FEBRUARY/MARCH 2003 Newsletter; Edition Number 91
Epsilon Sigma Phi The Cooperative Extension Professionals' Organization
| 75 Years Ago... ...Cheers greet the Spirit of St. Louis when Charles Lindbergh lands his plane in Paris. It is the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight in the history of aviation. Lindbergh flew 3,600 miles in over 33 hours, forsaking a radio for additional gasoline. ...Physicist Werner Heisenberg introduces his famous uncertainty principle at age 26. ...The first transatlantic telephone calls are available to the public. Talking for 3 minutes between London and New York costs $75. ...Television is demonstrated for the first time, but full-scale development is delayed nearly two decades. ...Epsilon Sigma Phi begins as a way to unite Extension veterans for the purpose of acknowledging the importance of their chosen profession, provide collegial support, and recognize the accomplishments of their coworkers. |
As we reflect on some of the significant events of 1927, it's interesting to note how ESP parallels these events and developments. Just like Lindbergh, we've taken risks to better serve our membership. An example is uplinking keynote speakers from recent annual conferences so that all members might learn no matter where they were located. It was a passion driven, calculated risk that has kept ESP "flying high."
Uncertainty is constantly with us as we move from one stage of development to the next. Creative tension has kept us in the forefront of providing leadership to the Extension system and our colleagues.
Telephones and televisions are amazing tools of technology that we use as members of ESP. But, like television, our full-scale development takes time and work. We appreciate all members who, at the chapter and national level, have contributed their leadership skills and time to make Epsilon Sigma Phi the organization it is today.
In this 75th Celebration year, take time to reflect on the value of ESP in your state, recognize the leadership provided over the years, and consider how you'll be celebrating the next 75 years of Epsilon Sigma Phi history and accomplishments. What new innovations are you developing? What new leaders are you mentoring? You are making history as well as celebrating history. Celebrate!
What an exciting year to be serving on the Professional Development Committee. Galaxy II is just around the corner and coming fast!
This is an excellent opportunity for Epsilon Sigma Phi to showcase our organization to our Extension colleagues. It will be our 75th Birthday Celebration and the entire Extension System will be at the party. Let's each take a few minutes to think of those Extension professionals who do not belong to one of the other professional organizations and invite them to participate with us through ESP, at Galaxy II in Salt Lake City in September.
I know firsthand how crucial ESP can be to Extension professionals who are not members of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, the National Association of County Agriculture Agents, the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals or the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, because I am one of them. My slot in "administration," with a background in human resources, did not provide me with an association or a network outside my own university. I was invited to join ESP several years ago and the doors opened wide. It was a wonderful experience to meet people from across the nation and to have the opportunity to grow through professional development. I was hungry for such an opportunity and it will continue long into my retirement.
Galaxy II has been planned to provide something for everyone. There will be many sessions of great interest to ANY Extension professional regardless of their program area. We promise no one will be disappointed!
So, please, take a look at your office, your co-workers, your technicians, editors and others and encourage those who do not "belong" to an association to participate with us at Galaxy, and let's make them lifetime ESP members in the process.
Epsilon Sigma Phi is a successful organization through the involvement of over 8,000 members. One of the strengths of the organization is the involvement of its membership on the different ESP committees. ESP needs you and your ideas to help address the goals and purposes of the organization. In order for organizations to remain viable for the future, it is important that the membership take an active role to become involved. Members of Epsilon Sigma Phi have the opportunity to become involved in the different national committees of the organization, which are as follows:
Information about each committee's responsibilities and plan of work can be found on the ESP website http://espnational.org.
If you are interested in becoming involved on one of the committees, you will need to contact your ESP State President and have them complete a committee appointment form. New Committee and Reappointment forms, along with the different ESP State Chapter Presidents, can be found on the ESP Website. Forms need to be returned by March 1, 2003 to Jim Hovland, Second Vice President, Fond du Lac County UW Extension, 227 Admin/Ext Building, 400 University Drive, Fond du Lac, WI 54935. Forms may also be faxed to Jim at: 920-929-3181 or emailed to: james.hovland@ces.uwex.edu.
