Winter 2006 ESP Newsletter; Edition Number 103
Epsilon Sigma Phi The Extension Professionals' Organization
"ESP - On the Waterfront of Professional Excellence"
Epsilon Sigma Phi Conference ? November 14 - 17, 2006
The Tau Chapter of Maryland will host the National Epsilon Sigma Phi Conference November 14 - 17, 2006 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, MD. The conference will offer opportunities for professional development for Extension professionals and continuing education for retirees. This conference will feature dynamic keynote speakers, scholarly concurrent sessions and poster presentations, three program tracks - life members, emerging leadership, and program developers, strategies for enhancing Extension's image, opportunities to explore new tools and technologies to enhance outcomes of Extension programs, methods for strengthening communities through Extension programs, and recognition of ESP members for excellence in programming addressing diversity and critical issues.
Conference events will include pre-conference tours on Tuesday to Historic Annapolis, the University of Maryland College Park: Clarice Smith Center, Plant Sciences, Dairy Bar and Rossborough Inn; and a seafood industry tour. An evening "Taste of Maryland Reception" welcoming event is also scheduled. A special Retirees and First-timers breakfast will be held Wednesday followed by Regional Meetings, the first General Session, and a Poster Showcase Session in conjunction with lunch. Concurrent sessions also begin on Wednesday. Thursday features are the second General Session, concurrent sessions, the Ruby Lecture and Luncheon, the ESP Auction, and dinner. The Alpha Omicron Chapter of Pennsylvania is handling the Silent and Live Auctions. On Friday, the various ESP National Committees will meet, followed by the third General Session, the National Council Meeting, and the Recognition Banquet.
Enjoy the Baltimore Aquarium and Inner Harbor stores and restaurants while in Maryland. You will want to visit the many national memorials in Washington D.C. and browse the fine free museums on the National Mall. Check out the Anne Arundel website and plan your personal itinerary: http://www.visitannapolis.org.
The Loews Annapolis Hotel is offering the $125/day conference lodging rate for doubles or kings until October 13, 2006. The early bird registration fee for the conference is $375 with a deadline of August 15, 2006. Watch for the registration information in the next issue of ESP Connection and on the ESP web site at http://espnational.org.
C. D. (Dan) Mote, Jr., President of the University of Maryland is the invited speaker for the opening General Session. Dr. Mote, Jr. was appointed president of the University of Maryland in 1998 and charged to build a great university. He has spurred the University to lead the state in pursuit of key sectors, such as business, biosciences, engineering, science, security, and agriculture. During his tenure the number of student applications for admission and the reputation of the university have reached record heights. The USDA selected the campus to lead the project known as Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in the U.S., and an alumnus has funded a new Center for Food Systems Security.
Dr. Mote was recruited from the University of California, Berkeley, where he earlier served as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and as vice chancellor. He has written more than 300 publications, and holds patents in the U.S., Norway, Finland and Sweden. For many years the agricultural extension program in California supported his research. He earned his degrees in mechanical engineering at Berkeley.
Dr. Mote is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the National Academy of Engineering where he serves currently on the council.
Dr. Albert C. Pierce is the first director of the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Dr. Pierce will share his insight on ethics and leadership, the challenges and responses. The Center's mission is "to promote and enhance the ethical development of current and future military leaders through education, research, and reflection."
From February 1985 until he assumed his duties at the Naval Academy, he had been Professor of Military Strategy at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he taught courses in military strategy, the use of military force, civil-military relations, ethics, and national security policymaking. Prior to joining the War College faculty, Dr. Pierce was a defense correspondent for NBC News. Before that, he was Deputy Director of the Strategic Concepts Development Center, an in-house think tank established by Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger. He also served as Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, writing speeches, Congressional testimony, and the Fiscal Year 1982 Annual Report for Secretary Harold Brown. Before moving to the Defense Department, he was with the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.
Dr. Pierce is a member of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, and the International Studies Association. He was a Fellow in MIT's Seminar XXI program and in 1994 he was chosen to participate in a Carnegie Council faculty summer institute on Teaching Ethics and International Affairs, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The third General Session speaker, Dr. Carolyn B Brooks, Dean of the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences and the 1890 Research Director at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), will address the topic of the Land Grant Commitment to Higher Education for All.
