JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004; Edition Number 95
Epsilon Sigma Phi The Cooperative Extension Professionals' Organization
Epsilon Sigma Phi, along with the Illinois Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi, would like to invite you to the 2004 ESP National Conference starting September 15 with pre-conference tours and concluding Saturday, September 18th with the annual recognition banquet.
Educational presentations at the conference will include the presentation from the Ruby Award winner, general session presentations, and concurrent sessions and poster sessions. The abstracts of the concurrent sessions will be posted on the ESP website in May.
Featured presentations include:
Communicating With Your Stakeholders...Orion Samuelson, Director of Agricultural Services for WGN Radio since 1960. Orion will provide tips for getting the attention of our stakeholders and how to keep them interested and informed of the impact Extension programs are having on the lives of families and communities across this great nation. Orion and his associate Max Armstrong, present 28 agricultural reports daily on WGN and the Agri-Voice Network of 50 stations.
Extension in the 21st Century...Dr. Sharon Anderson, Director of the North Dakota State University Extension Service, Dr. Anderson will discuss how the Extension system across the country is going through considerable change. How do we keep this organization strong and viable into the new century? Recent Extension and university thinking and publications along with other leadership research can provide a pathway for moving the organization forward. This session will focus on recreating a positive future for the Extension system. Dr. Anderson served on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy from 1996 to 1999 and was chair in 1999. She is currently chair of the Extension Service Vision for the 21st Century Follow-Up Task Force.
Challenges for Leadership in a Multicultural, Global Society...Dr. Gary Weaver, Executive Director, International Management Institute, American University. Dr. Weaver will focus on challenges of leadership and today's leaders' need for new skills, sensitivities and approaches in light of increasing globalization, diversification, and multiculturalism. Dr. Weaver has more than 33 years of experience as a member of the faculty of the School of International Service in the Division of International Communication at American University. In 1999, he founded the university's International Management Institute (IMI), a program for training executives for international relocation and multicultural management.
A series of pre-conference and conference tours have been selected for the meeting. Tours include: Galena, Illinois, a historic community with President Ulysses Grant's home and unique shops, Arsenal Island, which is comprised of a Museum and Historic National Cemetery, Amana Colonies, Iowa historical and heritage community, and the John Deere Company and Botanical Center, Moline, Illinois.
Registration fee for the conference with an early bird deadline of July 1, 2004 will be $315.00. The conference registration information will be in the next newsletter and posted on the ESP website.
I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season. I am hoping for a happy and prosperous new year for all of our Epsilon Sigma Phi family and for all of Extension. There continues to be some troubling rumbling out there regarding the future of Extension during these trying times. The good news is that the economy seems to be rebounding. Let us all hope that the improvement continues.
Bonnie McGee, Jim Hovland and I just returned from the first of the two Joint Council of Extension Professionals Board (JCEP) meetings that are held each year. ESP was again privileged to have one of our members serving as the chair of the JCEP Board. Bonnie McGee will be serving as JCEP chair until September when Sharon Hoelscher Day who is the current President for NEAFCS will assume the role as president. Sharon, in addition to her duties as NEAFCS President, is an ESP member of the Kappa Chapter in Arizona.
The JCEP meeting was quite productive. We discussed issues of importance to all of Extension. Jim Spurling, the CSREES liaison to the JCEP board, was in attendance at the meeting to both share information from the Federal partner and to communicate concerns expressed by JCEP board members. Jim has been serving as the liaison to the group for the past year and has been a valuable addition to the JCEP board and its discussions. Dr. Michael Tate, Dean and Director of Extension from Washington State, is the Extension Committee On Policy (ECOP) liaison to the JCEP board. Dr. Tate has been involved in JCEP programs for many years and has been a participant and speaker in the Pubic Issues Leadership Development Workshop for many years. Dr. Tate has been a valuable link between JCEP and the ECOP group, which is made up of state Extension Directors. For more information of the meeting, refer to the JCEP website where the minutes of the meeting will be posted.
In the last newsletter I outlined the plans for a Futuring Taskforce, which would be charged with collecting information and formulating a plan to help chart the future direction of Epsilon Sigma Phi. I am pleased to announce the following appointments to the committee: Nancy Crago-Chair, PA; Ellen Varley, MD; Eleanor Wilson, (DC.); Gretchen Ferenz, NY; Stacey Warner, KS; Judy Villard, OH; Mark Russell, IN; Mike McKinney, FL; Della Baker, SC; Sara Anderson, AR; Janice Stimpson, ID; Phil Rosenlund, WY; and Debbie Amundsen, UT. Under Nancy's leadership the taskforce will begin their task of gathering information and presenting a recommendation on the course our organization will follow in the future. I encourage all of our membership to be involved in the process. Please communicate your thoughts and ideas to any of the taskforce members or to the National Board for consideration.
