Action Items

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Action Items
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Community Development Representation with
National Program Leaders
Action Item

• Background Community Development lacks a
  full-time program leader in USDA-NIFA since the
  retirement of Sally Maggard. This means less
  coordination / communication about programming
  and funding opportunities. Currently being
  served part-time by a 5-person committee.
• Committee Involved Community Development
• Action Requested Request ASRED and AEA pursue a
  dedicated full-time Community Development
  National Program Leader. Letter to Dr. Ramaswamy
  and request a response.
• Timeline 2013

• Community Development

3
Community Development Staffing Funding
Structure in the South

• Action Item

• Background National survey of Extension
  Directors and Administrators regarding Community
  Development staffing and funding revealed the
  Southern Region lags behind other three regions
  in terms of staffing / funding with 10 of 15
  states reporting less than 5 funding to CD being
  in the South
• Committees Involved Community Development,
  Middle Managers
• Action Requested Approve and support the
  creation of a task force (made up of
  representatives from MM, ANR, 4H, CRD, and FCS
  from 1862 and 1890 institutions) that will
  identify strategies to enhance visibility and
  impact of Community Development programs to meet
  the changing needs of Extension clientele. Each
  committee appoint its reps. MM and CRD develop a
  plan and submit to ASRED and AEA
• Timeline August 2013

• Community Development

4
AFRI Funding at NIFA

• Action Item

• Background NIFAs Institute of Youth, Family and
  Community does not have AFRI funding and thus
  limits our ability to compete for funding that
  will enhance the science and its application in
  the FCS, CRD and 4-H programs in our states.
• Committees Involved Family Consumer Science,
  4-H, and Community Development
• Action Requested ASRED and AEA to send formal
  communication to the new NIFA director requesting
  that funding from AFRI be allocated to our
  institute and its division.
• Time Line ASAP but ideally before the start of
  the next federal fiscal year (October 2012)

• Family and Consumer Sciences

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Core Competencies in eXtension

• Action Item

• Background Southern region led an effort to
  create multistate core competencies modules for
  training our educators/agents through CECP which
  transitioned to eXtension. Little has been
  accomplished in terms of module development,
  completion and uploading.
• Committees Involved all
• Action Requested AEA and ASRED to request
  eXtensions assistance in helping bring this
  project to completion by convening a meeting with
  program chairs, module development chairs, ECOP
  program subcommittee and eXtension.
• Time Line ASAP

• Family and Consumer Sciences

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Southern Region Volunteer Forum

• Action
• Item

• Background Current planning model is
  ineffective and inefficient in garnering
  attendance and delivery.
• Committee Involved 4-H Youth Development
• Action Requested Approval to propose a
  restructured Southern Region Volunteer Forum to a
  sustainable model with individual states who wish
  to participate using the Southern Region Teen
  Leadership Model.
• Time Line 2013

• 4-H Youth Development

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National Competitive Events Model

• Action Item

• Background Current model is cumbersome and
  negatively effects participation.
• Committee Involved 4-H Youth Development
• Action Requested Uphold the 4-H Committees
  decision to not support the proposal of the
  National and Multi-State events process as
  written until further discussion can take place
  to resolve concerns. We support best practices
  outlined in the model but do not support the
  proposed regulations and additional paperwork
  being required. Southern 4H Committee will make
  recommendations back to National 4H and shared
  with AEA ASRED
• Time Line December 31, 2012

• 4-H Youth Development

8
Urban Extension Action Team

• Action Item

• Background An administratively appointed action
  team from the PLN membership is needed to address
  urban Extension.
• Committees Involved Middle Management and
  multiple committees
• Action Requested Request the formation of an
  action team to develop goals, and identify and/or
  develop resources in the Southern Region for
  urban Extension. This team would also give
  support to a national urban conference in 2015.
  One person per institution
• Timeline August 2013

• Middle Management

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Excellence in Extension Participation