Since the mid 1990s Brooks has served on a number of boards and committees of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC); held several offices and chaired numerous committees for the administrator associations of the 1890 land grant institutions; served on numerous review panels for USDA, NSF, and USAID, the National Research Council and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Presently and previously serves(ed) as a member of Minority Education Committees of the Board of Education and Training, the American Society for Microbiology.
She is featured as one of the 100 Distinguished African American Scientists in Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century; and recipient of numerous awards including the Maryland Outstanding Educator Award from the Maryland Association for Higher Education, and a Recipient of the First Annual White House Initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Faculty Award for "Excellence in Science and Technology," and the "Woman of the Year Award", Maryland Eastern Shore Branch of the National Association of University Women.
Either through research programs or as a consultant or participant on federal review teams, Brooks has been involved in activities in Costa Rica, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Malawi, Egypt, South Africa, Cameroon, Togo, Nigeria and Senegal.
Where Do I Get Information About Retirement and Other Policy Issues?
Nancy Crago, ESP President and Janice Stimpson, Vice President -- Public Issues Committee
The ESP Public Policy Committee has come up with some excellent web sites for retirees and pre-retirees (us working stiffs) to access information that affects and will affect our retirements. Many of these are for people on the Federal retirements systems but some will give information on issues that affect everyone.
Opportunity for Annual and Life Member
Duane P. Johnson, ESP National 2nd Vice President
The strength of Epsilon Sigma Phi is having strong committees in which its members actively participate in the committee meeting during the National Conference and committee conference calls and activities.
The goal of the National Board is to have two members from each region on each committee. We hope that at least one committee member will be a life member. Appointments are made for a one-year term with possible reappointments for a total of three terms. When appointments are made ESP tries to have a balance of members with first, second and third year appointments.
We would like to encourage all members (annual and life) to consider a committee nomination. Committee participation is most rewarding and an excellent way to make a difference in Extension and the profession, as well as provide leadership for Epsilon Sigma Phi.
Current committee members must submit reappointment forms if they wish to continue on their current committee. The committees are Public Issues, Member Services, Membership Recruitment and Retention, Global Relations, Professional Development, and Resource Development and Management. Committee members have a voice in setting goals for Epsilon Sigma Phi, network with other Extension professionals at the national level, and represent their state chapter at the national level. Committee members receive a financial incentive to attend the ESP National Meeting.
Appointment forms can be found on the ESP web site: http://espnational.org. Forms must be signed by the Chapter President and are due to Duane P. Johnson, ESP 2nd Vice President by March 1, 2006.
Good afternoon, Extension colleagues. Of all the places to be, it doesn't get better than being among a group of Extension professionals, and this group certainly verifies that observation. What an honor it is to be recognized as the 2005 Ruby Distinguished Service Award Recipient. I recognize that the award is not really based on individual accomplishment, but rather on the contributions of the larger group of immediate colleagues that make the award recipient look good. I have enjoyed, and really appreciate, the many cards and notes that I received after it was announced that I would receive this honor. I want to give special recognition and thanks to the outstanding colleagues I worked with in Maryland, Florida, Kansas and at the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
I am proud to accept this Ruby Distinguished Service Award on behalf of all of us who have dedicated ourselves to careers of public service in Cooperative Extension. A lot of people contributed to the nomination process, but I want to recognize and thank Madeline Greene of the Maryland Chapter for her role. I also want to thank Linda Cook, the Executive Director of Epsilon Sigma Phi for her assistance and support over the past few months.
I want to introduce you to my family members who are here today. Karen, my wife had a short 13 year, but distinguished, career as a 4-H Youth Development agent and specialist. Our two daughters, Heather and Deborah, who are both Land-Grant graduates (Kansas State to be specific), and Heather's husband, Gaylon Corley, are present. We all know that jobs in Extension are demanding and the immediate family pays a price for the long hours, over-nights, and weekend hours that are part of the job, but take away from important time with family.
I've had several different jobs within the Cooperative Extension System - county educator, county director, specialist, district director, and associate director. All of these jobs have challenges and rewards of their own, but the job of county educator is the one that provides regular and immediate feedback that gives a sense of accomplishment - community based education that makes a difference in people's lives. Theodore Roosevelt defined success this way, "Far and away the best prize that life can offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." The role of county educator certainly meets this test.