The National Board will be meeting in March in Phoenix. Any items that need to be presented to the board should be submitted by March 1 so that we can include them in the agenda.
Mark the ESP website, http://espnational.org, as one of your regular stops as you surf the web. Opportunities for members are listed there with the forms and deadline information for applications. It is your organization - make it work for you!
ESP's National Conference will be held in Moline, Illinois, from September 15 thru September 18, 2004. The ESP Professional Development Committee has developed a list of categories for concurrent sessions/posters for this conference.
Categories for Concurrent Sessions/Posters are:
The Professional Development Committee will review and select the proposals in March and will forward the recommendations to the ESP National Board for approval at the Mid-year Board meeting that will be held in early April. Successful applicants will be notified by April 15th.
All presenters MUST register for the conference and are expected to attend the entire conference. Only Concurrent Session presenters who attend the full conference are eligible for a stipend.
The format required for submission of concurrent session/poster is located on the ESP WEBSITE at http://espnational.org. Failure to follow the outline may result in non-review of the proposal by the Professional Development Committee.
All proposals must be received electronically at the National ESP Office by 5:00 p.m. on February 28, 2004. Additionally, a hard copy must be mailed to the National Office and be postmarked no later than February 28, 2004. A fax copy will not be acceptable. Proposals received by the ESP National Office after the February 28, 2004, deadline will not be considered.
Does your State Chapter forward on to you electronic communications from the national office? Are you aware of all the latest news, current developments, upcoming events and activities, or approaching deadlines for scholarship and recognition award applications? You could be!!! Epsilon Sigma Phi's Executive Director Linda Cook develops timely, clear and informative bulletins on a regular basis in an effort to keep you CONNECTED to the national Epsilon Sigma Phi organization. Bulletin briefings include links to web-based information on ESP and other websites. Linda makes being informed easy!
In the past, electronic bulletins were sent only to Chapter Presidents with encouragement to forward each bulletin to all Chapter members should the Chapter have the means to provide material to members electronically. In response to a recommendation of the National Membership Recruitment & Retention Committee, since November 2003, the bulletin is now being distributed directly to Chapter leadership, including Presidents, Vice-Presidents, President-Elects, Secretaries, Treasurers and Past-Presidents.
Please request that when the bulletin is received, your Chapter leadership pass it on!!! Let's get the word out and share information as widely as possible. Efforts to do so will benefit all Epsilon Sigma Phi members and likely lead to members having greater interest to become involved in national, regional and local activities and to utilize their member benefits!
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE FOUR NEW ESP REGIONAL AND CHAPTER RECOGNITION AWARDS?
Administrative Leadership Award: Recipients must have shown noteworthy administrative performance during ten years or more of county, regional, state, program, department or national level leadership. Due in National ESP Office March 1---check your local state deadlines.
Diversity: May be presented to one team and one individual in each ESP chapter and each region whose innovative programming reinforces the organization's commitment to reaching diverse audiences. The team must include at least 50% ESP members. The program must have been implemented in the past three years. Due in National ESP Office March 1---check your local state deadlines.
Early Career Service (Regional): Recipients must have demonstrated noteworthy enthusiasm, performance and accomplishment during their early Extension careers (less than 10 years). Due in National ESP Office March 1---check your local state deadlines.
Continued Excellence: Recognizes an experienced Extension Professional with 20 or more years who has exhibited continued leadership, initiative and excellence in the Extension program or administration, on a chapter/regional/national level. Members are eligible for nomination five years after receiving the chapter Distinguished Service recognition. Due in National ESP Office March 1---check your local state deadlines.
Other applications that are due by March 1 are:
Distinguished Ruby nominations
Friends of Extension
Regional Distinguished Service
Mid-Career Distinguished Service
Member scholarships due by March 1 are:
Richard R. Angus Professional Development:
$500 scholarships to encourage, stimulate, and support professional development through participation in courses, seminars or workshops. Must be current ESP member. Maximum of four scholarships awarded per year.