• Action Item

• Background Full participation is needed by all
  southern region institutions in the Excellence in
  Extension database in order to allow for
  benchmarking and telling the full story of the
  southern region institutions. Partial and
  incomplete data diminishes the usefulness of the
  database.
• Committee Involved Program Staff Development
• Action Requested AEA ASRED strongly endorse
  full participation in the Excellence in Extension
  Database.
• Time Line Annually

• Program and Staff Development

10
Searchable Impact Statements

• Action Item

• Background Sharing appropriate information
  among committee members is inhibited by the
  inability to search impact statements in the
  USDA-NIFA Plan of Work and Accomplishment
  Reports.
• Committee Involved Program Staff Development
• Action Requested AEA and ASRED request that the
  Office of Planning and Accountability at
  USDA-NIFA make the Plan of Work and
  Accomplishment Report database searchable across
  all states, territories, and institutions.
• Time Line 2013

• Program and Staff Development

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eXtension Cross-Committee Review Team

• Action Item

• Background Institutions across the country have
  invested valuable resources into the development
  of eXtension for the professional development.
  Yet, it is uncertain as to how effective the
  current eXtension Collaboration Site is meeting
  this need.
• Committee Involved All Committees
• Action Requested Appoint a cross-committee
  review team to join the group being convened for
  this purpose (represented by 2 members of each
  Program Committee) to evaluate the effectiveness
  of the eXtension Collaboration Site in meeting
  the needs of Southern Region Extension personnel.
• Time Line November 1, 2012

• Program and Staff Development

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Evaluation of Impact

• Action Item

• Background  More in-depth regional evaluation
  resulting in comprehensive, more meaningful, and
  value-based outcomes (e.g., behavior change,
  knowledge gained, economic impact) is needed. 
• Committees Involved All Committees
• Action Requested AEA and ASRED foster the
  development of issue /or program-based regional
  teams for more in-depth, comprehensive program
  evaluation studies, assessments, tools, and
  projects.  Identify areas on which to focus.
• Time Line Spring 2013

• Program and Staff Development

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Information Items
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Social Media Best Practices

• Information Item

• Background Social Media opportunities are
  expanding rapidly. Extension needs a repository
  of best practices and success stories to help
  guide the work.
• Committees Involved Communications, Information
  Technology, and Program Staff Development
• Committee Action Assess, support, develop and
  implement Social Media Best Management Practices
  and success stories for the Southern Region.
  Post guidelines on PLN website and explore other
  methods of distribution. This website will be
  hosted at MSU.
• Time Line August 2013

• Communication

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Strategic Communications Position Paper

• Information Item

• Committee Involved Communications
• Committee Action Review and finalize a position
  paper on the value and impact of integrated
  strategic communications. Submit for publishing
  and explore other methods of distribution.
• Timeline Feb. 20, 2013

• Communication

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Facebook Group Page

• Information Item

• Background Communications Committee needs a way
  to communicate rapidly on timely issues or
  questions.
• Committee Involved Communications
• Committee Action Develop a Communications
  Facebook closed group page
• Timeline September 2012

• Communication

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White Paperon Communications Role of Extension
Educators

• Information Item

• Committee Involved Communications
• Committee Action Initiate research for a white
  paper on the strategic communications role of
  Extension educators
• Timeline August 2013

• Communication

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Potential Support for National Indicators Effort

• Information Item

• Background Southern Region Community
  Development committee is participating in a
  national effort to build a common core of metrics
  associated with community development work.
• Committee Involved Community Development
• Committee Action Begin gathering a test sample
  of data. May need administrative support to
  gather data.
• Timeline August 2013

• Community Development

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Caregiving Conference

• Information Item

• Background Lost leadership for the Caregiving
  conference.
• Committee Involved Family Consumer Science
• Committee Action Propose having a caregiving
  track at national conferences (Priester, NEAFCS,
  or AAFCS)
• Time Line Beginning September 2012

• Family and Consumer Sciences

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Client Protection

• Information Item

• Background Each state is implementing
  Youth/Client Protection differently. We need
  succinct guidelines to follow for youth
  protection that allow committee members to align
  with our respective state laws.
• Committee Involved 4-H Youth Development
• Committee Action Develop guidelines for
  youth/client protection.
• Time Line August 2013