My last position and capstone of my career was at NASULGC, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, where I served as Director of Extension as well as Executive Director of ECOP - the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy. ECOP is essentially the Board of Directors of the National Cooperative Extension System. This position gave me the opportunity to work closely with all of the 1862, 1890, and 1994 Directors and Administrators of Extension and especially those who serve on ECOP - 15 elected regional representatives, the chair of the Budget and Legislative Committee, the elected Extension delegate to the NASULGC Board on Agriculture's Policy Board of Directors, the Administrator of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and the Executive Director of ECOP. To give you just a glimpse of the outstanding folks I worked with during this time at NASULGC, three are former Ruby award recipients - Lyla Houglum, Keith Smith and Chester Fehlis. During this time at NASULGC, the way ECOP conducts business was changed significantly, communications were opened to a broad cross-section of Extension professionals, and the 'eXtension' initiative was launched.
What I would like to do today is first, make a few comments about Extension and how it is a very distinct feature of Land-Grant Universities. Then I will highlight ten challenges that are ahead. If you were at this meeting last year, I think you will find that some of these challenges build on the remarks made by Chester Fehlis in his talk last year.
Have you noticed how different classes of vehicles all seem to look alike? It's hard to tell one SUV from another, or minivans, or sedans. If you see one that attracts your attention, you need to look for a logo or name on the vehicle to know, for sure, its brand.
Well, universities seem to be caught up in this same kind of look-alike chase. It's getting hard to differentiate public from private universities, and Land-Grants from other publics. All talk about their goal of attracting the best and brightest undergraduate students, students in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class, or students with ACT scores of over 27. Likewise, all universities strive to position themselves to be competitive within the large research pools of funding available from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and many highlight research awards in the area of a half billion dollars annually.
Land-Grants were meant to be different. We have a mandate to bring our resources to where people live and work, to make lives better through the access and opportunity that can come from these resources, and to serve all of the people…not just some of the people. eXtension will help us meet this aspect of our mission.
We have a story to tell; one that builds upon this tradition of solving problems and bringing the intellectual capacity of the university to people where they live and work. But we don't tell our story in as compelling a way as we need to. As a Cooperative Extension System, our documentation is marginal. We tend to rely on tradition, hard work and our close association with a relatively small group of stakeholders to maintain our support and funding. We don't take nearly seriously enough that we conduct our business with someone else's money and that we need to be very accountable for its good use and make compelling presentations for on-going support. One format is likely to be insufficient to get this job done. In Washington, the President's Office of Management and Budget is looking for capacity to help implement the agenda and priorities of the President's administration. Our Governors and Boards of County Commissioners are looking for this same alignment with their priorities. Are we directly supporting the issues, goals, and priorities that put these leaders in office? Do we even know what these priorities are? When it comes to setting priorities and seeking funds, one of the partners that works for the firm that does advocacy work for the Land-Grant budget, including our interests, challenges us to look at the Requests for Application from all Federal Departments and agencies and if they have funds available for 'X', and we have a need for funds for 'Z', we go to work to make our 'Z' look like an 'X'! That's alignment.
Decision makers want and expect results. They want solutions to societal issues as well as individual issues. We need to give them well-documented examples of both. Then we need to use our successes as a springboard for future support to solve new problems…especially those that they have identified and have made commitments to fix. Good documentation is part of the job. The challenge isn't how little can we get by with, but rather how much is needed to demonstrate that our educational intervention has indeed worked.
About ten years ago, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation funded a series of studies on higher education, one of which was on the topic of engagement - Returning to our Roots, the Engaged Institution. Since that time there has been considerable discussion and work on the development of a uniform understanding of what engagement is. This last summer, there was an invitational conference on this topic held at Michigan State University; feedback that we received at NASULGC was that the definition of engagement still varies by institution - with some saying that it is everything that occurs off of the main campus. University administrators are using the term engagement almost as frequently and loosely as Extension professionals use 'program'.
There are three terms that are frequently used interchangeably - service, outreach and engagement. I think that there are subtle distinctions between these terms, but that is not the point I want to make. Regardless of the nuances, Extension as we know it, can be part of any of these terms, but Extension goes beyond all of them in that Cooperative Extension has a statewide presence with offices in over 3000 counties staffed by professional educators, has a stable revenue stream from multiple sources, and has a tradition of over 90 years of working with people and communities to solve their problems, as they see them, with the intellectual capacity of a network of major universities as its energy source. No other university has this impressive infrastructure and history.
