroth, Amy Barriger, Rachel Shklar, Rebecca Mailhot, Caroline Mailhot and coaches Nancy Berry and Allison St. Aubin.

The team is already preparing for next year's competition. Congratulations!

Despite the April snow showers, rain and cool weather, our 4-H Camps staff is preparing for opening day July 1.

Volunteers are needed to help clean up camp May 5 and 6. Both general help, as well as those with construction skills, are needed.

Bring your tool belt, cleaning supplies and bug spray, of course! Cabins must be cleaned, walking paths raked, docks put in, and general repairs made. If your talents include carpentry, plumbing or landscaping, your expertise is greatly needed.

Work gloves, cleaning materials, paint and garden tools necessary for the days' work are provided. The experienced culinary staff will prepare a great barbecue lunch. Please join us! To help plan for lunch, contact Chris Conlon at 603-862-2184 or by email at chris.conlon@unh.edu

The eighth annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) takes place on campus from April 23-28. I hope many of you will try to attend the wide variety of events that highlight student research and creative endeavors at UNH - on the Durham campus and UNH Manchester as well.

At the week-long symposium, hundreds of UNH students from all academic disciplines present the results of their scholarly and creative research in an array of professional and artistic venues campus-wide. Demonstrations, performances, a world-renowned keynote speaker, and special guests add to the excitement of the annual conference.

There are many, many events and descriptions. Highlighted events include:

UNH Durham Events:
Naked Arts: Creativity Exposed on Thursday, April 26 at 3:30 in Hennessy Theatre. This is an event that exposes the inner creative process of artists working in various disciplines. Students will describe the work they undertake to bring an artistic creation from initial inspiration to the stage or gallery.

The Vice President's University-wide symposium on Friday, April 27 takes place all day in the MUB. This event has a range of student presenters across many disciplines.

UNH-Manchester Events:
Monday, April 23 - 8-5 pm - Engineering Technology Senior Project Presentations, University Center, 400 Commercial Street

Tuesday, April 24 - 11-1:00 pm - Oral Presentations from various disciplines, University Center, 400 Commercial Street

Wednesday, April 25 - 4-6 pm- UNHM Poster Presentations, University Center

Thursday, April 26 - 11-1 pm - Student Film Presentations, University Center

The NH Jump$tart Coalition Board of Directors has voted to award UNH Cooperative Extension the 2007 NH Jump$tart Volunteer Service Award. This annual award is given at the coalition's MoneySmarts teacher conference to an individual or organization that has demonstrated its willingness, passion and assistance in helping it improve the personal financial literacy of young people in the Granite State.

UNH Cooperative Extension, through the generosity and effort of many of its employees, has been a major supporter and partner in the coalition's efforts since 2000. As a result of the collaboration in the promotion and distribution of the High School Financial Planning Program, over 30,000 students have been introduced to personal finance concepts since 2002.

NH Jump$tart Coalition State President Daniel Hebert said, "Many of your employees volunteer their time to assist us in many of our activities and they share the same passion and commitment in providing this important life skill to the next generation."

Extension will receive the award at this year's MoneySmarts event on May 9 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Maynard Heckel, who passed away April 8, will be held Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m. at the Community Church in Durham.

Maynard held faculty and administrative positions at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University before coming to the University of New Hampshire, from which he retired as director of Cooperative Extension in 1983. He also served as the first dean of the University System of New Hampshire's School of Lifelong Learning (now Granite State College) from 1972 to 1977.

Please click on this link to read more about Maynard's life.

Congratulations to Charlie French, this year's recipient of the Maynard and Audrey Heckel Extension Educator Fellowship Award for his Community Development Internship Program, which engages faculty advisors and student interns to provide direct outreach to communities. Charlie receives a $1,000 award to "support/enhance the continued work of the chosen fellow within UNH Cooperative Extension" as designated by the Heckels. During the May 16 State Extension Conference, Charlie will highlight the program for fellow staff.

To date, nine UNH teaching and research faculty from five different departments have helped to structure the program and guide students through the applied internship experience. Perhaps more important, 19 student interns provided over 30 New Hampshire communities with direct assistance and educational outreach on a range of topics with the support of their faculty advisors.

Of the 19 students, nine have since secured jobs in community development-related fields after completing their degree program (subsequent jobs acquired by past interns include three town and regional planners, one land trust specialist, one conservation advocate, and one Extension Associate). Seven others are still enrolled at UNH and are pursuing degrees in fields such as Natural Resources, Community Development and Community Leadership.

Eleven of these interns helped coordinate and implement Community Profiles in over a dozen towns. These interns also provided technical assistance and educational outreach to community action committees subsequent to Community Profiles. In fact, faculty members in two departments now require students to participate in Community Profiles as part of their course requirement.

Congratulations, Charlie!

Our updated video featuring several of our programs is now on our web site. Please take a moment to check it out.

Contact Holly Young for additional DVDs of the video, which also are available.

Congratulations to the Suncook Valley Sports Swap (SVSS), Peppermint Ponies, Beads for Needs, and the Night Riders Renovation Team. These teams are the first to launch as a result of the NH 4-H Youth Venture partnership. A special thank you goes out to the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire and Youth Venture for providing the start-up funds needed to launch these community-benefiting Ventures.

The Suncook Valley Sports Swap plans to create a sportship fund - a scholarship for underprivileged youth to help offset the costs of playing sports in Pittsfield. To raise money for the sportship fund, the team plans to host two sportswaps a year - the first scheduled for April 14.

The Peppermint Ponies of Fremont is devoting its time to helping abused animals in their community. Members hope to sell personalized horseshoes and horseshoe picture frames - donating a percentage of the money raised to the NHSPCA.

Beads for Needs will host a five-series workshop to teach jewelry-making to underprivileged girls and young women at Girls, Inc., New Generations, and the Lee Library. The photo shows, left to right, Beads for Needs participants Talya Auger and Rachel Ameduri.

The Night Riders Renovation Team plans to do an "Extreme Makeover: Nursery Edition" to the children's nursery of the Pilgrim Church in Brentwood. The team wants to renovate and improve the nursery by replacing the carpet, repainting the walls, and buying new furnishings.

If you are interested in becoming a 4-H Youth Venture team, have questions about the program, or would like to host an informational Dream It. Do It. workshop, contact Alice Ballenger, 4-H Youth Venture Partner Specialist at aballenger@youthventure.org or (603)-223-9864.

The Carsey Institute Brown Bag series continues on Thursday, April 19, with the topic of Health Care Reform in New Hampshire: The New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative.

Speakers include James McCarthy, UNH School of Health and Human Services Dean and Ned Helms, Director, UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice.

The New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative, chartered by the Office of the Governor, is a long-term effort to engage constituents in the reform of the current health care system. McCarthy, chair of the Initiative's Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Team, will discuss research on the underlying causes of illness and death in New Hampshire and the approach the Health Initiative is taking to address the underlying causes.

Helms will discuss the Health Initiative's overall efforts to improve health care quality while reducing costs. This special event taked place from 7-9 pm in the Piscataqua Room of Holloway Commons at UNH. No RSVP is required.

The UNH Cooperative Extension Strategic Plan 2007-2012 has been printed and is ready for distribution.

Copies are being distributed to UNH administration, USNH Board of Trustees, extension staff, advisory council members and other key partners and organizations.

I have named to the Strategic Plan Implementation Team the following individuals: Charlene Baxter, Darrel Covell, Charlie French, Jim Grady (chair), Mike Koski, Amy Ouellette, Julia Peterson and Lisa Townson.

The charge to the implementation team is to take the next step of actualizing the strategic plan with assignment of responsibilities, resources, time frames for each action, and tracking/reporting of the plan's progress. Building on our past efforts, the implementation of our new five year strategic plan describing the organization we intend to become is a formidable charge.

A special thanks to Val Long for her superb facilitation of the strategic planning process and to each of the committee members - Juli Brussell, Amy Ouellette, Matt Tarr, Thom Linehan, Julia Peterson, Nancy Evans, Charlie French and Lisa Townson - for their commitment and effort in working with staff and stakeholders to create this excellent plan that will direct our organization in the coming years.

Please take a moment to review the Extension Educator Promotion Procedures. Nominations for promotion are due in July.

Two successful County Conversations II have taken place in the last month, in Cheshire and Strafford counties.

In Strafford County March 5, legislators, partnering organizations and others heard from a panel that featured participants from UNH and Cooperative Extension, as well as local collaborators. Panelists showcased how UNH and Cooperative Extension, along with local organizations, work with families in a very unique way "through the generations" to bolster land conservation in a multi-generational approach.

UNH Provost Bruce Mallory welcomed the more than 50 who attended the event, held in the Strafford County Court House, while UNH Interim President Bonnie Newman provided ending remarks.

Frank Mitchell, Extension Professor/Specialist, Land & Water Conservation, facilitated the panel, which included Phil Auger, Extension Educator, Land and Water Conservation, Anna Boudreau, Executive Director, Strafford Rivers Conservancy, Dr. Paul C. Johnson, Associate Professor, UNH Dept. of Natural Resources, Mike Sciabarrasi, Extension Professor/Specialist, Agricultural Business Management and Ruth Scruton, Strafford County 4-H Leader & owner/operator of The Travelin Barnyard, an interactive educational agricultural display.

On February 5, Cheshire County legislators, partnering organizations and others heard from a panel that looked at the variety, and value, of Cooperative Extension's local programs that impact youth in Cheshire County. UNH Interim President Bonnie Newman provided welcoming remarks.

Paula Gregory, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, facilitated the panel, which included Joe Boggio, Hinsdale Middle/High School Assist. Principal, Community Health Coalition, Tom Walsh, Monadnock Regional School District, Nutrition Services Director, Kathy Weibel, UNH Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, Jennifer Kozaczek, Southwestern Community Services Manager, Head Start and Nicolette Shelley, UNH student and former 4-H member.

The next County Conversation II is scheduled April 16 in Sullivan County.

UNH Cooperative Extension is collaborating with several UNH departments and programs in an effort to recognize local community leaders and organizations who have done great work and who have supported members of the UNH community.

Nominations for four awards, to be given out at the University of New Hampshire Community Leadership Celebration April 12, 6-8 pm at the Elliot Alumni Center, are as follows: Community Leader, Community Organization, Student Service and Student Activist.

The mission of the Community Leadership Celebration is to provide students, faculty, staff and alumni with an opportunity to recognize community leaders and organizations that have supported the University's mission of public service, and to strengthen the bond between the university and people who are civically engaged in the Seacoast area. This free event will feature a guest keynote speaker, networking opportunities and awards ceremony.

The criteria for the awards include an affiliation with the University, and individuals or organizations must serve New Hampshire Seacoast communities. Community members are welcome to nominate any qualified UNH or Seacoast community member or organization for any of the awards. Nomination and criteria are available on-line in both downloadable and electronic form and due by March 22, for full consideration.

The UNH Community Leadership Celebration is a collaborative project of the Thompson School of Applied Science Community Leadership Program, UNH Cooperative Extension, Community Development Program, Office of Community Service and Learning, and the Carsey Institute.

eXtension's professional development opportunities are open to all Cooperative Extension faculty, staff and employees.

This month, eXtension is offering "30 Minute Sessions" on topics related to the collaborative work tools such as the wiki and FAQ, and also a new topic, Blogging. Give eXtension 30 minutes and they will teach you something new.

These sessions will be held via Breeze and your telephone. Plan to join the session 5 minutes before the starting time. Each session will be held at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Sessions include:
* March 6, a "30 Minute Session" Wikimedia Bare Essentials - what you need to get started working in a wiki.

* March 7, a "30 Minute Session" Google Juice -- Help search engines find your information and ours! The basics of search engine optimization.

* March 13, a "30 Minute Session" MediaWiki Finishing Touches, ­using templates for final stylistic touches in the Community of Practice (CoP) wiki.

* March 14, a "30 Minute Session" Categories in the Wiki. Categories are the primary mechanism for navigation that lets you find what you're looking for at the right time in a wiki.

* March 22 a "30 Minute Session" Blogging -- So you think you want to be a blogger? How you can use blogging to enhance your educational programming? What's involved, how it's done, and how to get started. Participants will be exposed to several blogging tools with an emphasis on Blogger.com, Google's newly revamped blog hosting site.

* March 27, a "30 Minute Session" MediaWiki Finishing Touches ­using templates for final stylistic touches in the CoP wiki.

* March 28, a "30 Minute Session" Frequently Asked Question (FAQ session - An orientation for agents/educators to find answers to your clients' questions and how everyone can contribute to enhancing the quality of the FAQ System to make it a more valuable resource.

To participate in any of the 30 Minute session:

Five minutes before the start time, go to the Breeze .

You will be presented with a login screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option.

Enter your first name, your last name, and your institution/university, then click the "Enter Room" button to join the conference.

To hear the audio of the workshop and participate in the Q&A portion of the workshop we will be using a built-in teleconferencing capability of Macromedia's Breeze conferencing software. Once you log into the meeting, you will be presented with the option to enter your call-back number and your phone will automatically be called. You can then join in the audio portion of the Web conference on your phone.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth and U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster created the first-ever "Two Chiefs' Partnership Award" earlier this year, an award highlighting successful conservation and forest stewardship collaboration between the agencies.

Of the 21 nominations submitted for this award, the partnership of NRCS New Hampshire, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, UNH Cooperative Extension and U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, Durham Field Office, was chosen as one of the best examples in the country of a "true conservation partnership."

New Hampshire ranks second among the states in terms of forest cover, but its NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) leads the nation in allocating resources to address forest land environmental concerns. With executive support from George Cleek, NRCS State Conservationist, Phil Bryce, New Hampshire State Forester, Lew McCreery, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Field Representative and Bob Edmonds, retired Forestry and Wildlife Program Leader for UNH Cooperative Extension, the NH State Technical Committee dedicated over 15 percent of its Fiscal Year 2005 EQIP budget to forest land conservation practices (compared with between one and five percent in most states).

Statewide on-the-ground efforts to protect water and air quality, increase soil productivity, and sustain healthy forest land were led by Jim Spielman, NRCS EQIP program specialist, Karen Bennett, Extension specialist and Roger Monthey of Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry.

Shown in the photo, left to right, during the awards ceremony held at NH Farm and Forest Expo, are George Cleek, John Pike, Phil Bryce, Karen Bennett, Roger Monthey, Jim Spielman and Darrel Covell, accepting on behalf of Bob Edmonds. Photo courtesy of Edith Tucker.

Nominations are now being accepted for the following awards for all staff:
* Diversity and Pluralism
* Performance Beyond Expectations
* Professional Courtesy
* Program of Distinction

The Staff Recognition Committee has added a new award for 2007 called
"Program of Distinction." The Program of Distinction award will recognize an individual or a team whose work effectively uses both traditional and contemporary Extension strategies to produce actual changes in participant knowledge, skills, behavior, decision-making, practice, action and/or polices.

All staff are eligible for these awards with nominations due March 31. They will be presented at the UNH Cooperative Extension annual statewide conference on May 16 on the UNH campus.

These awards are a great opportunity for staff to recognize their colleagues who have done outstanding work and who have contributed to our success.

This is an opportunity to formally recognize those individuals who truly do make a difference in UNH Cooperative Extension. Take a look at the recognition page now and start thinking about nominating a team or individual for one of these awards. The forms are quick and easy to fill out.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

The process for nominating an Operating Staff (OS,) Professional, Administrative & Technical (PAT) staff and Extension Educators for the 2007 UNH Presidential Award of excellence is now open.

You can submit your nomination of a UNH staff member through March 24.

If you are looking for an efficient and effective way to provide facilitation skills training to community citizens, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension has a program for you. Over the past six years, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension has successfully conducted the Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills series for community members in Maine. It was designed for community members who:

* have been placed in a facilitation role and were expected to help the group produce results
* have felt they could use more skills and practice in the art of facilitation
* recognized that being a group facilitator wasn't always easy and facilitation skills aren't routinely learned or practiced
* have experienced needing to help a group deal with conflict, lead a sensitive problem-solving session or help a new team in its start up phase, as well as other group situations

Two faculty members, Jane Haskell and Louise Franck Cyr, and Gabe McPhail, a graduate of the program, have been working to make this curriculum available to other Extension professionals across the country. It will be officially released August 14-17 during a four-day highly experiential train the trainer conference in mid-coast Maine.

This initial training is for any Extension professional interested in providing facilitation skills training in their community.

The website provides additional information about the conference and is now open to the first 50 Extension professionals who want to participate. Early bird registration by April 25 is $325. Registration deadline at $400 is May 28.

If you have specific questions about the train the trainer conference, e-mail either Jane Haskell (jhaskell@umext.maine.edu ) or Louise Franck Cyr (lcyr@umext.maine.edu ).

The Reducing the Drop-Out Rate in Manchester: A Summit on Solutions was held this past weekend at Southern NH University, organized in partnership by the Makin' It Happen Coalition and Sharon Cowen from UNH Cooperative Extension.

UNH Cooperative Extension staff who helped facilitate the event included Michele Gagne, Dan Reidy, Dotty Burrows, Mike Koski, Heidi Bennett and Julia Steed-Mawson. There were 13 students from the UNH Department of Resource Economics who recorded the event. The Summit brought together youth (both youth leaders and youth who have dropped out,) parents, law enforcement officials, school personnel, community organizations, elected officials and business leaders to discuss the issues surrounding youth drop out rates and brainstorm solutions or actions to try to address the issues.

The UNH students also will work with Michele Gagne throughout the semester at the upcoming Deerfield Master Plan visioning session March 23, the Claremont Master Plan visioning session March 29, the Epping Community Profile April 14 and the Rumney Community Profile May 4 and 5.

Four Extension Faculty/Specialists joined 12 other UNH faculty members inducted into the 2007 Outreach Scholars Academy Friday, January 26. In its third year, the Academy is a faculty development program, designed to enhance faculty success in outreach scholarship within the disciplines.

Pingguo He, Research Associate Professor/Specialist, Fisheries, Ken LaValley, Assistant Professor/Specialist Commercial Fisheries Technology Transfer, Catherine Violette, Extension Professor/Specialist, Food and Nutrition, and Mark Wiley, Extension Specialist, Marine Science Education will represent UNH Cooperative Extension this year in the Academy.

The Academy began with an induction ceremony and luncheon attended by 50 associate vice presidents, deans, department chairs/administrators and other faculty members. Provost Bruce Mallory provided opening remarks to attendees about how our work with community partners supports the land-, sea-, and space-grant mission of UNH. Dr. Lorilee Sandmann of the University of Georgia spoke of the national movement by universities to promote engagement, citing UNH as a leader among universities in training and supporting faculty in outreach scholarship.

The Academy will meet several times throughout the semester with a national expert, coaches and Outreach Scholars Academy alumni with the goal to identify, mentor and work with faculty from across the institution interested in outreach scholarship.

Wendy French, a long-time 4-H volunteer, recently received the sixth annual Annette P. Schmitt UnSung Hero award for 2007 in Belknap County. The award honors someone who has worked quietly behind the scenes on behalf of children and families in Belknap County.

French was honored as a teacher, mentor, role model, innovator and hardworking friend of children and youth in Belknap County. She has spent almost 20 years as a 4-H volunteer in Belknap County.

She started the Tilton-Northfield Pines 4-H Club and quickly enrolled 23 children, including her own daughters. Over the years, she has taught such activities as cooking, sewing, crafts, gardening, food preservation and public speaking. She has used her talents in communication and mediation in leading a team of volunteers to build the capacity of the 4-H Fair Association, the group responsible for the comprehensive 4-H Fair during two days in August on the 4-H Fairgrounds in Belmont

Belknap County Extension Educator Becky Levesque noted, "Her 4-H work is a true labor of love."

Our newest publication, "Highlights," showcases the positive impacts of recent UNH Cooperative Extension programs. The stories within this publication emphasize the depth and breadth of Cooperative Extension's mission: to provide New Hampshire citizens with research-based learning opportunities to help them make informed decisions that strengthen youth, families and communities, sustain natural resources and improve the economy.

It has been distributed to our staff and through our county office administrators, to many of our state legislators, county officials and partnering organizations.

Please take a moment to read through the publication.

Each year, we reaffirm UNH Cooperative Extension's commitment to our civil rights responsibilities. I remain committed with the continued implementation of unbiased employment practices and the delivery of educational programs that serve all people of New Hampshire, with particular efforts to include under-served and under-represented groups.

This past year, we formally recognized Extension staff for excellence in their work to foster diversity. This award recognizes the outstanding efforts and accomplishments of staff "to achieve and sustain diversity and pluralism" within our organization, and to recognize programs that address the needs and concerns of underrepresented audiences. Among those receiving this award were Suzann Knight, Deb Luppold, Julia Steed Mawson, Margaret Hagen and Val Long. We congratulate these individuals and encourage you to follow their example in fostering diversity and pluralism in your UNH Cooperative Extension work.

We also multiply our delivery system effectively through the use of trained volunteers resulting in an increased awareness, fostering of diversity and improved practices.

Please review the Civil Rights Guide for University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension staff. In addition, you'll be interested in reviewing UNH's Diversity Initiatives.

Thank you for your personal and professional commitment to reach out to welcome, involve and serve all people in New Hampshire.

All staff are urged to review the current draft of the UNH Cooperative Extension Strategic Plan for 2007-2012.

Please provide comments and feedback by January 22 to any member of the Strategic Planning Committee by using Word Track Changes. Members are Lisa Townson, Charlie French, Julia Peterson, Juli Brussell, Matt Tarr, Thom Linehan, Amy Ouellette, Nancy Evans, Val Long (facilitator), Holly Young (Advisor), Dave Foote (Advisor), Anna Boudreau (Advisor), and Dr. Eleanor Abrams (Advisor).

The Strategic Plan will be finalized and presented during the January 25 State Council meeting. This is the final opportunity for input from staff. As you will recall, since October, staff have had an opportunity to provide input either via county and specialist staff meetings or program area meetings, or both.

We also met with the State Advisory Council in October to obtain input. As we continue to gather input from staff and the State Advisory Council, please know that your input is important to the development of this strategic plan.

Building on our past efforts, the development of this strategic plan that describes the organization we intend to become is a formidable but important charge. Additionally, it is important that the plan be in alignment with UNH's Academic Plan that clearly and comprehensively articulates the road map for Cooperative Extension in the next five years.

As we head into a New Year, I want to thank you and all our staff and volunteers for your dedication, commitment, and the many contributions you've made this past year in our work with the citizens of New Hampshire. You can take great pride upon the completion of another year of Cooperative Extension work as we have achieved numerous program accomplishments.

We look forward to a new year that will bring with it a revitalized strategic plan in alignment with UNH's Academic Plan that will guide Cooperative Extension for the next five years. We are pleased to be affiliated with the Office of Academic Affairs and look forward to collaborative efforts with Provost and Executive Vice President Bruce Mallory, the Provost's staff, the Deans Council, and the many units that comprise UNH. We continue to gain recognition and value for our role as the primary outreach unit of the University of New Hampshire.

We welcomed new faces and changing roles in Extension this past year. Darrel Covell, former wildlife specialist was selected for the position of program leader for forestry and wildlife. Matt Tarr takes on the role of wildlife specialist in the New Year. Shane Bradt joined Extension as the new geospatial specialist.

Lisa Townson assumed responsibilities for program development and evaluation. Barbara Wright is now focusing on instructional design as part of staff development. Also new on campus is 4-H specialist Trent Schriefer. In the counties, we welcomed Extension Educators Sue Cagle to Belknap, Michael Koski to Hillsborough, Steve Roberge to Cheshire, Wendy Scribner to Carroll, and Program Associate Heather Carter to Coos. We also welcomed new administrative professionals Jamie Sherwood (Pettee Hall), Dari Ward (Kingman Farm), Mary West (Merrimack), Holly McKinney (Hillsborough) and Teresa Locke (Grafton County).

An historic event took place on September 25, 2006, with each of the 10 counties represented by legislators, county commissioners and university officials signing a renewed six year commitment to UNH Cooperative Extension through a Memorandum of Understanding between county government and the USNH Board of Trustees. We also look forward to continuing the County Conversations in 2007 as we continue to promote UNH as an engaged institution with New Hampshire citizens.

Again, I reiterate my admiration for your dedication to our mission and willingness to invest the effort necessary to make a difference. I continue to be proud to lead an organization that makes a positive difference in the lives of so many New Hampshire citizens. Given the strong political and public support for UNH Cooperative Extension, I'm confident we will remain a strong outreach system making impacts important to New Hampshire people.

I extend warmest wishes to you and your family for an enjoyable and restful holiday season. I wish you a happy 2007 and much personal and professional fulfillment.

It is time to enjoy the holiday season by taking your family to the movies to see Charlotte's Web. There is a special opportunity to buy your tickets online and one dollar of each ticket will benefit the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire.

You can go to the movies through the end of January for the 4-H Foundation to receive this benefit. Order your ticket voucher online and enjoy the movie. Please share this opportunity to enjoy a delightful movie and support the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire at the same time.

If you would like the latest information about setting up your work station so it is ergonomically correct, the April 3 training called "Workplace Wellness for Ourselves" is for you.

It may also be good for you if you would like to know how to incorporate simple exercises into your daily work life. Sign up online

Workplace Wellness for Ourselves will be held on Tuesday, April 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Canterbury Woods Country Club. The cost is $15 which includes lunch. The Healthy Lifestyles Interdisciplinary Team has been planning the day and promises you a fun and interactive learning experience designed to help you avoid work-related injuries and rejuvenate your work life.

For more information, contact Nancy Berry at nancy.berry@unh.edu

Many of you are beginning to use the new reporting system and most have plans of work already entered. There are a variety of ways for you to learn more about using the new system.

Two days are planned for face-to-face training (sign up using the in-service calendar) -
January 12 - MUB ITV Room - 10:00 - noon: Reporting system only
January 23 - Boscawen - 9:30 - 3:00: Overview of planning and reporting modules, designed mostly for new staff but all are welcome.

There also are two new flash tutorials on the Plan of Work web site -
They take you through creating an individual plan and also reporting using the new system. You can view them as often as you like.

Continue to watch for PD&E tips as well - new editions that provide tips on the reporting system are coming out soon!

The Canterbury Woods Country Club was filled to capacity Thursday night as family, friends and colleagues came together to wish Bob Edmonds well as he retires after 22 years with UNH Cooperative Extension.

Extension was well represented, along with representatives from organizations Bob has worked with over the years, including the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, NH Fish and Game, the USDA Forest Service, NH Division of Forests and Lands, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the NH Timberland Owner's Association. Also in attendance were private consulting foresters, industry representatives and faculty from the UNH Thompson School of Applied Sciences.

In the spirit of the "roast," Bob was serenaded with songs from "Bye, Bye Bob" to "Wild Thing" by Don Black and his son Adam, David Foote and Dana Boudreau. While the "roast" provided lots of laughs, each person who came to the microphone also lauded Bob for his work as program leader for Extension's forestry and wildlife program.

Bob's wife, Denise, and all four sons, two daughters-in-law and four of his nine grandchildren, attended the event. Bob even made sure to bring part of his neighborhood along.

Good luck to you Bob in your new endeavors.

Land conservation is growing in New Hampshire. Private land trusts, towns and cities, and state agencies have expanded the pace of land conservation in recent years. A number of smaller land trusts also have grown in the past decade and some municipalities now have staff with land conservation duties. Land conservation is also getting more attention in municipal planning and land use regulation.

A new course at UNH will help prepare graduates for work in the growing land conservation field. The Natural Resources Department is offering the course, Land Conservation Principles and Practices, in the Spring, 2007 semester in partnership with UNH Cooperative Extension (the course begins January 17).

Extension Professor/Specialist Frank Mitchell, and UNH Professors Mimi Becker and Robert Eckert, developed the course to better prepare UNH graduates for possible work in this expanding field. They will serve as the principal instructors for the Land Conservation Principles and Practices course.

The course will afford upper level undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of a broad range of topics relevant to today's land conservation work. It will provide a window into the workings of New Hampshire land conservation groups, the essential role private landowners play, and the recent surge in land conservation work by volunteers at the town and city level.

To learn more, there is additional course information on the UNH Natural Department's web site.

With the recent change in Barbara Wright's position, she will no longer provide ergonomics assistance for Extension staff. There are, however, several resources available to staff, including:

The UNHCE ergonomics blog has a wealth of resources and links and is searchable. The blog has information on ergonomic basics, office layouts, good positioning, stretches, chairs, and ergonomically-correct devices (such as keyboards and mice.)

OSHA has information and eTools to help with correct positioning.

MEMIC (our worker's compensation insurer) has published an extensive brochure on the fundamentals of ergonomics.

The Healthy Lifestyles Team is offering a session April 3. The morning is devoted to ergonomics, with a certified ergonomist and professors from UNH's Occupational Therapy department. Related topics (stretches, exercises, kinesiology) will be featured in the afternoon. To sign up for this inservice, use the on-line inservice registration form

If people need further assistance, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety is a resource for all UNH staff, including county staff funded by UNH. Alexis Sablock (email: Alexis.Sablock@unh.edu), Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator, is the contact person for that office.

There is a small loaner pool of ergonomic devices, which Barbara will continue to lend to staff to try in their offices for up to two weeks at a time. Check these listings for available equipment and for keyboard information.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Professor Congda Yu, vice president of Zhejiang Ocean University of China, last week, at the invitation of Extension Specialist Pingguo He, a former colleague of Yu's.

Professor Yu, along with Mr. Zhihai Chen of the same university, in Boston to attend a scientific conference, was interested in learning more about how the Cooperative Extension system works. Pingguo also took him on a tour of other UNH departments during his visit.

Zhejiang Ocean University is located on the Island of Zhoushan, about 100 miles southeast of Shanghai. It is a comprehensive university with more than 11,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The university is composed of 13 colleges offering 28 undergraduate programs, four institutes and centers. The number of the teaching and administrative staff totals more than 1,000, including more than 240 full professors and associate professors.

Shown in the photo with me are, on the left, Mr. Zhihai Chen, head of laboratories for marine fisheries, Zhejiang Ocean University, and right, Prof. Congda Yu, vice president of Zhejiang Ocean University.

John Porter received recognition during the awards ceremony at the recent annual meeting of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents in Cincinnati.

Porter, a regional finalist in the communications category, was recognized for computer-generated graphics in a "Dairy Goat Housing" CD he prepared for a New Hampshire dairy goat seminar.

Two UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Educators received recognition at the recent NAE4-HA annual meeting in Milwaukee.

Becky Levesque received the Distinguished Service Award. She was recognized for increased 4-H membership in Belknap County through marketing, collaborations and personal contacts. Her innovative work includes using video conferencing for leader training and a 4-H Leader Mentor program. Through her efforts more teens are serving on committees, participating in conferences, and service learning projects.

Dotty Burrows was awarded the Meritorious Service Award for her 23 years as an educator in New Hampshire. She served as advisor to the New Hampshire State Teen Council. In Carroll County, she implemented a Quilt In program, where over 200 youth have experienced making their own quilts, and making quilts for hospitalized children over the past 15 years. Dotty works with teens in her county on workforce readiness and job acquisition skills.

Debbie Luppold has recently had her position redefined as an Extension Specialist, Food and Nutrition. Debbie provides statewide leadership for the Nutrition Connections Program and has been with UNH Cooperative Extension for 20 years, joining the organization in 1986.

The staff with whom she works provide educational programming to limited income individuals, groups and youth to teach the basics of nutrition, food safety, shopping wisely for food, menu planning and reading food labels. Debbie also provided key leadership, support and supervision for the Family Lifeskills Program until that program contract ended on September 30.

Debbie is a registered and licensed dietitian with a B.S in Human Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts and an M.S. in Nutrition from Boston University.

Students, faculty and staff from the Community Leadership Program at the Thompson School, the Department of Resource Economics and Community Development, UNH Cooperative Extension, Project L.E.A.D. and the Office of Community Service and Leadership are sponsors of the first annual Community Leadership Film Festival.

Throughout the coming year, five films open to the UNH community and to the public will serve as a way of engaging them in dialogue about key community development and leadership issues from a variety of perspectives. The films are free, so come join us!

Upcoming films are:
The Milagro Beanfield War, directed by Robert Redford
When: November 6, 6:30-9pm
Where: COLE 219 Theater (Thompson School)

Bringing Down a Dictator, directed by Steve York
When: November 30, 6:30-9pm
Where: Wildcat Den (MUB)

As Bob Edmonds retires, Lisa Townson has agreed to provide leadership for the organization in the area of professional development and new staff orientation. In addition to continuing the new staff mentoring program and offering new staff orientation workshops, she will be responsible for conducting needs assessment around professional development and coordinating in-service offerings that support Extension staff in their delivery of innovative programs that respond to critical and emerging issues in New Hampshire.