If you should have any questions please call Jim at 920-929-3173.
ESP encourages you to apply for a committee that you would enjoy working on and making a contribution nationally to a committee. Remember that as professionals it is important that we continue to maintain a commitment to ESP and the help of every person adds up to make ESP a successful organization.
Galaxy II, which will be in Salt Lake City from September 21 through September 25, 2003, will serve as the annual meeting for ESP, NEAFCS, NAE4HA and ANREP for 2003. The Galaxy II Planning Committee has determined that there will be 5 concurrent sessions that will be available to each of the four participating organizations. These sessions are to be selected by the individual organizations and will not go through the selection process that is being used by the Galaxy II Program Committee.
The ESP Professional Development Committee has developed a list of topics areas that would be appropriate for presentations at Galaxy II. The National Board has recommended a continuation of mentoring as a topic for presentations. The following topics have been selected as subjects for proposal submissions. There has been no priority ranking of the topics established for proposals other than the National Board's emphasis for mentoring.
Topic Areas for Request for Proposals:
If you are planning a Professional Development experience in 2003 and need financial support, have you considered applying for one of the ESP Professional Development Scholarships? The information and application are located on the ESP website. Applications are due March 1st.
If you have an Extension Administration role and would like to attend the Galaxy II Conference in Salt Lake City, September 21-25, 2003 as an ESP member, you might consider applying for one of four Administrative Leadership Scholarships. These $500.00 scholarships are designed for first-time attendees and help to balance the cost of participation. ESP hopes all scholarships are used in 2003. Applications are due March 1st.
March 1st is also the due date for all chapter nominations for regional and national awards. These awards are:
Epsilon Sigma Phi's most valuable asset is the quality of our Extension professionals and their dedication to addressing the needs of people. The Epsilon Sigma Phi Development Fund supports and recognizes these Extension professionals in their pursuit of program excellence and providing education to client groups. Your contribution to the Development Fund is one way you can help ensure that Extension professionals remain the educational leaders of tomorrow.
Membership dues provide a financial support base for the regular and on-going national and chapter activities. Your contributions to the Epsilon Sigma Phi Development Fund will enhance the professional excellence we continue to strengthen.
Your help is needed! Would you like more information on options for helping? Please see the contribution form on the web: http://espnational.org.
With help from you and other Cooperative Extension colleagues, ESP will soon be able to start receiving applications for funds to support professional development.
Please consider joining 9,000 currently employed and retired Cooperative Extension professionals to support this campaign.
Scholarships, mini-grants, and professional development offerings provided by Epsilon Sigma Phi are all good reasons. Plus, there is the hope to add new recognition and learning opportunities for ESP members and the Extension community. The funding of this $500,000 endowment account will assure the future of these offerings in the years to come. Only the investment earnings will be used which ensures that the principal stays in place for future generations of Extension professionals.
The goal is to pledge the $500,000 by the Galaxy II Conference in September and to receive all the pledges by the fall of 2007. When you look at the 8,000+ ESP membership base, the raising of $500,000 is not such a huge goal. If every member contributed just $20 each year for the next five years, the goal would be exceeded. A few large gifts have already been received/pledged. Any size contribution is important and a one-time payment or a pledge over the five years is acceptable. The goal is for every member to make a contribution...no matter the size. Every contribution is tax-deductible and will be acknowledged with a receipt for income tax purposes.
The ESP Key Contribution/Pledge card is included with this newsletter. You will note different levels of pledges and contributions. Please note that checks and/or credit cards are accepted. Non-cash and deferred gifts are another option. Some Extension professionals and retirees are considering insurance policies with Epsilon Sigma Phi as the beneficiary, or are including ESP in their estate plans. Donors have used The ESP Endowment Campaign to recognize retiring ESP members, to show appreciation to colleagues for work done, and to celebrate family events such as wedding anniversaries. The National ESP Office acknowledges all recognition contributions to the honoree.