As university administrators talk about engagement, outreach and service, the gift that Cooperative Extension has to offer is not money or personnel, but the gateway to communities and the experience that we have gained in 91 years. I think that all of us would agree that our work is about much more than the subject matter expertise we bring to the job; I would go so far as to say that the subject-matter knowledge is secondary. Preempting the degrees and courses we have taken may be knowledge of the community, how it works, who makes decisions; our own interpersonal skills, and then the so called process skills that help us design, implement, evaluate and document the educational interventions that solve problems. Faculty across the campus who have important content that can contribute to solving problems and/or contribute toward economic growth are likely to have a lot to learn about community based delivery because it's not part of their culture.
Rather than seeing ourselves as a doorway to the university, I would prefer to see our system defined as a gateway to people and communities. As universities decide that they must be more engaged to maintain the support of their legislators, as service and outreach are seen as important faculty roles, it isn't up to Extension to carry the burden. But, we can be an integral part of this expanded mission and our existing structure and experience provides a valuable in-kind contribution to this effort. Do I think that it is appropriate for universities to have a broader outreach mission? Absolutely! Do I think that Extension can help? Absolutely! I also think that universities will need to put new money and rewards on the table as incentives for broader faculty participation in order to make a strong statement about their engagement. We have an important role to play as part of an increased commitment to engagement and we need to be eager to support and be part of the expanded mission. We are the gateway and we have the community presence and experience to solve problems through successful educational intervention. We can provide as much help as others within the university community want to learn from our experiences, but we can't dilute our current success and capacity by taking on a significantly broader mission without new resources.
I have ten points that either support the statements I have made or are important for our future. I have learned these partly from my experience as part of three universities, and mostly from the three years I spent in Washington.
I hope you will continue to reflect on the important role that Cooperative Extension has played in the development of our country. We are unique and provide a level of engagement unequalled among all universities and colleges. Our future is up to us. The logo of a large airline that has since merged with others was "We earn our wings every day." Like that airline, our future is dependent on our relevance today; our ability to provide solutions to issues that are important today and to document our successes in ways that demonstrate our capacity to solve other emerging problems. Let's not let Cooperative Extension get caught up in the look-alike chase when it comes to engagement, but rather, hold up our distinctive contribution and be a strong supporter and contributor to this part of the Land-Grant mission.
Just two years ago and during the time Chester Fehlis served as ECOP Chair, ECOP developed a paper on relevance. In order to end on a real positive note, I want to read the final paragraph of that one page document.
"The Cooperative Extension System is a living, evolving, market-driven organization that responds to society's changing needs. Our nation must continue to expand lifelong learning to all of society and to utilize existing and new knowledge to solve complex problems. As a unique achievement in American education, the Cooperative Extension System continues its longstanding tradition of fulfilling that need by extending the university to the people to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, business and non-profit organizations, and communities."
Let me close by thanking you again for recognizing me as the 2005 Ruby Distinguished Award recipient. I wish you well in the years ahead, and will certainly do all I can to support you and the wonderful organization that has provided me with a most meaningful career.
Makeovers of all kinds are a part of our society. This past October I had the opportunity to visit the Alpha Phi Chapter in South Carolina for their annual meeting. The main purpose of my visit was to help the members take their first steps in a chapter makeover. I am cheering for the Alpha Phi Chapter to reach their goals and be recognized as a Chapter of Merit recipient at the 2006 ESP conference in Annapolis. And, I also want to encourage you to consider making 2006 a makeover year for your chapter.
The preparation for a makeover is just as important as the makeover itself. Actually, it may be more important. It's important that your chapter pick a plan that works best for your members. Alpha Phi Chapter members used a compression planning process developed by educator, Jerry McNellis. Working as a team they were able to put together a plan in about one hour.
To begin, the Alpha Phi members used the ESP Chapter of Merit application form as a guideline to help them decide what current features they liked and what characteristics they wanted to change to make their chapter more desirable for the future. If you are not familiar with this form, it lists seven broad categories with specific indicators under each category and can be viewed on the ESP web site.
The next step was to identify a basic concept, such as member services, and generate several approaches that could tie the concept together. A critical part of this step is aligning target audiences to your approaches. McNellis suggests selecting your three top approaches, evaluating them, then choosing one, to develop a plan that lists the tasks to be done, who will take responsibility for the tasks, when it will be done, and the expected outcomes. As Extension professionals we recognize this as our action plan.
McNellis also suggests spending another 20 to 30 minutes to develop contingency and communication plans for the action plan. The contingency plan should address what can go wrong, what can be done to prevent it, and what to do if it happens. The communication plan identifies all the key people with whom to communicate and what messages need to be sent.