We are also pleased to announce Barbara Wright will take on a new role in the organization. As of November 6, she will work with Lisa as a staff development and instructional design coordinator. Barbara will support staff development for the organization by providing expertise in instructional design, distance education applications for programs, and assistance in assessing current and future professional development needs of staff.

2007 will be the launch of a new Communications and Information Technology Leadership and Management Institute. The Institute is being sponsored by the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE). Partners in development include the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) and representatives of the National Extension Technology Conference (NETC). Initially, this institute will be open to professionals working in the Land-Grant University system and our partners in the USDA.

The flagship class of this Institute begins following the 2007 ACE/NETC meeting in Albuquerque, NM in June 2007. At this time, the Management and Evaluation Team is seeking proposals for both the programmatic aspects of the Institute as well as the management and support of the Institute.

Management Support: The goal is to find a suitable institutional home for the Institute. The team is looking for an institution that can provide the technical hosting support as well as an individual who can work one quarter time as the Institute director.

Content Development & Delivery: The goal is to find suitable developers and providers for one or more of the three multi-day learning sessions that will make up the year-long Institute experience.

Although it will make for a more competitive proposal if the hosting institution and the home institution for the director are the same, that is not a requirement.

If you have questions, please go to: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/leadme You will find a question box to submit your question. Questions will be answered in a posting to this site. That way all people who ask questions will see the answers to all questions.

November 6 is the starting date for two new 4-H Youth Development staff.

Trent Schriefer is the new Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development. Trent comes to us from Pennsylvania, where he is currently teaching science and serves as adjunct principal at Grace Prep High School. Trent is also founder/consultant of AgriTrain International, where he provides consultation in agriculture and community development, participatory needs assessments, value-added development, marketing, business and management plans.

Trent has degrees in animal science, agricultural science, agricultural and Extension education. His office will be at the Equine Center on campus, and his work will focus most closely with 4-H animal science, and science and technology programs.

Michael Koski is the new Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development in Hillsborough County. Michael comes to us from UMass, where for the past five years he has been a 4-H Extension educator in Plymouth County. Michael has a strong community club background, specializes in science, animal science, leadership and financial education. He is also trained in the youth component of the Strengthening Families program. Michael has degrees in biology and school administration.

Welcome Trent and Michael!

The 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire recognized Tom Fairchild, longtime UNH Cooperative Extension dairy specialist and 4-H supporter, with the Friend of 4-H Award during the Foundation's annual meeting last night at Canterbury Woods Country Club.

As chair of the 4-H Foundation Board, in 2002 Fairchild led the group through a successful Centennial Campaign to raise an additional $100,000 for the Foundation. His efforts helped move the board into active fundraising activities and broaden the Foundation's scope to support all areas of the 4-H youth development program.

Tom received the award from Foundation Chair Tom Frangione.

The annual meeting of the Foundation also showcased how it "invests" in New Hampshire youth. Guest speakers included parent Janet McCarthy, who's son Jessie, has attended 4-H Camp for the past five years, Justine Morris, a UNH freshman, Alice Ballenger, a VISTA volunteer for 4-H, Rachel Henderson, a Hillsborough County 4-H'er, and Extension Specialist Charlotte Cross. Janet and Jessie are shown in the photo to the right.

UNH Cooperative Extension Educator Marilyn Sullivan received the Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding leadership, educational programs and professional development at the recent annual meeting of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Marilyn was recognized for her programming on family economics issues, food safety and healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Extension Educator Karen Blass received third place in the Communications Award, Internet Education Technology, also at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences annual meeting. She was recognized for the Project C.A.S.H. website, part of an overall initiative at UNH to reach college students and their parents with information on basic money management. The website includes downloadable worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, and links to a variety of resources.

The North Country Resource Center in Lancaster was the site Monday night for the second round of County Conversations with UNH Interim President J. Bonnie Newman. Over 50 people attended.

Legislators, partnering organizations and others heard from a panel that featured participants from UNH and Cooperative Extension, as well as collaborators during the session. The panelists showcased how UNH, through Cooperative Extension and the Carsey Institute, are working in Coos County to strengthen families and communities.

Panelists included Chris Colocousis, a UNH Graduate Student from the Carsey Institute who reviewed what's happening in rural America and the Northern Forest region, Charlie French, Extension Community and Economic Development Specialist, who looked at the community in context of a regional economy, Cathy McDowell, Executive Director, Family Resource Center at Gorham, who examined what's happening with the family in these communities, Valerie Herres, Project Director, Coos County Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention, who talked about helping families through the Coalition and programs like Strengthening Families and DARE to Be You program and Martha McLeod, Executive Director, North Country Health Consortium, on how the North Country Health Consortium and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Indian Stream Clinic are examples of how Extension works with local collaborators.

Larry Barker, 4-H Youth Development Educator and Coos County Office Administrator, facilitated the panel and introduced Coos County Extension staff, making note of their contributions.

The next County Conversation II is scheduled January 22 in Cheshire County.

A Farm Viability Task Force, appointed by Gov. John Lynch, submitted its final report to the legislative committee on farm viability September 21. The legislative committee will meet November 14 and is scheduled to complete its work by December 15.

The full report is now online.

The Landaff Community Profile held September 29-30th drew over 65 participants on Friday night and over 40 on Saturday-over 20 percent of the town's population.
Action groups formed included:
* Fund, update and complete natural resource inventory and Master Plan
* Create a community bulletin board and town newsletter
* Assess and upgrade fire, highway and police facilities and equipment, including possible new facilities.

Grafton County staff participating included Deb Maes (county liaison and small group facilitator), Nory Parr and Robin Peters. Other staff included Charlie French (large group facilitator) and Michele Gagne (coordinator).

Two students from UNH's Thompson School Community Service and Learning Program also facilitated/scribed at the event: Nicole Finitis and Bryan Dwyer. Former Plymouth State University President Don Wharton and State Representative Edmond Gionet also attended.

The follow-up meeting (facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension) takes place October 10 from 7-9pm where the action groups will begin planning their projects.

Upcoming Profiles include Auburn on November 4 (our pilot of a one-day Profile) and Epping on April 14, 2007.

Legislators, county commissioners and other public officials from around New Hampshire gathered at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester Monday for an historic ceremony celebrating the renewal of the partnership between New Hampshire's 10 county governments, the University System of New Hampshire and UNH Cooperative Extension.

University System of New Hampshire Chancellor Stephen Reno, along with UNH Interim President J. Bonnie Newman and UNH Cooperative Extension Dean and Director John Pike noted the importance of the partnership between the 10 New Hampshire county governments and UNH Cooperative Extension.

A special guest, University System Trustee Merle Schotanus, provided the background on how the New Hampshire legislature re-established these Memorandum of Understandings with each county when he was a state representative to the General Court in 1994.

Every six years, each county signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recognizing local County Extension Advisory Councils as the sponsor of Extension work. The first MOUs were signed in 1957, almost 50 years ago.

Hillsborough County Conversation Highlights Growth
Prior to the MOU signing, participants leanred more about how the University of New Hampshire and UNH Cooperative Extension work together to address one of the most pressing topics of concern in the region, the growth and rapidly changing landscape New Hampshire communities face today. The Hillsborough County Conversation II was part of the NH Association of Counties' annual conference this year, also held at the Radisson.

The Conversation began with a history of the Manchester mills by Dr. Robert Macieski, UNH-Manchester faculty, followed by a segment presented by Amy Seif, Communications Director, Carsey Institute, and Fay Rubin, NH GRANIT, both of UNH, that reviewed the transition from resources-based industry to service/technology industry. The final segment focused on the future of Hillsborough County, presented by UNH Cooperative Extension Community Profiles Coordinator Michele Gagne.
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Each day, volunteers across New Hampshire make extraordinary efforts to meet the needs of individuals, families and communities. We need your help to identify and recognize these contributions.

Volunteer NH!, in collaboration with the Office of Governor John Lynch, is looking for nominations for the Spirit of New Hampshire annual awards celebration and the newly established New Hampshire Volunteer of the Month awards.

Think about people, non-profits, businesses, schools, church groups, service clubs, municipalities, and state agencies that contribute to everyday life in your region - through their volunteer service or support for volunteers. We hope you will nominate programs, colleagues, partners, even your own program.

Complete a simple nomination packet. Recipients will be honored at the fourth annual Spirit of New Hampshire event Monday, November 13 at the Grappone Center in Concord.

2006 nominations will be accepted on an on-going basis. (To be considered for a category award at the annual 2006 November gala, nominations must be received by September 30, 2006.) For more information, contact Volunteer NH! at 1-800-780-8058.

Interim UNH President J. Bonnie Newman made note of Cooperative Extension's contributions to New Hampshire in her State of the University address.

President Newman noted that "...A major UNH outreach program that has a tremendous impact on our state is Cooperative Extension. Cooperative Extension's many quality programs touch every corner of New Hampshire with research-based education and information that benefit our youth, families, and communities. In our proud land grant tradition, UNH truly is - as it should be - an engaged university..."

The full address is now available online.

After successfully developing and directing the Family Home and Garden Center for more than five years, Margaret Hagen has decided to focus on a new initiative, while retaining some of her current responsibilities.

As of October, Margaret will concentrate her efforts as Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources, on developing new programs in urban agriculture as well as commercial ornamentals in Hillsborough County. She will keep her media relations such as Grow It Green for WMUR TV and the Hillsborough County Master Gardener program. She will move into the Goffstown office in November.

Alice Mullen has agreed to become the administrator for the Family, Home and Garden Education Center. Alice will continue as an Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources, in Hillsborough County at the same 50 percent level of programming in nutrition, diet and food safety, along with the 50 percent position administering the Center. This change heralds a broadening of the scope of both the Family Home and Garden Education Center and the Ag Resources program. We appreciate immensely the willingness of both Margaret and Alice to take on these new challenges.

Alice has moved her office from the Goffstown office to the Family, Home and Garden Education Center. Her new address and phone and fax numbers are:
UNH Cooperative Extension - Family, Home & Garden Education Center
200 Bedford Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Phone: (603)629-9494 x 150
Fax: (603)629-9998

Starting in November, Margaret Hagen's office will be located in the Hillsborough County Complex in Goffstown. Her new address, phone and fax numbers will be:
UNH Cooperative Extension Hillsborough County
329 Mast Road
Goffstown, NH 03045
Phone: 603-641-6060
Fax: 603-645-5252

UNH Cooperative Extension will no longer be conducting the Family Lifeskills Program, often referred to by its curriculum name LEAP - Lifeskills for Employment, Achievement and Purpose - effective October 1, 2006.

The award-winning Family Lifeskills Program that began in 1997 ends on September 30 as a result of how the NH Department of Health and Human Services has implemented the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families reauthorization regulations. This change will result in the loss of 13 staff positions in Cooperative Extension, positions all paid through the Family Lifeskills Program contract with the NH Division of Family Assistance.

The impact of this program loss is significant for our organization both in loss of personnel and loss of financial resources to implement valuable lifeskills programming statewide for individuals moving from public assistance to independence. This program was awarded the Northeast Director's Award, the Maynard Heckel Award and was recently recognized with UNH Cooperative Extension's Diversity Award.

UNH Cooperative Extension salutes the Family Lifeskills Program Coordinators whose last day of employment with us is September 29. These include Rebecca Betts, Portsmouth, Kathleen Frenette, Berlin, Diane Gilmore, Conway, Brenda Hathaway, Concord, Cheryl Marsh, Laconia, Robin McGlone, Rochester, Donna Meuse, Claremont, Kelley O'Connell, Salem, and Kathy Radwan, Nashua. These staff and many others have made significant contributions to this work over the past nine years and they will be sorely missed as colleagues and as contributors to the economic condition of New Hampshire families. We wish these staff the very best as we thank them for their commitment to New Hampshire families through working with the Family Lifeskills Program.

Suzann Knight as project director and Debbie Luppold have worked tirelessly on the FLP program since its inception. Suzann will be redirecting her time as Family Resource Management Specialist and Debbie will continue as program director for the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program and EFNEP.

Over 3,200 TANF recipients have been enrolled in LEAP, a program that successfully provided participants with skills, motivation, self esteem and a healthy social support network to aid in their transition from being on public assistance to working. Through the ongoing statistical evaluation, the LEAP program helped TANF recipients eliminate the more personal internal roadblocks associated with finding and keeping a job. The three-year longitudinal research of the curriculum found that LEAP was successful in developing knowledge-based job readiness skills and enhancing self-esteem and social supports. Such gains are important because one's ability to not only seek and get a job, but to hold a job over a sustained period of time, is dependent upon self confidence and attitude in addition to fundamental work skills taught in LEAP.

More than 90 percent of LEAP participants report they feel more prepared for the job market and 58 percent report they feel much more prepared. Follow-up studies were conducted and it was found that within a year of attending LEAP, about half of the program participants are working and about 40 percent are no longer on TANF and within two years, between 56-60 percent are working and 60-70 percent are no longer on TANF.

The Carsey Institute Brown Bag Series seminars continue on Thursday, September 28, from 12:40-2 pm in the Memorial Union Building, room 332.

Is the Middle Class Losing Ground? is the topic, with Ross Gittell, James R. Carter Professor of Management, Jason Rudokas, M.S. candidate, Economics, and Allison Churilla, Ph.D. candidate, Sociology.

In the 1990s, New England went from having the lowest income inequality in the nation to the fifth highest of the nine Census regions. Professor Gittell and Rudokas will discuss their research on income inequality in New England with a focus on recent changes.

Churilla will describe characteristics of New Hampshire's low-income families and conclude with reflections on state and federal policies relevant to this population.

I am pleased to announce that Darrel Covell has enthusiastically accepted the position of Program Leader for the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program.

As the Extension Wildlife Specialist, Darrel has been an integral part of the Forestry and Wildlife Program since 2001. He was recognized by his peers with a Performance Beyond Expectations award at the May, 2006 Extension Conference, in part for his leadership as co-coordinator of the first-ever Wildlife Action Plan for New Hampshire.

Born and raised in Pittsburg, this New Hampshire native got his college education at the University of New Hampshire and University of Wisconsin-Madison. He served as the Extension Wildlife Outreach Specialist in Wisconsin for seven years before coming back to lead the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation as its executive director for a year and a half.

Darrel says he feels fortunate to have this opportunity to lead such a remarkable group of people. He knows that each staff member in the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program strives to make a difference in our forest resources, the forest-based economy and the people that depend on and work to sustain those resources for New Hampshire. He is honored that people have the confidence in his ability to do this job. He will not let them down.

Darrel will begin in his new job October 2. He says one of his first items on the to-do list will be looking into hiring a new wildlife specialist. I have great confidence in Darrel and know that he will do an outstanding job in building on the work of those who preceded him. Please join me in wishing Darrel the best in his new job. Congratulations, Darrel.

Wendy Scribner will succeed Peter Pohl as the Extension Educator, Forest Resources, in Carroll County. Wendy has been employed by UNH Cooperative Extension in the Forestry and Wildlife Program since 1992 and had worked for UNH Cooperative Extension in Strafford County prior to that. Wendy received her BS and MS at UNH. Carroll County was seeking a person who would address emerging issues, particularly permanent land protection, including conservation easements and estate planning. Her community experience positions her well for meeting that challenge. Wendy has front line experience with land protection in Dover. She is a very active community volunteer, including the Dover Waterfront Commission, a group looking at quality development of the economic and environmental assets along the Cocheco River. She is an adult leader in the Girl Scouts. Wendy is a licensed forester in New Hampshire and Maine. She is on the Executive Committee of the Granite State Society of American Foresters, heading up professional education. She will start in late October. Please join me in wishing Wendy the best in her new position.Congratulations, Wendy.

Steve Roberge will succeed Marshall Patmos as the Extension Educator, Forest Resources, in Cheshire County. Steve is a graduate of the Forest Science Program at UNH and received his Masters at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He is from Berlin. He has worked on the Yale forest lands where he planned, marked and inspected timber sales on properties, some green certified. He currently works for Lands Sake in Weston, MA, where he has done management planning, educational programs for youth and the community, and works with volunteers. We hope to have Steve on board in Cheshire County early in October. Please join me in welcoming Steve to the UNH Cooperative Extension team, wishing him the best in his new position.Congratulations, Steve.

People who know Bob know that his employment with Cooperative Extension has been only one phase of his Extension life. As he wraps it up, he shared the following:

I am a long term product of Cooperative Extension. The lifetime gains I have received from Extension go well beyond the paychecks I have been getting for the past 22 years. When I was a young boy, it brought me great pleasure watching my Mom thoroughly enjoying projects in Home Bureau, an Extension program of its day. As a forester working in the forest industry over 20 years, Extension people like you provided me with the valuable assistance that I needed. For example, I was blown away by a really cool ag agent in Ohio, who immediately following our first meeting, produced a full page feature story in the local newspaper to herald the rise of a new enterprise in his county, a lumber manufacturing company I was heading up. Over those years, Extension people were among my closest forestry colleagues. Extension was always there, ready, willing and able to work with me as I needed help with complicated technical information, working with loggers, influencing public policy and much, much more. In New York State, Extension hooked me on 4-H Camps. I can keep up with my family, which has a number of camp managers among the clan.

Extension staff like you helped me as I rose to leadership roles in landowner and industry organizations. I learned how to run meetings, put on conferences, write newsletters, work with politicians and effectively address conflicts within organizations. My community experience was a direct benefit of Cooperative Extension involvement. As president of a County Cooperative Extension Association in New York, I was actually an employer of Extension people long before I was an employee of Extension. In New York, Cornell University was the advisor and the County Cooperation Extension was an incorporated non-profit organization with a board of directors. It was there that I learned valuable Extension lessons from seasoned professional Extension staff such as:
* Programs are more important than facilities
* Extension gets things up and running and turns them over to others to carry on and then addresses other emerging issues
* It's all about helping folks make informed decisions

These few examples are among many Extension lessons that guided me in my personal life, my work life and my volunteer activities. I gained half my family through Extension. The County Extension Director where we lived in New York was a match maker, connecting me, a single parent, with another single parent. As a result, we now have a large family with our kids and lots of grandchildren. This Cooperative Extension benefit dwarfs even my many years of employment in personal rewards to me.

I am a Cooperative Extension volunteer. Like many of our volunteers, I look in awe upon those Extension professionals who serve us so very well. Volunteering is one of our family traits, with my young grandchildren already water sampling in the UNH Cooperative Extension Lay Lakes Monitoring Program.

I am definitely a product of Extension. It would be that way even if I had taken another employment route over the past two decades. Experiences, opportunities and challenges have been mine as a result of people like you working with people out in the world like me.

It is without reservation that I recommend to bright energetic self-starters that Cooperative Extension provides the best jobs in the world. People will pay you to help others everyday. An Extension person can get that super fine altruistic inner feeling that comes from positively influencing the lives of individuals in need. A successful Extension person can see over the years that he or she has made the world better. Personal rewards far exceed those that can be captured in most jobs.

I have had the greatest opportunity to work with the greatest dedicated people who truly believe in what they do. Bright people - you who are making New Hampshire forever better than it would have been without you. Soon, I will be wrapping up my University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension career.

Thank you for sharing with me the great times, lasting relationships and positive efforts over the years.

Extension colleagues, you are the greatest!

The search committee for the 4-H Youth Development specialist for Animal Science and Science and Technology invite you to seminars the two candidates will present on September 11.

Each candidate will present a 20-minute seminar, followed by questions on the topic: "A vision for the future of animal science and other science and technology programming in UNH Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development program."

The candidates are Steve Schafer, who will present from 1:30-2:30 p.m. and Trent Schriefer, who will present from 3-4 p.m.

Schafer is currently a youth development specialist for livestock, equine, poultry and rabbits from the University of Wyoming, Cooperative Extension Service.

Schriefer is currently the founder/consultant for AgriTrain International and an adjunct principal and science teacher, Grace Prep High School, State College, PA.

The seminars will be held live in the Piscataqua Room in Holloway Commons on the UNH campus, or by Pic-Tel in Grafton, Sullivan and Merrimack counties. Please notify Nancy Oakley at 862-2180 or email Nancy.oakley@unh.edu if you plan to attend and at which site, so we may be sure the appropriate number of handouts are available.

Thank you for your interest in learning more about the candidates.

UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Educator Don Black is the 2006 National Tree Farm Inspector of the Year.

Don will receive the Wesley R. Meier Outstanding Inspecting Forester of the Year Award at the 2006 National Tree Farmer Convention in Mobile, Alabama, Oct. 19-22. Don began his association with the Tree Farm program almost 40 years ago in South Dakota and now continues this effort in New Hampshire. Don not only has an outstanding record for completing his own reinspections, but also takes the initiative to conduct inspections for others.

Don has served as chair of the NH Tree Farm Committee in the past and currently serves as vice chair. He also is involved with local and national chapters of the Society of American Foresters. Since 1971, Don has organized countless Tree Farm banquets, tours, field days and media campaigns. Thanks to Don and all of our dedicated Tree Farm Inspectors for their hard work.

The University of New Hampshire's public service efforts and initiatives will now be managed from the Office of Academic Affairs. This includes Cooperative Extension and the Outreach Scholarship Office. To learn more about this transition, click on this Campus Journal article.

Don't forget to sign up for workshops now available through our 2006-07 Inservice Calendar

Registration will again be done electronically. When you submit your registration, it will automatically be sent to your program leader/supervisor, as well as actually registering you for the courses selected. A copy of the notification to your supervisor will also be sent back to you for your records.

Submit your selections by September 5. If you have any questions or concerns, call Lisa Townson at 862-1031 or Deb Russell at 862-2034. Thank you for your participation in UNH Cooperative Extension's professional development.

UNH Cooperative Extension Educator Tom Buob received the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding county program on soil fertility and financial management in cropping systems at this year's National Association of County Agricultural Agents meeting.

Acquiring over $500,000 in grants, he developed and implemented a statewide nutrient management research and educational program. He also established a greenhouse facility for continued nutrient management research and education.

Extension Educator Amy Ouellete received the Achievement Award for excellence in programming for commercial fruit and vegetables growers on topics that include season extension, variety selection for northern cilmates and pesticide safety. In addition, Amy coordinates and teaches part of a popular annual workshop series for horse owners and equine business owners. And, because Belknap County has considerable lakefront property, she also focuses on lake-friendly lawncare programming for homeowners.

We have several Community Profiles coming up, including:

* Landaff (Grafton County) September 29-30
* Rumney (Grafton County) October 20-21
* Auburn (Rockingham County) November 4 (pilot one-day Profile)
* Epping (Rockingham County) April 14 (one-day Profile)

When we finalize the Community Profiles Regional Themes Report (1996-2004), we will share them with staff through presentations and executive summaries. We also are updating the Community and Economic Development website to include more information about other staff activities that fit into the work of Strengthening New Hampshire Communities and the Citizen Participation and Leadership Team. We also are partnering with Frank Mitchell and Amanda Stone on a bi-annual electronic newsletter that provides information on upcoming Community Development activities/updates.

Any questions, contact Michele Gagne at 862-5046 or michele.gagne@unh.edu

Heather Carter joined the Nutrition Connections staff in Coos County in July. She worked for the White Mountain Regional School District as a paraprofessional and at Weeks Medical Center as a home visitor. In these capacities, Carter worked with children with learning disabilities and with pregnant women. Heather is from Lancaster. Her past experience makes her especially suited for the Nutrition Connections Program.

I am pleased to announce the following individuals have agreed to serve on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee: Val Long (facilitator,) Juli Brussell, Nancy Evans, Charlie French, Thom Linehan, Amy Ouellette, Julia Peterson, Matt Tarr and Lisa Townson.

We also will have various individuals involved in the process that we will be referring to as “advisors.” Such individuals may include Eleanor Abrams (Associate Professor, Education Department and UNH Outreach,) Anna Boudreau (State Advisory Council Chair,) Dave Foote, Jim Grady, Holly Young, et. al.

Valerie Long will facilitate the strategic planning process and will work closely with the committee and advisors. Val has 26 years of UNH Cooperative Extension experience and has served previously as a strategic planning committee member.

As I described in my June 29th email, our existing five-year strategic plan covers the period 2001-2006. It is now time for us to begin a new process to reflect the next five years. I would anticipate a completion date of January 1, 2007 for releasing our new five-year plan.

The committee is charged with designing and implementing an appropriate process to produce the strategic plan. This is a high priority for us and the committee will work intensively to complete the plan by January 1, 2007. The committee will also collect input and recommendations from the State Advisory Council during its October 26th meeting. All staff will also have opportunities for involvement in the strategic planning process and to review drafts as they are developed.

Over 450 4-H members, families and friends joined the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire July 17 for a fun night at the Fisher Cats ballpark in Manchester. The evening began with Sammy Patch from Hillsborough County throwing out the first pitch, followed by Morgan and Caica King, shown at right, from Rockingham County 4-H singing the National Anthem and leading the 4-H pledge.

The 4-H Foundation of NH board members worked the food stand to serve the hot and hungry fans.
4-H Camp staff and members of the National Guard ran a display to promote openings that are still available at the regular summer camp program as well as Operation Military Kids Camp.

Watch for the game schedule next year, as the 4-H Foundation will again host a 4-H night.

Open seminars of the three candidates applying for the position of Program Leader for Forestry and Wildlife take place Monday, July 24, Wednesday, August 9, and Thursday, August 10, on the UNH campus.

Stephen Bratkovich, on campus Monday, July 24, will give his presentation from 2:30-3:30 pm in Spaulding Hall, Room 230.

Darrel Covell’s presentation takes place Wednesday, August 9, from 2:30-3:30 pm, in Rudman Hall, Room G89.

Jonathan Kays will be on campus Thursday, August 10. His presentation, also from 2:30-3:30 pm, takes place in Rudman Hall, Room G89.

These seminars are open to all staff.

It's time to submit proposals for professional development opportunities for Extension staff for the coming year (October, 2006 – September, 2007). Consider and plan professional development opportunities for staff that will provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to complete the work UNH Cooperative Extension has planned for the next five years.

Please review the plans that have been submitted by viewing the program logic model worksheets. It is expected that a significant percentage of our professional development offerings in the coming year will relate directly to the plan of work. In addition, professional development offerings that support basic skills and knowledge required by all Extension professionals may be proposed. (Grant writing, program development & evaluation, technological skills, marketing and writing, etc.)

Please submit information for professional development opportunities by July 21 to Deb Russell by email, using the format below. Deb will forward the information to the appropriate program leader for approval and check for any date conflicts. Please do not use “TBA” for the date, instead giving an actual date and time so staff are able to schedule their time accurately.

The inservice calendar will be available for staff to register electronically approximately by August 4.

Professional Development Proposal Information
Title:

Date(s):

Time(s):

Location:

Cost:

Need PicTel (yes or no): PicTel Location(s):

Audience:

Level: (beginning/advanced)

Description:

Contact Person:

Contact Person email and phone:

Program Leader:

Thanks for your contributions to the profession development of our staff. Please contact Lisa Townson or Deb Russell if you have any questions.

UNH Football Coach Sean McDonnell, in his keynote address at our recent staff conference, recommended a book and several staff have expressed an interest in reading it. The book is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, the author is Patrick Lencioni and it was published by Jossey-Bass 2002.

Sue Buteau is this year's recipient of Granite State College's Victor Montana Alumni Award, given annually to an alumnus or alumna who represents a commitment to lifelong learning, outstanding professional accomplishments, and the positive attitude characterized by Dr. Victor Montana, former college president from 1990-2001.

The award was presented at the College's June 11th Commencement Ceremony. Since 1979, Sue has worked for UNH Cooperative Extension in Coos County. She assists individuals and families by providing educational programs and information in the areas of human development and parenting, food safety, and personal financial management. Sue was a founding member of the Weeks Medical Center Family Support Team, a model New Hampshire program that trains volunteers to provide support to families in the hospital setting typically during a crisis situation.

She works collaboratively with volunteers and other professionals in schools, human service agencies, community groups and businesses, hospitals and health agencies. Congratulations, Sue!

Tyler Walker is a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of New Hampshire majoring in political science. A resident of Franconia, Tyler is one of the top Paralympic skiers in the world, competing this past spring in the 2006 ParaOlympics in Tourin, Italy.

Because of his interest in fitness and youth, Tyler agreed to help support the UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Get Up and Go for Walk NH program established by NH's First Lady, Dr. Susan Lynch to bring greater awareness and change to the problem of childhood obesity.

Tyler served as the keynote speaker for 4-H Get Up and Go at the recent State House celebration honoring the more than 2,000 youth and their families that participated in Walk NH. During his talk with the 250 youth who attended the celebration, Tyler reminded them that "Get Up and Go" has a deeper meaning. He spoke of his own childhood and how he began to ski when he was in elementary school. While other classmates participated in the school skiing program, he at first did not. As he put it, "It was not for a lack of limbs, but for a lack of motivation." It wasn't long however before he was "bugging his parents" to try skiing. His first attempt was on a sled ... and he was hooked. His message to these young walkers was to consider life an adventure. Get Up and Go, get motivated to walk, hike or ski or explore caves or dive underwater to investigate what lives below.

Dates are set for interviewing three candidates applying for the position of Program Leader for Forestry and Wildlife. Please hold Monday, July 24, Wednesday, August 9, and Thursday, August 10, and plan to participate in the seminar presentations and discussions. They will take place at UNH.

The three candidates are Stephen Bratkovich, Darrel Covell and Jonathan Kays.

Stephen Bratkovich will be on campus Monday, July 24. Following a session from 1:30-2:15 pm with Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife staff, he will present a seminar followed by a Q&A session from 2:30-3:30 pm open to all Extension staff.

Darrel Covell’s presentation takes place Wednesday, August 9. Following a session from 1:30-2:15 pm with Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife staff, he will present a seminar followed by a Q&A session from 2:30-3:30 pm open to all Extension staff.

Jonathan Kays will be on campus Thursday, August 10. Following a session from 1:30-2:15 pm with Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife staff, he will present a seminar and Q&A session from 2:30-3:30 pm open to all staff.

Further information will be provided by the search committee.

Everyone's invited as the 4-H Foundation of NH and the Fisher Cats of Manchester host a 4-H night at the Fisher Cats Ballpark in Manchester Monday, July 17. The Fisher Cats face off against the Portland Sea Dogs with the game starting at 6:35 PM.

This game is a fundraiser for the 4-H Foundation of NH. Tickets for the July 17 game are $8 and can be ordered through Moiles House at 862-2180 or by returning the order form. Tickets need to be purchased prior to the event to be part of the fundraising effort for the 4-H Foundation.

Rockingham County 4-H members Morgan and Cacia King will sing the National Anthem and a 4-H'er will throw out the first ball. You can visit the 4-H Foundation Board members at the concession stand.

Help us raise money for many of the wonderful 4-H projects. Remember, you don't have to be a 4-H family to attend. Any questions, call 862-2180.

The ITDE staff recently completed an on-line room scheduler for reserving conference rooms in Taylor Hall and Merrimack County. This program allows staff to review the status of scheduled meetings for two of the most commonly used facilities. Staff can also submit requests to use the conference rooms using this program.

Currently the two meeting rooms at Merrimack County and the Taylor Hall first floor conference room are on the web. A second conference room in Taylor Hall also will be available shortly for staff use.

Once you’ve linked to “Room Schedules,” you must log into the system using your user name and password. If you have logged onto the server using the generic “ceuser” user name you will be taken to an error page. You must close your browser and log back in to the site with your user name and password. If you do not remember your password there is a link on the error page to get your password.

Once on the Room Scheduler page, use the links on the left side of the page to navigate to the room schedule you would like to view. On the right side of the room schedule page are calender links that allow you to go to different months. At the bottom of the page is a link to the form used to request the use of a room. Fill this form in completely. Once you submit it, the appropriate staff will review and approve it. Once approved, you will be sent an email confirming the meeting request.

The calendar system is designed so other counties and sites can add their conference rooms to it. To add your room to the list, contact Mike Toepfer at michael.toepfer@unh.edu

Cooperative Extension staff from throughout the state enjoyed a full day of workshops and activities on May 25 at our annual conference at UNH’s Memorial Union Building.

Highlights included the awarding of the fifth Maynard & Audrey Heckel Extension Educator Fellowship to Mary Tebo, the introduction of new staff, and a great keynote address by UNH Football Coach Sean McDonnell, with a little help from the UNH Wild E. Cat.

Another highlight of the day was the presentation of several awards, including the Performance Beyond Expectations awarded to Sharon Blake, Darrel Covell, Lynn Garland and Karna Williams and the Professional Courtesy awarded to Nancy Berry, Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Cheryl Estabrooke and Terri Schmoppmeyer.

The Staff Recognition Work Team also recognized several staff with “Diversity and Pluralism” awards for outstanding efforts and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism within our organization, and/or programs that addresses the needs and concerns of underrepresented audiences.