• 4-H Youth Development

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Middle Management Bi-Annual Conference

• Information Item

• Background The Middle Managers have continued
  to provide leadership for a bi-annual conference.
• Committee Involved Middle Management
• Committee Action Middle Management Conference
  will offer professional development growth for
  all middle managers in the southern region.
• Timeline April 9-12, 2013 - Lexington, KY

• Middle Management

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MM Support for Enhanced CRD Programming in the
Southern Region

• Information Item

• Background A cross committee discussion about
  current county needs and recent NACO comments was
  held yesterday.
• Committees Involved Middle Managers and
  Community Development
• Committee Action Formation of a cross committee
  work team to generate a plan to develop training
  opportunities and advance program implementation
  relevant to county needs specifically those
  identified by NACO.
• Timeline August 2013

• Middle Management

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New Data Analytic Options for Excellence in
Extension

• Information Item

• Background New data analytic options are
  currently being added to the database. These
  analytics will allow for greater use of the data.
  New options will be introduced in the ECOP
  Monday Minute e-newsletter over the next several
  months.
• Committee Involved Program Staff Development
• Time Line Ongoing

• Program and Staff Development

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Effective Teaching Series

• Information Item

• Background Agents/Educators are routinely hired
  with limited skills in effective teaching. In
  addition, training resources are spread over the
  Region. More consistent and effective training
  of agents in this area is needed.
• Committee Involved Program Staff Development
• Committee Action A series of online trainings
  on effective teaching is being planned. These
  trainings will be offered once a month for a 9-10
  month period. Each regional institution will
  present or serve on a presentation team.
• Time Line 2012-2013

• Program and Staff Development

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Accomplishments
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Agriculture Natural Resources

• Conducted survey of Extension professionals
  perceptions of climate change (2589 respondents.
  ) Dr. Martha Monroe presented results.
• Dr. Clyde Fraisse provided an update on the
  Agro-Climate tools for Managing Risks for
  Agricultural Production, a multi-state ANR project

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Communications

• Completed position paper draft on the value and
  impact of integrated strategic communications.
• Collected source material for social media best
  management practices.

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Community Development

• E-commerce expansion efforts Community
  Development held a national training workshop
  with 60 attendees from across the nation.
• SET (Stronger Economies Together)
• Current Southern Region participants have
  garnered over 4M in grants / contracts related
  to SET
• Phase III 5 of 7 states selected were part of
  Southern Region

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Family Consumer Science

• Multi-state projects on
• Obesity Working on an online resource for
  nutrition curricula, with plans to put it online
  by end of winter.
• Military families Worked on a health literacy
  program through an Extension-military
  partnership, exceeding target audience goals by
  185.
• Childhood Obesity Completed a multistate
  proposal to address childhood obesity using Cook
  Smart, Eat Smart Curriculum. Seeking funds from
  private industry.
• Food Safety Survey Southern survey completed
  now working with NIFA (Beverly Samuel) on a
  national survey on food preservation. Southern
  survey may be updated to collect information on
  Extension work done beyond Serv-safe.
• 11 states have adopted the FCS branding icon

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4-H Youth Development

• Contributed to the Youth Obesity resource list
  developed by the Obesity Cross Committee.
• Worked together to address the 4-H Tax and IRS
  issues.

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Information Technology

• Continued communicating and promoting eXtension
  activities and professional development
  opportunities to their state staff and clientele.
• Explored effective ways to capture metrics on
  institutional electronic presence, program
  delivery, and increased accountability.
• Recruited more than five new members, four of
  which attended the conference for the first time.
  

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Middle Management

• Conducted Urban Pre-Conference on Water Quality
  with 42 participants.
• Developed publication on Best Management
  Practices for Middle Managers. Will finalize and
  publish in 2012.

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Program Staff Development

• Conducted Southern Region Social Media Survey and
  collected social media policies guidelines
• Drafted program staff development unit survey

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Action Information 2012