Administrative Leadership:
$500 scholarship for unit administrator who is a current ESP member to attend National ESP Conference. Must be first timer. One scholarship is offered per region.
For more information and application/nomination forms go to the ESP website http://espnational.org and click on the "Forms" button. All applications and nominations are read very thoroughly and the committee urges applicants to not wait until the last minute to fill out forms. Be sure to follow directions explicitly and address all questions on the form
10. It makes you a more effective Extension professional.
9. It provides you an opportunity to network with other Extension professionals.
8. It allows you more opportunities to obtain resources that can be used for professional development.
7. It provides you the opportunity to contribute to the Extension profession.
6. You can represent your state chapter on a national level.
5. It gives you the opportunity to organize your efforts and summarize your achievements.
4. You can receive financial assistance to participate in the National ESP organization and their professional development activities.
3. You can gain valuable experience that will enable you to be a better leader.
2. It gives you recognition from your peers for all your hard work.
1. It is EASY and the RIGHT thing to do.
So now that all the holiday hustle and bustle is over and your year-end reports are done, take a few minutes and check out the website at http://espnational.org. Then set aside time to write up the winning application and submit it to your state chapter in time for the national March 1 deadline.
In a recent communication I received, the author talked about the phrase, "battleground state," which is often heard in presidential election politics, referring to a few swing states in which the two parties are closely matched and the electoral votes are essential to winning the election. The term can also be applied to our organization, in the sense that the future of Epsilon Sigma Phi depends fundamentally on what transpires at the state level - and all states are battlegrounds for our membership and retention efforts. We cannot, however, shrug our shoulders and hope that somehow "things will get better." We have to become engaged in our state chapters and ensure that ESP is offering a professional development opportunity that can't be missed and potential members will want to be included!
What is your state's strategy? The following points may seem obvious, but they make practical sense for every chapter. To build the case that membership has something for the new member, we must take our case to the potential members in different ways:
You can think of others, I'm sure. Whatever your approach, make sure it is part of a state chapter plan that engages many members and has support from enough of your colleagues to help reach your goals and celebrate your successes.
Recruitment and retention is not a once a year event. It is an ongoing effort by all ESP members. We have to tell our story and be able to articulate the many personal and professional benefits we receive by being a part of the state and national Epsilon Sigma Phi organization. Good luck in your recruitment!
JCEP - Joint Council of Extension Professionals proudly announces the 2004 JCEP Extension Teamwork Award. If you and your colleagues have a successful, multi-disciplinary Extension program, apply now for the 2004 Teamwork awards! Two $500 awards will be presented during this year to outstanding Extension programs with team members from 2 or more program areas. The Joint Council of Extension Professionals sponsors this award to encourage and recognize successful Extension programs or projects that demonstrate effective performance and significant results (impact) at community, area, state or multi-state levels.
Visit the JCEP website, http://www.jcep.org/ for a 2004 application and complete guidelines, plus information about the 2003 award winning teams announced at the Galaxy Conference in Salt Lake City. Applications are due April 1, 2004 to Sharon Hoelscher Day, JCEP President-Elect. The JCEP Teamwork awards will be presented at the 2004 national meetings of the winning team members.
MARCH
MAY
JUNE
JULY
2004 National ESP Conference
September 14-19, 2004
Quad Cities, IL
2005 National ESP Conference
November 8-13, 2005
Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO
2006 National ESP Conference
November 12-19, 2006
Annapolis, MD
Cost was a major concern. We knew that member out-of-pocket expenses would be higher for a 2-day conference and could hurt participation. We also knew that it was extremely important to obtain a dynamic seminar presenter and meeting speaker who would encourage members to attend. We realized that such a speaker would cost more than what had been paid in the past for a 1 hour speaker. For the first year, we didn't want to charge members the full expense for a 2-day conference. Thus, the Alpha Beta Chapter applied for and received the Epsilon Sigma Phi Professional Development Mini-Grant for $1,000.00 to facilitate moving to a 2-day annual meeting format.
The mini-grant enabled the committee to design and deliver Georgia's first 2-day Epsilon Sigma Phi Annual Meeting. The theme for the conference was "Take the Mystery Out of Understanding the Generations." Bob Googe of WOW! Performance Coaching, Inc. led an active, enjoyable, and very beneficial 3 hour seminar the first day of the meeting. The evening activities included dinner; break-out sessions on dossiers, volunteering around the world, and investing; socializing; and networking. The second day began with a breakfast speaker from the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership, followed by exhibits, business meeting, speaker Bob Googe, silent and live auctions for scholarships, and the awards and recognition luncheon.