This year, the award was presented to Suzann Knight and Deb Luppold for LEAP, Julia Steed Mawson for her work with a diverse population of youth through the 4-H Green Thumb Team, Margaret Hagen, for developing a community gardening program for newly arrived Somalian refugees, and Val Long, for her social marketing efforts.

The Staff Recognition Work Team also recognized Tina Savage with an Early Career Outstanding Achievement award, noting her dedication and ability to reach out to Carroll County residents through the Veggie Volunteer Program.

UNH Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Bruce Mallory offered remarks during the recognition program, and staff were recognized for their years of service and dedication to UNH Cooperative Extension.

Recognized for 10 years were Ginny DiFrancesco, Sandy Rumrill, Marilyn Sullivan and Andrea Talbot; for 15 years, Anne Atwater, Jolee Chase, Terri Cirillo, Carolyn McQuiston and Sam Stoddard; for 20 years, Robin Luther and Catherine Violette; for 25 years, Michael Sciabarrasi; for 30 years, Lauren Bressett; and for 35 years, Don Black.

Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for their excellent work in designing this educational and fun-filled event. Members are Charlene Baxter, Faye Cragin, Paula Gregory, Gillian Hodges Rapp, Ken La Valley, Thom Linehan, Sadie Puglisi, Deb Russell, Sarah Smith and Holly Young.

Dr. Susan Lynch, New Hampshire’s First Lady, joined approximately 100 Strafford County 4-H youth and community members at the Seymour Osman Community Center in Dover this week to walk a mile together for the UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H “Get up and Go” program.

The 4-H “Get up and Go” program, developed by UNH Cooperative Extension in partnership with the WalkNH initiative, challenges youth and adult 4-H participants to walk 70 miles, the width of New Hampshire, as a way to promote walking as part of a healthy lifestyle.

To illustrate their commitment to walking as a healthy lifestyle choice, 4-H youth-adult partner teams are also developing banners with their footprints on them to present to Gov. John Lynch and Dr. Lynch at the WalkNH celebration June 9. To date nearly 1,154 youth and adults have signed on to the program. At its conclusion, they will have collectively walked nearly 60,000 miles. Supporting the 4-H “Get Up and Go” program are PlustimeNH Americorps, Foundation for Healthy Communities, and the Bean Foundation.

I provided opening comments for Tuesday’s event, while Thad Mandsager, director of Family Services at the Seymour Osman Community Center, introduced Dr.Lynch. The group then fell in line behind Dover’s Mounted Police for a shortened walk, due to the rainy weather.

A new ITDE User's Guide gives you the "FAQs" for many technical/computer-related procedures UNH Cooperative Extension staff encounter. It can serve as an orientation tool for new employees as well as a "how to" guide for current staff.

New information also is available on the ITDE Blog .

The Grafton County Administrative building was the site Monday night for the third round of County Conversations II with President Ann Weaver Hart. Over 50 people attended, including several state representatives.

Legislators, collaborators and others heard from a panel that featured participants from UNH faculty, Cooperative Extension specialists and educators, and local farmers. The focus was on how UNH and UNH Cooperative Extension help maintain, as well as sustain, New Hampshire’s agricultural heritage, highlighting progressive and profitable dairy and farm enterprises.

The event was preceded by stops at two local farms, the Tullando Farm in Orford and Hatchland Farm in North Haverhill. Shown, left to right, at Hatchland Farm, were Juli Brussell, John Pike, President Ann Weaver Hart, John Porter, Howard Hatch and Denis Ward.

Panelists included Dr. Charles Schwab, Professor, UNH Dairy Nutrition Research Center, David Keith, Dairy Producer, Tom Buob, Grafton County Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources, Dr. Becky Grube, Extension Professor/Specialist, Sustainable Horticulture and Howard Hatch, Hatchland Farm. John Porter, Extension Professor/Specialist, Dairy, served as facilitator.

The NH Preservation Alliance presented its annual Preservation Achievement Awards May 9 to five restoration and rehabilitation projects, two groups, a family and an individual for their leadership in preservation education, planning and advocacy.

The Alliance presented the awards at the NH Historical Society’s Tuck Library in Concord. Since 1989, these awards have recognized outstanding construction projects, as well as individuals and groups, for their contributions to the state’s preservation movement.

Extension Professor/Specialist John Porter received the Elizabeth Durfee Hengen award for his dedication to education and advocacy regarding the preservation and revitalization of barns and agriculture in the state. John is shown receiving the award from Elizabeth at the awards ceremony.

“This year’s awards remind us of both the vulnerability of many of New Hampshire’s significant historic landmarks and the effectiveness of community-based efforts,” said Christopher P. Williams, NH Preservation Alliance board member and awards committee chair.

Congratulations, John!

Honored today, May 5, as part of the second UNH Outreach Scholars Academy. were several Extension members. Charlotte Cross, Extension Professor/Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, Colette Janson-Sand, Extension Specialist, Food and Nutrition, and Associate Professor, Department of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, Suzann Knight, Extension Professor/Specialist, Family Resource Management, and Sarah Smith, Extension Professor/Specialist, Forest Industry, were recognized for their successful completion of the Academy, along with faculty from other departments and UNH Manchester.

The 2006 Outreach Scholars Academy is a faculty development program that consists of several workshops, group discussions, and projects designed to encourage outreach scholarship at the University of New Hampshire. Provost Bruce Mallory, Vice President for Research & Public Service John Aber, and Director of Outreach, Eleanor Abrams, were on hand and all spoke to the importance of keeping the university’s public service mission in the forefront by working with our community partners in mutually beneficial ways that not only “make the world a better place," but also advance the various disciplines we work in. Congratulations!

Congratulations to the following Professional, Administrative & Technical (PAT) staff, Extension Educators (EE) and Operating Staff (OS) honored for Years of Service during UNH's Annual Awards Ceremony today:

35 Years
Donald Black, Extension Educator, Forest Resources

30 Years
Lauren Bressett, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development

25 Years
Michael Sciabarrasi, Extension Professor/Specialist, Agricultural Business Management

20 Years
Robin Luther, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
Catherine Violette, Extension Professor/Specialist, Food & Nutrition

15 Years
Jolee Chase, Extension Program Associate, 4-H Youth Development
Therese Cirillo, Administrative Assistant, Resource Economics & Development, James Hall
Sam Stoddard, Extension Educator, Forest Resources

10 Years
Virginia DiFrancesco, Extension Program Associate, Water Quality
Marilyn Sullivan, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources
Andrea Talbot, Educational Program Coordinator, FSNEP

Presidential Award of Excellence
Michael Sciabarrasi, Extension Professor and Specialist in Agricultural Business Management, received the UNH Presidential Award of Excellence. As noted previously in this Update, Mike is well-known for his efforts on and off campus, teaching risk management strategies and agribusiness management programs. Please join me in congratulating Mike.

Michael Sciabarrasi, Extension Professor and Specialist in Agricultural Business Management, will receive the UNH Presidential Award of Excellence at the May 5 honors ceremony. He also will be recognized for 25 years of service to the University the same day.

Mike is well-known for his efforts on and off campus, teaching risk management strategies and agribusiness management programs. He also focuses on farm transfer issues, often working across the state with fellow Extension Specialist John Porter, offering guidance to farm families in transition. He serves on a number of steering committees across the region, including one for the New Hampshire Center for a Food Secure Future and another for the Agricultural Innovations program.

Mike continues to win the hearts and minds of his constituents and his co-workers with his abiding willingness to lend support where it is needed. His contributions to New Hampshire and New England agriculture through his teaching, his multi-state Extension programs, and his acumen at successfully competing for grants are noteworthy. But it is perhaps his sense of being part of a team effort that makes him stand out. When asked if he had any thoughts on receiving this distinguished honor, he emphasized that it is working with one’s colleagues that brings success in Cooperative Extension. “We all work with and support each other’s efforts. This is the primary factor that makes any of us successful.” In the true spirit of team work, please join me in congratulating Mike.

Welcome to Sue Cagle who joins UNH Cooperative Extension as an Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources, Belknap County. Sue begins her responsibilities on Monday, April 17 in a full time position. Sue holds a Master of Education degree in Human Resource Education from Boston University and a B.A. in Psychology from UNH. Sue has worked for over 20 years in the human services field, with individuals, groups and families to overcome financial, educational, medical and environmental obstacles in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Sue has been involved in development and presentation of trainings including management and supervision, facilitation and team management, conflict resolution and stress management. In February, 2000, Sue had the unique opportunity to participate in the design and presentation of a program to develop foster care programs for social workers in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Welcome Sue!

You can get a $50 per session discount to UNH 4-H Camps this summer, but don't delay.

UNH 4-H Camps offer a $50/session discount to UNH employees with a maximum discount of $350 per family for 2006. Campers experience all the great things camp should be -- old and new friends, camp songs, wooded paths and rustic cabins. UNH 4-H Camps, a component of UNH Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development Program, promote positive youth development by providing a camp experience that encourages independence, generosity, mastery and belonging.

Registrations must be received by May 1, 2006, and paid in full by June 1, 2006 to receive this discount. The discount does not apply to Family Camp Weekend.

For more information on 4-H camps, visit our web site call 862-2184 or email 4hcamps@unh.edu.

The Rockingham County Nursing Home atrium was the site Monday night for the second round of County Conversations with President Ann Weaver Hart. Over 80 people attended, including 18 legislators.

Legislators, collaborators and others heard from a panel that featured participants from UNH faculty, Cooperative Extension specialists and educators, and local fishermen during last night's session. This panel discussion illustrated how UNH is working with Cooperative Extension, local fishermen and the federal government to address one of the most pressing topics of concern in the region, the future of the marine fishing industry.

Panelists included Rollie Barnaby and Brian Doyle from Extension, Dr. Richard Langan, Director, Cooperative Institute for New England Mariculture & Fisheries, Dr. Christopher Glass, Northeast Consortium Director & UNH Research Professor, Peter Kendall, Rye, Manager of the Portsmouth Fishermen’s Cooperative and Andrew E. Lang, Commercial Fisherman, New Castle.

The next County Conversations II is scheduled May 8 in Grafton County.

David Foote, UNH Cooperative Extension's Director of Computer Information Technology & Distance Education, is the recipient of the 2006 Information Technology Special Interest Group Award of Excellence from the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences (ACE).

The Award of Excellence recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the Special Interest Group area, as well as leadership and involvement in ACE. ACE members are writers, editors, photographers, graphic designers, videographers, electronic media producers, marketing and public relations practitioners, researchers, Web developers, database programmers, distance education specialists, educators and managers. They work in universities, government agencies and research organizations in the public sector, as well as companies and firms in the private sector. Congratulations, David!

This year's statewide conference will provide opportunities to gain new knowledge, improve skills and socialize with colleagues. The theme is "Wild About Teamwork."

The date is May 25 at the Memorial Union Building on the UNH campus. All staff are invited to participate in this professional development conference and your attendance is expected.

Online registration should open around the first of May, which will provide a variety of workshops from which to choose. Working hard on the event is this year's Conference Planning Committee, which includes Charlene Baxter, chair, Faye Cragin, Paula Gregory, Gillian Hodges Rapp, Thom Linehan, Ken La Valley, Deb Russell, Sadie Puglisi, Sarah Smith and Holly Young.

UNH President Ann Weaver Hart, in her State of the University Address last fall, announced the allocation of $400,000 from her President’s Fund for Excellence to a competitive and strategic program to initiate and sustain research and scholarship by UNH faculty. It resulted in 17 awards to faculty in all five colleges, EOS and Cooperative Extension. By adding nearly $300,000 from an unanticipated increase in indirect cost recovery and spreading spending over two fiscal years, the total amount awarded increased to about $700,000.

Two UNH Cooperative Extension specialists, Paula Gregory, 4-H Youth Development, and Emily Douglas, Family Education and Policy, recently received notification that proposals they are involved with received funding.

Paula is involved in a collaborative proposal submitted by Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Barbara White funded at $64,850. The proposal focus is on infants born to mothers under chronic stress. Paula’s role is to assist White’s graduate students in making the community connections to recruit the pregnant teens and to consult with these students on community agency collaboration.

Emily, who submitted the proposal with Dr. Nina Glick Schiller, professor of anthropology, received a $55,654 award for the proposal, “Refugee Resettlement in New Hampshire: A Study of Refugee Well-being.”

One of the primary goals of the President's Excellence Initiative has been to build sustainable teams and launch new areas of research and scholarship that will have a lasting impact on the University. Congratulations, Paula and Emily!

The Presidential Commissions at UNH are currently seeking nominations for membership for the 2006 - 2007 academic year for the Commission on the Status of People of Color, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Commission on the Status of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Issues.

The Commissions report to the President of the University. They work to create equal educational and employment opportunities for everyone in our community through policy, advocacy and education.

Each Commission meets on a monthly basis. Please nominate colleagues, staff members and students for this excellent opportunity for voice and leadership. Send nominations and/or questions to Sylvia Foster at sfoster@unh.edu or call 862-1058 by April 3.

A policy brief on displaced workers - the people losing their jobs for good - in rural America, will be published this week by the Carsey Institute. The brief, titled "Low Skill Workers in Rural America Face Permanent Job Loss," has implications for current national policy discussions on trade and globalization.

Written by Carsey visiting faculty and Penn State geographer Amy Glasmeier and Carsey's own Priscilla Salant, this paper is second in a series of policy briefs on rural America funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Find out who is being displaced and why particular attention should be placed on rural workers in the Northeast and South by downloading the brief.

UNH Cooperative Extension's FY05 Annual Report, including Key Theme impact reports, was submitted last week as required to CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service).

The document is posted on our web page.

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

This is the time to recognize colleagues for their dedication, commitment and caring behavior as staff members of UNH Cooperative Extension. The Staff Recognition Team added a new award for 2006, the Diversity and Pluralism award and voted to keep the two awards established last year, Performance Beyond Expectations and Professional Courtesy.

All staff in the organization, including county support staff, are eligible for these awards with nominations due Friday, March 31. The forms are quick and easy to fill out. This is an opportunity to formally make a difference and recognize those individuals who truly do make a difference in our organization. Thanks in advance for your consideration.

After careful consideration, I'm pleased to announce the interim appointment of Jim Grady as the Associate Director effective Monday, March 20. Jim has 31 years of experience with UNH Cooperative Extension and is held in high regard both on and off campus for his outstanding work.

Jim began his career as an Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development in Belknap, then Merrimack County. In addition to his 12 years as an Extension Educator, he served as the county office administrator in Merrimack. He looks forward to his new responsibilities as we all work together to make UNH Cooperative Extension as strong as it can be.

This interim appointment will be for an indefinite period. Jim will continue to oversee Extension's finance and human resources. Please join me in congratulating Jim.

The process of nominating a staff person from the following categories, Operating Staff (OS), Professional, Administrative and Technical (PAT), or Extension Educator (EE), for the 2006 Presidential Award of Excellence is now on-line.

Nominations are due by March 24. A nominee must have "demonstrated excellence through outstanding performance in their position and has a record of dedication to, and a concern for the University community."

A worm tunnel, animal pelts, a leaf quiz, a buzzard board at kid level, live birds and much more were all part of the excitement at the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program exhibit at the recent Farm and Forest Expo in Manchester, claiming top prize for the two-day event.

Extension Educators, Community Tree Stewards and Coverts volunteers were on hand at the booth throughout the Expo to answer and inspire visitors of all ages. The exhibit was the result of the creativity and hard work of Extension staff Mary Tebo, Wendy Scribner, Malin Clyde and Karen Bennett, along with Bambi Miller from the Strafford County Conservation District.

The volunteers participated in the development and staffing of the worm tunnel, a walk-in-to world of the natural underground, critters and man-made recyclable items that don't belong in our soils. The tunnel is destined for exhibit sites around the state. The requests started to come in with its debut at the Expo.

Wendy Scribner accepted the plaque and ribbon from Governor John Lynch at the Farm and Forest Expo awards breakfast. "The Farm and Forest Expo provides an extraordinary opportunity to maintain and enhance relationships with natural resource related partners and clientele in a very efficient way," according to Program Leader Bob Edmonds. "Over a two-day period, people come to us from all around the state, saving us valuable travel time and expense that we would expend trying to reach them in other ways."

As we develop our next five year plan of work, questions have been raised
about the future of our interdisciplinary teams. A year ago, the Program
Development and Evaluation Team conducted a formative evaluation of
the teams and submitted recommendations for Interdisciplinary
Team policies to the Leadership Team. Those policies still stand and
appear below. Note there are no term limits for team chairs and team
members. Participation is an agreement between the employee and
their supervisor.

Interdisciplinary Team Policies:
• A definition of interdisciplinary work is provided to staff so Program Leaders and staff have a common understanding of interdisciplinary programming. The Leadership Team agreed on the following definition and rationale for interdisciplinary work.
• Program leaders, in concert with individual staff will determine what interdisciplinary work each Extension Specialist and Educator will engage in using a guideline of 10% of their time (21 days for full time.) Staff have several options for meeting this interdisciplinary programming guideline, including:
o Continue working on the interdisciplinary team to which they are assigned
o Request a reassignment to another interdisciplinary team
o Create a new interdisciplinary team with a focus that meets the definition of interdisciplinary work, falls within the mission and vision of UNH Cooperative Extension, and meets the needs of New Hampshire residents (determined by GAP analysis, demographics, and other data). The Leadership Team will review and approve newly proposed teams.
o Participate in a new or existing program outside a team that meets the criteria for interdisciplinary work
o An existing interdisciplinary team may choose to disband. Sufficient evidence must suggest Extension is responding to the topic/issue in another manner since these teams were formed based on GAP analysis data.
o There may be circumstances where an educator’s or specialist’s job responsibilities may not include interdisciplinary work for a period of time (new hire, funded by restricted grants, contracts or gifts.)
• The Leadership Team supports rewarding interdisciplinary work through the staff recognition plan. Incentives/rewards are based on documented outcomes/impacts of interdisciplinary work rather than inputs such as time spent on interdisciplinary work. Reduction of an employee’s appointment will not be related to participation with an interdisciplinary team.
• Supervision and documentation of time involved in interdisciplinary work is the responsibility of Program Leaders, not chairs of interdisciplinary teams. Chairs, like all other Extension staff, provide performance review feedback on staff with whom they work. They will not be required to provide additional feedback or documentation for their team members.
• A description of interdisciplinary work expectations will be included in all position descriptions for new hires. Search committees will discuss this expectation with candidates.
• The Leadership Team will continue to support the Program Council. This group of Program Leaders and Chairs/Co-Chairs of interdisciplinary teams is an important and effective way to facilitate communication about programming.

Feel free to contact Leadership Team members if you have questions about these policies. The Leadership Team appreciates the hard work of these teams and what they've already added to our programming portfolio.

Nancy Evans, 4-H Program Associate, Merrimack County, recently received the Judith Lonergan award at the NH Association of Volunteer Administrators (NHAVA) annual meeting. Nancy was recognized for 19 years of dedicated service to volunteer administration with the Merrimack County 4-H Youth Development program.

The Judith Lonergan award is given to someone who demonstrates a commitment to NHAVA’s mission as well as an excellence in core competencies in the field of volunteer administration, someone who promotes volunteerism within his/her organization and/or within the community while managing an effective volunteer program. Nancy became involved in NHAVA at its inception in 1996 as one of the charter members. Its mission is to help support and strengthen the profession of volunteer administration in New Hampshire through education, networking and volunteer recognition.

The award has a special meaning for Nancy because she worked with Judith when she served as the Extension Specialist, Volunteer Development, for UNH Cooperative Extension. Congratulations, Nancy.

The Carsey Institute Brown Bag Series begins February 8 at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on the UNH campus with the topic, "21st Century Restructuring of Employment in the Northeast."

The guest speaker is Amy Glasmeier, Visiting Faculty, Carsey Institute and the E. Willard Miller Professor of Economic Geography at Pennsylvania State University. The presentation, which runs from noon-1 pm in Room 302 at the MUB, focuses on New England communities that face new challenges as fortunes are tied to late 20th century developments in industry. Dr. Glasmeier will discuss the variety of forces that are causing major shifts in employment in New England and the United States and the needed policy responses.

Other topics and dates in the series are: Supporting Individuals with Disabilities and Elders in the North Country, March 8; New Immigrant Settlements in Rural America: Problems, Prospects and Policies, April 5; and a special event May 3, Empowering Low Income and Disenfranchised Groups through Community Economic Development for Economic Gain and Social Progress. This last event takes place from 5:30-7 pm at the Elliot Alumni Center 1925 room.

For further information, visit the Carsey Institute web site or contact Amy Seif at amy.seif@unh.edu or 603-862-4650.

Congratulations to Geoffrey Njue and his wife, Janet, who became U.S. citizens during a ceremony last week in Concord. Geoffrey joined UNH Cooperative Extension in September, 2000. He is responsible for ornamental horticulture in Strafford and Carroll Counties.

The main focus of Geoffrey's work is to provide current information and assist home owners and commercial agriculture enterprises in the areas of commercial ornamental horticulture and turf management. He also manages the Master Gardener volunteer program in both counties.

Geoffrey said, "Becoming naturalized citizens is important to us because we decided to make this our home. We decided to make the U.S. our adopted country and we would like to participate in the political process both locally and nationally by being able to vote. Both of us serve the citizens of New Hampshire in our jobs and becoming naturalized citizens means a lot to us because we will derive more joy in serving fellow citizens. We will also derive joy and pride to use American passports in our travels to Kenya and other countries. I hope this gives you some idea of the importance of this step in our lives."

Geoffrey and his wife are shown in a photo shortly after the ceremony. It was provided to us by The Concord Monitor's Thomas Whisenand.

The Rundlett Middle School in Concord was the site Tuesday night for the second round of County Conversations with President Ann Weaver Hart. Over 65 people attended, including 20 legislators, 15 from Merrimack County.

For the past two years, UNH President Ann Weaver Hart traveled to each UNH Cooperative Extension county office to listen to county leaders, collaborators and others about UNH engagement within each county. UNH and Cooperative Extension made the decision that it was important to continue the momentum by taking topics suggested during the first round and returning to each county to share how UNH knowledge and research help foster thriving communities. A new component to County Conversations II is the attendance of new UNH faculty to familiarize them with the outreach component of UNH as a Land Grant university.

Legislators, collaborators and others heard from a panel that featured participants from UNH faculty, Cooperative Extension specialists and educators and collaborators during last night's session. They showcased how the University and Cooperative Extension addressed the issues of nutrition and well-being in the county. Panelists included Valerie Long, Catherine Violette, Elizabeth Martin, Colette Janson-Sand and Deborah Cheever from Extension, and Anthony Tagliaferro and Pam Dinapoli, UNH faculty from the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and the Dept. of Nursing, respectively. Sarah Foynes, director of the After School Program at the school, also participated.

Prior to the County Conversation, President Hart visited the After School Program and is shown in the above photograph with, from the left, Elizabeth Martin, Susan Entz from UNH, and myself. The next County Conversation II is scheduled April 3 in Rockingham County.

A partnership between the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and UNH Cooperative Extension was recognized January 11 at a ceremony in Concord. I presented a commemorative plaque to N.H. Fish and Game Executive Director Lee Perry (shown below) in observance of 20 years of jointly caring for New Hampshire's wildlife.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has been a close and active partner with Extension for decades. Twenty years ago, the department and UNH Cooperative Extension entered into an agreement for a joint effort to reach landowners, natural resource professionals, volunteers, the forest industry, community leaders and the public to protect and enhance wildlife habitat in New Hampshire. This has been a successful program that has made a difference in people's stewardship values and practices and we look forward to our collaborative partnership for many years to come.

Forestry and Wildlife Program staff and several people from the NH Fish and Game Department attended the luncheon held at the Forest Society's Conservation Center in Concord. In attendance were the founders of the joint Extension - Fish and Game program, Roger Leighton and Gibb Dodge, both former Forestry Program Leaders and Howie Nowell, who represented Fish and Game in the development of the original partnership.

Also present was every person who served as the Extension Wildlife Specialist made possible by this arrangement including Scot Williamson, Charlie Bridges, John Kanter, Ellen Snyder, Matt Tarr and Darrel Covell.

As a result of this partnership, over 300 New Hampshire resource professionals have gained the ability to identify, maintain and enhance wildlife habitat for New Hampshire landowners. We now have over 250 trained volunteers in the NH Coverts Program helping communities and landowners make informed decisions regarding natural resources. The general public and public decision makers now understand concepts such as biodiversity, the dangers of invasive species and the need for permanently protecting critical natural resource areas. Darrel Covell has been involved in the development of New Hampshire's new Wildlife Action Plan, which will guide this state's wildlife-related practices and programs for years to come.

Each year, we reaffirm our commitment to UNH Cooperative Extension's Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity responsibilities and in advancing UNH's Diversity Initiatives. I am committed to the implementation of unbiased employment practices and the delivery of educational programs that serve all people of New Hampshire, with particular efforts to include under-served and under-represented groups.

I'm proud to be part of an organization that values Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, and is consistently sensitive to the needs and rights of others. I commend the efforts I see throughout the organization demonstrating your spirit of accommodation and inclusion.

Please review the Civil Rights Guide for University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension staff. In addition, you'll be interested in reviewing UNH's Diversity Initiatives.

We multiply our delivery system effectively through the use of volunteers and increased diversity training for them. County Extension Advisory Councils have also received civil rights training. As a result of our civil rights and diversity training with volunteers, we see enhanced awareness and improved practices among our council volunteers.

Thank you for your personal and professional commitment to reaching out to welcome, involve and serve all people in New Hampshire.

Nancy Franz, UNH Cooperative Extension's Associate Director, has accepted an offer from Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to serve as a Full Professor/Extension Specialist in Curriculum Development.

The position resides in the VCE Program and Curriculum Unit at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She will provide leadership for assisting field faculty in 107 county and city units and more than 150 campus faculty in developing outcome based curriculum for educational programs including developmental work on learning styles, distance education and non-formal teaching methods. She will also teach and conduct research on curriculum and program development.

Nancy will begin her work with VCE in March. She thanks Extension staff, UNH faculty and staff and clientele who supported and worked with her on educational programming and organizational management and leadership during her time in New Hampshire. She will forward contact information to her colleagues when it is available and welcomes visitors to see her and her husband Bill at VTech and Blacksburg.

I personally want to thank Nancy for the many organizational contributions she has made over the past two and a half plus years in her role as UNH Cooperative Extension Associate Director and wish her the very best in her new position with Virginia Tech. Prior to her departure in March, Nancy will continue to provide leadership to complete the new five year Plan of Work process for New Hampshire. In the meantime, I will be working with the Leadership Team over the next couple of months in determining the transition of Nancy's responsibilities until such time as a decision has been made regarding a replacement.

When completing the "Report of Injury/Occupational Illness" form, remember to use the University's most-up-to-date form as the reporting addresses have changed.

Other important Cooperative Extension information about the filing process is available at our web site.

UNH Cooperative Extension has a new photo/clip art database. Use the keyword search to find copyright free photos for your presentations. You may also add photos to the database.

Do you have slides you’d like digitized but don’t have the time and/or equipment? The ITDE office will digitize your slides/negatives for you if they can be added to the database. They also will create a CD of the photos for you and your name will be listed as the author. If you have any questions, contact the WWW & Media Specialist.

UNH Campus Recreation is offering CPR and First Aid classes next week. The adult CPR class runs from noon-4 pm Wednesday, January 11, and the First Aid class is Friday, January 13, from 1:30-4 pm. A maximum of eight participants is needed for the CPR class, and 20 for the First Aid class.

The cost is $35 for the adult CPR class and $38 for the First Aid class. If you attend both, the cost is $45. For information, call 862-2031 and speak to Kathy Casler or Linda Hayden. Additional courses are offered throughout the semester at a variety of times. Check the campus recreation website to learn more.

The RFP for UNH Cooperative Graduate Assistantships is now available. Proposals are due March 1st to Nancy Franz. The Leadership Team will review the proposals and announce funded proposals in mid March.

This program provides a great opportunity for meaningful interaction between Extension Educators, specialists, graduate students and faculty. I look forward to your participation in this aspect of our strategic plan for university engagement.

I extend best wishes to you and your families for a peaceful and joyous holiday season. I hope you will pause during this time to reflect on the many contributions you've made this past year in the work you do with the citizens of New Hampshire. I commend your dedication to our mission and your willingness to invest the effort necessary to make a difference.

I continue to be proud to lead an organization that makes an incredible impact on the lives of so many New Hampshire citizens. We have completed yet another year during which we have achieved numerous program accomplishments and continued to gain recognition and value for our role as a primary outreach unit of the University of New Hampshire.

I look forward to 2006 as we continue our work with citizens around the state, becoming an even more effective and efficient educational outreach organization. I hope each of you take full advantage of this opportunity to take a well-deserved break and enjoy your friends and family.

Happy Holidays, John

Two UNH Cooperative Extension specialists, Suzann Knight and Charlie French, are participating in eXtension’s pioneering Communities of Practice. These Communities will help build the foundation of the eXtension initiative.

Charlie is part of the Building Local Economies of the Future: Entrepreneurship, Education and Information Systems for Rural People and Places, while Suzann is working with the Financial Security for All Community of Practice.

Participation in this first Call for Engagement involved 49 states and one U.S. territory. A total of 181 authors submitted as either the primary investigator or co-primary investigator, representing 44 states. The Review Panel for the Call for Engagement was comprised of Cooperative Extension Directors and Program Leaders from each of the five Cooperative Extension regions.

The next Call for Engagement will be issued in early Spring 2006.

A reminder that anyone who submits 25 questions and answers by December 15 to the eXtension database will win an eXtension “prize.” Information about the FAQ submission process and registration, which you must do to begin the process, is located at the eXtension website.

The 2006 National Priester Health Conference takes place April 25-27, 2006, in Louisville, KY.

Professionals involved in health research, education, Extension and policy from Land-Grant institutions, other institutions of higher education, medical colleges, public health, healthcare, federal organizations and agencies, private non-profit organizations and associations, and schools systems are invited to submit proposals.

Proposals should emphasize innovative strategies for translating research into educational programs and policy formulation that result in positive health outcomes. The deadline for proposal submissions is December 15, 2005.

Learn more at the conference website. Conference sponsors include USDA-Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (USDA-CSREES), National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges Commission on Outreach and Technology Transfer (NASULGC-COTT), and the University of Kentucky.

National 4-H Council, with support from the JC Penney Afterschool Fund, awarded 25 volunteers from across the country with the first 4-H Afterschool Opens Doors Volunteer Awards. Sue McDuff, Laconia, who helped establish the Winnipesaukee Winners 4-H, a successful after-school program in Alton, is one of the recipients.

This award recognizes the commitment of 4-H volunteers involved in 4-H Afterschool programming in their communities. These volunteers help train after-school program staff, increase the use of
4-H curricula in after-school programs, organize 4-H clubs in after-school programs, and provide
4-H activities to youth in after-school programs.

Alton’s community leaders tried for 10 years to establish an after-school program. Their dream finally happened when UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator Becky Levesque helped assemble the right mix of school and community partners, parents and youth. Supported by a $500 Rural Youth Development Grant, the Alton 4-H Enrichment Program began by offering 4-H one day per week with 28 youth participating. Much of the program’s success and growth are attributed to the creativity, energy and teamwork demonstrated by volunteer Sue McDuff and the program’s first part-time director, Derek Pappaceno.

McDuff, a 4-H alumnus, volunteered as a key leader, teaching sewing projects, recruiting and mentoring other volunteers, and organizing youth to plan and carry out community service. When presented with the opportunity to become a 4-H Afterschool club and do other projects such as gardening and community service, the majority of children eagerly agreed. They named their group the Winnipesaukee Winners 4-H. Plans are now underway to expand the program to two days each week.

I am providing you with a link to the President's Fund for Excellence, a competitive award program. President Ann Weaver Hart has made available $400,000 to provide faculty with increased opportunities to initiate and sustain interdisciplinary research and scholarship with impacts beyond the campus borders. All Extension Faculty are eligible to apply.

For more information, please visit the above link or contact John Aber, Vice President for Research and Public Service, 107 Thompson Hall (phone 862-1948 or email john.aber@unh.edu).

Proposals are due to Dr. Aber by January 15, 2006.

I have been serving on the Responsibility Center Management (RCM) Steering Committee for the past several months. In two upcoming meetings, initial recommendations for modifications to the system will be presented at public forums. The Campus Journal has more complete information about the process and the upcoming meetings.

Jeff Schloss, UNH Cooperative Extension Professor/Specialist, Water Resources, received the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) Secchi Disk award. This award was presented at the Society's 25th annual meeting held recently in Madison, Wisconsin.