Even with a good plan, to be success in a chapter makeover demands resolve and willpower on the part of all your chapter members. The work can't be left to just a few persons. Commit some time to do your share of the work and stick to it. The degree to which your chapter will be successful depends on members' honesty, responsibility, commitment and inner strength. If your chapter has already recruited most of the eligible persons, perhaps you want to focus on member retention or member services. When those non-members see what ESP does for its members, they may be motivated to learn more about ESP and join.
Making excuses or laying blame on circumstances within your organization can also hamper your makeover efforts. Look for ways to use local and national resources available to reach your goals. National ESP has many resources to help your chapter reach its makeover goals. Your Regional Vice President and Linda Cook are available to answer questions and assist you. Talk with the people from your region who serve on ESP national committees. Learn about available promotional items.
I recently received a card that read, "It takes work to reach for the stars, but those who do walk in stardust." It takes work to build a strong chapter, but of each member has the inner strength to reach out with his or her time and talent, your chapter will shine and excel.
The 2005 Local Public Policy Decision Makers Project was sponsored by the Gamma Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi with a mini-grant from the National ESP office. The goals of the project were: 1) to enhance the awareness of Extension faculty and staff of the names and interests of local public policy decision makers (state representatives, county budget committee members, and city mayors), and 2) to increase the number of contacts between Extension faculty and staff with those decision makers.
Public officials in two Oregon counties were surveyed by asking "What are your highest priority programs for promoting healthy families and individuals, strengthening and diversifying the local economy and sustaining natural resources?"
Their responses were incorporated into one page profiles and were given to the faculty and staff in the two counties. The name recognition of the officials and their titles/roles and the number of the contacts they had with those officials were measured before and a few months after the profiles were distributed.
This pilot project indicates that faculty and staff in the pilot counties did not have a high degree of knowledge of, or contact with, local public policy decision makers, especially the mayors. Exposure to one-page decision maker profiles did not significantly change their level of awareness. A sustained strategic planning process may have produced better integration of the decision makers into Extension programming.
Marketing ESP to the Extension professional does not happen without planning and involvement of all members.
To help ESP members market ESP (The Extension Professionals' Organization) to potential members, recognize current members and honorees, and create awareness of ESP, the National ESP Office offers a number of useful items. Following is a look at a few of these items and some ideas on how they might be used by your chapter.
Extension Professionals' Creed
This 8-1/2 x 11 beautifully printed certificate (ready for framing) is often presented to new members on induction into ESP. Some Chapters have made sure each office has a framed copy of the creed in the lobby of their offices to support relations with the general public and clientele. Cost of the printed creed is $.50 from the National ESP Office. Members can show pride in their membership and commitment to the Extension profession by displaying this in their office.
ESP Bookmarks
The ESP Bookmark (free) is an excellent item to include with a membership receipt to all members as they pay their dues. It provides name, address, and contact information for national officers, national committee chairs and the National ESP Office.
ESP Pens
The very good ESP pen is excellent to provide to new ESP annual and life members, administrators for their support of ESP, special speakers and individuals giving to the ESP Endowment Fund from a Chapter. They are available from the National ESP Office for $3.00 each or 2/$5.00.
Note Cards
As you write notes of congratulations, thanks and other notes these cards provide excellent visibility and let others know of your pride of being an Extension professional.
ESP Key Pin
Chapters are encouraged to consider providing each new member with a ESP Key Pin upon initiation. This not only provides recognition to the member but also provides visibility to the State Chapter and profession as they wear the key.
Paper Weights, ESP Letter Opener, and Memo Pad Holder
These items are popular in saying thank you to officers, committee chairs, recognition recipients, and gifts to special people who have made a difference to ESP and/or Extension.
If you have a need for something special or an idea for something to be available in the National Office please let Duane Johnson, ESP 2nd Vice President, or Linda Cook, Executive Director, know of your idea or need.
There are many others items available from the National ESP Office. You can find a complete listing in section P of the Handbook on the National ESP Website.
The National Board voted to terminate the contract with A&T and buy out the remaining inventory. The contract with A&T Industries ended on September 1, 2005. Until a new provider is identified the National ESP Office will handle all orders and management of memorabilia.
During the coming year the Marketing Committee and National Board will be:
First, let me thank ESP for providing the funding to attend PILD. Although I have had the opportunity to visit our nation's Capitol in the past, this was with a much different purpose.