The 2-day annual meeting was a hit among members and received very high evaluations. Attendance at the meeting was one of the highest. The attendance numbers follow: 47 full-time attendees, 34 part-time attendees, 5 presenters, and 11 award recipients not already counted for a total attendance of 97. Fifty-two attendees completed evaluations for the 2-day conference and 35 attendees completed detailed evaluations of the 3 hour seminar. The evaluations indicated a strong preference for a 2-day meeting: on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being excellent, 73% ranked their preference for a 2-day meeting at 6 or higher. Seventy-nine percent of evaluators rated the overall annual meeting at an 8 or higher - very high ratings.
Bob Googe, as one attendee wrote, was "Just what Extension Needed"! Evaluations indicated that attendees substantially increased their knowledge of the differences in people of different generations and effective techniques that can be used to supervise and interact with others. Evaluations indicated that participants would use their increased knowledge in administrative, church, and community settings and among co-workers, clients, 4-H'ers, volunteers, and family.
The Georgia Alpha Beta Chapter has continued the 2-day annual meeting format. The Professional Development Mini-Grant enabled us to offer enhanced opportunities to our members.
Do you have an idea or trick that you use to make your job easier? Something that you find helpful in doing your job? If you do, we are asking you to submit your "tip of the trade" to the ESP Professional Development Committee for inclusion in the newsletter.
You may be preparing for a program and have a special something to help you get organized; or a system to help keep the clutter off your desk; or a method to keep track of all of your programs.
Submit your idea in 200 words or less to: Jim Hovland, Professional Development Committee Chair, james.hovland@ces.uwex.edu.
A group from South Carolina was chosen to study rural revitalization in County Mayo, Ireland last summer. The team members had diverse backgrounds, some with small towns and others with Clemson University.
A decline in County Mayo's production agriculture contributed to youth out-migration. Dilapidated buildings threatened the local economy. Many historical sites sprinkled the landscape. As people began to show concern about their communities, grassroots leaders emerged. Meetings were held to find out what could be done with available resources. Community members identified their needs. The County Mayo residents recognized the benefit in taking collective responsibility to address their community needs. Traditionally, in project development, objectives are developed in a top-down approach; then dispersed to the people that the project is supposed to benefit. This approach does not always translate well to people in small, rural areas because they often feel that they have no ownership of the plan or that it is not relevant to their specific needs.
The community members collaborated with government for assistance with creating community profiles, project analysis, funding, and small business training. The results were renovations to old buildings for social housing and leasing to new businesses. They began programs to preserve archeological and historical monuments. Many indigenous businesses were formed to support tourism. In addition, the residents involved those who had traditionally been left out of community decision making, such as women, youth, and low-income persons. Success was measured by the numbers of families staying in communities, the number of jobs created, and the increase in economic activity reported by banks. More importantly, however, was the sense of pride expressed by those whom we met of their heritage. We were told, "the land is as precious as blood."
The South Carolina team has developed a set of Guiding Principles to help small communities better understand the County Mayo approach. We are planning a "Pilgrimage of Place" with two communities in South Carolina, hoping that grassroots ideas will emerge and communities will flourish as a result of their own pilgrimage experience.
During 2003, significant progress was made on the $500,000 Development Fund Campaign launched in 2002. A "$75 n 75" campaign was implemented with a special pin designed for the contributors. With over 400 contributors and over $100,000 in pledges during the first year, ESP is well on its way to reaching the five-year goal. Give now and keep it growing!
This comprehensive campaign will help endow sufficient resources for scholarships and professional development opportunities for Extension professionals.
Your tax-deductible contribution to the Epsilon Sigma Phi Development Fund will support ESP's continued leadership in excellent professional development opportunities and recognition programs for current and retired Extension professionals. Complete information on giving categories and how to give is on the ESP website at http://espnational.org. Click and go from electronic newsletter.
Dick Angus, Maryland, former ESP National President, has served as the Development Fund Chairman and has given outstanding leadership to this national effort. In recognition of his outstanding service to ESP and as ESP Diamond Key donor, the Richard R. Angus Professionalism Scholarship will be awarded annually to four ESP members for their pursuit of professional development opportunities.
Applications for the first recipients of this $500 award are due March 1, 2004. See pages E-5 and E-36 of the online Handbook at the ESP website http://espnational.org for details. Apply now!