Of all the NALMS awards, the Secchi Disk award is the Society’s highest honor, given to an individual member considered to have contributed the most to the achievement of NALMS’s goals and its mission within and outside of the organization.

A member of NALMS since 1986, Jeff has served on and chaired several committees and was the Region I Director from 1999-2001. He served as NALMS President in 2002 and now heads up the Conference Advisory Committee. He also participated in the development of the NALMS research project on remote sensing techniques.

Congratulations, Jeff!

In keeping with the University holiday closure from December 26 to January 2, the Publications Center will be closed.

Due to the student winter break in January, the Publications Center won't have regular operational hours. If you have a particular publication need from January 3-17, please contact Holly Young directly.

Recent Internal Revenue Service changes give participants in a health care flexible spending account (FSA) an additional two and a half months after the end of the 2005 plan year to incur health care expenses that can be reimbursed using 2005 FSA contributions.

Instead of forfeiting unused contributions as of December 31, 2005, you can incur charges and reimburse yourself for eligible health care expenses until March 15, 2006.

This change applies only to health care FSAs. Dependent care FSA contributions must be used by December 31, 2005.

The next application deadline for the UNH Staff Professional Development Grant is December 1. The maximum award is $750. No more than one grant will be awarded per person during a 12-month period. This is calculated from the date of notification of the previous grant.

The Staff Professional Development Grant Program provides the opportunity for Extension Educator, Operating Staff and Professional, Administrative and Technical staff to attain new skills or knowledge in a manner that will enhance a staff member's performance or eligibility for promotion and be of specific benefit to the department, college, university and/or University System.

Such opportunities might include:
- Conferences, workshops and seminars, both on and off campus
- Academic courses not offered within the University System
- Travel and accommodations for off campus courses, workshops, etc.
- Special projects, including but not limited to research and publication

Thirty-five County Commissioners, other county officials and Extension Educators from across the state gathered at six PicTel sites last week for an interactive workshop and discussion about UNH Cooperative Extension's work with New Hampshire county governments.

The workshop was co-sponsored by the NH Association of Counties and the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program. Titled "Focus on County Forests," the emphasis focused on how Extension has worked with counties with regard to their lands. There also was an open discussion on how Extension can be of further value to counties in the future.

The goal was to create a forum in which county officials could share their experiences regarding work on improving county-owned lands. It afforded the opportunity for county government representatives to quiz Extension about future opportunities.

Following a 12-minute video produced by Rockingham County Extension Educator Matt Tarr, filmed on-site at county farms around New Hampshire, Carroll County Commissioner David Sorensen , Grafton County Commissioner Bill Gabler and Strafford County Extension Educator Don Black, gave examples of innovative projects done with county lands and facilities followed by a lively discussion facilitated by Extension Wildlife Specialist Darrel Covell.

As a result of this workshop, Commissioners expressed their desire for more forums using PicTel. More than one suggested that Commissioners get together a couple of times a year to discuss possible collaborations on county issues. To view a video of the event, contact your County Extension Educator, Forest Resources, Paul Bonaparte-Krogh or Bob Edmonds, Forestry and Wildlife Program Leader.

The statewide UNH Cooperative Extension Conference takes place Thursday, May 25, 2006 at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on the UNH Durham campus.

This conference is for all Extension staff. It will be similar to the conference held last year, focusing on professional development and recognition of Extension staff. More details will follow as the date nears.

Approximately 75 community members attended the Acworth Community Profile (Sullivan County) held October 21-22. Five action groups were formed:
• Create a historic structures inventory,
• Inform residents about community events, meetings and gatherings through several mediums such as a newsletter, bulletin boards and a business directory,
• Expand involvement in the Master Plan,
• Expand current recreation committee and include youth/diverse membership, and
• Create an emergency response coordinator to design an Emergency Response Plan.

Michele Gagne facilitated the event, while Seth Wilner provided small group facilitator training. Charlie French, Chuck Hersey and Robin Luther also helped with facilitating/recording, along with two UNH students from the Thompson School Community Service and Learning Program, Ashlee Iber and Vicki Hebert. The follow-up meeting, facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension, took place November 8.

Upcoming Profiles include Greenland (Rockingham County) February 3-4 (snow date February 10-11) and Rumney (Grafton County) March 31-April 1.

The Northeast Extension Directors’ Award of Excellence is dedicated to the recognition of Extension outreach education programming that has achieved outstanding accomplishments, results and impacts in addressing contemporary issues in one or more of the 13 Northeast states.

The deadline for the 2005 applications is Friday, December 16. This is the highest award recognizing Extension program excellence in the region.

The Northeast Extension Directors' Recognition Committee anticipates receiving many high quality applications. As a result, up to three awards may be given, one (or more) of which is designated for a multi-state program, if warranted.

The award recipients will be recognized at the Northeast Extension Directors' winter meeting on February 1, 2006.

There are new revised on-line forms for County Office Administrator evaluations, as well as forms for Self and Peer evaluations. Please review and submit these important evaluations by the end of November.

This information is kept confidential and used by the Assistant Director and Program Leaders to give COAs and other staff more complete and valuable feedback on how their peers see their performance. Efforts have been made to ensure all the forms use the same ratings. For team COAs, you need only rate the individual areas of responsibility.

Extension evaluators from all over the United States met recently at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Evaluation Association in Toronto, Ontario (in conjunction with the Canadian Evaluation Society) and several awards were given for excellence in Extension program evaluation.

UNH Cooperative Extension staff were recipients of two national awards:
Associate Director Nancy Franz received the Mary Nell Greenwood Extension Evaluation Award. This award is given annually for administrative or program leadership toward outstanding organizational, policy and resource contributions to Extension evaluation.

Awards Chair Michael Newman from Mississippi State University opened up the presentation to Nancy by saying, “This is an award for someone that doesn't have to be here, but is because they understand the importance of evaluation.”

Lisa Townson, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, was presented with the Excellence in Evaluation Training Award. This award recognizes evaluation training of outstanding quality by an individual or team. The nominees may be professional evaluator(s) or those whose major responsibility is not program evaluation.

Criteria for excellence in evaluation training include creativity, capacity building for trainees in evaluation practice, and the use of training to further extension evaluation.

Congratulations to Nancy and Lisa!

At the recent 2005 National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences annual session held in Philadelphia, two UNH Cooperative Extension staff received awards.

Extension Educator Ann Hamilton was the recipient of the Continued Excellence Award. The award recognizes Ann's strong educational leadership in family financial management and food safety. Also Carroll County's Office Administrator, Ann is a member of the Achieving Financial Security and Family Resource Management Advisory teams, and past member of the food safety team. She was a founding member of NH Jump$tart Coalition. She also provides parenting education and works with early childhood professionals.

Christine Parshall, Extension Program Associate, Food and Nutrition, was a Para-Professional Award, Eastern Region finalist. Christine was recognized for teaching nutrition lessons in individual homes, small community groups and schools. She also addresses nutrition education needs through effective community collaborations such as the In SHAPE program, a nationally recognized wellness effort for individuals with severe mental illnesses.

Congratulations Ann and Christine!

A Farm Viability Task Force, appointed by Gov. John Lynch, meets for the first time November 7. Tom Fairchild, retired Professor of Animal Sciences and former COLSA Dean, will serve as chair of the task force.

The legislation charges the Task Force with studying and making recommendations in five areas:
• Updating the NH Food Policy, first adopted in 1979
• The need and options for funding UNH Cooperative Extension positions
• Establishment of a farm viability program for New Hampshire similar to programs in other New England states
• Identifying regulations that may be unduly burdensome to New Hampshire agriculture, and
• Promoting and expanding agricultural-based tourism, community-supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, farm stands, agricultural fairs, the horticulture industry, and pick-your-own enterprises.

Other Task Force members include Jack Potter, Sanbornton, Jonathan Huntington, Loudon, Courtney Hodge, Hinsdale, Jeanie McIntyre, Lyme, Gary Matteson, Epsom, Elizabeth Corell, Concord, William Lord, Strafford, Courtney Haase, South Sutton, Nancy Hirshberg, Wolfeboro, Robert Wellington, Hooksett, Wayne Mann, Canterbury, Helen Costello, Concord, and David Keith of North Haverhill.

On November 1, Lynn Garland and Matt Tarr become Rockingham County's new office administrators. Matt will oversee office management issues while Lynn will serve as the contact with county government officials and the Advisory Council.

Let me express my appreciation to the outgoing team of Rollie Barnaby, Karen Blass and Nada Haddad, who pioneered the three-person team. They did an excellent job the past three years.

If you are interested in the concept of idea generation, intellectual property development, spin out and re-engagement in scholarship as a means to enhance scholarship, "An Evening With UNH Entrepreneurial Faculty Scholars" may be of interest.

Sponsors of the forum, set for Wednesday, Nov. 2, include the UNH Office of the Vice President for Research and Public Service, the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and the New Hampshire High Technology and Biotechnology Councils.

The event, starting at 5 pm in the Piscataqua Room at Holloway Commons, includes presentations, panel discussions and questions and answers with guests in the audience. Topics will include the intellectual property development process, venture and angel capital engagement, entrepreneurship program resources and case histories from UNH's first three entrepreneurial faculty scholars. All of these presentations, discussions and exchanges will be followed by opportunities for networking over light fare.

To attend, call Nancy Lindley at 862-1937 or email her at nlindley@cisunix.unh.edu

To coincide with our new programming year, the list of UNH Cooperative Extension teams that provide leadership to programs and organizational operations has been updated on our intranet.

You'll find the updated list under "New Employee Orientation."

The Leadership Team updated our policies and procedures for staff teaching based on feedback from our partnering schools and colleges.

You'll find the polices on our intranet under "Policies and Procedures"

Contact your supervisor if you have any questions on these policies.

Staff are invited to analyze feedback on our draft plan of work at a data party December 19. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and focus on feedback from stakeholders and staff and implications for our programming.

To sign up for this session contact Nancy Franz.

eXtension selected eight pioneering Communities of Practice to build the foundation of the eXtension Initiative. Selection of these Communities of Practice followed an extensive review process after the first eXtension Call for Engagement in June.

According to Dan Cotton, eXtension director, "Participation in this first Call for Engagement involved 49 states and one U.S. territory. A total of 181 authors submitted as either the primary investigator or co-primary investigator, representing 44 states. The Review Panel for the Call for Engagement was comprised of Cooperative Extension Directors and Program Leaders from each of the five Cooperative Extension Regions."

The next Call for Engagement will be issued in early Spring 2006.

We continue to update the front page of our web site with links and other information to help residents hard hit by last weekend's flooding. Make sure to check it on a periodic basis for any new information. We also welcome suggestions from staff on any relevant web sites and links to add to the site. Please send these links to Holly Young.

We're also pleased to discover our web site was number one on Google for the most "hits" related to the New Hampshire floods.

Information on a variety of topics dealing with flood disasters is now available on the front page of our web site.

Staff may also link to the chapter on Floods and Flash Floods from "Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages" from the National Disaster Education Coalition in D.C.

We have provided extensive links to help you as you work with clientele affected by these devastating floods. As well, a Crisis Protocol Team is now in place to set an organizational mind set to recognize crises and step in as appropriate (prevention, preparation, response, recovery) and integrate UNHCE into the emergency response system in New Hampshire. Co-chairs are Chris Conlon and Holly Young, and committee members are Kathy Jablonski, Bob Edmonds and Deb Maes.

The UNH Carsey Institute Brown Bag series presents "Changing Values in America" Wednesday, Oct. 12, from noon-1 pm in Room 330 of the Memorial Union Building.

Guess Speaker Michele Dillon, Professor, Sociology, has written extensively on Catholicism in the United States and elsewhere. Dr. Dillon's current research uses longitudinal life course data spanning adolescence and late adulthood to examine the socio-biographical antecedents, life course trajectories, and social implications of religion and spirituality in a sample of American men and women who were born in the 1920s.

Dr. Dillon received her undergraduate education in Ireland and her PhD in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Belknap County legislators, commissioners and organizations that partner with Extension participated in the tenth “County Conversation” September 26 at Joe Holliday's Top of the Town in Belmont. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Belknap County.
View image

The Monday program included remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Belknap County.

Belknap County staff shared their program efforts in a discussion earlier in the day with President Hart. She also viewed the gardens planted with the help of Master Gardeners at the Belknap County Nursing Home.

Please click on the image above for a photo of Master Gardeners Kathleen Kozak, Suzanne Simmons and Shirley Splaine with President Hart, Extension Educator Amy Ouellette and me at the conversation.

Here's good news for those who like to see NH Public Television's NH Outlook air earlier in the evening: beginning Monday, October 3, you can watch each weeknight at 7:30 p.m.

For your convenience, shows also re-air at 11:30 p.m., 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Look for the Friday "Journalists Roundtable" discussion airing at 11 a.m. during NHPTV's Sunday public affairs program lineup. And, you can watch us on the web anytime!

Staff seeking reimbursement for travel and other expenses through the BSC for July, August and September must submit them before the end of the month. This includes grant-sponsored programs. Timeliness enhances management of our budget deficit. Thanks for observing this important deadline.

Mary Jo Johnson joins Cooperative Extension September 19 as the new Senior BSC Assistant replacing Tim Fredette.

Mary Jo comes to us from UNH's Accounts Payable, where she managed the travel office. Mary Jo will handle the Forestry and Agricultural Resource accounting areas. Please help us in welcoming her to Extension.

Over 400 people celebrated the dedication of the Grafton County Nursing Home Saturday at the Family Day and Open House at the Grafton County Complex. Grafton County Commissioners first dedicated the Grafton County Nursing Home, then moved on to the 1930's original section of the building, which now houses UNH Cooperative Extension, the Commissioners' Office, the Registry of Deeds, Human Services and Human Resources.

Festivities continued at the UNH Cooperative Extension Greenhouse, a research and educational facility under the direction of Tom Buob, Agricultural Resources Educator.

Music and clowns entertained residents of the Nursing Home and their families. A complimentary cookout was available as well as tours of the facilities and the Grafton County Courthouse. Grafton County's Extension Educators filled the conference room with educational displays.

Those on hand included Executive Councilor and County Commissioner Ray Burton of Bath as well as County Commissioners Mike Cryans of Hanover and Bill Gabler of Hebron. Elected officials included State Reps. Edmond Gionet from Lincoln and Margie Maybeck from Holderness as well as District 2 State Senator Carl Johnson of Meredith.

Extension staff in attendance included Dean & Director John Pike, Assistant Director, County Operations, Paul Bonaparte-Krogh, Agricultural Resources Program Leader Juli Brussell, and Grafton County staff Tom Buob, Nory Parr, Robin Peters and Deb Maes.

Shown in the photo are left to right, John Pike, Executive Director Julie Clough, Commissioners Bill Gabler and Mike Cryans, Paul Bonaparte-Krogh, Carl Johnson and Ray Burton.

We've joined Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont in creating a new on-line planning and reporting system that will replace TERS for our next five-year plan of work cycle.

Steve Judd, Lisa Townson and Nancy Franz have been working with a four-state consortium to develop a system that better streamlines our planning and reporting.

Contact Steve or Nancy if you'd like to help test the new system as it is developed or if you have questions.

Deadlines for planning and reporting, performance management and promotion have been updated and posted on our internet on the performance management page.

Since we are entering the last year of our plan of work cycle, logic models and impact reports simply need to be updated instead of created from scratch. The plan of work summary form for educators has been discontinued. The number of planned days for programming efforts will be recorded on the annual performance management plan instead.

Contact your supervisor if you have questions about these important processes.

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including articles on Extension's Response to an Un-Natural Disaster: Enlisting Your Support for Military Youth and Families. The author shares her experiences as a 4-H Military Liaison and encourages readers to become involved with Operation: Military Kids. Research articles include stories on Preparing Extension Educators for a Global Community to Consumer Knowledge and Perceptions About Organic Food.

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

It is sometimes difficult to read your computer monitor. After a long day, fatigue sets in or you may be experiencing vision issues that make the default settings difficult to read.

The ITDE Blog has a new section on accessibility. It contains several useful entries describing how to adjust fonts, sizes, screen colors, and themes in Windows as well as in applications (such as Word or Eudora) and browsers.

Listings that describe the most frequently used options also contain links to UNHCE tutorials. The tutorials demonstrate the step-by-step process of changing settings.

To access this new section of the ITDE Blog, go to Accessibility options on the left navigation bar of the ITDE Blog. There also is an archive of all accessibility listings.

Thirty UNH Cooperative Extension County Advisory Council members and guests from nine counties took the University of New Hampshire Isles of Shoals Discovery Cruise aboard the UNH research vessel Gulf Challenger on Monday, Aug. 22.

The informal educational cruise highlighed both the natural and cultural history as well as the aesthetics of Appledore Island and the New Hampshire seacoast. While on board, they participated in hands-on activities conducted by volunteer Marine Docents, using simple oceanographic equipment. The day included a walking tour of Appledore Island, home to the Shoals Marine Laboratory and Celia Thaxter’s garden.

This trip was sponsored by Extension's State Advisory Council so participants could learn more about UNH and Cooperative Extension.

Over 100 youth from across New England, children of military deployed parents, made new friends last week at UNH Cooperative Extension's 4-H Camp at Bear Hill State Park.

These children, who find themselves “Suddenly Military” when a member of their family leaves for military deployment, got the opportunity to attend “Camp Purple” free through the efforts of Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program, and support from the National Military Family Association and Sears, American Dream Campaign.

Operation Purple is the designation for all military branches working together. The overall goal is to provide the youth with a normal camp experience, showcasing the different branches of the military.

New Hampshire is one of 15 states participating in Operation: Military Kids (OMK) for National Guard and Reserve youth and families left behind. As the lead organization for the NH OMK program, UNH Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program, with its network of youth development programs throughout the state, works closely with the Army and Air National Guard.

Register now for UNH Cooperative Extension professional development inservice offerings for September 2005-August 2006.

Click here for information and link to the online form.

The training area of the ITDE website has a new section. It contains links to resources listing literally hundreds of free training opportunities, on-line tutorials and handouts, along with some low-cost training alternatives.

You can access this fully-searchable listing of training opportunities.

There are several other sections of the ITDE training website, including:
* The UNHCE Training Resources Guide
* A listing of computer-based training available on loan from our ITDE office
* Links to UNHCE on-line tutorials for many frequent Extension uses
* Information on training discounts available to UNH employees

Community Profiles for the upcoming program year include:
Acworth (Sullivan County) October 21-22,
Danville (Rockingham County) November 4-5, and
Rumney (Grafton County) January 20-21 with snow dates of January 27-28.

Watch in the coming weeks for the Community Profiles Regional Themes report outlining themes resulting from 38 Profiles conducted from 1996-2004, as well as a biannual newsletter for Strengthening New Hampshire Communities activities including the Profiles, workshops/trainings and helpful tools/tips for communities.

For more information, contact Michele Gagne at michele.gagne@unh.edu.

Thank you to all the Extension Educators and supervisors who conducted
a successful pilot of the new performance management process and documents.
The pilot process showed the new forms are working well.

However, the overall performance summary ratings created some confusion so this year's performance management process will use the same forms as the pilot. The performance ratings, however, for this year and in the future have gone back to a five rating instead of four.

Review the ratings
All the online performance management documents are updated
to reflect this change in ratings. Educators should contact their program leader
if they have any questions.

The next application deadline for the UNH Staff Professional Development Grant is September 8. The maximum award is $750. No more than one grant will be awarded per person during a 12-month period. This is calculated from the date of notification of the previous grant.

The Staff Professional Development Grant Program provides the opportunity for Extension Educators (EE), Operating Staff (OS) and Professional, Administrative and Technical (PAT) staff to attain new skills or knowledge in a manner that will enhance a staff member's performance or eligibility for promotion and be of specific benefit to the department, college, university and/or University System.

Opportunities might include:
Conferences, workshops and seminars, both on and off campus
Academic courses not offered within the University System
Travel and accommodations for off campus courses, workshops, and
Special projects, including but not limited to research and publication.

To learn more, review the application.

UNH Cooperative Extension Agricultural Resources educators were honored at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) annual conference in Buffalo, New York, July 17- 22.

Tom Buob, Grafton County, received the Distinguished Service Award for 26 years of excellent Extension programming and service to the community.

Geoffrey Njue, Strafford County, received an Achievement Award in recognition of four and a half years excellence in Extension service educational programs. He also received communication awards for a fact sheet on using the Renaissance Red Poinsettia cut flower, and for a feature article on a Poinsettia variety trial, published in The Plantsman.

Dot Perkins, Merrimack County’s Extension Program Coordinator, was honored as one of three national finalists in the 4-H and Youth Recognition category for her work on the children's gardening curriculum Growing A Green Generation. Perkins took the original curriculum developed by horticulture students, revised it, added to it and tested it on both teachers and children at the UNH Child Study and Development Center (CSDC). The final curriculum represents collaboration among the UNH plant biology department, the CSDC and UNH Cooperative Extension.

Extension floriculture specialist Paul Fisher received a 2005 Blue Ribbon award for an education aid from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers for a book co-authored and edited with Erik Runkle, Extension specialist from Michigan State. The book, Lighten Up Profits, targets commercial growers, technical representatives and university students, covering topics such as the basic biology of how light affects growth, the latest lighting research, and technical and financial information to help guide investment decisions in lighting equipment.

Congratulations to the honorees.

Val Long will provide leadership for UNH Cooperative Extension's obesity action initiative Lighten Up NH! starting in September. UNH Cooperative Extension's State Advisory Council requested that obesity prevention be a major focus in our five-year plan of work. This past April, the Council voted to support these programs by making them clearer and more evident in the plan of work regardless of client income level and to continue and enhance the resources dedicated to this critical issue.

Val's leadership will give UNH Cooperative Extension the capacity to write and submit proposals to attract funding to target this major area of need. Colette Janson Sand will co-chair the Lighten Up NH! team and contribute significant technical support and subject matter expertise. Colette is also a liaison to the Healthy Lifestyles Team.

For those who wish to post to our website, a Web Request Protocol document is now available to guide you.

Please read the document carefully and refer to it when you are submitting a web request form. You may also call our Computer Hotseat at 862-0351 or the WWW & Media Specialist at 862-4579 if you have further questions.

Please join me in welcoming Linda Willard as the new Extension Educational Program Coordinator,
4-H Youth Development for Strafford County.

Linda served in an interim role for the past year with the 4-H Youth Development program in Strafford County. She started several new 4-H clubs, worked with the Operation Military Kids project and held successful pie and silent auctions at the Rochester Fair. Through her active work with the media, the 4-H Youth Development Program in Strafford County has been well publicized in Foster's Daily Democrat.

Prior to working with UNH Cooperative Extension, Linda was a licensing analyst with Liberty Mutual and a teacher's aide with Barrington Elementary School. Linda previously worked with the California State Fair, a 21-day event hosting more than a million people.

We look forward to Linda's dedication to youth and support of volunteers in her role in Strafford County.

The last quarterly meeting of the NH Research Group focused on the direction of juvenile justice research in New Hampshire, a demonstration of the Carsey Institute (not yet live) database on northern New England and the recently published New Hampshire Death Report by the NH Dept. of Health and Human Services.

To join the NH Research Group, which meets quarterly, contact Katie Merrow, NH Center for Public Policy Studies, at kmerrow@nhpolicy.org

It's once again time to submit in-service and other training offerings for October, 2005 through September, 2006.

The call for in-service offerings goes to all Extension staff, because we have interdisciplinary Plan of Work teams and core competencies in the performance management system.

Please submit information for inservices you plan to offer and then email the form by July 22 to Deb Russell, which you can then email as an attachment.

The inservice calendar will be available for staff to register electronically approximately by August 5.

Thanks in advance for all who will participate in this process of promoting staff professional development.

Staff seeking reimbursement for travel and other expenses through the BSC for April, May and June must submit them before the end of the month. This includes grant-sponsored programs. Timeliness enhances management of our budget deficit. Thanks for observing this important deadline.

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including articles on Burnout: How Does Extension Balance Job and Family? to Listening to the People: A Strategic Planning Model for Cooperative Extension and Increasing Educational Impact: A Multi-Method Model for Evaluating Extension Workshops.

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

The director of UNH's Survey Center, Andy Smith, provided a look at state and county demographics in Hillsborough County June 9. The Hillsborough County Extension staff and Advisory Council invited Smith as a follow-up to the Hillsborough County Conversation January 10 where legislators and others expressed an interest in learning more about Hillsborough County's rapidly changing demographics.

This meeting is part of an overall effort to continue to build relationships with decision-makers and provide them with better access to UNH resources.
Over 40 people attended Smith's presentation, including 12 elected officials. The Advisory Council is already discussing conducting future informtion forums with UNH faculty and staff due to the strong interest shown in Andy's presentation.

The ITDE office has a new ergonomics section on its blog. Ergonomics is the study of making a work environment fit an individual person.

Every year thousands of people are injured due to preventable injuries caused by incorrect work station layouts. These injuries often take people by surprise, since there are few warning signs that are easy to ignore. Most people don't realize they are developing an injury until they experience pain. A proper workstation layout is key to injury prevention.

You can search for a desired topic, such as stretches, layout and other topics in the ergonomics area of the blog.

The ITDE Blog is constantly expanding. Search for entries within the ITDE blog in the upper right corner of the blog.

Malin Clyde is taking a leave for the summer to go to Alaska with her family. We welcome Michelle Veasey, a Coverts Cooperator from 2003, who will help run the New Hampshire Coverts Project for the next few months until Malin's return in late August.

You may reach Michelle at mveasey@ceunh.unh.edu

Welcome to Emily Douglas, Ph.D. and new in the position of Extension Faculty and Specialist, Family Education & Policy. Emily is based in UNH's Department of Family Studies. She previously worked at UNH's Family Research Laboratory as a research associate and postdoctoral reseach fellow. Emily is also the co-chair of the 9th International Family Violence Research Conference taking place next month in Portsmouth.

Emily completed her doctoral work in public policy in 2002 at the University of Massachusetts and specializes in the effectiveness of social policies, with a special emphasis on child and family well-being. She will be active in establishing a new family policy focus with Cooperative Extension as well as hold a teaching assignment beginning this fall. Emily conducted research on divorced families and the social policies intended to help improve their lives. Her dissertation research examined the effectiveness of a presumption for joint legal custody. In 2006, Rowman & Littlefield will publish her upcoming book, Mending Broken Families: Social Policies for Divorced Families - Are They Working?

During her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Family Research Laboratory, she worked with Dr. Murray Straus on the International Dating Violence study. This research project collected data from college students about the use of violence in their intimate relationships. Through last summer, they had collected data from 40 sites in 20 countries throughout the world.

She is a life-long resident of Maine and completed her undergraduate work in psychology at Clark University in Worcester, MA. She also is a Girl Scout leader in her community and a member of the Saco Conservation Commission.

The Spirit of New Hampshire awards program recognizes outstanding contributions to volunteerism at the state level and expands on the many local and regional volunteer recognition events that occur throughout New Hampshire each year.

The 2005 Spirit of New Hampshire Awards, administered by Volunteer NH! in collaboration with the office of Gov. John Lynch, provides a yearly "snapshot" of the ways citizens and organizations from all regions of the state contribute to life in New Hampshire.

You can make a nomination through August 1. The award ceremony takes place November 2 at the Grappone Center in Concord.

Three Extension faculty members graduated as part of the first class of Outreach Scholars at the University of New Hampshire May 6. Peter Erickson, Charlie French and Jeff Schloss, along with 18 other faculty members, completed this seven-month program and were awarded graduation certificates at a luncheon held in their honor.

Sponsored by the Office of the Associate Vice President for Research and Outreach Scholarship, this faculty development program began last October with an induction ceremony and welcome from former UNH President Joan Leitzel. Outreach Scholars met several times throughout the academic year to listen to lectures from Dr. Lorilee Sandman, Co-Director of the Clearinghouse and National Review Board for the Scholarship of Engagement, presentations from program officers from federal funding agencies and other faculty who exemplify outreach scholarship. Each participant also worked on a project (as a team or an individual) that met the criteria for outreach scholarship and to share their ideas with others in the program.

The Outreach Scholars Program is designed to develop faculty who will advance the University’s academic strategic plan with a specific focus on outreach scholarship and engagement. Consistent with the mission of the University, the Outreach Scholars Program is committed to identifying and nurturing the current and next generation of outreach scholars whose research and scholarly work will result in the generation and application of new knowledge to advance the public good. Further, the program will disseminate knowledge on best practices in outreach scholarship that will help faculty identify, develop and submit successful funded research and education grants and lead a range of scholarly outreach activities.

Congratulations to Pete, Charlie and Jeff on completing this program and becoming faculty champions for outreach scholarship at UNH.

The nomination process for next year’s Outreach Scholars Academy will begin in the fall when a call for nominations will go out. Nominees can be faculty from any department/college or Cooperative Extension so any Extension faculty interested should contact their program leader.

Carroll County legislators, commissioners and organizations that partner with Extension participated in the ninth “County Conversation” May 9 at the Brass Heart Inn in Tamworth. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Carroll County.

The Monday program included remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Carroll County.

Carroll County staff shared their program efforts in a discussion earlier in the day with President Hart. She also learned about the collaborative efforts between Extension and other organizations focused on revitalizing Lake Chocorua through the NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program.

The next "County Conversation" is scheduled in Belknap County Sept. 26.

Margaret Hagen, Marilyn Sullivan Chris Conlon and Gail Kennedy are the most recent Cooperative Extension graduates of Supervising @ UNH.

Supervising @ UNH's goals are to:
* Increase leadership capacity at the University of New Hampshire by enlarging the management skills of UNH managers and supervisors.
* Support the Academic Plan by increasing managerial and supervisory capacities at UNH.
* Create greater consistency in understanding and application of UNH policies and procedures as they relate to UNH managers and supervisors.

The 2004 participants included Suzann Knight and Debbie Luppold. Congratulations to all the participants!

The next quarterly deadline for the UNH Staff Professional Development Grant is June .

For detailed information on the grant and the application, please visit http://www.unh.edu/hr/pod/pdfs/Staff-Prof-Dev-Grant.pdf This grant is open to all Opeating Staff (OS,) Professional, Administrative and Technical (PAT) staff and Extension Educator staff at UNH Durham and Manchester employed in a status position for a minimum of one year and who haven't received a previous Staff Professional Development grant in the past 12 months. The maximum award per grant is $750.

Congratulations to the following PAT (Professional, Administrative & Technical) staff and Extension Educators (EE) honored for Years of Service during UNH's Annual PAT & EE Awards Ceremony:

35 Years
Peter Pohl, Extension Educator, Forest Resources
Lynn Garland, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development

30 Years
James Grady, Assistant Director, Human Resources and Finances
John Porter, Extension Professor/Specialist, Dairy

25 Years
Karen Bennett, Extension Professor/Specialist, Forest Resources
Sue Buteau, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Resources
Brian Doyle, Program Leader, Sea Grant, Water & Marine Resources
David Foote, Director, Information Technology & Distance Education

20 Years
Robert Edmonds, Program Leader, Forestry and Wildlife
Julie Sabol, Accountant

15 Years
Nancy Berry, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
George Hamilton, Extension Educator, Agricultural Resources
Kim Johnson, Business Service Center
Sarah Smith, Extension Professor/Specialist, Forest Industry

10 Years
Penny Turner, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development

Presidential Award of Excellence
Debbie Cheever was one of five staff members who received the Presidential Award of Excellence, which recognizes exceptional service to the university. Debbie is an Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development in Merrimack County. She has administered the Merrimack County 4-H program for 28 years and annually manages more than 200 volunteers who, in turn, reach more than 500 youth each year. She also oversees three countywide volunteer boards and collaborates with other UNH Cooperative Extension staff and specialists on volunteer administration, youth development, and children, youth, and family issues.

“Her work is extensive and far-reaching. In more ways than can be listed today, Debbie brings UNH to people in communities and helps them to feel that this is their university,” President Ann Weaver Hart said.

Congratulations, Debbie!

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including articles on Rethinking Extension Communications: Is Issues Programming the Key? to Online Leader Training for 4-H Volunteers: A Case Study of Action Research and Assessing Community Resources and Economic Development Programming Efforts Using a Modified Human Development Index.

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

This year's statewide conference will provide opportunities to gain new knowledge, improve skills and socialize with colleagues. The theme is “Well-Being: For Ourselves and for Our Community.” The date is May 17 at the Memorial Union Building on the UNH Durham campus. All staff are invited to participate in this professional development conference and your attendance is expected. Please see agenda for details.

Our keynote speaker is Rebecca Rule, New Hampshire humorist and writer. We hope Governor John Lynch will join us for lunch. Staff recognition and awards also are part of the luncheon festivities. A special treat is the return of the renowned “Extension Chords.”