Attending PILD in 2005 provided a lot of new contacts and new ideas for me. The visits to the Hill were especially useful in making contact with our legislators and their aides. These visits pointed out the importance of keeping track of pending legislation and the role our lay people play in carrying our message to Congress.
With this in mind, the Alpha Lambda Chapter of ESP had applied for a mini-grant. This grant will be used to develop training sessions for our County Directors and also for County Extension Educators throughout the state. The training will be aimed at "Empowering and Motivating Extension Advisory Boards, Committees & Councils." Educators will receive tools to assist their local Extension board members in keeping Extension a viable force in their communities.
Indiana already has a very strong group of dedicated volunteers who regularly contact state legislators to make their views known through the Purdue Council on Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Teaching (P-CARET). This new round of training will bring a stronger focus by local people on local elected officials.
Mike McKinney, retired ESP member from Florida and former Indiana educator, will be assisting with the two workshops planned to train local staff.
Mike McKinney, Past Chair of Public Issues and Southern Region VP, has established the McKinney Scholarship for Public Policy/Public Issues Education. The scholarship is for eligible ESP members to attend a professional conference or meeting, or to take formal coursework toward an advanced degree in a public policy/public issues area. Current ESP members who have not previously received this scholarship are eligible. One $500 scholarship will be awarded annually. The scholarship must be used within one year of award. The Member Services Committee will make selection recommendations to the National Board.
The ESP/McKinney Scholarship Application Form is posted on the ESP website and is to be used to apply for the scholarship. Application must not exceed two pages (one page front and back). A letter of support is required from applicant's Extension Director and Chapter President. Application and letters of support must be sent electronically to the Chair of Member Services Committee and the Executive Director of ESP. For 2006 only, the application deadline is to be May 1 with an announcement date of June 1.
Judging Criteria:
This is a very simple but profound question. Many Extension professionals have either heard or asked this question sometime in their career. If you asked most people, they would likely say that internationalizing Extension is a good thing and something that we should do. But, when budgets are on the line, are there solid benefits that justify time and expenditures for such efforts?
There is ample anecdotal evidence that suggests that there are numerous mutual benefits - to the participants (and their near associates) and the international cooperators. Participants have been able to experience renewal to Extension and a recommitment to grassroots efforts. They have greater global perspectives and are able to integrate an international dimension into their Extension programming. Additionally, they are better able to reach out to and work with diverse clientele which has helped Extension address many of the issues we currently face with our changing clientele base.
In Florida, through a recent internationalizing Extension project, we included County Commissioners. This effort resulted in many positive benefits - many of which are noted above. Most significantly, the County Commissioners have a greater understanding of Extension and the need to internationalize Extension. This was acknowledged by their follow-through with providing a workshop on these topics to their fellow commissioners at the subsequent statewide conference.
As a challenge to ESP, we must look for ways to include our stakeholders as part of our Internationalizing Extension efforts. This would not only help to provoke greater understanding, but it can go a long ways toward addressing the recurring question "Why Internationalize Extension."
Every New Year begins with resolutions for many of us. And as Extension Educators, regardless of programmatic areas, many of us teach goal setting strategies all through the year. We teach folks to set financial goals, business goals, nutrition and exercise goals, 4-H project goals, and the list goes on. For the past several years, the Alpha Omicron chapter has taken the challenge to set New Year goals, and the outcome has been positive.
Each year as the newly elected Chapter Executive committee meets, one of the first items on the agenda is to brainstorm a list of goals for the chapter. After discussion, four or five goals are agreed to as the focus of the efforts for the year. Over the past few years, the chapter has set goals for specific membership increases, endowment giving, increased award applicants and recognition, and striving for national chapter awards.
The agreed upon goals are posted on the Chapter website and action steps to attain the goals are a standard item on the agenda for each board meeting. Progress on the goals is reported to the membership in the Chapter newsletter. Finally, at the annual meeting, as we celebrate and recognize members, the outgoing President gives a report to the membership on the outcome of the Chapter's goals and we celebrate those accomplishments. This year, in addition to our chapter goals, we are also asking each committee to set one specific goal.
While there are many positive results of goal setting, in particular we have recognized an increasingly positive view of our organization and that it is a group that is "working" and achieving results for members. Recruitment of new members is also facilitated by this positive perspective. Why not practice what we teach! Whenever a "new year" starts for your ESP chapter, think about initiating a few New Year's resolutions or goals for your chapter and expect results!