This campaign is important to the future of Epsilon Sigma Phi and its financial ability to continue offering professional development opportunities, scholarships, mini-grants and awards to its members and the Extension community. Your participation will help us to realize our goal and to celebrate a successful and well-funded future as we also celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Epsilon Sigma Phi at the Galaxy II Conference in Salt Lake City. What a wonderful way to begin our next 75 years of Epsilon Sigma Phi!
ESP Key Contributions for Development Fund Campaign Pledge Card
Individual/Organization: (As to Appear on Recognition)
Address:
City, State Zip:
Phone:
E-Mail:
Chapter Affiliation:
Gifts to the Development Fund are fully tax deductible and can be made over the next five-year period. Contributions can be cumulative toward a larger giving goal. The goal is to pledge the development fund goal by the 2003 Galaxy II Meeting in Salt Lake City and receive all funds by 2007. All Pledge cards and payments should be mailed to Epsilon Sigma Phi National Office, PO Box 357340, Gainesville, FL 32635-7340.
Gift Key Categories
Pledge Amount: $
Payment Options
Initial Contribution: $
Please bill me:
Enclosed is my check of $
payable to the Epsilon Sigma Phi Development Fund
Non-Cash and Deferred Gifts
Credit Card for $
Visa or MasterCard
Acct#:5555555555555555
Expiration Date:
Signature:
NOTE: The agency Epsilon Sigma Phi has hired to process credit card gifts receives 3.0 percent of each credit card fee as a processing fee. The fee is removed from the gift. The actual benefit of a credit card gift to Epsilon Sigma Phi is 97 percent of the gift amount.
Recognition Options
I would like my gift to be:
Anonymous:
In Memory of:
Or to commemorate the following occasion(s):
In Honor of
Send Acknowledgement to:
Address:
City, State Zip:
Thank you for your contribution to the Epsilon Sigma Phi Development Fund and to the professional development of Extension professionals!
Question may be directed to: Dick Angus, Chair, at 4907 Muskogee Street, College Park, MD 20740-1451; 301-403-4248; or ra15@umail.umd.edu
Happy New Year! This is an especially exciting new year as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of ESP. This year is the time to honor our past and at the same time act for the future of Extension professionals and the clientele we serve. Epsilon Sigma Phi has a rich history of helping individuals and families have a better quality of life. This focus has not changed but the environment in which we live and work has. The challenges and opportunities are many as we continue our mission into this new era of Extension professionalism. It is exciting that we will be sharing the journey.
Congratulations on the award of a $1000.00 Professional Development Mini-Grant to Alpha Lambda Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi. The professional development opportunity planned by Indiana members seems timely and relevant for Extension professionals.
This is the second grant awarded in the North Central Region for 2002. The grant was awarded because all regions had not submitted a grant request in 2002.
Epsilon Sigma Phi established the Mini-Grant program to support such efforts that further the professional development of its members. Each year the National Board will award up to four grants. The grants may be for up to $1000.00 each. Applications may be made at any time during the year.
As the title suggests, Roosevelt Thomas expands the concept of diversity to include differences of others, being not only race and gender, but position (i.e., specialists vs. field agents, research vs. extension vs. teaching), age (young agent vs. seasoned), geographic location (main campus vs. region/county), among others, and how these differences in our workplaces impact challenges of management and employee relations. Dr. Thomas discusses diversity from the management perspective, an approach that can enhance equal opportunity for employees and organization success. He recognizes the limits of affirmative action and valuing differences. He suggests managing diversity instead of these traditional approaches.
According to Thomas, managing diversity begins with asking some fundamental questions:
"Given the competitive environment we face and the diverse work force we have, are we getting the highest productivity possible? Does our system work as smoothly as it could? Is morale as high as we would wish? And are those things as strong as they would be if all the people who worked here were the same sex and race and nationality and had the same lifestyle and value system and way of working? If the answers are no, then the solution is to substitute positive for negative aspects. That means changing the system and modifying the core culture."
Dr. Thomas stresses the need for all institutions, whether business, academic, religious, governmental and civic, to learn to use all of their diverse human resources, unleashing the power that all the various groups have to offer. He shares the success of this concept in a case study of Avon Products, Inc. Also included in the text are organizational assessment tools.