Please register electronically for workshops using the form provided. All staff need to complete the online form even if they are presenting a workshop or are excused from attending the conference. Workshop space is limited and assignments are on a “first come, first served” basis. Please pay special note to the parking information, including a map of the campus.

You are reminded to submit your intention to provide posters or displays of your work by May 6. See the April 14 Extension Update for information.

I urge everyone to view the displays and posters throughout the day. They’ll provide a broad view of the many social, environmental and economic impacts Cooperative Extension is making throughout the state.

A special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for its excellent work in designing this educational and fun-filled event. Members are Bob Edmonds (chair), Rick Alleva, Sharon Cowen, Faye Cragin, Siobhan Craig, Colette Janson-Sand, Debbie Luppold, Carl Majewski, Frank Mitchell, Deb Russell, Mary Tebo and Seth Wilner.

The UNH Undergraduate Research Conference at UNH invites you to spend an evening with Jared Diamond, Pulitzer prize-winning author and UCLA professor. The free event takes place April 27 at 7 pm at the Field House.

Considered one of the greatest thinkers of our time, Diamond received the Pulitzer prize for his longstanding best seller, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, which has since been adapted into a three-part television series to air on PBS this year.

Following his address, Diamond will sign copies of his new book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.

Over 75 citizens and town officials participated in the Hampstead Community Profile (Rockingham County) on May 7-8. The following action teams were created as a result:

• Create a business development commission
• Increase communication by better publicizing events and soliciting input from citizens (i.e. newsletter, web calendar, cable TV, information sessions, and Speak Up Hampstead)
• Community center - build or establish from existing structure (to house activities for youth, seniors, etc.)
• Upgrade specific recreational facilities: town beach, Ordway Park, conservation trails
• Create and implement Hampstead Master Plan, and
• Town newspaper.

Thanks to Phil Auger, county liaison, Dan Reidy, large group facilitator, and Thom Linehan, small group discussion leader trainer. Also thanks to Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Nancy Franz, Charlie French and Thane Harrison (UNH graduate student) for serving as small group facilitators/scribes and organizers.

The follow-up meeting, facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension, takes place April 18 to determine how to accomplish those projects. UNH Cooperative Extension, the Town of Hampstead and Rockingham Regional Planning Commission provided support for this meeting. Upcoming Profiles include Barnstead (May), Rumney (October) and Danville (November).

The UNH Cooperative Extension staff professional development conference, "Well-Being: For Ourselves and for Our Community" takes place May 17 on the UNH campus in Durham.

More information about the schedule for the day and how to sign up for workshops will be available shortly. The conference committee is calling for posters or displays from staff interested in highlighting a special project or program area (similar to poster displays at past annual conferences.) Space is limited, so download this form, fill it out and return it to Sharon Cowen by May 6.

Sullivan County legislators, commissioners and department heads participated in the eighth “County Conversation” April 11 at the Newport Opera House in Newport. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Sullivan County.

The Monday program, which drew about 55 people, included remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Sullivan County. Attendees included Cooperative Extension Advisory Council members, educators, legislators, county commissioners, and community members.

Sullivan staff shared their program efforts in a discussion earlier in the day with President Hart at the Red Elephant Teen Center in Claremont. She also learned about the collaborative efforts between Extension and the Teen Center. She then stopped at Beaver Pond Farm, one of the oldest, continuous family farms in the county. The farm has worked extensively with Extension on all facets of farming, from marketing, whole farm planning, crop production and land management.

The next "County Conversation" is scheduled in Carroll County May 9.

On behalf of the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire, I would like to encourage Extension colleagues to participate in the 2nd Annual Friends of 4-H Golf Tournament. The tournament takes place at Canterbury Woods Country Club on Friday May 20.

To get a flavor of last year's tournament and find registration forms visit the web site.
The 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire's fundraising goal this year is $80,000 and the golf tournament is the spring fundraising effort.

If you don't golf, be sure to share this information with friends who are golfers. It's a great experience.

What's your idea? Can UNH do better?

On Monday, April 11, the University of New Hampshire launches the IDEA program. The new IDEA Program rewards great suggestions of ways to make more efficient use of UNH's human, informational, financial, natural, and/or other resources. All University employees are eligible. Suggestions are reviewed by a committee, with awards from $50 to $1,000, depending on impact, value, and/or savings.
To learn more or submit YOUR idea, visit our Web site.

UNH President Ann Weaver Hart, in making the announcement, wrote the following:

The University of New Hampshire is a special community in which every member contributes time, talent, and imagination in support of our academic mission of teaching, research, and public service. To recognize contributions of all UNH employees -- faculty, staff, hourly, and work study -- we are pleased to announce the IDEA Program. Supported by the OS, PAT, and EE Councils, the Faculty Senate, and the administration, this new program encourages and rewards employees for ideas that support the University's Academic Plan goals of focusing our energies, capitalizing on our strengths, and bringing the whole of the University to the quality of its best parts.

All University employees are eligible for awards in this wonderful new program. We encourage you to think about the processes and products of any and all operations with an eye toward efficiency and effectiveness and to share with us your great IDEAS for ways we can do even better. We look forward to hearing from you.

The PD& E Council met February 9 to evaluate the interdisciplinary teams formed in 2004. The Council collected data from team chairs, campus specialists and informal discussions with other staff.

During the data analysis process, Council members reviewed the UNH Cooperative Extension Strategic Plan as a basis for the purpose and goals of forming interdisciplinary teams. Our strategic plan calls for an “organizational structure that supports both base programs and initiatives addressing critical and emerging needs.” It also calls for the organization to “encourage and support specialists and educators to take the lead in creating multi-disciplinary teams addressing critical and emerging statewide issues.”

Council members carefully considered this plan, current staff morale and our organization’s dedication to high quality, relevant educational programs to meet the needs of people in New Hampshire. Based on these inputs, the Council recommended changes in policy and implementation of interdisciplinary teams to the Leadership Team.

In response to these recommendations, the Leadership Team updated interdisciplinary team policies as follows:

• A definition of interdisciplinary work is provided to staff so Program Leaders and staff have a common understanding of interdisciplinary programming. The Leadership Team agreed on the following definition and rationale for interdisciplinary work.
• Program leaders, in concert with individual staff will determine what interdisciplinary work each Extension Specialist and Educator will engage in using a guideline of 10% of their time (21 days for full time). Staff have several options for meeting this interdisciplinary programming guideline, including:
o Continue working on the interdisciplinary team to which they are assigned
o Request a reassignment to another interdisciplinary team
o Create a new interdisciplinary team with a focus that meets the definition of interdisciplinary work, falls within the mission and vision of UNHCE, and meets the needs of the people in New Hampshire (GAP analysis, demographics, and other data should be used to determine this). Newly proposed teams will be reviewed and approved by the Leadership Team.
o Participate in a new or existing program outside of a team that meets the criteria for interdisciplinary work
o An existing interdisciplinary team may choose to disband. Sufficient evidence must suggest UNHCE is responding to the topic/issue in another manner since these teams were formed based on GAP analysis data.
o There may be circumstances where an educator’s or specialist’s job responsibilities may not include interdisciplinary work for a period of time (new hire, funded by restricted grants, contracts or gifts)
• The Leadership Team supports rewarding interdisciplinary work through the staff recognition plan. Incentives/rewards will be based on documented outcomes/impacts of interdisciplinary work rather than inputs such as time spent on interdisciplinary work. Reduction of an employee’s appointment will not be related to participation with an interdisciplinary team.
• Supervision and documentation of time involved in interdisciplinary work will be the responsibility of Program Leaders, not chairs of interdisciplinary teams. Chairs, like all other Extension staff, will provide performance review feed back on staff they work closely with. They will not be required to provide additional feedback or documentation for their team members.
• A description of interdisciplinary work expectations will be included in all position descriptions for new hires. Search committees will discuss this expectation with candidates.
• The Leadership Team will continue to support for the Program Council. This group of Program Leaders and Chairs/Co-Chairs of interdisciplinary teams is an important and effective way to facilitate communication about programming.

If there are any questions or need for clarification of these changes in policy, feel free to contact members of the Leadership Team.

Congratulations to the Sugar River Rapids 4-H Homeschool Team for winning the 2005 statewide LifeSmarts competition this week. LifeSmarts, sponsored by the NH Jumpstart Coalition, is a consumer knowledge competition designed for high school-aged youth.

The competition’s first stage requires youth to compete online. At the end of the online competition, only six teams with the highest online scores remained for the statewide competition held at Southern New Hampshire University. View the LifeSmarts website to learn more and see photos of the winners.

The winning team, comprised of UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Educator Nancy Berry, her daughter Allison Berry as assistant coach, and four home-schoolers, Steven Woods, team captain and Isaiah Prever, both from Claremont, Megan McKone, Lempster, and Lexi Sweet, Charlestown, beat five teams for the victory. The other teams competing came from Inter Lakes, John Stark Regional, Mascoma Valley Regional, Newfound Regional and Raymond High Schools.

The Sullivan County 4-H team, in winning the state competition, will now compete at the national LifeSmarts competition in April, 2005, in San Francisco. NH Jumpstart Coalition pays all expenses for the team to go to the competition. There also is a $5,000 Southern New Hampshire University scholarship given to each member of the statewide LifeSmarts team and other prizes.

UNH Cooperative Extension has been an integral partner with the NH Jumpstart Coalition since the coalition’s inception in 2000. At the NH Jump$tart Coalition’s sponsored MoneySmart teacher’s financial literacy conference, UNH Cooperative Extension provided training in implementing the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program the past five years. Consisting of six units, the curriculum uses real-world scenarios to teach teens how to manage their money. In five years, 22,131 New Hampshire students learned about personal finance through NEFE’s High School Financial Planning Program.

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including articles on Youth-Led Community Building: Promising Practices from Two Communities Using Community-Based Service-Learning, Building a Collaboration for Youth Development: The "Club-Within-a-Club," and Private Forest Landowners: What They Want in an Educational Program.

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

Do you read a local newspaper?

If you do and you discover an article about UNH Cooperative Extension, bring it in to your county or state office and pop it in the mail to Holly Young at Taylor Hall.

Holly is looking for articles about UNH Cooperative Extension from throughout the state she can forward to UNH Media Relations. This request is only through the end of June. At the county level, the County Office Administrators plan on designating one person to collect the news clippings on a weekly basis.

UNH Media Relations is making a concerted effort to get more stories into statewide newspapers, big and small, and we'd like to share with them the stories already making the papers.

If you have any questions, please contact Holly directly.

To find Cooperative Extension events more quickly on the UNH web site, just click on the calendar link on the UNH site. While we had always been linked in the top left corner of the UNH page, this new format helps showcase our calendar to the UNH community.

At the Farm and Forest annual awards breakfast held February 5 at the Center of New Hampshire, the NH Sheep and Wool Growers Association recognized Bruce Clement for 33 years of outstanding service to the New England sheep industry.

Since joining UNH Cooperative Extension in November, 1971 as Cheshire County's Agricultural Agent, Bruce has been a vital and positive force in the continuing education of shepherds throughout the Northeast. He played an integral part in introducing many new educational programs including the annual Lambing Clinic, Shearing Schools, Lamb Grading Workshops and Getting Started With Sheep courses. Most importantly, he was one of the original organizers of the very successful NH Sheep and Wool Festival now in its 29th year. Bruce also ran the "New England Sheep Project" from 1980-1985, which had a profound affect on many commercial sheep produces in the tri-state area.

Because of these educational accomplishments, the Sheep & Wool Association created the NHSWGA Bruce Clement Secondary Education Scholarship Trust to help youth who wish to explore future studies in ovine management. The Trust funded it with proceeds from the New Hamsphire festival Bruce started.

Students and shepherds with a special interest in ovine studies can contact NHSWGA President Ken Frizell, Nip & Tuck Farm, 295 Ingalls Road, Jaffrey, NH 03452 for a scholarship application.

In the photo, taken at the breakfast, are from the left, Jim Mason, Bruce Clement, David Kennard and Ken Frizell.

A list of teams that serve our entire organization is now posted on our intranet under New Staff Orientation. The work of these administrative and programmatic groups is greatly appreciated. Forward any list changes to Nancy Franz.

The Leadership Team has approved an update to the UNH Cooperative Extension Criteria and Procedures for Filling Staff Positions.

While the changes are minor, I felt it necessary to include language more reflective of the current financial situation affecting UNH Cooperative Extension. Please note the organizational criteria for staffing still remains the ultimate responsibility of the Program Leaders. However, there are many instances where county and state staff have had the general responsibility for hiring certain status and non-status temporary employees. This is more common in areas such as college work study, 4-H Camp, temporary county personnel, and staff hired through grants.

Should you have any questions regarding these procedures, please contact your program leader for clarification.

The Extension Leadership Team met in January to discuss constraints in generating revenue, the morale of the staff regarding revenue and programming expectations, staff workloads and the need to cultivate an upbeat entrepreneurial culture. A key area of discussion related to revenue generation.

The current UNH Cooperative Extension Strategic Plan calls for an increase in staff responsibility for seeking competitive public funding, grants, contracts and other new sources of funding that support our mission. While this recommendation is generally understood by staff, confusion still exists regarding specifics and how each staff member will be personally impacted. To provide greater clarification, the Leadership Team developed the following policies and recommendations to guide staff on these issues.

Communication and an Entrepreneurial Culture
We will foster a spirit of entrepreneurial leadership at all levels of the organization. Good communication is the key to success. If we want to promote an entrepreneurial culture we must provide staff with the tools and climate for success. CE administration and program leaders will strive to remove barriers in order to ensure our program and financial success. Communication is a two-way street. Staff and program administration should continually strive to work together as a team and communicate openly in order to successfully implement the mission of UNH Cooperative Extension.

Revenue Generation
Through increased resource development and recent budget adjustments, UNH Cooperative Extension has done well compared to many states nationwide. An ECOP report currently being discussed by the state directors regarding “managing a changing portfolio,” emphasizes meeting the needs of our constituents as funding models and delivery methods continue to change. It's important to know these issues are not unique to New Hampshire. A diversified revenue portfolio including fee for service is being discussed at the national level as well. That said, our current staff revenue generation expectations are critical to the sustainability of our organization and all staff are expected to share in some part of this responsibility. Our challenge is to be clear regarding expectations and to promote an entrepreneurial culture with an approach by administration and program leadership that emphasizes the removal of barriers and restraints as we work to effectively and efficiently implement our organizational mission. Please refer to this link for "Updated Responses about Revenue Generation Expectations".

Program Area Revenue Targets
The decision regarding how the 20% specialist and 25% program leader targets are to be met will be handled by each program area. Program Leaders in concert with staff will be responsible for developing financial plans based on program need and staff capacity. In the process of meeting program area financial targets, it’s possible that not every member of the staff will necessarily be involved in generating revenue but all staff will be expected to support in some way a part of the revenue generation goal. As part of the performance management process, Program Leaders will work with staff to clarify revenue generation expectations. The objective is to foster positive staff involvement in this process of performance goal setting. Every effort will be made to maintain the current staff percent time. In the event a program area is not successful in meeting revenue targets, strategies will be determined by the Program Leader and addressed as part of the ongoing performance management process.

Revenue Generation Incentives
Our goal at all times is to foster an environment for success as we work to generate new revenue for the organization. Program Leaders will work with staff in the development of reasonable, achievable and relevant plans which will continue to meet the mission of CE. In this effort, staff who are particularly successful in generating external support for CE may be rewarded with additional incentives such as bonuses, needed equipment and/or support such as work study students.

Staff Workloads
Program Leaders will review staff workloads and will determine appropriate involvement in interdisciplinary, multi-county, organizational committee work and revenue generation. Interdisciplinary does not mean every discipline needs to be involved in each of these program efforts. There needs to be a natural fit and enthusiasm for the topic by the individuals on the team for the group to be effective. Each staff person's interdisciplinary efforts will be designed in concert with the Program Leader and will be reflected in the individual's annual performance management plan. In addition, as part of the performance management process, Program Leaders will work with staff in identifying and discontinuing non-value functions to help staff be more successful.

Don't hesitate to contact me or your Program Leader if you have any questions.

Just a reminder that we have not been in the federal Penalty Mail system since September 30, 2003. In its place, we instituted a commercial mail system in each county. On campus we continue to use assigned mail codes through UNH Mail Services. Neither campus nor county offices should use the old G268 bulk mail permit. Most counties established their own bulk permit codes with their local post offices and campus staff use those designated by the University.

In addition to the above, we are no longer required to assign signature authority nor include signatures such as the old penalty mail franking slips with our educational materials. We do, however, still need to follow federal financial guidelines as we would for any program or material we make available to the public. A question and answer section regarding penalty and official Cooperative Extension mail is located on our website. If you have any additional questions, please contact Sharon Blake.

Cheshire County legislators, commissioners and department heads participated in the seventh “County Conversation” January 24 at the Keene State College Camp on Wilson Pond in Swanzey. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Cheshire County.

The Monday program, which drew about 50 people, included remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Cheshire County. Attendees included Cooperative Extension Advisory Council members, educators, legislators, county commissioners, and community members. The legislative turnout included 15 legislators, or 63 percent of the delegation, seven of whom are new legislators. Cheshire staff shared their programming efforts in a roundtable discussion earlier in the day with President Hart.

The next "County Conversation" is scheduled in Sullivan County April 11.

The following are new inservices submitted since November. You can register at any time. The contact person listed can give you more information about each particular workshop if needed.

February 10 - Videoconferencing 101: Conducting a Successful Videoconference Meeting
March 17 (and April 20 repeat) - Videoconferencing 201: Enhancing Your Videoconference with Tools and Teaching Techniques
March 30 - Small Farm Poultry Management and Emerging Issues
April 6 - Getting Ready for Promotion
June 7 - Evaluating Community Work

Note the new date for "Disease and Insect Update for Forest Trees and Woody Ornamentals is February 8 (with a snow date of Feb 9).

SIGN UP NOW! Click on the inservice signup calendar.

Each year, we reaffirm our commitment to UNH Cooperative Extension's Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity responsibilities. I am committed to the implementation of unbiased employment practices and the delivery of educational programs that serve all people of New Hampshire, with particular efforts to include under-served and under-represented groups. I'm proud to be part of an organization that values Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, and is consistently sensitive to the needs and rights of others. I commend the efforts I see throughout the organization demonstrating your spirit of accommodation and inclusion.

We multiply our delivery system effectively through the use of volunteers and
increased diversity training for them. County Extension Advisory Councils have also received civil rights training. As a result of our civil rights work with volunteers, we see enhanced awareness and improved practices among our council volunteers.

Thank you for your personal and professional commitment to reaching out to welcome, involve and serve all people in New Hampshire.

Hillsborough County legislators, commissioners and department heads participated in the sixth “County Conversation” Monday at the Hillsborough County Office complex in Goffstown. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Hillsborough County.

The Monday program, which drew about 75 people, included remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Hillsborough County. Attendees included Cooperative Extension Advisory Council members, educators, legislators, county commissioners, business owners, and community members. Hillsborough staff shared their programming efforts in a roundtable discussion with President Hart.

A highlight of the event was a tour of the Family, Home and Garden Education Center. President Hart learned more about the Master Gardener program and Millyard Landscape Revitilization Project during her visit there.

The next "County Conversation" is scheduled in Cheshire County January 24.

The new insurance liability form is available on our web site at both our Policies and Procedures page and Volunteer Management page.

As of January 1, Seth Wilner and Gail Kennedy began sharing responsibilities as Sullivan County's office co-administrators. Gail will oversee county personnel issues and staff meetings, attend the Extension Management Team (EMT) and State Council meetings, while Seth will provide leadership for the county budget process, advisory council and attend county department head and delegation meetings.

In Carroll County, Ann Hamilton and Tina Savage are the new co-administrators. Tina will oversee county personnel issues and staff meetings, while Ann will provide leadership to the advisory council, county budget process and attend EMT meetings.

We are grateful for the leadership Nancy Berry in Sullivan County and Peter Pohl in Carroll County gave to these roles over the past several years. Thank you, Nancy and Peter.

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including an article co-authored by Extension Specialist Mike Sciabarrasi on Minimizing Farm Business Succession Risk in New England. Articles of interest in this issue also include one asking whether or not Cooperative Extension is relevant in the 21st century to Leadership Training for Transforming the Community: A Participatory Approach and Making a Case for Engaging Adolescents in Program Decision-Making.

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

As we head into a New Year, I want to thank you all for your dedication, commitment and caring behavior during a somewhat difficult and stressful past year. We not only implemented cost-reduction strategies, we saw many of our colleagues leave as they accepted early retirement offers. We also made the difficult decision of waiving merit increases. Through it all, you continued your excellent work throughout the state, and I want to commend you on your positive attitudes over the past few months. As I extend my very best wishes to you all for a wonderful holiday season, I hope you take full advantage of the holidays to take a well-deserved break and enjoy your friends and family.

I continue to be proud to lead an organization that brings meaningful impact to the lives of so many New Hampshire citizens. Despite the budgetary struggles we faced, we achieved a wide variety of successful program accomplishments and gained recognition and praise for our role as a primary outreach unit of the University of New Hampshire. I look forward to working with you as we strive to become an even more effective and efficient educational outreach organization in 2005. Happy Holidays!

Many of you have asked for a compiled list of due dates for planning and reporting, performance management and educator promotion. Thanks to Deb Russell, this list is now available for your use on our Intranet. Thanks to all of you who helped developed these timelines and processes.

The NH Citizen's Voice Project this week released a report entitled "Fund the Gap." UNH Cooperative Extension has participated in NHCVP since 2002, providing technical assistance and expertise in the methods of developing community forums. NHCVP strives to engage New Hampshire citizens in discussions about basic state educational needs and to increase their role in shaping educational policy.

In 2003/2004, NHCVP conducted a number of forums in New Hampshire communities to learn what citizens felt were requirements for successful schools. Several UNHCE staff assisted in facilitating these forums. John Romps, an economics professor at St. Anselm College, worked on the analysis of actual costs for a representative group of New Hampshire schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels. "The Gap" is the difference between the cost to implement some basic educational requirements and the state education funding provided to local communities.

Since the report's release, questions have come up about UNH Cooperative Extension's involvement. Our role has been to provide assistance to the project in community-based engagement work and the deliberative dialogue process. UNH Cooperative Extension does not engage in advocacy work and has not advocated for specific outcomes as a result of the association with NHCVP.

UNHCE does assist communities in developing opportunities for dialogue, including difficult public policy questions. If questions come up about NHCVP and Extension's relationship to the project, contact Charlene Baxter at 862-2485.

As mentioned in the Extension Update last summer, you can now submit inservice and other training offerings for the balance of the October, 2004 - September, 2005 year.

This second round of inservice offerings helps to better address core competency needs and provides the opportunity for interdisciplinary teams to offer more workshops.

Please submit information for in-services you plan to offer by Friday, January 14, 2005 to Deb Russell, using this format. The inservice calendar will be ready for electronic registration in late January.

Thank you for your participation in UNH Cooperative Extension's professional development efforts.

New Hampshire Project Learning Tree (NHPLT) awarded UNH Cooperative Extension its 2004 Silver Jubilee Award.

NHPLT Director Esther Cowles, at the October 22 presentation, said, "NH Project Learning Tree is incredibly fortunate to count UNH Cooperative Extension among our closest partners. Their staff is so talented and well respected, and they collectively know the people and land of this state better than any other organization."

She made particular note of those who served on the organization's steering committee and board of directors, first Nory Parr, then Peter Pohl and now Karen Bennett. She recognized Sam Stoddard, who helps with workshops, and Sarah Smith, who facilitates board retreats. She also recognized Bennett as a "driving force behind the writing, editing, and development of our state-specific publications."

Attending the event for UNH Cooperative Extension were Bob Edmonds, Karen Bennett, Sarah Smith, Nory Parr, Peter Pohl, Sam Stoddard and Julia Steed Mawson.

The UNH Cooperative Extension State Advisory Council, at its November 4 meeting, focused on county public awareness and outreach efforts to newly elected public officials.

A sub-committee of the state council, led by Liz Conrad along with Erick Leadbeater, Anne Krantz, Dick Mallion and Harmony Anderson, are guiding this effort. Each county reported on a variety of completed or planned events, including sending letters immediately to newly elected and re-elected officials. Some counties have events planned in December to meet and orient delegation members to Cooperative Extension.

All counties reported on their County Conversation events, in which University of New Hampshire President Ann Weaver Hart participates. Other ideas to build public awareness include joint events with farm bureaus, promotional efforts and special displays.

In other business, Michele Gagne reported on Strengthening New Hampshire Communities activities from 1996 through 2004. There were brief budget updates and some discussion about ways to strengthen county advisory council meetings. Other business included setting up a nominating committee. The next meeting takes place in January.

You'll find posted on the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office website all the winners in the November general elections. Starting with the Governor's office, the list continues with US Senate and House of Representative winners, Executive Council and State Senators. State Representative winners are alphabetical, by county.

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the returning and new public officials in your county.

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources. Articles of interest in this issue include one on "Integrating Ecology and Relating Natural Systems to Agriculture: An Increased Priority for Extension Agricultural Programming," along with articles on "Communicating Impact" and "Entertainment Media Violence: Roles for Extension Professionals."

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

In January, the University of New Hampshire's Campus Journal moves to a "paperless" world. The last print version of the journal arrives on campus January 21, 2005.

Among the 22 nominated for inclusion in the inaugural year of the UNH Outreach Scholars Program are three Cooperative Extension Faculty/Specialists.

They are Charlie French, Extension Assistant Professor, Resource Economics and Development, Jeffrey Schloss, Extension Professor, Cooperative Extension and COLSA, and Peter Erickson, Associate Professor, dairy cattle management and nutritional sciences.

UNH President Emerita Joan Leitzel launched the new program, jointly supported by Research and Outreach Scholarship and the Provost’s office, at an induction ceremony October 13 at Holloway Commons. The program is designed to build faculty strength in outreach scholarship and advance the academic strategic plan.

The ceremony featured the theme “Excellence in Outreach Scholarship.”

Many thanks to Charlene Baxter, who provided exemplary leadership to our Community Development Program. Charlene continues her program leadership role in the area of family and consumer resources, while Nancy Franz, associate director, assumes leadership of the Community Development Program November 1.

With Charlene’s supervision, the Strengthening New Hampshire Communities Initiative (SNHC) addressed the priority needs of New Hampshire communities identified through the Higher Ground process. She helped expand the initiative's focus to a broad range of community issues, including economic development, community consensus, leadership development, community planning, and a host of other areas.

The SNHC initiative effectively tied together all of Extension's disciplines, keeping an important focus on communities. As well, Charlene successfully expanded the number of staff working in this important arena.

President Ann Hart met October 27 with the Legislative Committee to Study the Establishment of a Farm Viability Program. You might be interested in reviewing the four attachments she discussed with the committee:

President Hart's testimony
State & UNH Funding for Extension for the past 5 years
Ten year funding trends for Extension
Agriculture Specialist staffing since 1987

Legislators are very complimentary regarding the work of Extension staff. There is a heightened awareness across the state of the need for resources to keep pace with increasing clientele demands. Now, we can only hope those appropriation increases are forthcoming at a time when government at all levels is experiencing extraordinary fiscal challenges.

Existing and new revenue streams are essential if we are to continue to respond with relevant programming as we fulfill the mission of "...providing NH citizens with research-based education and information, enhancing their ability to make informed decisions that strengthen youth, families, and communities, sustain natural resources, and improve the economy..."

Thanks for the outstanding work that each of you do and please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. For further information regarding the Farm Viability Committee, please refer to the previous Extension Update posting of September 28.

The fourth annual Soul of Agriculture conference takes place November 7-9 on the University of New Hampshire campus. The three-day conference, "Healthy Farms, Healthy People: Making the Agriculture-Nutrition Link," explores how healthy nutrition and healthy agriculture can be integrated to establish common goals across farm, food and health communities.

The conference will include:
Panel sessions on institutional purchasing, sustainable cuisine and food security issues,
Plenary sessions including the role of media in communicating with the public on the important issues of nutrition, agriculture and health,
Keynote speakers including Ron Jager, Ph.D., author of the recently published book, The Fate of Family Farming: Variations on an American Ideal, and Wil Bullock, Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Fellow and Kitchen and Outreach Associate at the Food Project.

Register for the entire conference and save $25. The fee is $95, with individual rates of $30 for November 7, $50 for November 8 and $40 for November 9.

Information is available at the UNH Office of Sustainability's website or by calling 603-862-5040.

The statewide UNH Cooperative Extension Conference takes place Tuesday, May 17, 2005 at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on the UNH Durham campus.

This conference is for all Extension staff across the state. This is similar to conferences held in Concord in 2002 and 2003, focusing on professional development and recognition of Extension staff.

New Hampshire is rich with strong communities, supported by many outstanding individuals and organizations. Bringing a community together and encouraging others to get involved is a challenging task. The University of New Hampshire's Community Development program wants to recognize these efforts by awarding the UNH Community Leader of the Year awards. These awards go to individuals and organizations that strengthen communities around the state. Nominations are due November 5.

These awards include:
NH Community Leader of the Year
UNH Student Community Leader of the Year ($1,000 scholarship)
NH Community-Supporting Organization of the Year
UNH Campus Organization of the Year ($200 grant)

The Leadership Team will select a staff nominee for the Northeast Extension Director's Award of Excellence at its November 9th meeting. Please submit nominations to your Program Leader prior to that date.

To learn more about this award visit the staff recognition web page on our
Intranet.

The Leadership Team has met several times to discuss the PAST recommendations and how best to implement them. I hope you'll take a moment to become familiar with the implementation plans added to each recommendation.

Several action steps are now complete, including the hiring of Juli Brussell as the new Agricultural Resources Program Leader, putting the new performance
management documents in place for Extension Educators, and setting initial dates and guidelines for program area reviews. Feel free to contact Leadership Team members for more information.

Now that we've survived the October 1 plan of work deadline, it is time to
prepare for performance appraisals. You'll find timelines and forms on our
Intranet site.

It is important that all staff provide feedback on their peers, supervisors, team leaders and team members. Feel free to contact members of the Leadership Team if you have questions. Thanks to all staff who helped design and pilot the new appraisal forms for educators.

Staff seeking reimbursement for travel and other expenses through the BSC for August, September and October must submit them by October 29. This includes grant-sponsored programs. Timeliness enhances management of our budget deficit. Thanks for observing this important deadline.

The Forestry and Wildlife Program staff and the Natural Resource Conservation Service now work under a new agreement to provide forest owners with technical and financial assistance.

Under this agreement, staff from both agencies will work with landowners to promote forest conservation and develop and implement Farm Bill forestry contracts, primarily through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program. This agreement also provides for education and outreach by Extension Educators in Forest Resources. NRCS will provide Extension with $30,000 for its part in this effort.

According to Program Leader Bob Edmonds, "NRCS and Extension have a common mission of encouraging good forest stewardship in New Hampshire, making this a great partnership".

During the 2004 session, the N.H. Legislature approved Senate Bill 519, authorizing a committee to study establishment of a farm viability program modeled on similar programs in Maine and Massachusetts. The program would have three main components:
Agricultural Infrastructure
- minimize legal hindrances
- add support services
- strengthen UNH specialist core
Land Preservation
- provide capital to fund short-term (10-year) easements in exchange for commitment to farming
Producer education
- develop business plans
- study potential markets
- evolve marketing strategies
- organize advisory teams to provide educational/informational resources to producers
- help in assembling and integrating information for good decision-making

As the legislature study committee conducted listening sessions around the state, speakers consistently highlighted UNH Cooperative Extension as a critical factor in farm viability. Farmers repeatedly referred to the research and education they receive from UNH Cooperative Extension as key to their success and to ensuring the sustainability of agriculture in the state.

After studying the bill and the remarks of speakers at the listening sessions, Extension administrators and agricultural program staff concluded the producer education component of the program requires more in-depth work with producers than UNH Cooperative Extension traditionally provides. These conclusions were conveyed by Extension Specialist John Porter and me when we met with the SB 519 Legislative Study Committee September 21.

UNH Extension has the experience and expertise needed to carry out the educational component; in fact, producer education describes most of our current work. However, to carry out a comprehensive farm viability program that would reach a significant number of producers would require additional funding to contract/hire specialty areas of expertise.

Development of a New Hampshire farm viability program would bring Extension some exciting possibilities, such as using the goals of the farm viability program to focus our work, bringing in new funding to strengthen our specialist core, and leveraging grants to conduct more in-depth educational programming. The farm viability study committee will report by December 1, 2004, so keep an eye on these developments.

There's a new section filled with University of New Hampshire resources on the front page of our Intranet site. The UNH Resources link offers direct access to Campus Journal news, Human Resources, the UNH library, the Carsey Institute, Leitzel Center and more. Of particular note, the UNH Human Resources link is broken down into such categories as benefits, policies and procedures and information for operating staff (OS) and Professional, Technical and Administrative (PAT) staff.

Coos County legislators, commissioners and department heads participated in the fifth “County Conversation” Monday at the Coos County Office complex in Lancaster. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire ’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Coos County.

The Monday afternoon program, which drew about 60 people, was followed by remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Coos County. Attendees included Cooperative Extension Advisory Council members, educators, legislators, county commissioners, business owners, and community members.

A highlight of the event was a visit to GrayMist Farm in Groveton. Nancy and Gordon Gray are both UNH alums, and frequently use the expertise of UNH and Cooperative Extension in their successful family farm operation. My thanks to the Coos County staff for their hard work on this event. They did an excellent job of showcasing their positive impact with county residents. The next "County Conversation" is scheduled in Cheshire County November 18.

Items for the Extension Update will now go up on the front page of our Intranet web site as they become "news." I will continue to send an announcement every two weeks with the titles of these new postings and the link to the page.

The Administrative Team approved a protocol for "one copy all staff" emails.
The “one-copy-all-staff” email listserv provides UNH Cooperative Extension staff with pertinent information relating to our work, critical and emerging issues, and news relating to Extension as an organization. Its intent is for business-related messages of interest to the entire organization.

For questions about email “content,” please contact your supervisor.

Thanks to the 26 staff who attended a recent inservice on Enhancing Team Effectiveness led by Nancy Franz from our staff and Dr. Vanessa Druskat from WSBE. Here is a tool you can use with teams to determine the group's level of emotional intelligence. Research shows this type of intelligence is critical for team effectiveness.

Highlights of UNH Cooperative Extension's County Conversations, along with the NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, received accolades during UNH President Ann Weaver Hart's annual State of the University Address Thursday.

Her address included a review of recent university achievements as well as the goals for the year ahead.

Alice Mullen is the featured staff person on the front page of UNH's Human Resources web site.

With a redesign of the UNH Human Resources website this past January, one of the new features developed was profiling a UNH employee on a weekly basis, putting a human face on Human Resources and profiling the folks that make UNH an interesting place to work. Human Resources wanted to share stories of the people that make up the University community - what their role is, what are the skills needed to be successful in their positions and why they enjoy working at UNH. Congratulations to Alice for making the "front page!"

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources. Click on the current issue of JOE to read the latest in Extension work, including "Creating Inclusive 4-H Environments for People with Disabilities" and "A Case Study on Marketing the Florida Cooperative Extension Service," to "Factors Contributing to Success of Small Farm Operations in Tennessee."

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

It's not too late to sign up for the 2004-05 inservices.The deadline is August 27. Professional development is a part of the performance management system.
For detailed instructions, view the on-line memorandum.

Robin Peters, Brenda Carey and Terri Schoppmeyer attended the annual Society for Nutrition Education conference in Salt Lake City in July and presented a poster session titled: “Cultural Cuisine: A Food-Based Program with a Global Perspective.”

“Cultural Cuisine” is a food and nutrition program with a global perspective. The program’s ultimate goal is to increase dietary acceptance of a diverse selection of healthy foods. Conducted in three locations in New Hampshire, low-income children learn, in a classroom or after-school setting, about the cultural and ecological factors that shape a country’s cuisine. Students prepare a dish from selected countries and explore the country’s culture through a multi-disciplinary approach which may include geography, art, history, math and health. It also incorporates writing skills through journals the children keep. Parents receive newsletters to reinforce each lesson and encourage cultural cooking at home. Congratulations to Robin, Brenda, and Terri for this excellent poster presentation.

Application deadline for the Irvine Professional Development Grant is August 31st. This grant has been increased to a maximum award of $500 per semester, effective FY05. The application is available on-line.

The Irvine Professional Development Grant goal is to advance the professional development of administrative office professionals at the University of New Hampshire. Currently, the Irvine Professional Development Grant is funded for $1,000 annually and is awarded bi-annually with a maximum individual award of $500 in any fiscal year (July-June). The Selection Committee's goal is to award grants to a minimum of two qualified applicants per fiscal year. More than one grant may be awarded by the selection committee bi-annually, with the combined maximum not exceeding $500.

The Biweekly Update becomes the Extension Update starting with the August 20th issue, with a new, easier-to-read format. The Update replaces our UNH Cooperative Extension Intranet front page and includes a search function for current and past issues of the publication, as well as archived categories of articles and links to other important news sources for our work. I'll continue to send you the link to the Extension Update every two weeks, but with this new format, you can access it daily on our Intranet. Please let me know what you think of this new format.

Thank you to all of you who helped with our Program Gap Analysis process. A summary and action report Gap Analysis report.doc is now ready to distribute to the people who participated in the process. Some of you may want to share this report with stakeholders who didn't participate in the process. If that is the case, please provide contextual information so the report is correctly interpreted. The report will be sent to gap analysis participants next week. Thanks again for your hard work on this important step in addressing the critical and emerging issues of NH individuals, families, communities and businesses.

President George Bush gets a special treat today when 30 members from Rockingham 4-H clubs provide a "mini-fair" at a picnic at the home and fields of Douglas and Stella Scamman in Stratham. Highlights of this showcase event include horticultural and consumer judging, gardening, leatherwork and blacksmith projects, action exhibits on CPR and robotics, and displays on Operation Military Kids, 4-H Shooting Sports and animal science. The 4-H members will also involve visitors in tying quilts for "Sewing from the Heart." 4-H donates these quilts to David's House or ABC Quilts, for children who face serious illnesses or hospitalization. A crowd of more than 1,000 guests is expected to attend today's picnic.

Provost Bruce Mallory worked with a university-wide committee on the introduction of UNH's Academic Plan, which includes a series of town meeting presentations given by Provost Mallory. You're invited to a presentation Tuesday, October 5th from 1-2 p.m. in the MUB I. The presentation includs a question and answer period. Please contact me if you have any questions. If you plan to attend, contact Sharon Blake at sharon.blake@unh.edu

The 2004 Academic Convocation on September 14th will draw upon the expertise of three of UNH's most distinguished faculty and provide an opportunity to explore the interconnectedness of three domains of academic life - teaching, scholarship and service.

The 2004 Academic Convocation speakers include Charlotte Bacon, English (Outstanding Assistant Professor,) Jeffrey Diefendorf, History, (Distinguished Professor,) and Carole Barnett, Management (Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching.) The convocation takes place in Richards Auditorium, Murkland Hall, from 12:40-2 p.m.

UNH President Ann Weaver Hart presents her annual State of the University address Friday, August 27th in Richards Auditorium in Murkland Hall. Breakfast will be served, and a question and answer period will follow her address.

The Academic Convocation and University Day Picnic are set for Tuesday, September 14th. The convocation takes place in the Strafford Room of the MUB, from 12:40-2:00 pm.

A long-time friend and supporter of UNH Cooperative, Ruth G. Stimson, died at her home in Hampton on Wednesday, July 14th. While a public memorial service has yet to be scheduled, an obituary highlighting her long career as well as her extensive volunteer efforts appeared in The Hampton Union newspaper on Tuesday, July 20th. Her legacy of achievement for families and youth is impressive.

Dr. Karol A. LaCroix has been named the new president of the College for Lifelong Learning. Dr. LaCroix is currently dean of the University of New Hampshire at Manchester and joins the College August 1st.

Dr. LaCroix served as dean of UNH-Manchester since 1996. Previously, she held a variety of academic and administrative positions at UNH, including interim dean of the Graduate School , associate dean of the School of Health and Human Services , as well as chair and professor of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Science from Northeastern University in Boston and a M.O.E. in Occupational Education and a B.S. in Medical Technology from UNH.

New Hampshire 4-H Camps have late season openings this summer at Bear Hill Camp. Spaces are available in the following weeks of summer camp: July 25-30, August 1-6th, August 8-13th, and August 15-20. Barry Conservation Camp is full at this time. To sign up a child for camp please call the 4-H state office, at Moiles House, 180 Main Street, UNH, Durham, NH 03824-2536, (603) 862-2180.

The Journal of Extension (JOE) expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators. The June issue features research on “Effecting Land-Use Changes Through Education and Implementation: Assessing the Effectiveness of the Watershed Stewards Program” and “Parents' Perceptions of Life Skills Development in the 4-H Cloverbud Program” to feature articles about “Teaching Complex, In-Depth Programs” to “Gathering Wisdom from 4-H Youth Development Clubs.” JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education.

JOE is written, reviewed and edited by Extension professionals, sharing with their colleagues successful educational applications, original and applied research findings, scholarly opinions, educational resources, and challenges on issues of critical importance to Extension educators.

Our regional program staff meetings are set for 12:30 to 4:00 pm April 12 at Plymouth State University, April 13 at the Goffstown Extension Office and April 14 in the MUB at UNH. Beverages will be available at noon for staff who would like to arrive early to meet and greet each other. The agenda includes the Maynard and Audrey Heckel award presentation, budget update, the new performance management system, recommendations from the Program Administrative Structure Team and Public Awareness Teams. All program staff are expected to attend one of these meetings. I look forward to discussing these important topics with you.

The UNH Survey Center included a series of questions on its February 2004 Granite State Poll focusing on the University. The major purpose of these questions was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of New Hampshire residents concerning the University and some of its programs. The survey reached 511 randomly selected New Hampshire adults by telephone from Feb. 4-12.

Good news for Cooperative Extension – in a question about Cooperative Extension, over half the respondents, 53 percent, “definitely remember hearing that Cooperative Extension is part of UNH.” The exact question asked: “Cooperative Extension is part of UNH. Do you definitely remember hearing or reading about this … do you vaguely recall this … or have you never heard about this before?”

According to Dr. Andrew E. Smith, director of the Survey Center , the Granite State Poll takes place quarterly and is an inexpensive way for University staff to collect statewide data. To learn more, you can contact him at andrew.smith@unh.edu

The University Instrumentation Center (UIC) is available to help solve problems. UIC staff can repair electronic and mechanical equipment, and can help address problems associated with chemical analysis, for example, tainted fuel oil. The Center also works in an entrepreneurial situation, helping to develop instrumentation for your field. Contact Jeff Simpson, the UIC Director, at 862-2457 or send email to jeff.simpson@unh.edu.

Rockingham County legislators, commissioners and department heads participated in the fourth “County Conversation” Monday night at the Rockingham County Office complex. The “Conversation,” which drew over 80 people, provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire ’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Rockingham County .

Earlier in the day, President Hart traveled to the Rockingham County office to learn more about UNH Cooperative Extension programming in the county. My thanks to the Rockingham County staff for their hard work on this event. They did an excellent job of showcasing their positive impact with county residents. The next “ County Conversation ” is scheduled in Coos County in the fall.

The Leadership Team has reinforced the following web posting procedures:

Only Leadership Team members can approve the posting of web content, including who can post and manage blogs
Material for web posting will no longer be accepted in WordPerfect
Oversight for web content includes:
Front page - Nancy Franz, Holly Young and Peg Boyles
Administrative and Intranet - Leadership Team
Program area content - Program Leaders
Interdisciplinary content - Program Council (Program Leaders, Interdisciplinary team chairs and Nancy Franz)

Chairs and co-chairs are now in place for the newly formed Interdisciplinary Issue/Program Teams, launched by the Plan of Work Steering Committee. All staff should become familiar with team membership, the working framework for the teams and job descriptions for the team chairs and members.

The Steering Committee work is now complete. A Program Council made up of Program Leaders, Interdisciplinary Issue/Program Team Chairs and the Associate Director will meet quarterly to guide our organization's educational programming. Program Leaders previously carried out this task. I appreciate the hard work of our staff in making this transition to a new structure for programming that addresses critical and emerging issues in New Hampshire .

Associate Director Nancy Franz looks at self-directed work teams in the April issue of the Journal of Extension. Click on Self-Directed Work Teams: The Antidote for "Heroic Suicide" to learn more.

Over 125 citizens and town officials participated in the Weare Community Profile (Hillsborough County) May 7-8. The following action teams were created as a result:
Create a New Middle School
Managed Growth Committee
Develop a New England Village Green with a Community Center & Village Shops
Establish a Charter Commission to Evaluate the Current Town Government Structure
Identify the Top 10 Lands and Scenic Routes for Preservation
Thanks goes to Dan Reidy, the county steering committee liaison, Deb Maes, the large group facilitator, and Julia Steed-Mawson and Thom Linehan, the small group discussion leader trainers. Also thanks to Jon Nute, Margaret Hagen, Heidi Bennett, Penny Turner, Alice Mullen and Sharon Cowen for serving as small group facilitators/scribes and organizers.

The follow-up meeting facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension takes place May 18 to begin mapping how to accomplish those projects. UNH Cooperative Extension, the town of New Boston and the Southern Regional Planning Commission will provide support for this meeting.

Upcoming Profiles scheduled include Danville (October) and Hampstead (April 2005).

Over 170 citizens and town officials participated in the New Boston Community Profile (Hillsborough County) April 2-3 (over 200 on Friday night and over 150 on Saturday). The following action teams were created as a result:
Preservation of the Village District
Dealing with Foot Traffic and Road Safety in the Downtown
Planning/Zoning/Dealing with Growth
Development of a Multi-Use Center
Feasibility of a Middle School, and
Development of a Community Volunteer Coordinator & Information Directory.
Thanks goes to Dan Reidy, the county steering committee liaison, Charlie French, the large group facilitator and Nancy Lambert, the small group discussion leader trainer. Thanks also to Jon Nute, Margaret Hagen, Heidi Bennett, Jolee Chase and Thom Linehan, as well as Gregg Caporossi and Minda Henderson (UNH Graduate Students,) for serving as small group facilitators/scribes and organizers. The follow-up meeting, to begin mapping out how to accomplish those projects, took place April 14, with over 40 in attendance and once again, facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension. Extension, the Town of New Boston and Southern Regional Planning Commission provided support for this meeting.

Upcoming Profiles scheduled to date include Weare (May 7-8), Danville in October and Hampstead in April, 2005.

The next meeting of Family & Consumer Resources Educators and Specialists takes place June 16 at Bear Hill 4-H Camp in Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown. The meeting runs from 9-3:30. Program staff will receive a detailed agenda closer to the meeting date.

On May 3, from 7 to 9:30 pm , there will be an informational meeting open to anyone interested in learning about the certification exam to become a certified land use planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners. The UNH Department of Resource Economics and Development and the Northern New England Chapter American Planning Association are hosting the event in James Hall, Room 303.

The PD&E Council will host a final session to help staff prepare logic models, work with evaluation data or other aspects of program development and evaluation. This final event takes place May 18 from 9-noon at the Merrimack County office in Boscawen. Because we're using PicTel sites, please contact Lisa Townson by May 12 to let her know if and where you would like to attend. If there aren't enough people at a PicTel site, we will cancel that site.

A question was raised at one of the regional staff meetings this week regarding what the different committees were in the legislature. Here are a list of links to all pertinent NH Government websites as well as the House and Senate committees:
NH State Government Online
NH State Legislature
NH House
House Committees
NH Senate
Senate Committees
Census

The Leadership Team selected three graduate student projects for funding this coming year. Thane Harrison, a student in the Resource Economics Department, will work with Frank Mitchell, Charlie French, John Halstead and Douglas Morris on a detailed analysis of the net costs of development. Thane will conduct a literature review of land use policy and local tax rates, construct a database of tax rates and land use patterns in New Hampshire communities over the past 10 years, and use surveys with local officials to determine the support level for open space initiatives, examining impacts on property values and affordable housing. Extension will use this information to update and refine its community land-use planning programs.

Amy Douglas, a graduate student with the Plant Biology Department, will work with Paul Fisher to develop two Internet-based training modules for horticulture with industry partners and Massey University in New Zealand. They also will evaluate new Internet tools for delivering Cooperative Extension programming.

Lisa Townson, with Eleanor Abrams and Scott Fletcher from the Education Department, will work with a graduate student to tie the New Hampshire educational standards with 4-H curriculum. The project will specify clear links to state educational standards for each curriculum and make it easier for educators to cover state required educational standards. These standards also will link to training with after-school personnel. We welcome these students to our Extension family and look forward to their work.

The Cooperative Extension Administrative Team recently approved a change in Family Development Program area title. The new name for the program area, and educators, is “Family & Consumer Resources.” The new title more accurately reflects the work of the program area and its staff, is more contemporary and inclusive in nature and corresponds with titles for several of our other program areas.

Monday, April 19 from 9 am to noon, Program Development and Evaluation Council members will be on hand in Boscawen to help staff develop program logic models and evaluations. If you’re planning a program but just aren't sure of the best way to evaluate it, this event is for you. Council members will work one on one or in small groups with staff to discuss which evaluations work best for particular outcomes. The group will also discuss the April New England Evaluation Conference and answer questions resulting from the conference presentations. Contact Lisa Townson to sign up.

Extension specialists and educators are invited to provide input on the new pilot performance appraisal documents and process. The committee will review suggested changes in the fall and determine next steps based on your feedback.

All program staff must attend one regional meeting unless granted an exception by their supervisor. Come at noon with a bag lunch to visit with other staff. Beverages will be available at each site. Business begins at 12:30 and ends at 4:00 pm. The agenda includes a budget conversation, the Maynard and Audrey Heckel Extension Educator Fellowship award, PAST recommendations, Conflict of Interest Policy and updates on the performance management pilot and Public Awareness Teams. Please read these linked documents before attending the meeting

Meeting sites and locations are:

April 12: Centre Lodge Bradford Room, Plymouth State College. Parking is available in lot #503 at the PE Center Visitor Lot. For a parking permit contact Sharon Blake at 862-1520. Find directions at http://www.plymouth.edu/admit/directions.htm

April 13: Hillsborough County’s newly-renovated Goffstown office in the Bouchard Building. Go to Hillsborough County on our website for directions.

April 14: University of New Hampshire’s Memorial Union Building, Room 334/336.

The Program Area Structure Team (PAST) recommended a Program Leader position at 75 percent time for each of the five program areas. Nancy Franz will work with the Program Leaders and each program area to determine how best to fulfill the leadership responsibilities outlined in the attached updated Program Leader job description.

A new on-line form is now in use for publications. It replaces the current paper publication request form but remains a requirement for all publications, whether printed at UNH Printing Services or ordered through an outside vendor. The only current exceptions are business cards, letterhead and envelopes. For these three items, please continue to contact either Holly Young or Siobhan Craig.

This new form tracks all phases (and history) of a specific publication. Please note, however, for “rush” jobs, the minimum notice must be three weeks. All proofs will continue to go to the Educational Marketing and Information office at Taylor Hall, since the on-line form also focuses on receipt and approval of proofs as part of the process. Once received, proofs go to the appropriate author/specialist for review. Once the author reviews the proof, it needs to go through Holly or Siobhan to forward to printing services.

To sign up for access to the on-line form and further directions, please contact either Holly Young or Siobhan Craig.

UNH Cooperative Extension offers a workshop on Coalition Building May 4 from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Hillsborough County Office in Goffstown. The workshop addresses principles of success in creating community change through coalitions. Discussions will center on barriers to coalition building, strategies for success and maintaining activities and success. The presenter, Tom Wolff, wrote “From the Ground Up! A Workbook on Coalition Building and Community Development.” For more information, contact Charlie French. A $45 fee covers training, lunch, and helps offset Wolff's costs. Last chance to register is Friday, April 9.

To document our state’s ability to work effectively with children, youth and families, UNH Cooperative Extension is conducting the Organizational Change Survey. We’re concerned about a broad spectrum of risk factors for children, youth and families, and respond through our commitment on improving the well-being of families. Issues of interest include staff support and training, diversity and inclusivity of programming, statewide and local visions, and collaboration both within and outside of Extension.

I ask all Family, Community and 4-H Youth Development staff to respond promptly to the survey. All states reporting results to Arizona State University by June 1 become part of a national survey, used to improve programming. The survey, previously conducted in 1997 and 2000, documents change over time within individual states and across the national system.

Staff will receive the Organizational Change Survey by mail, with a return envelope. Please promptly complete and return the questionnaire. All responses are strictly confidential.

More than a quarter century ago, John Porter organized the first New Hampshire Milking Equipment Conference (MEC). Milking equipment dealers and dairy producers met at the Holiday Inn in White River Junction, Vermont, to share the latest updates on milking equipment installation standards. At the beginning of the 1990s, Steve Turaj organized dairy seminars in Lancaster for Coös County and Vermont’s Essex County. In 1997, the University of Vermont, University of Connecticut and the University of Maine Cooperative Extensions joined New Hampshire and MEC efforts to become a multi-state event.

The trade show, an integral part of the conference since it began, focuses on awareness and introduction of new technologies and innovations. It also provides networking between dairy producers and local businesses that helps keep alive the agriculture infrastructure.

While the show originally only involved milking equipment dealers, the NH Dairy Practices Committee recently decided to change the name to the Dairy Management Conference to open the floor to other participants of the dairy industry.

Today, after 28 years of success, trade show participants include representatives from feed, insurance, milking equipment, health products, agricultural structure companies, educational and herd management organizations, milk processors, and organizations helping disabled farmers.

Initially only installation standards were discussed. Today, invited speakers from all over the US cover the latest research in different areas of herd management. During the last few years, speakers annually reached over 400 producers, veterinarians and students from UNH, Vermont Technical College, and UMASS. The number of those attending the conference didn’t decrease significantly the last two years, despite the fact milk prices are at their lowest in 30 years.

Roundtable discussions looking at issues and questions about program development and evaluation are scheduled by the Program Development and Evaluation Council. The three half-day-roundtable discussions are not set up as professional development workshops, but as discussion and work time where staff bring ideas or a program in progress to receive feedback from colleagues. All roundtable discussions, offered through PicTel if there’s enough interest at a given site, will run from 9-noon.

Dates and Topics:
March 31- Logic Models: Bring your draft or an idea for a program and spend time working on it. Logic Models are created most effectively within a group framework, so take advantage of sharing your model with others. At the same time, you’ll get some practice with the model and a head start on your next plan of work.

April 19 - Evaluation Methods: If you’re planning a program, but aren't sure of the best way to evaluate it, this discussion will get you started. We'll talk about what methods work best for particular outcomes and help each other out, as “evaluation consultants.” There will be time to discuss the April New England Evaluation Conference and answer any questions that came from those presentations.

May 18 - PD&E Grab Bag: We'll discuss evaluation methods and talk about preparing for the next Plan of Work.

To schedule PicTel use, email Lisa Townson to let her know if and where you will attend at least four days prior to the scheduled discussion. If there aren't enough people at a site, we need to let locations know so they can schedule the room for other uses.

Representatives from several horticultural trade associations came together March 10 at the University of New Hampshire to explore formation of a Horticultural Industries Council. Cathy Neal, an Extension specialist who facilitated the meeting along with Rick Simpson, president of the NH Plant Growers Association, sees the council as a vehicle for promoting communication and facilitating action on issues of common concern. The discussion touched on many common challenges and opportunities, such as legislative and regulatory action, membership recruitment and member benefits, support for education and Extension, and visibility and promotion of the horticultural industry. “Every trade group contacted was very excited about the opportunities such a council presents, to share resources, to enhance and promote the industry, and to respond with one voice when legislative or other issues surface that affect the industry.” said Neal. The council meets again in November.

Environmental horticulture, the largest and fastest-growing sector of agriculture in New Hampshire, includes over 900 firms in the industry and an estimated gross value of $438 million annually. This figure includes production firms such as nurseries and greenhouses, retail operations such as garden centers and florists, and landscape and tree services. Vegetable and fruit production adds another $26 million to the horticultural industry’s value.

The Program Area Structure Team recently submitted their recommendations to enhance Cooperative Extension’s program excellence. Their charge included reviewing the program leadership structure and determining if change is needed, and if so, recommend the most effective structure for interdisciplinary programs, base programs and cost effectiveness. I’ve endorsed their recommendations and ask all staff to review them as attached. The recommendations will be discussed across the organization as follows:
Overview with Leadership Team – March 10
Overview of the process with EMT - March 11
Overview of agriculture related recommendations with agricultural staff on March 19
Discussion of recommendations with all staff at regional staff meetings - April 12-14
Overview of recommendations with State Advisory Council on April 22
Discussion with specialists on April 23
We owe team members Larry Barker, Charlene Baxter, Anna Boudreau, Karen Bennett, Brian Doyle, Nancy Franz, Jim Grady, Val Long, Amy Ouellette and John Porter a huge thank you for a superb effort in fulfilling their committee charge. I know PAST invested a great deal of time and effort in a compressed period of time to analyze numerous options and scenarios. In the end they produced a set of recommendations that I believe positions us to fully achieve our Strategic Plan goals.

The investment this team made to produce recommendations for culture and structure change provides a strong foundation to build the organization we intend to become consistent with our Strategic Plan. Thanks again to PAST for the valuable contribution they've made to the future of UNH Cooperative Extension. Staff should contact PAST or myself to discuss these recommendations for program excellence.

Cooperative Extension’s community outreach, according to The Extension System: A Vision for the 21st Century, will only succeed if State Extension Systems around the country pool their knowledge and resources to build citizen capacity that strengthens communities. With this spirit of cooperation in mind, Cornell Cooperative Extension and UNH Cooperative Extension will host an exchange program enabling educators from each state to observe first-hand innovative programs and projects.

Educators from a variety of program areas within Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) visit New Hampshire April 25-28 to learn more about the following innovative programs:
WREN (a female-run small business incubator in Bethlehem),
A forest cooperative in Carroll County,
Main Street programs in Littleton and Plymouth,
Jackson Community Profile,
GIS for Community Decision Makers,
UNH’s agricultural experiment farm, and other programs and projects. The week of June 21, educators from UNH Cooperative Extension travel to New York for two and a half days to observe first-hand, innovative programs and projects sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension. These include:
The Garden Mosaics Youth Community Gardening Project,
Ithaca Eco-Village,
Eco-tourism development in New York’s wine country,
Local community and economic development,
Niche agriculture, and other programs and projects.
Cornell Cooperative Extension will house up to eight UNH Cooperative Extension staff so the only expenses are meals and a portion of the transportation costs. For more information about the program or to indicate interest in participating, contact Charlie French by March 26.

Strafford County legislators, commissioners and department heads participated in the third “County Conversation” last Thursday at the Strafford County Office complex. The “Conversation” provided an opportunity for UNH President Ann Weaver Hart to learn more about how UNH can collaborate more effectively with New Hampshire’s individual counties and to discover what emerging trends and issues specifically face Strafford County.

Earlier in the day, President Hart and Jennifer Murray, UNH Vice President for Communications, traveled to the Strafford County office to learn more about UNH Cooperative Extension programming in the county. Included in the event was a tour of the new Strafford County House of Corrections facility, currently under construction. My thanks to the Strafford County staff for their hard work on this event. They did an excellent job of showcasing their positive impact the residents of the county. The next “County Conversation” takes place May 24 in Rockingham County.

Nutrition Connections Program Associate Terri Schoppmeyer and chef Michael Neely of the Blue Mermaid restaurant in Portsmouth are teaching a cooking class that helps participants, primarily low-income young mothers, learn how to purchase and cook healthy food.

A joint project of the New Hampshire Food Bank and Share Our Strength, a leading anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization, the free classes also send participants home with a free bag of groceries.

A flyer is now available for the Coalition Building workshop May 4. The workshop, for all who work in communities, including all Extension educators, addresses principles of success in creating community change through coalitions. Discussions will center on coalition building barriers, strategies for coalition success, and maintaining activities and success.

The presenter, Tom Wolff, PhD., authored “From the Ground Up! A Workbook on Coalition Building and Community Development.” Contact Charlie French for the flyer and registration information. Training takes place at UNH Cooperative Extension's Hillsborough County Office (Goffstown) from 9:30-4 pm. The $45 fee covers training, lunch, and helps offset Dr. Wolff's costs. Sign up using the on-line registration for inservices under Professional Development on our web site.

Plenty of room remains for this in-service but staff must register soon, an insufficient number of registrants may cause cancellation.

The CRAS Committee recommended program development and evaluation be the major roles for the Associate Director. As a result, Nancy Franz developed a five-year vision for UNH Cooperative Extension program excellence in a logic model format. The Leadership Team and Program Development & Evaluation Council reviewed and endorsed this vision. Please take time to examine Nancy's vision and help her continue our excellence in programming. She welcomes your feedback and ideas for implementing and measuring progress of her vision.

Thank you to all who participated in the January Plan of Work Caucus in Concord. The event produced strong direction for our next statewide Plan of Work in the following areas:
Financial planning and management
Civic participation and community network development
Parenting
Healthy lifestyles
Career/workforce development
Youth in out-of-school time
Land use
Water quality
Support for agricultural producers and related industries
Economic viability of small businesses
I think you'll find the summary of suggested actions for Extension programming useful in your work. The Leadership Team and the Program Development & Evaluation Council will use this summary and other data sources to create our Plan of Work. Extension educators, specialists and partners also will have opportunities to react to the plan. Thanks again to those who helped with the Plan of Work Gap Analysis process.

The 1990 Farm Bill calls for appropriate guidelines minimizing actual or potential conflicts of interest among employees from each college or university that receives funds from the Bill and whose salaries link to this funding source.

Each state Cooperative Extension must update and submit its conflict of interest policies and procedures to USDA for approval. These federal Human Resources policies affecting Cooperative Extension call for Cooperative Extension directors and administrators to review their conflict of interest policies annually and make sure all employees are aware of these policies. State Cooperative Extension Conflict of Interest policies must be sent to USDA CSREES whenever changes are made.

In compliance with this regulation, I am including a link to the USNH conflict of interest policies, highlighting those sections relevant to Cooperative Extension employees only. These, as well as Civil Rights Compliance, American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Sexual Harassment, and other pertinent policies will be discussed as part of the annual performance appraisal process. In the meantime should you have any questions regarding these policies or procedures, please contact your appropriate program leader, Nancy Franz, or Jim Grady.

The Parenting Education Work Team has a new name - the Family Life Education Work Team. Members include Barbara Hunter, Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Thom Linehan, Pam Gerbi, Sharon Cowen and Charlene Baxter. Contact any member regarding issues or concerns in the area of family life education.

Dr. Duane Acker, President Emeritus of Kansas State University and former Assistant Secretary for Science and Education at the U. S. Department of Agriculture, presented the Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Lecture at the 116th annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 16, 2003.

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture sponsored the lecture as a tribute to Seaman A. Knapp, the father of Extension. Knowledge, Wisdom, and Freedom - The Role of Extension was the title of the 2003 Knapp Lecture. Access a copy of the lecture at: http://www.reeusda.gov/1700/awards03/knapplec.htm

Agricultural Resources Educators and Specialists from New England and New York worked together to plan the New England Vegetable & Berry Growers Conference held in December. The conference is a biennial event, held since 1979 in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. By 2001, the need for a larger conference center became clear due to the growing number of attendees. Steering committee members voted to move the event to the Center of New Hampshire Holiday Inn in Manchester.

The 2003 conference drew 1,313 farmers from several states and provinces. Sessions on marketing vegetables and fruits, season extension and organic production spilled participants out into hallways. Fortunately, the Center of NH Holiday Inn is one of the few conference centers with several large breakout rooms and a hotel on premises in New England.

The conference steering committee included George Hamilton as Pesticide Recertification Chair, Amy Ouellette as Conference Center Contact and Bill Lord as A/V Equipment Chair. George, Amy and Bill are grateful for help from Extension co-workers Seth Wilner, Tina Savage, Cheryl Smith and Geoffrey Njue, and John Pike, Nancy Franz and Bruce Clement, for their presence at the conference. John Pike and NH Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor addressed a crowd of 275 at the banquet. The 2003 conference brought commerce to downtown Manchester and showed that agriculture is alive and well in New Hampshire.

One of the most important roles for Cooperative Extension includes sharing land grant research with others. To support this goal, I would like to add a list of articles and papers to our web site presented by staff at professional conferences or published in professional journals. Please send your papers and articles in Word or PDF format to Nancy Franz by the end of January. Thanks for sharing your scholarly efforts!

Every January, I emphasize UNH Cooperative Extension’s commitment to civil rights practices. Extension staff conduct exemplary efforts to meet federal and state mandates. We also work above beyond those mandates by exhibiting outstanding civil rights spirit and leadership. We set high standards in our civil rights work with communities and partnerships to advance this spirit and leadership outside our organization.

To maintain our positive reputation of reaching the right clientele with the best practices, we continually improve on our efforts surrounding our civil rights mission. We document effective civil rights work to demonstrate accountability, dedication and leadership.