Beyond Race and Gender is a must read for anyone in a supervisory role and recommended for all employees. Managing diversity within our institutions can not only strengthen the workforce and employee relationships but also enhance clientele outreach.
ESP has updated and printed a new benefits brochure, Benefits Package for a Unique Membership Experience. The new brochure will be distributed at the JCEP Regional Leadership Workshops and quantities may be ordered from the National Office.
The revised edition clarifies some of the awards, updates awards and highlights deadlines. Grants, scholarships and awards are some of the ways to enhance a chapter and its membership.
ESP's XI Chapter takes a proactive approach to member recruitment and retention, especially during the fall and winter months. The membership chairperson uses e-mail as the primary means of reaching all Extension employees with information about Epsilon Sigma Phi and the benefits of membership.
The chapter also publishes a newsletter twice a year that encourages members to recruit their colleagues and maintain their own membership. Each newsletter is posted on the XI chapter website.
District membership chairmen also are key to meeting the chapter's membership goals. In North Carolina, Cooperative Extension has seven districts that include 100 counties plus the Cherokee Reservation. Each district has a membership chairperson who works with the state membership chairperson to encourage renewals and new memberships. The membership chairperson also writes to colleagues that do not renew their membership.
One of the chapter's goals for 2003 is to encourage more retirees to join XI Chapter. Extension administration has provided a list of names and addresses of recent retirees. Through phone calls, the membership team at the state and county levels will encourage them to become life members.
It is important to use personal ESP letterhead stationery when communicating with retirees and other supporters of ESP. Displaying a professional image is important in helping to bring about the desired outcome of support and membership in the organization.
XI Chapter currently is using at least three types of membership forms. There is a form for the new member, a form for the individual renewing member and retiree, and a form for counties to use to pay for an entire staff.
A recruitment brochure has also proven useful in addressing a group of potential members. The brochure explains the membership criteria and how to join.
Please take the time to visit XI Chapter's website in North Carolina:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/
Membership Recruitment Brochure:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/member.pdf
Forms For Payment of Dues
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/dues03.pdf
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/duesnew.pdf
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/letteriv.pdf
Letterhead For Use By Board Members
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/letterhd.pdf
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/assn/esp/letter 2.pdf
Sitting in the airport in Washington, D.C. on my way home, I am glad that I was able to attend the Public Issues Leadership Development Conference (PILD). I do appreciate the support of ESP in the form of a scholarship to attend. It has been an informative and enjoyable 3 days in our Nation's Capitol. I have very much enjoyed the atmosphere and historical highlights of this great city.
As my state delegation and I visited our congressional delegation, I was able to see how our government works, how laws are formulated and observe the process used to put them into place. After we left our last appointment, we wondered if it was worth the time to visit with the congressional staffers. As we discussed the happenings of the day, we felt that we had been successful because we had placed faces on the people who are Extension.
From the outside, looking in, the legislative process looks quite simple and straightforward. A bill is written, debated, amended and voted upon. In actuality, it is a very complicated process. A process which depends upon lobbying not only from outside interests, but also from fellow elected delegates. Idaho State Senator Crapo was quite frustrated by the farm bill (he serves on that committee). He had felt that it was pretty much worked out by the committee in the days preceding our visit. But all of that had changed and he had to begin working on those things that had been changed in the bill that would directly affect his constituents. He was going to lobby on those senators who are his friends, or had similar needs for support and change of the bill. The process is truly remarkable.
I hope to take some of the Washington experience back to Idaho. We, as Extension faculty, need to understand the process and what makes things happen in our great country. I will try to explain some of the process to my clientele and to other faculty who work in the public policy area. I really do think that includes all of us.
Sponsored by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals:
Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals, Epsilon Sigma Phi, National Association of County Agricultural Agents, National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
For information check http://www.jcep.org or contact:
Joe Schaefer, Registration Chair
P.O. Box 110230, Gainesville, FL 32611-0230
Phone: 352.846.2009
Email: jms@mail.ifas.ulf.edu
Chuck Stamper, Conference Chair
Email: cstamper@uky.edu