Improvement comes through our plan of work development process by engaging target audiences and addressing critical and emerging issues. We must ensure the needs of underserved audience are met through their direct input in needs assessment and program development. Since we wrote our last plan of work, New Hampshire became home to immigrants from around the world. Development of new technology also presents new opportunities and challenges for reaching new audiences. This change in residencyand technology plus needs assessment data requires us to address new issues and reach new audiences. Even though this work is not easy, these challenges remain part of our job.

Last year, equipped with a new Civil Rights guide for UNH Cooperative Extension, Bob Edmonds met with county and campus staff on the responsibilities of documenting civil rights efforts. The civil rights review focuses on county staff since USDA goes directly to the point of contact for programming. Each person in a county under review meets confidentially with a USDA reviewer. County staff documentation collected in advance for personal and county files serves as the core of this review. Our web site and the new civil rights guide describe confidential methods for reporting civil rights efforts. Specialists, Program Leaders and administrators assist county staff in documenting needs assessment, program development and evaluation relating to civil rights. Through this team approach, we demonstrate compliance with Civil Rights legal responsibilities.

Thank you for your outstanding work in making UNH Cooperative Extension available and meaningful for a wide variety of New Hampshire’s residents.

Family Development Educators and Specialists meet in 2004 on March 2 (snow date March 4) in Boscawen, and on September 27. The Family, Youth and Community statewide staff meet on November 15. Please reserve these important days in your calendar.

I extend very best wishes to all members of the UNH Cooperative Extension family for a wonderful holiday season. Your service to the citizens of New Hampshire is valuable and commendable. I hope each of you take full advantage of the holidays to take a well-deserved break and enjoy your friends and family.

I continue to be proud to lead an organization that provides deep impact on the lives of so many New Hampshire citizens. During this year together, we achieved a wide variety of program accomplishments and gained recognition and praise for our role as a primary outreach unit of the University of New Hampshire. I look forward to our work in 2004 with citizens around the state.

In keeping with the University holiday closure from December 24 to January 5, the Publications Center will be closed. Due to student winter break in January, the Center will have little support. If you have a particular publication need from January 5-20, please contact Holly Young directly

UNH will maintain existing research procedures for review of research involving human subjects, according to John Aber, Vice President for Research and Public Service. This includes oral histories, ethnographic, anthropological, interview and other qualitative approaches. These approaches will continue to receive Institutional Review Board review. For further information, contact Nancy Franz.

The UNH Professional, Administrative, and Technical Staff Council (PAT) still needs a representative for Cooperative Extension. There has not been any representation from Extension for the past year. The PAT Council is a standing council of the University administration. It serves in an informational and advisory capacity to the President and bears responsibility and accountability to members of the PAT staff, which elects its members. Click on http://www.unh.edu/pat-council/ for more information.

If you are willing to serve on the council, please contact Jim Grady. If you have questions about the commitment involved (typically three hours per month,) please contact past representatives Jim Grady, Stephen Judd or Holly Young.

ABC News airs a one-hour special report with Peter Jennings on the role of government and industry in the American obesity epidemic Monday, December 8, at 8 pm EST. In this important hour-long ABC News special, Jennings reveals how government policies and food industry practices help make Americans fat.

"Obesity is fast becoming the largest public health crisis in America," Jennings said. "The simple answer is to tell people to just eat less and exercise more. What few people know is how much of the problem with the American diet is a direct result of federal government policy and food industry practices."

Jennings begins in the farmlands of America, examining agricultural subsidies and their impact on the American diet. He found most agricultural subsidies go to foods Americans should eat less. Nutritionists and health advocates say these policies contribute to obesity.

The University of New Hampshire Human Resources office has arranged to have our TIAA-CREF representatives meet with employees on a drop-in basis at the MUB on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 9 and 10, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. These consultations are approximately 10 minutes long and take place on a first-come, first-served basis.

The representatives are available to:

* Discuss your contribution limits for 2004
* Complete paperwork to change your retirement withholding
* Consolidate your retirement assets
* Address your questions

The representatives are available Tuesday, December 9, MUB Room 302, and Wednesday, December 10, MUB Room 321, both days from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Bring your most recent pay stub, TIAA-CREF quarterly statement, and the statements of other investments you would like to discuss.

Approximately 40 council members and staff met on Thursday, October 30 in Concord for the fall state council meeting. Jeff Schloss gave an excellent presentation regarding the Lakes Lay Monitoring Program. Nancy Franz provided a comprehensive summary of county by county Gap Analysis Trends. A statewide plan of work caucus will be held on Tuesday, January 13. As a follow up to the last meeting of the state council held on April 17, the main agenda item for yesterday’s meeting was a continuing discussion of the budget situation and the deficit of $784,220. Understandably there is a high level of concern throughout the state regarding positions that are not being filled and the program void this creates. Program Leaders in every program area are developing plans to address the programming voids to the best extent possible given current resource constraints. As a proactive measure in addressing the current situation and with a look to the future, the council has established an ad hoc group to focus on external relations and funding strategies. The five member group is comprised of the following state council members: Harmony Anderson, Liz Conrad, Anne Krantz, Dick Mallion, and Erick Leadbeater. Participants at the meeting reiterated the critical need for all members of each county legislative delegation to be well informed regarding Cooperative Extension programming, its impacts and necessary funding.

I have had the pleasure of serving on the “Committee on Engagement through Research and Scholarship” since last fall in preparation for the decennial accreditation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The NEASC team visited UNH last week on October 20-21. All indications are that UNH will receive a very positive and helpful report. Information on the accreditation process , including the self-study reports, is available at: http://www.unh.edu/neasc/index.htm.

County staff may find information sent through “county envelopes” from Taylor Hall contains stale or outdated material. Sending this mail on a weekly basis to the counties from Taylor Hall costs about $2,000 annually. Much of the information provided in these envelopes is now online so this service may be discontinued. The Campus Journal, which contains everything staff need to know regarding dates and events on campus, can now be accessed by clicking on http://unhinfo.unh.edu/news/campusjournal/index.html. Additionally this link to UNH Human Resources includes the most recent HR information, including benefits. http://www.unh.edu/hr/index.html

Grafton County legislators, commissioners and USNH Trustees participated in the second “County Conversation” held on October 16 at the Grafton County Nursing Home. 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 Grafton County. Earlier in the day, President Hart and Jennifer Murray, UNH’s Vice President for Communications, traveled to the Grafton County office to learn more about UNH Cooperative Extension’s programming in the county. My thanks to the staff and county advisory council of Grafton County for their hard work on this event. They did an excellent job of showing how they positively impact the residents of the county.

Over 100 citizens and town officials took part in the Londonderry Community Profile (Rockingham County) October 18 and created the following action teams: Gathering Places (parks/performing arts theatre,) Refine & Expand Current Open Space Plan (with incentives to preserve agricultural land,) Non-motorized Transportation and Access (sidewalks, trails, bike paths,) and Expand Current Website & Community Calendar.

Thank you to Phil Auger, the county steering committee liaison and large group facilitator, and Thom Linehan, small group discussion leader trainer. Thanks also to Rollie Barnaby, Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Lynn Garland, Nancy Lambert, Terri Schoppmeyer, Gregg Caprosi and Minda Henderson (UNH Graduate Students) for serving as small group facilitators/scribes. A follow-up meeting, facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension, takes place November 17.

Family, Youth and Community staff meet November 17 at the Hartman Union Building at Plymouth State University. The meeting begins at 9:00 am. Morning refreshment are available beginning at 8:30. Please allow sufficient time to park and take the shuttle bus from the parking lot. The morning session features Jan Nisbet, Director, Institute on Disability, and other IOD staff. The afternoon speaker, Evelyn Beaulieau, Director, Center for Adult Learning and Literacy, University of Maine, will address the topic of adult learning theory and the current emerging adult literacy research. Evelyn also will talk about the national adult learning standards including financial literacy. The afternoon program concludes at 4:00 pm.

The county gap analysis sessions for our plan of work process have been wonderfully productive. Thank you to everyone who made these sessions a success. The next task in the process includes interpreting the data gathered from each county. Sign up now to attend a data interpretation party from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Merrimack County office on October 28th (Halloween theme), November 14th (Thanksgiving theme) or December 19th (Solstice theme) by contacting Nancy Franz. Some of our UNH campus partners have been invited to join us to determine what the data says and enjoy doing it!

Just where is Londonderry? In the last Biweekly Update, Londonderry moved to Hillsborough County. Gail Ramsey, our own “Secretary of Agriculture,” graciously pointed out Londonderry is, of course, in Rockingham County. Thanks, Gail, for catching the error!

Family, Youth and Community Development staff meet at Plymouth State University on November 17 for their annual gathering. The meeting begins at 9:00 AM and concludes at 4:00 PM . Morning refreshments will be available at 8:30 AM . An agenda and details about parking and lunch will be sent directly to staff. The meeting features Jan Nisbet, Director, Institute on Disability at UNH, several members of her staff and Dr. Evelyn Beaulieau, Director, University of Maine Center for Adult Learning and Literacy. Evelyn will provide a comprehensive presentation on recent research in adult learning. Nancy Franz will also join us for a preliminary discussion on what we are learning from the county needs assessment sessions. Staff should plan to attend for the entire day - this is an important event for the Family, Youth and Community Development program areas.

Close to 60 donors, friends and staff gathered Wednesday night to celebrate another successful year of 4-H Youth Development programming at the 45th annual meeting of the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire. Topping the night’s activities, held at Canterbury Woods Golf Course, was the announcement made by Wendy Brock that the Centennial Campaign not only reached its $100,000 goal, it surpassed it, coming in at $107,920.

Recognized for their years of volunteer service were outgoing Foundation board members Martha Crete and Cindy Putnam. John Saturley, a former Foundation board member and long-time supporter of 4-H, received a special award for his volunteer efforts at the 4-H Camp at Bear Brook State Park this past summer.

Highlighting the night’s activities were the testimonies of 4-H’ers Ian Gove, Hillsborough County, Janet Wisler and Devin Bates (also a 4-H Foundation board member) of Merrimack County, Becky Davis and Morgan and Cacia King, Rockingham County. Each spoke to the positive effect 4-H has had on their lives, while Morgan and Cacia sang a song about the fun of 4-H Camp this past summer.

A new slate of officers was introduced, including Robin Weeks, chair, Tom Frangione, vice chair, and Starr Tardif, secretary.

As Extension moves forward with the redesign and reorganization of our website, it's important to delineate individual roles, responsibilities and procedures. Please review the newly published UNH Cooperative Extension’s Website Protocol at http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/UNHCEPP/UNHCEWP.pdf for an understanding of the policies and procedures now in place.

UNH President Ann Weaver Hart recently approved a new policy on Ownership and Management of Research Data. Faculty, research staff and students have clearly articulated rights to and responsibilities for research data including protection afforded to the members of the UNH community.

Please become familiar with this policy. The policy recommends the development of written agreements with all members of your research group. These agreements can take any form you wish. A template will be available on the website of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Public Service, http://www.unh.edu/orps/index.html, along with the policy. Additional resources on this topic are available through the UNH Offices of Intellectual Property Management www.unh.edu/oipm and Sponsored Research http://www.unh.edu/osr/

Over 60 people participated in the Sandown Community Profile (Rockingham County) Sept. 19 and 20. The following action teams were created:

* Town Center Development
* Newsletter/Print/TV–Community Communication
* Community Service Association/Ambassadors
* Growth Management

Thanks go to Phil Auger, the county steering committee liaison, Nancy Adams and Nancy Lambert, small group discussion leader trainers. Also, thanks to Rick Alleva, Claudia Boozer-Blasco and Karen Blass for facilitating and/or recording Friday night as well as Nancy Franz and Terri Cirillo for observing and giving feedback on the process. Charlie French served as the large group facilitator. The follow-up meeting to bring all action groups together, coordinated by UNH Cooperative Extension, took place October 1st with county staff, USDA, Rockingham Economic Development Corporation, Rockingham Planning Commission and Digit Taylor as invited resource partners to support the groups.

Upcoming Profiles take place in Londonderry ( Rockingham County) October18, and Weare and New Boston (both from Hillsborough County) in late winter/early spring, 2004.

Students at UNH wish to recognize the efforts of those who help foster rich and strong communities in the state by presenting the first-ever UNH Community Leader of the Year award. The award presentation takes place at a black tie banquet and ball December 4 in UNH's new Holloway Commons. Organized and run entirely by students in the university's Community Development Program, the event will include a silent auction, dinner, award ceremony and dancing, with all proceeds going to a scholarship fund.

Three awards will be presented, including Community Leader of the Year, Community-Supporting Organization of the Year, and Student Community Leader of the Year. Please nominate individuals and organizations you feel strengthen New Hampshire communities. Complete nomination details are available at www.dred.unh.edu/award.htm or by calling 862-4811.

Nominations may be mailed, emailed or faxed to Professor Kelly Giraud, coordinator of UNH's Community Development Program by November 1. Tickets for the event are $50 if purchased before Nov. 15 ($75 after). Nomination details, silent auction donations and ticket information can be found at www.dred.unh.edu/award.htm or by contacting: Prof. Kelly Giraud, Coordinator, Community Development Program, 312 James Hall, email: kelly.giraud@unh.edu

New Hampshire Public Television is one of four public television stations awarded a “4x4 Community Partnership Grant” from the National Center for Outreach, a public television organization designed to encourage participation and effect change at the community level.

Collaborating with NHPTV are UNH Cooperative Extension, the NH Library Association and Volunteer NH! The partners developed the Partnership for a Safe New Hampshire, a project centered around the topic of emergency preparedness to raise awareness and foster participation on a community level. Working with personnel from the NH Department of Safety’s Bureau of Emergency Management (BEM), the Partnership for a Safe New Hampshire addresses a critical need by conducting informational sessions and facilitated discussions at eight community venues throughout the state in October and November. Speakers for these sessions include representatives of the Bureau of Emergency Management, UNH Cooperative Extension and/or Volunteer NH! (Citizen Corp). Local emergency management and town officials are encouraged to attend. Sessions focus on community-specific issues regarding the need for emergency preparedness plans at the local level.

Schedule of Events, (all begin at 7 pm):

* Oct. 7, Whipple Free Library, New Boston
* Oct. 8, Town and Country Motor Inn, Gorham
* Oct. 14, Portsmouth City Hall
* Oct. 22, Kennett High School
* Oct. 23, Manchester City Library
* Oct. 28, Littleton Community House Annex
* Nov. 5, Keene Public Library
* Nov. 17, Elliott Alumni Center

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.

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.

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.

I have invited John Porter, Catherine Violette, Darrell Covell, Lauren Bressett, Brian Doyle, Seth Wilner and Lisa Townson to serve as a newly formed Program Development and Evaluation (PD&E) Council under the direction of Nancy Franz. The group begins its work later this summer on the following goals:

* Serve as a think tank for organizational change around PD&E, including plan of work and reporting processes
* Provide technical assistance to UNH Cooperative Extension colleagues on Plan of Work development, logic modeling, program development and program evaluation
* Create a systematic method for conducting PD&E within and across program areas
* Serve as a voice for co-workers with Extension administration on PD&E issues
* Provide organization-wide instruction/professional development on PD&E
* Map organizational PD&E assets, determine gaps, and work towards filling those gaps, and
* Conduct an in-depth Cooperative Extension evaluation across program areas.

I am pleased this group is willing to move our organization to a new level of excellence around program development and evaluation. The Council's work will continue through Sept. 30, 2004.

UNH Cooperative Extension's Strategic Plan (2001) established Extension Graduate Assistantships to increase faculty and student involvement in engagement and outreach. The assistantships also promote increased collaboration between university faculty and extension staff. The attached document outlines the details for these assistantships.

You can now add a sidebar of helpful "links" to UNH Cooperative Extension on your computer's web page. Attached are directions to create this sidebar for the UNH Cooperative Extension "Intranet," which helps you link directly to such items as TERS, general staff information, documents from the Business Service Center you may use on a regular basis, and other items. Click on this link to learn how to set up your own UNH Cooperative Extension "Intranet" sidebar.

The 2004 Farm & Forest Exposition will be held February 6-7 at the Center of NH-Holiday Inn in Manchester. The Board of Directors is seeking input from commodity and educational groups in planning the event and members are available to meet with interested groups. For information contact Susan Rice, Expo Coordinator, at 749-9852 or nicksmeadow@prodigy.net. Tim Fleury and Geoffrey Njue represent Cooperative Extension on the Expo Board of Directors.

With Don Russell's retirement June 30, the Publications Center will be open from noon-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday, with the help of a summer work study, Sumeet Kaur. Any advance notice you can give Sumeet for orders would be appreciated. We will provide further information about Publications Center operations as they are determined. If you need immediate assistance or have questions, contact Holly Young who continues to oversee the Publications Center.

Family Development Educators and Specialists and Community Development program staff will meet on Monday, June 30 for an all day staff meeting. Morning refreshments will be ready at 8:45, the meeting begins promptly at 9:15 and will conclude at 3:30 at the Extension office in Boscawen.

Selected from 65 entries nationwide, John Porter's book Preserving Old Barns: Preventing the Loss of a Valuable Resource won first place in the 2003 National Association of County Agricultural Agents Communications contest. Porter co-authored the book with retired UNH Extension agricultural engineer Francis Gilman.

Preserving Old Barns emerged as part of a statewide collaborative initiated by the state legislature in 1999 to preserve old agricultural buildings. Partners include the NH Historic Agricultural Structures Advisory Committee, the NH Division of Historical Resources, the NH Preservation Alliance and other agricultural, conservation and economic development organizations.

The combination of an elegant design and layout by Salisbury artist Karen Holman, pen and ink drawings by Martha Kierstead, and more than 75 photographs of barns and barn features taken by Porter and Gilman, attract the eye and expand the scope of information provided by the text.

Porter says of the book project, "For me, it's been an exciting little spin-off to my career. It's introduced me into new circles I've never been involved with before-historical societies, preservation groups, museum people. I think we've increased awareness about the need to preserve old barns. People in the historic preservation field have told me this collaboration among Extension, legislators, preservationists, farmers, and so many other groups is unique". The attention generated by the book has generated requests for public talks, TV and radio appearances. Between them, Porter says he and Gilman give three or four presentations a month.

As for the award itself, Porter says, "It's just the icing on the cake-a little recognition for 30 years of experience as a dairy professional, as well as my early life growing up on a farm. When I was growing up, I spent more of my waking hours in old barns like these than I did in the house."

Extension Educator Phil Auger worked long and hard with colleagues from UNH Cooperative Extension and other NH agencies/organizations to develop a pilot exchange program for natural resource professionals in New Hampshire and Costa Rica. The Roy Foundation provided funding. The purpose was to provide natural resource professionals from both countries the opportunity to meet with their counterparts. In April, twelve natural resource professionals from UNH Cooperative Extension, the NH Department of Fish and Game, and the Nature Conservancy traveled to Costa Rica for twelve days to learn firsthand about key natural resource issues in Costa Rica, particularly issues pertaining to neotropical migrant bird species. The NH contingency also learned how Costa Rica deals with natural resource concerns. Eight Costa Rican natural resource professionals visited NH during May 31 - June 10 and traveled to various sites to learn more about New Hampshire's wildlife issues, as well as some of the state's efforts to preserve wildlife habitats while still maintaining a working landscape. Not only has the exchange provided people from both countries with a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, it brought about a new level of cultural understanding and collaboration between the two countries.

The Troy Community Profile (Cheshire County) was held June 6-7 with over 45 community members attending. The following action teams were created: Feasibility of a Shared Town Manager, Encouraging Small Business Development, Town Beautification and Town Celebrations.

Thanks to Nancy Bradford-Sisson who served as the county steering committee liaison, Nancy Lambert who trained small group discussion leaders, and Lauren Bressett and Christine Parshall for facilitating and recording both days. Nancy Adams provided the large group facilitation. The follow-up meeting coordinated by Cooperative Extension to bring all the action groups together with support from resource partners will take place June 23.

Upcoming Profiles are Sandown (Rockingham County) on September 19-20, and the Grapevine Family Resource Center on October 17-18.

The Family Development and Community Development Educators and Specialists will meet on Monday, June 30th at the Boscawen Office. The agenda has been sent. Morning refreshments will be available at 8:45 and the meeting begins promptly at 9:15. Contact Charlene for more information.

A satellite conference, "Children of Prisoners, Children of Promise", will take place on Wednesday, June 18th from 11:30 am - 3:00 pm. The conference, sponsored by the National Institute of Corrections, is hosted by the Family Connections program at Lakes Region Facility, the Department of Family Studies, and UNH Cooperative Extension. Sites are Theater I at the MUB, and PictureTel sites in Sullivan, Grafton and Merrimack County Offices. Contact Charlene to get more information.

The 2003 NH Celebrates Wellness Conference is at Waterville Valley on June 24 - 26. Wellness teams from businesses, schools, communities and senior centers will attend for personal and professional development and to create action plans for the year. Family Development educators are involved in conference planning and as action team advisors.

It isn't uncommon for youth athletic programs to bring out atrocious behavior in "grownups." Such was the case last August when the Great North Woods League (baseball) asked UNH Cooperative Extension for help. Larry Barker worked with the League last fall to explore potential solutions.

According to Larry, "It is really a commonsense request because the 4-H program is, in many aspects, way ahead of the curve on issues relating to youth development." As it turns out, many Extension tools have been adopted and adapted to address the situation. This spring the League instituted new protocol which includes a volunteer application, codes of conduct for players, parents, spectators, and coaches, and formal coach training. Extension conducted much of the training, incorporating many components that focus on positive youth development.

How about the results? Well, many parents and coaches have commented on the improved attitude and atmosphere at practice and games this season. Additionally, the teaching of positive youth development principles has had an impact. One community recreation department has changed its thinking about competitive tournaments for players under the age of 8 and restructured a longstanding tourney. There are now requests for applying these concepts for other sports. It appears we've discovered a thirsty new audience.

I look forward to seeing you all at our 2003 Annual Professional Development Conference on May 20. All staff are expected to attend unless you have discussed conflicts with your supervisor. The day features distinguished speakers, training workshops, and numerous posters and exhibits highlighting our work throughout the state. Along with President Ann Weaver Hart, a number of special guests will be with us for the lunch and recognition program. Again, thanks to the conference committee for planning an outstanding event.

During the opening session I'll comment on the progress we've made in implementing the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan. You can review the Progress Report prior to the conference at: http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/Admin/Secure/PRrep03.pdf

Executive Councilor Ray Burton, working with David Foote, is hosting a video-conference with our US Congressional delegation. Planned to address "Homeland Security and County Government", the conference is scheduled for June 3 from 9:00-10:00 AM. All four Congressional representatives (Gregg, Sununu, Bass and Bradley) are scheduled to participate. Ray Burton and Leo Lessard, chair of the NH Association of Counties, are inviting all county commissioners to participate. All Cooperative Extension P-Tel sites, NCEF in Gorham and Crotched Mountain in Greenfield are scheduled for this conference. Contact David Foote if you have questions.

Over 35 people participated in the Dummer Community Profile (Coös County) on May 9 and 10, with the following action teams created: Designate and Develop a Town Forest, Large Land Sale Contingency and Communication-History and Volunteerism.

Thanks to Sam Stoddard who serves as the county steering committee liaison; Sue Buteau, the small group discussion leader trainer; and Helene Grobman for facilitating/recording both days. Also thanks to Larry Barker and Steve Turaj for facilitating and recording Friday night, and Charlie French, the large group facilitator for the event. The follow-up meeting to bring all the action groups together in the community, coordinated by UNH Cooperative Extension, takes place May 19.

Upcoming Profiles will be held in Troy (Cheshire County) on June 6-7 and Sandown (Rockingham County) on Sept. 19-20.

The 2003 KIDS COUNT data book, Measuring the Gap: Disparities in the Well-Being of New Hampshire's Children, will be released at a breakfast May 28, 7:30-9:45 a.m., at the Holiday Inn in Concord. Measuring the Gap contains information on 39 different aspects of children's lives, from birth through adolescence. It demonstrates what demographic changes mean to public services, and shows where a child lives in NH can have tremendous impact on his or her life. An expert panel will discuss how to better align policies with needs. Moderated by Ally McNair of NHPTV, the panel includes Education Commissioner Nicholas Donohue, State Sen. Richard Green, Gorham Town Manager William Jackson, Executive Councilor and Providian National Bank Vice President Peter Spaulding, Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Vailas, and State Rep. Mary Jane Wallner. KIDS COUNT books can be ordered for $15 (Children's Alliance member or multiple copies) or $20 (non-member and single-copy rate). To register for the breakfast and/or order books, go online to: http://www.childrennh.org/kc2003_event_reg.php or call the Children's Alliance at 225-2264 for more information. Seats and/or copies of the book can be held only for those who send payment within 10 days of registration.

The Family Development staff will meet on Monday, June 30, in Boscawen at the Merrimack County UNH Cooperative Extension office. This meeting will take place from 9-3:30. An agenda will be sent to staff around June 1.

The following UNH Health Services' Response to Inquiries about SARS was released May 1: http://unh.edu/health-services/SARS.htm

I encourage all staff to make full use of the Journal of Extension on the World Wide Web. It's available free of charge and the following link provides instructions for subscribing to receive notification of each new issue.

The Journal of Extension (JOE) is the official refereed journal of the U.S. Cooperative Extension System. JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education.

JOE is written, reviewed and edited by Extension professionals, sharing with their colleagues successful educational applications, original and applied research findings, scholarly opinions, educational resources, and challenges on issues of critical importance to Extension educators. Back issues to 1979 are also available online. You can access the JOE and April 2003 issue at: http://www.joe.org/

Associate Director Nancy Franz and Assistant Director, County Operations, Paul Bonaparte-Krogh join the UNH New Faculty Tour at the end of this month as it travels throughout New Hampshire. Led by UNH President Ann Weaver Hart, these tours were initiated by former UNH President Joan Leitzel and proved quite successful, with involvement of UNH Cooperative Extension in many of the stops. This year is no exception. The tour, always on a very tight schedule, starts Thursday, May 29, in New Castle at the Coast Guard Station where Extension Specialist Pingguo He is slated to give a presentation on his fishing gear technology work. The group then boards the bus for stops at Strawbery Banke, UNH-Manchester, the NH International Speedway in Loudon and then to Patrick's Pub in Gilford. There, Extension Educator Barbara Hunter will give a brief presentation on her food safety programs, along with restaurant owner Allan Beetle.

On Friday, the tour's first stop is at the Laconia Prison, where Program Leader Charlene Baxter and Barbara Hunter, will describe the Family Connections Program. The group then travels to Dixville Notch and The Balsams, and on Saturday morning heads to Branch Hill Farm in Milton Mills where they will be hosted by Extension Educator Don Black and farm owner Cynthia Wyatt.

Holly Young and Peg Boyles thought you'd be interested in this link to an article on copyright, from Writers Digest online newsletter. (If you're interested in subscribing to the newsletter yourself, go to http://www.writersdigest.com/newsletter.asp).

Copyright Concerns
Every day, Writer's Digest is bombarded with questions from writers asking about copyright. That's why we gave our literary lawyer her own section in the special issue "Sell Your Writing." This is what attorney and literary agent Amy Cook says about copyrighting your own story: "As of March 1, 1989, it is no longer necessary to put a copyright notice on your works. This fact is important in two ways. First, writers who forget to add a copyright label to their work do not have to worry that it could fall into the public domain. Remember, a copyright exists from the moment the work is fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Conversely, when you are doing research, do not assume that if there is no copyright notice on a document that it is free for the taking." Read the rest of this article on copyright: http://www.writersdigest.com/articles/copyright_law.asp

There's a lot about copyright to be aware of, but the article captures the basics. For those who want more detail about copyright law, Holly and Peg recommend a book called "Copyright Plain & Simple" by Cheryl Besenjak. It's a paperback of fewer than 200 pages written—as the name suggests—in very readable language. It's available from Career Press in New Jersey (1-800-CAREER-1). It costs $12.99.

As National Volunteer Week comes to a close, this is a good opportunity to thank the many volunteers who support our work. I also commend each of you who volunteer in your community. Here's a proclamation from President Bush you may wish to share with your volunteers: http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/NVWPB03.pdf

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.

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

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.

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 2003-2004 Handbook of New Hampshire Elected Officials, commonly referred to as the "Blue Book," can be ordered by contacting Northeast Information Services, PO Box 842, Concord, NH, 03302 or by calling 603-880-5300. You can also email orders at neinfo@aol.com. The cost is $45. This useful reference book on state government and politics provides detailed biographical information on the NH legislature, Governor and Executive Council and more.

An exciting opportunity awaits interested staff working with communities. The Community Development Society's annual international conference will be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, on July 20 - 23. This meeting will provide a valuable opportunity to sharpen professional skills, discuss critical issues, learn from and interact with your community development colleagues.

The theme of the conference is Community as Place. Conference participants will collectively explore the relationship between community development and community sustainability. With a focus on "place", participants will explore different perspectives on the intersection of natural, built and cultural environments. Participants will discuss and learn about resources and approaches that foster community development. The conference features multiple tracks covering Community Vitality, Economic Development, Extension, Environment , Practice, Research and Graduate Studies, Social and International Issues, Urban Issues, Telecommunications, and Faith-based Community Development. Mobile workshops will go into the local community for first-hand experiences in community development. Visit the conference web site www.cds2003.org for registration, as well as full details about conference schedule, lodging, tours, Ithaca and much more.

The Extensióón en Españñol (EEE) clearinghouse for Spanish-language educational materials is ready to publicly open its doors. You're invited to participate in a live, national Internet conference about the clearinghouse, including a guided tour of the Web site, on April 9, 2-3 p.m. The conference is free and you can participate from your office or home computer. EEE contains hundreds of Extension-related documents in Spanish and English free of charge for users to view and download. It also contains:

* Bilingual news reports, columns and feature stories
* Links to other Extension Web sites with Spanish-language materials
* Resource guides, such as glossaries of Spanish-language translations for Extension and USDA agencies and institutions, and style guides for Spanish usage
* Educational materials to learn more about Hispanic communities and reaching out to Spanish-speaking audiences
* An online forum to consult with other specialists about Spanish-language materials
* Extensive contact lists to communicate individually with specialists on specific issues

Clearinghouse resources are drawn from throughout the Extension system nationwide. It's an ecumenical, grassroots initiative that spans the entire Extension system. All those needing Spanish-language materials can freely use EEE, and those with something to contribute can offer materials for posting and public use. In addition, EEE offers free translation services for those who have documents that would be of substantial use nationally, providing they meet a set of pre-established criteria.

The April 9 Internet conference will teach how to access these resources and services and how to contribute to clearinghouse expansion. The Internet conferencing system provides visuals and a two-way audio connection so you can ask questions and interact with other participants. You can log on from anywhere in the United States and Puerto Rico, or set up a viewing site for multiple participants.

To sign up, please request that you be registered in the Guided Tour of Extensióón en Españñol by sending e-mail to Sonja Jo Serna at sserna@nmsu.edu. Please include a contact name, your organization, your e-mail (the event info will be sent to this address) and a phone number.

An online survey shines a light on people's priorities in state spending. At http://nhpr.org/budget/ users can let their values be their guide and watch the slices of the budget pie fill in as they tinker with how much they think the state ought to spend on everything from schools to prisons to nursing homes. Every entry from users (it's anonymous) goes into this first-of-a-kind survey. No knowledge of the state budget is required - all users need to know is what's important to them. All users will see the survey results instantly.

4-H Youth Development statewide staff meeting: Feb. 12, Laconia. Coffee - 8:30, meeting 9-3. Bring a bag lunch.

Family Development educators and specialists meeting: Feb. 17, Laconia. Morning refreshments - 8:45, meeting 9:15-3:30. The agenda has been sent. Please bring a lunch.

Family & Youth Development Advisory Team meeting: Feb. 19. Team members are Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Nancy Berry, Ann Dolloff, Kathy Jablonski, Thom Linehan, Catherine Violette, Wendy Brock and Charlene Baxter. Contact any member if you have agenda items.

A reminder that you need a purchase order prior to any printing work at UNH Printing Services. UNH Printing will not print any orders without a purchase order in hand. If you have any questions, please contact Holly Young.

Sharon Ross, Administrative Assistant in the Dean and Director's office, was hit by a car while in a crosswalk walking her dog in Newmarket about 6:45 am on January 14. She remains unconscious and in critical condition in Portsmouth Hospital. All of us who know and work with Sharon are deeply concerned and are keeping her in our thoughts and prayers. We have maintained contact with Sharon's two adult sons through Charlene Baxter, Sharon's supervisor.

Many people have expressed a desire to help in some way and an account has been established at Ocean National Bank in Durham for those of you interested in contributing. The fund will help the family pay Sharon's household bills and other unexpected expenses resulting from this tragedy. Checks should be payable to "For The Benefit of Sharon Ross". Mail to Ocean National Bank, Durham Office, 8 Newmarket Road, Durham, NH 03824. Anyone on campus can pick up a pre-addressed envelope and deposit slip printed with the account number from Sharon Blake in Taylor Hall.

UNH Cooperative Extension is partnering with the New England Center for Civic Life at Franklin Pierce College to provide statewide leadership for the Citizens' Voice Project. The goal of this broadly collaborative project is to allow local citizen groups in face-to-face community dialogues, in collaboration with local school boards, to define the components necessary to allow their schools to be successful.

Diverse groups from around the state will identify capital, operational and community involvement components essential to the task. One or more state model definitions will then be developed through a compilation and synthesis of the local definitions. The objective is to have the citizen voice that emerges from these community forums inform and guide much of what takes place in this important public policy area over the next few years. The approach is truly an example of democracy in action.

Towns with previous civic engagement experience either through Community Profiles, Study Circles, National Issues Forums, or Best Schools initiatives will be given special consideration as a way of building on past experience with community dialogue. The initiative is closely related to the Strengthening NH Communities component on public dialogue and deliberation. County Extension staff will be offered the opportunity to participate. Judy Bush will provide leadership from UNH Cooperative Extension. Contact Charlene Baxter for more information.

Family Development staff will meet in Laconia at the Belknap County Extension Office on Monday, Feb. 17 for a quarterly staff meeting. Morning refreshments will be available beginning at 8:45 and the meeting will begin promptly at 9:15. Please bring your lunch. The agenda is almost final and will be sent in the next week or so. The meeting will adjourn at 3:30.

As we prepare to observe the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 20, I want to affirm my commitment to UNH Cooperative Extension's Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity responsibilities. I am committed to the implementation of unbiased employment practices and the delivery of educational programs that serve all people of New Hampshire, with particular efforts to include under-served and under-represented groups. I'm proud to be part of an organization that values Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, and is consistently sensitive to the needs and rights of others. I commend the efforts I see throughout the organization demonstrating your spirit of accommodation and inclusion.

We will soon complete a new UNH Cooperative Extension Guide to Civil Rights. While the focus is on the point of program delivery, the Guide outlines responsibilities for every member of our organization. We each have an individual responsibility to Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity as a public employee. The Guide will help each of us meet that responsibility.

As we fulfill our responsibilities in serving the people of New Hampshire, documenting your efforts is necessary to verify compliance with state and federal laws. It's your individual responsibility to maintain civil rights documentation and annual program participant records. Such information will be needed as both internal and external civil rights reviews are conducted in the future.

Thank you for your personal and professional commitment to reaching out to welcome, involve and serve all people in New Hampshire.

Gov. Craig Benson was sworn in as New Hampshire's 79th post-Revolution Governor on Thursday. With the changing of the guard, please find attached links listing the new Senate and House legislative committee assignments.

House Link: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/billstatus/hsecommittees.asp
Senate Link: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ie/billstatus/sencommittees.asp

Mark your new 2003 calender for the statewide UNH Cooperative Extension Statewide Conference to be held at the Marriott Courtyard in Concord on May 20. Everyone in UNH Cooperative Extension is to attend, including county and campus educators, PAT and support staff. The day is an opportunity for us all to get together, participate in professional development sessions and recognize staff for their contributions. As last year, we invite and encourage you to have a poster or display to show the good work you are doing. Please start thinking about what you will want to bring to share about your program.

The NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food is preparing its 2003 "Experience Rural New Hampshire" bruchure. This publication lists events, activities and places of interest. They are seeking information for 2003 (April-December) and 2004 (January-March) including festivals, shows, field days, competitions, special markets and other activities that highlight NH's rural community, history, agriculture and foretry, with emphasis on family entertainment and education. Farm retail oriented information should not be submitted unless in conjunction with other special events. Listings are due Feb. 14. Contact Sharon Blake for a copy of the form, or contact the department at lsearles@agr.state.nh.us

A second and highly successful campus program featuring Cooperative Extension's Agriculture & Natural Resources outreach presentations was held December 18. Following my introduction, Provost David Hiley welcomed the group and reiterated that outreach and engagement is one of five themes in the academic plan. He said Cooperative Extension (CE) is the centerpiece of UNH outreach and he wants to align other UNH outreach efforts more closely with CE. The Provost also commented on the integration of CE into academic departments through the new Extension Faculty designation created to parallel teaching and research faculty. Don Sundberg, VP for Reseach & Public Service, also welcomed the group and said he's increasingly aware of CE's presence around the state. He cited the Academic Plan goal for UNH to meet state needs identified by constituents. The VP described UNH engagement as a 2-way partnership with the people of NH, and said we need to better integrate within the university so we can be better engaged externally.

Brian Doyle started the program by providing an overview of the natural resources program areas. Each specialist reporting did an exceptional job describing program purposes, educational content, impacts, and connections to the UNH research and academic base. Reporting were Frank Mitchell, Julia Peterson, Nancy Lambert, Karen Bennett, Mary Tebo, Sarah Smith, Darrel Covell, Ellen Snyder, Jeff Schloss, J-J Newman, Pingguo He, Sharon Meeker, Bill Lord, Alan Eaton, Cheryl Smith, Mike Sciabarrasi, John Porter, Michal Lunak, Peter Erickson, Stefan Seiter, Cathey Neal, John Roberts and Stan Swier. Reports prepared for this and the Nov. 4 program featuring Youth, Family & Community Development were compiled in a briefing book distributed to all participants.

At the request of Provost Hiley, members of the Deans Council participated in the session in lieu of their weekly meeting. Included were Dean Andy Rosenberg (COLSA); Dean Jim McCarthy (HHS); Dean Steven Bolander (WSBE); Dean Bill Murphy (DCE); Dean Art Greenberg (CEPS); Dean Marilyn Hoskin (Liberal Arts); Dean Karol LaCroix (UNHM), Dean Bruce Mallory (Graduate School); Vice Provost Mark Rubinstein and Claudia Morner, Librarian. Other guests included Julie Williams, Associate VP for Research & Public Service; Eleanor Abrams, Dept of Education; Regina Smick-Attisano, Director, Thompson School of Applied Science (TSAS); Bill Trumble, Associate Dean, COLSA: Alberto Manalo, Chair, Resource Economics & Development; Bill McDowell, Chair, Dept of Natural Resources; Bill Berndtson, COLSA/AES; David Burdick, Marine Program and Jackson Lab; Kathy Schmitt, Sea Grant; David Lane, Biological Library; Gregg Cerveny, Assoc. Director of Major Gifts; and Beverly Shadley, UNH Foundation. Several guests reported they gained a greater understanding of Cooperative Extension, the involvement of faculty, and the value of outreach education to the people of the state.

I have completed my round of visits with all county staff and advisory councils, along with Ed McAllister and Jim Grady. We appreciated receiving accomplishment reports in advance and the opportunity to discuss programs during the visits. In our meetings with advisory councils I provided a UNH update along with a video clip of President Hart's reference to the impact of Cooperative Extension during her State of the University address. Also discussed was our funding sources and strategic plan implementation. I'm pleased to report that county support and funding remains stable.

I also participated in the Dec. 2 Campus Staff Meeting planned and facilitated by Sarah Smith and Paula Gregory who represent campus staff on the Extension Management Team. The agenda included the same items reported to county staff and advisory councils. Other discussion addressed the POW development process and expanding the use of PictureTel for educational programs.

The inservice, "Nutrition and Mental Health," scheduled for May 7, has been changed to May 26. Contact Colette Janson-Sand at 862-1723 if you have questions.

2003 will be a year of progression for UNH Cooperative Extension. We look forward to welcoming a new Associate Director and Assistant Director, County Operations. We will continue implementation of the Strategic Plan and prepare for development of the 2005-2009 Plan of Work. The fiscal challenges currently facing the state will likely create challenges for USNH but we will face such challenges rationally and thoughtfully. Given the strong political and public support for UNH Cooperative Extension, I'm confident we will remain a strong outreach system making impacts important to New Hampshire people.

I extend warmest wishes to you and your family for an enjoyable and restful holiday season. We have many achievements to celebrate this year and I hope you take this time to reflect on your accomplishments and the contributions you make to the success of our organization. I wish you a happy 2003 and much personal and professional fulfillment.

It was an historical event this past Tuesday when the Strafford County UNH Cooperative Extension office hosted the signing of the Conservation Easement between the Strafford County Delegation and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

Although the first easement on county lands was in Cheshire County in the early 1990's involving 110 acres, this is the second but largest county land easement with 218 acres. At the signing ceremony I spoke of the long-lasting and beneficial partnership between UNH Cooperative Extension and county governments, the Division of Forests and Lands, the Dept. of Fish and Game, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF).

I also spoke of UNH Cooperative Extension citizen training programs and specifically cited Community Tree Stewards and the Coverts Programs. These programs have provided training and motivation for 5,000 citizens in natural resource appreciation and management. One of those citizens, Anna Boudreau of Dover, chaired and championed the effort leading to the signing of the Conservation Easement on the Strafford County lands. She was assisted by Extension professionals Phil Auger, Frank Mitchell and Don Black. Don also helped the Commissioners in delineating valuable natural resources for protection by the easement and faxed press packets to several media sources for coverage of the event. Anna Boudreau, incidently, is also vice chair of Cooperative Extension's State Advisory Council.

Others in attendance at the event included Strafford County Commissioners George Maglaras and Ronald Chagnon; Jane Difley, President of SPNHF; Dover City Manager Paul Beecher; and Gary Gilmore, chair of the Strafford County Delegation. Maglaras was master of ceremonies and complimented Extension for its role in advising the commissioners on the management of county lands. Additional speakers included Difley, Gilmore and Beecher. Also present at the signing were many legislators, county officials and Extension staff Chris Bozak, Darrel Covell and Malin Clyde. Lorie Chase, project coordinator for the Cocheco River Watershed Coalition, wrote the rationale for the conservation easement which served as a foundation for the initiative.

Haven't finished your holiday shopping? If you're thinking about some good Christmas gifts, Centennial posters and notecards are still available in many of the county offices or through Holly's office.

This month marks the end of my term as Chair of the Cooperative Extension Section (Northeast Region) of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). The annual meeting of NASULGC was held in Chicago earlier this month and a speech with the provocative title of "Land-Grant University Missions - Why Bother Now?" was presented by Dr. Francille Firebaugh, Vice Provost for Land-Grant Affairs and Special Assistant to the President at Cornell University. Dr. Firebaugh explored the status of Land-Grants today and their future. Considerations reviewed were: (1) the public no longer understands nor appreciates the civic mission of land-grant universities; (2) public funding is flat or declining; (3) land-grants fall short in working collaboratively; and (4) land-grants should be accessible to a wider range of students and more relevant to contemporary society.
Based on various studies, work by the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, and in consideration of changes in science, demographics, technology, the economy, and major societal needs, Dr. Firebaugh proposes the following 21st Century land-grant missions:

* The conduct of basic and applied research for the public interest,
*

Diffusion of scientific and practical knowledge through cooperative extension systems and other outreach mechanisms,
*

Offering broad curricula with a blend of liberal and practical education, including the development of civic education in students,
*

Making undergraduate education and outreach available to students who are diverse socio-economically, ethnically, racially and chronologically.

Dr. Firebaugh acknowledges that Cooperative Extension continues to provide important programming , but over time, issues and problems have arisen that lie outside its capabilities. She advocates for new methods to link land-grant universities with contemporary issues and concerns. In these tight economic times this will have to be achieved by re-directing existing resources, increasing reliance on grants and contracts, more fee-for-service programs, and developing new partnerships in disseminating knowledge. Dr. Firebaugh's full speech is available at: http://www.reeusda.gov/1700/award02/whhlecture.htm

UNH's academic strategic plan and Cooperative Extension's strategic plan are in alignment with what Dr. Firebaugh advocates for the 21st Century land-grant mission.

All campus-based staff are invited to participate in a meeting on Monday, December 2, 9:00-11:30, in the Alumni Center 1925 Room . It will be facilitated by Paula Gregory and Sarah Smith, campus representatives on the Extension Management Team. Included will be a review of information shared during John Pike's county visits, planning for POW development, and updates on Strategic Plan implementation, Information Technology & Distance Education, Civil Rights and fiscal matters. Contact Sarah Smith for a copy of the agenda.

Homeland security and natural disaster recovery are just a few topics officers and state delegates addressed this year at the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) annual meeting just held in Charleston, South Carolina. With a record attendance of 48 individuals representing 30 states, UNH Cooperative Extension participated for the first time represented by Bob Edmonds. Participants came from the broad spectrum of Extension programs, including agriculture, family programs, 4-H Youth Development, Sea Grant, foresters, wildlife, community development and some assigned specifically to address response and preparedness education. Organized in 1995, EDEN is a nationwide network assisting Extension staff in carrying out disaster education by providing easy access to educational materials that help people prepare for and recover from natural or man-made disasters. EDEN maintains a shared database (http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/) of disaster-related resources and direct links submitted by member states. Currently, institutions representing 44 states have joined the network. If you are interested in learning more about EDEN and UNH Cooperative Extension's plans for emergency response, contact Bob Edmonds. A list of member states with links to their POC can be found at http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/mem-states.asp.

A helpful reminder from the Marketing Team: Notecards are on order again and great for handwritten notes, keeping your letterhead stationery for the more formal, typewritten communications. They should be available in the next few weeks at our Publications Center. Contact Don Russell to order a supply.

Applications for the Northeast Extension Directors' Award of Excellence (see 10/11 Update) are due to Program Leaders by November 26. Full details, award criteria and application form are available at: http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/NEDAE02.pdf

A highly successful day-long campus session featuring Cooperative Extension's Youth, Family and Community Development outreach accomplishments was held early this week. Following opening remarks from John Pike and Don Sundberg, Vice President for Research & Public Service, Charlene Baxter and Wendy Brock provided on overview of program components and goals. Each specialist reporting did an exceptional job describing program purposes, educational content, impacts, and connections to the UNH research and academic base. Reporting were Charlie French, Paula Gregory, Val Long, Colette Janson-Sand, Catherine Violette, Ann Dolloff, Lisa Townson, Charlotte Cross, and Suzann Knight. Judy Bush also provided a Strenthening NH Communities update.

Among guests in attendance besides VP Sundberg were Victor Benassi, Vice Provost and Professor of Psychology, Dean Andy Rosenberg (COLSA); Dean Jim McCarthy (HHS); Dean Bill Murphy (DCE); Dean Art Greenberg (CEPS); Julie Williams, Associate VP for Research & Public Service; Regina Smick-Attisano, Director, Thompson School of Applied Science (TSAS); Janet Sable, Recreation Management & Policy Dept. Chair; Michael Kalinowski, Family Studies Dept. Chair; Kate Hanson, Director, TSAS Community Service & Leadership Program; Thelma Thompson, Government Documents Librarian; Gregg Cerveny and Sarah Gnerre, Assoc. Directors of Major Gifts, UNH Foundation; Morgan Dudley and Jennifer Goldberg, Director and Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, UNH Foundation; and Arthur Tufts, 4-H Camps Advisory Committee. Guests reported they gained a greater understanding of Cooperative Extension, its campus connections, and the value of outreach education to the people of the state.

The second campus session featuring Agriculture and Natural Resources programs will be held on December 18. Reports prepared for both sessions have been compiled in a briefing book distributed to the Deans Council and provided to guests attending these open sessions.

http://webster.state.nh.us/sos/general2002/index.htm

Over 40 people participated in the Greenville Community Profile on October 25-26, with the following action teams created: (1) Beautification, (2) Attracting Business, (3) Town Hall Restoration, and (4) Tax Awareness. Thanks to Dan Reidy, steering committee liaison; Sarah Smith, small group discussion leader trainer; Jolee Chase, facilitator; Jon Nute and Penny Turner, recorders; Alice Mullen, small group observer, and Awilda Muniz, set up. Judy Bush provided the large group facilitation. The follow-up meeting coordinated by UNH Cooperative Extension to bring all the action groups together was held on November 7.

Family Development Educators and Specialists will meet on Nov. 12 in the Merrimack County office. Refreshments are at 9:00, the meeting begins promptly at 9:30, and adjournment is 3:30. Please bring your lunch.

The team will meet Friday, November 15 by PictureTel. An agenda will be sent prior to the meeting.

Approximately 65 staff, advisory council members, county commissioners, state legislators, stakeholders, supporters and special guests participated in the State Advisory Council meeting on October 17 at Concord's Centennial Inn. Anna Boudreau, State Council Vice Chair welcomed the group, and John Pike introduced UNH President, Ann Weaver Hart, and John Lynch, Chair of the USNH Board of Trustees. President Hart said she greatly values Cooperative Extension for its broad UNH outreach and "personal touch" throughout the state. She's met several Extension staff and cited programs she's become familiar with since arriving at UNH this summer. President Hart commented on the newly approved Extension Faculty designation for specialists in departments and their role in the application of UNH research. She said Cooperative Extension personifies the best of UNH and referenced the great potential for distance education through Cooperative Extension and the Granite State Distance Education partnership. The President also thanked advisory council members in their role as advocates for UNH knowledge and education throughout the state.

John Lynch shared his four goals for USNH: (1) Increase participation in higher education in NH, (2) Build a partnership with the NH workforce and promote economic development by providing educated workers, (3) Use technology, including distance learning, to achieve academic goals, and (4) Develop a compatible, synergistic organization comprised of the four USNH units. Chairman Lynch said outreach to communities remains a priority for UNH and Cooperative Extension, through its community outreach programs, embodies everything the university stands for. He said he knows Extension is everywhere, making a positive difference in the lives of people. Mr. Lynch also thanked advisory council members for their service to the citizens of the state.

The evening was capped off with a 4-H centennial print presentation by 4-H member Devin Bates to President Hart for placement in Thompson Hall.

Paula Gregory and Sarah Smith, campus representatives on the Extension Management Team (EMT), have scheduled a campus staff meeting on Monday, December 4, from 1:00-4:00 in the 1925 Room in the Alumni Center. John Pike, Jim Grady and Ed McAllister will provide updates similar to those being shared with county staff and councils this fall. Other topics to be addressed include Strategic Plan implementation, POW development plans, use of PictureTel, and other topics. Paula and Sarah will provide an agenda and further details in the near future.

Cooperative Extension's popular age-paced newsletters, Cradle Crier and Toddler Tales, will be available on-line beginning November 1. The newsletters are all recently revised and subscriptions will be available for parents to receive these in the regular mail, as they always have been, or as an on-line subscription delivered monthly for Cradle Crier and bimonthly for Toddler Tales. Thanks to Steve Judd for making these newsletters available electronically. Contact county Family Development educators or Charlene for more information.

A new feature titled "Publications & Videos" will periodically appear in the Biweekly Update announcing these new resources. Listings will include all publications and videos whether campus or county produced, or purchased. Please submit this information to the Update through your program leader.

The Family, Youth and Community statewide staff will meet at the new Common Man Inn in Plymouth on December 4, 9:00 - 3:30. All staff are expected to attend this important day-long meeting that will focus on our programming with Children, Youth and Families At Risk. A variety of teaching and learning experiences will make this professional development day a very important and meaningful experience. Since an exact count of attendance will be necessary, please inform Sharon Ross by November 26 if you cannot attend.

Family Development Educators and Specialists will meet on Nov. 12 in Boscawen at the UNH Cooperative Extension office. Morning refreshments are at 9:00, the meeting begins promptly at 9:30 and will conclude at 3:30. A detailed agenda will be sent soon and Charlene is still accepting topics for discussion. Contact her if you have ideas to propose. Please bring your lunch.

Close to 100 donors, board members, 4-H'ers, parents, and Extension staff gathered Wednesday night at the Courtyard by Marriott to celebrate another successful year for the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire. Wendy Brock introduced 4-H'ers Heather Weeks who spoke about the National 4-H Conference and her role on its Youth Directions Team. Other 4-H'ers who described 4-H experiences and also thanked the foundation were Alex LaRoche, William Lewis, Becky Davis, Janet Wisler, Jake Drown, and Devin Bates. Outgoing chair, Tom Fairchild, and vice chair, Merle Schotanus, were recognized for their years of service, and volunteers were recognized for milestones reached in years of service to 4-H. It was also announced that the Centennial Campaign, starting with a $600 contribution at last year's annual meeting, is now at $43,000, well on the way to the $100,000 goal. Everyone celebrated with a 4-H Centennial birthday cake to wrap up the evening.

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Applications are due electronically on December 2 for the Northeast Extension Directors' Award of Excellence. Up to three awards are presented annually in recognition of Extension outreach education that has achieved outstanding impacts in addressing contemporary issues in the 13 Northeast states. Nominations can represent the work of an individual or multi-disciplinary team in a single state or multi-states. Applications must address 7 award criteria in no more than 3 pages. Anyone can submit a nomination and self-nominations are appropriate. All applications require the signature of the Dean & Director to be accepted. The Award of Excellence includes a plaque, certificates and a monetary stipend in support of the program. Recipients will be invited to receive the award and make a short presentation to directors during their winter meeting in Washington, DC, on Monday, January 27. Further details, award criteria and application form are available at: http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/NEDAE02.pdf

Please add Ann Dolloff to the list of task force members addressing Cooperative Extension's volunteer management system. Her name was inadvertently omitted in the announcement in the last Biweekly Update. This committee is led by Wendy Brock and will address volunteer system issues identified in the strategic plan.

The NH Living Legacy Project is a public-private partnership with a mission 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 Snyder, Extension Specialist, Biodiversity (Forestry and Wildlife Program) coordinates this project. For more information on the Project and biodiversity visit the UNH Cooperative Extension web page at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/forestry/documents/nhlivleg.htm.

Thanks to NH Public Television, the 1998 award-winning video, NH's Living Legacy: the Biodiversity of the Granite State, can be viewed on the following web site: http://www.nhptv.org/kn/wildnh/wild1.htm. The 22-minute video was produced by Ellen Snyder and Maryann Mroczka with funding from The Nature Conservancy of NH and the McCabe Environmental Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation. The video is made available as part of "Wild New Hampshire," a series of workshops on the state's wildlife and their habitats for K-12 educators and coordinated by the NH Fish and Game Dept. Teachers join the monthly workshops from one of several sites around the state connected through the Granite State Distance Learning Network. The first session on NH's Biodiversity was attended by more than 20 teachers from four sites. Additional information on the workshop and the powerpoint presentation are available on the NHPTV web site. Once in powerpoint, click on the "Notes Page View" for photo and graphics credits and for more information.

Ann Weaver Hart, who became UNH President on July 1, presented her first "State of the University Address"on September 17 during University Day to about 700 in the audience. It was a day of festivities to bring the University community together to celebrate the start of a new academic year. The president's address included recognition of past achievements and enthusiasm about our opportunities and bright future. In citing the many reasons why she chose to come to UNH, Dr. Hart remarked on the ability of the University to make new knowledge and creative work count in people's lives right now and into the future. She said "Cooperative Extension is so critical to the mission and spirit of UNH that it is sometimes easy to forget how much this work helps people make informed decisions that strengthen youth, families and communities; sustain natural resources; and improve the economy. There is not a town or community in this state that UNH does not touch through Cooperative Extension". President Hart's presentation was accompanied by a short video that included me commenting on the scope and value of Cooperative Extension in New Hampshire.

The President's full address is available at: http://www.unh.edu/president/univday.html

We are pleased to announce the appointment of a task force which will address issues related to the management of volunteers in the UNH Cooperative Extension system. This committee will work with Wendy Brock to address volunteer system issues identified in the strategic plan including:
· updating the volunteer system handbook
· review training and orientation of volunteers in the different program areas
· update risk management policies
· establish systems that ensure volunteers are aware of their relationship to UNHCE
· volunteer recognition
· identify staff training needs in volunteer management
· other tasks as identified by the committee
Task force members are: Margaret Hagen, Mary Tebo, Malin Clyde, Sharon Meeker, Robin Luther, Pam Gerbi and Wendy Brock

Minutes of the September 17 meeting of the Extension Management Team are available at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Admin/Secure/EMT91702.pdf

Family Development educators and specialists meet next Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Boscawen office from 9-3:30. Lunch will be provided. The focus of the meeting is use of the Logic model in family development programming.

I had the pleasure of hosting new UNH President, Ann Weaver Hart, in Taylor Hall on Monday. In addition to staff introductions and a brief PictureTel demonstration, we discussed Cooperative Extension's outreach mission and the impact of our programs throughout the state. One of the President's goals is to expand university outreach and engagement through a more effective structure. This clearly fits the goals we've set for Cooperative Extension in our Strategic Plan. The President expressed genuine interest in our work and the statewide UNH network we have in place. She will be meeting with the State Advisory Council during their Oct. 17 dinner meeting, along with John Lynch, Chair of the USNH Board of Trustees.

The President sends greetings to Cooperative Extension staff via this Update: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/Common/Documents/AWHletter.pdf

I will be visiting counties this fall as follows:

September 23 - Strafford October 10 - Hillsborough October 14 - Sullivan October 15 - Carroll October 21 - Cheshire October 29 - Belknap November 7 - Merrimack November 25 - Grafton December 5 - Coös December 9 - Rockingham

Staff Meeting (includes an order-out supper)
1:30-4:00 PM

* Staff Report Selected Program Accomplishments and Impacts (prior to visit, please provide each staff member's Annual Accomplishment Report or other brief summary of accomplishments)

4:00-6:30 PM

* County Office Administrator Update (county government, funding, advisory council, external relations and civil rights compliance)
* Discussion of County Issues and Trends, and Impact of Legislative Redistricting
* Strategic Plan Implementation Goals for Coming Year - Ed McAllister

Advisory Council Meeting- 7:00 PM

* UNH and Cooperative Extension Update - John Pike
* Fiscal Report - Jim Grady
* Strategic Plan Implementation - Ed McAllister

Other Fall Meetings

October 17 - Dinner meeting of State Advisory Council with UNH President, Ann Weaver Hart, and John Lynch, Chair of the USNH Board of Trustees

November 4 - Campus-based Youth, Family, and Community Development specialists meeting with Leadership Team and UNH deans and administrators for presentations of selected outreach accomplishments including collaborative efforts with teaching and research faculty.

December 18 - Campus-based Agriculture, Forestry & Wildlife, and Sea Grant, Water & Marine Resources specialists meeting with Leadership Team and UNH deans and administrators for presentations of selected outreach accomplishments including collaborative efforts with teaching and research faculty.

We've all been hearing/reading much in the media about "redistricting" particularly since the 7/26 NH Supreme Court plan was released establishing new house districts. You can view the plan at: http://www.state.nh.us/courts/supreme/opinions/0207/house.htm
You might be particularly interested in reviewing the following documents:

1. NH Supreme Court decision case summary: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/SCSum02.pdf
2. File with 1st tab identifying the 88 districts listed by county/township-ward/population...2nd tab sorted by county and population size (note the range of representatives in the new districts is from 1 to 14)...3rd tab listing old districts and representatives: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/88districts.pdf

3. Spreadsheet listing the number of new/old seats in the new districts along with a listing of the currently elected representatives: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/common/documents/NewDCR02.pdf

You can refer to the following web site for a listing of all who have filed for state offices: http://webster.state.nh.us/sos/filingperiod.htm.

There will likely be some very interesting political changes resulting from the new districts and upcoming primaries/elections.

County Advisory Councils will again this year be asked to provide input for county staff performance evaluations. County Office Administrators will receive the form and an instructional memo next week. Most county advisory councils have successfully implemented a process of conducting program dialogues with individual staff or groups of staff throughout the year. Therefore the request in the fall is to have councils complete the "Performance Feedback From County Advisory Council" form during their meeting either in October or November. These forms, one for each county educator and county program associate, are due to Sharon Ross by December 1. Program leaders are more than willing to attend the Advisory Council meeting at which the performance feedback forms will be completed. COA's should let Charlene know if the council would like a program leader to attend.

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), in cooperation with USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is conducting a national essay contest for 6th, 7th & 8th grade students to educate them about agriculture. The theme is "Boundless Science for Bountiful Agriculture". Essays (500 words) are due November 1 and must address one of the following topics:

* Ag Science in the City: "The Importance of Agriculture for Urban Areas"
* Alternative Fuel Research: "Bioenergy Powering the Future"
* Conservation of Resources: "Working Cooperatively to Ensure a Bounty of Food and Natural Resources"
* Cultivating New Technologies: "Producing Food in Space" or "Using Lasers, Robots, and Computers in Agriculture"
* Dynamic DNA: "Boosting Agricultural Bounty with Genetics"
* Food Science and Nutrition: "Using Science to Create a Safe and Healthy Food Supply"
* Weather and Crop Production: "The Impact of Atmospheric Sciences on World Food Supply"

NH's regional winners will be recognized at a VIP Day on campus tentatively planned for January 18. The state winner will compete for national honors and an expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, along with his/her parents and teacher for National Agriculture Week in March.

We encourage you to promote this contest in whatever manner feasible within the next few weeks. For more information and a copy of the promotional flyer, visit the CAST web page: www.cast-science.org

Some of you may have seen the new 30-second "Miss Smarty" commercials on cable or commercial television recently. These commercials are the second step in the Nutrition Connections program's social marketing campaign to encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Targeted for food stamp participants and other low-income audiences, Miss Smarty, who writes a column in our "Smart Choices" newsletter, comes alive. These three commercials are airing statewide on programs such as WMUR Channel 9 news, Good Morning America, during daytime dramas, New England Cable News, ABC Family, Lifetime Network, CNN, USA, TNT, and many more. Stay tuned. We'll be evaluating the effectiveness of these commercials through a telephone survey on a random selection of food stamp participants later in September.

4-H Curriculum Committees bring Extension staff, 4-H volunteers, 4-H youth and other resource people together to recommend enhancements for the continuing development of 4-H project areas. The State 4-H office is still looking for nominations for 4-H Curriculum Committees in the areas of dairy cattle, goats, dog, horse, livestock, working steer, family and consumer science, science and technology, natural resources and communications.

Adults and youth involved in a particular project area are ideal candidates for nomination, and if you are aware of someone who works in a related industry or commodity/business organization, they would be a welcome addition to one of these committees as well. The committees typically meet only twice each year and members are appointed for a two-year term. Volunteer descriptions and nomination forms for youth and adults can be found on the 4-H web page at: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/cragin/4HYouth/Documents/NHCCDesc.pdf.

Nominations should be sent to the State 4-H office - through the county 4-H Educator. If you have any questions, contact Lisa Townson.

Family Development educators and specialists will meet on Thursday, Sept. 19, to work on LOGIC Model templates for key Family Development Programs. Lisa Townson will facilitate the process. The meeting is scheduled for 9-3:30 at the Extension office in Boscawen.

The Family & Youth Development Advisory Team will meet Friday, Sept. 6 at the Extension office in Laconia. The meeting will take place from 10-1:00 pm. Members of the Advisory Team are Charlene Baxter, Wendy Brock, Paula Gregory, Catherine Violette, Gail Kennedy, Becky Levesque, Thom Linehan and Nancy Berry. Staff can contact any of these members to place items on the agenda.

The ITDE team has created a new on-line Computer Support Request form. Please visit the site at http://cecf1.unh.edu/itde/staff/itde_staff_home.cfm and add it to your bookmarks. This form should be used to request non-emergency computer assistance, and will be monitored daily by ITDE staff. If your problem can be resolved by a phone call or e-mail, an ITDE team member will respond as soon as possible. More complex issues will be deferred until the next on-site support visit to your location (a team member will let you know by e-mail if that is the case for your request.) On-site support visits will be scheduled based on the number of support requests for each location.

For emergency or time-sensitive support, continue to call the Computer Help Line at 862-0351. Before calling, please try rebooting your computer and recreating the problem. Often, rebooting is sufficient to resolve transient problems. Don't reboot if you are afraid of losing an unsaved document.

Statistics on calls to the Info Line are now available online. You can access information about the number of calls received, from which counties, on what topics...27 categories are tracked, and whatever time frame you choose. Instructions to tailor-make your own report is available on the internal section of the UNHCE website at: http://cecf3.unh.edu/fhgcreports/index.cfm Hard copies will no longer be distributed to counties or specialists as it is now much easier to retrieve desired data from this website.

Tune your TV sets to CBS tomorrow morning, Saturday, August 17. The Early Show will feature 4-H in a county fair setting with 4-6 segments highlighting the diversity of the program. Planned segments include the national 4-H centennial, a South Bronx 4-H club that grows food through aquaponics on rooftops, a Nassau County 4-H after-school club that works on an environmental cleanup, a culinary 4-H club from Syracuse that will cook the food grown in the South Bronx, a 4-H program that uses sonogram technology to diagnose small animals through the Cornell vet school and Missouri 4-Hers presenting $17,000 they raised for the young people affected by the terrorist attacks on New York City.

Family Development educators