Extension Updates

To assure that all of you are kept up to date on a regular basis, the three regional directors and the state Extension Administration Office provides bi-weekly Extension Updates. This forum is for all Extension announcements, so if you have something to distribute, please forward it to Lori Bates with FOR EXTENSION UPDATE noted.

July 17, 2014

On Behalf of the State Extension Administration Office Update


First of Three Meteor Project Journal Articles is Published! – Jeff Goodwin

Why Work for Extension? An Examination of Job Satisfaction and Motivation in a Statewide Employee Retention Study
Harder, Amy; Gouldthorpe, Jessica; Goodwin, Jeff

Understanding motivation and job satisfaction is important for increasing rates of employee retention within Extension. The purpose of the study reported here was to explore factors positively affecting the motivation of Extension professionals in their careers. An online survey of Extension professionals in Colorado was conducted. Factors such as the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives, variety in daily activities, leave policies, and flexible scheduling were identified as positive motivators, but perceptions of motivators were significantly different between satisfied and dissatisfied employees. Recommendations for improving retention based on what motivates Extension professionals are discussed.

http://www.joe.org/joe/2014june/a5.php

Ad Hoc Committee on Performance Appraisal Process and Content – Judy Barth

There have been recent requests for a review of the Performance Appraisal documents and process. I have volunteered to convene a group (however I will not ‘chair’ the group – I strongly believe a field-based individual should chair the group). Two individuals have already volunteered to be part of the ad hoc committee: Erin Post (Adams) and Jacki Paone (Jefferson). I would like to recruit additional folks. If you are interested in serving on this ad hoc committee – work to be done via conference call and LIMITED face-to-face meeting(s), please let me know. With fairs upon us, I doubt we will begin any substantive work on this until after Labor Day and hope to conclude by 1/1/15. Any substantive change in the system would be implemented at least one year after the changes are announced. Contact me if you’d like to be a part of this group.

Websites Pictures – Joanne Littlefield

The ability to visually depict the richness of programs and people involved in Extension work is carried out from everything from our presentation to our outreach materials.

The photographs that we use on our websites (both the general state site www.ext.colostate.edu, and the Extension landing page through Office of Engagement http://outreach.colostate.edu/landingpage.html) give us the ability to engage a variety of audiences.

We’d like to continue to invite you to have your programs showcased. As Lou mentioned in an email earlier this summer, I am building a repository for these photographs as well as getting them into the proper format for the best display.

Because we’d like these photographs to be as useful across many different platforms, including print, please send me your files in the high resolution format that I hope you captured them. Whether you’re using a traditional camera, your cell phone or an iPad for this, we’d love to have them. If there is any identifying ‘caption’ information that you’d like to include, please do so; that way if we use them in a print piece we could include it, as well as in the file metadata.

And as Lou noted in that past email, photos from the field best reflect our engagement with the people of Colorado. For now, please send them to me as an attachment, in .jpg format if possible.

Update on Professional Development Funds – Judy Barth

As you may all be aware, Extension has budgeted for professional development funds for the 2014-15 fiscal year. The policy and procedures for accessing these funds are available on the CSUE website at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/staffres/profimpmenu.html.

I want to call your attention to a new addition to the request procedure. We now ask each individual requesting funds to answer the following question within the body of their request:
How might participation in this professional development opportunity potentially result in the inclusion of members of a diverse audience (people of various races, genders, socioeconomic classes and other points of human diversity) in your future programming?

Please be sure to address this question in your future requests.

Great Colorado Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) is developing a 5 year strategic plan that will help determine how funds from the state lottery get invested. They are eager to hear from a wide range of people across Colorado, and the CSU Extension network is a particularly important resource in that effort. We can be so instrumental in making sure that the families who are often left out of this kind of process get their voices heard. Please check the schedule below, and share the invitation with others who may be interested/available. A meal will be provided (either lunch or dinner), as well as door prizes and child care. RSVP to http://bit.do/GOCO

When you think about the future of Colorado’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces, what do you care about most? We want to hear from you. Great Outdoors Colorado, which invests a portion of state lottery revenues into state parks, local parks, open space, trails and wildlife, is conducting a listening tour across the state in August to gather input for its 2015 strategic plan.

GOCO listening tours

Specialists' Introductions

Michael Bartolo

Meet CSU Extension Specialist
Michael Bartolo

Title: SR Research Sci/Scholar
College: Agricultural Sciences
Department: Arkansas Valley Research Center
% Extension Time: 25%
Years with CSU: 23 (plus 4 as an undergraduate and 2 as GRA)
Extension/Outreach Involvement: Commercial Vegetable Crops
Research Area: Crop production including irrigation, variety development, and pest management. Crops include: onions, melons, and peppers.
Hobbies/Interests: hiking, volleyball, working on own farm
Contact Information: 27901 Road 21, Rocky Ford, CO 81067-9466, 719-254-6312 michael.bartolo@colostate.edu

 

Abdel Berrada

Meet CSU Extension Specialist
Abdel Berrada

Title: SR Research Sci/Manager
College: Agricultural Sciences
Department: Southwestern Colorado Research Center
% Extension Time: 23%
Years with CSU: 20 (since October 1993)
Extension/Outreach Involvement: Field days and tours of the research projects and various projects. Respond to requests for information. Meet/interact with constituents and regional extension agents on a regular basis. Give talks at regional and local meetings. Work with Montezuma and Dolores County Extension on projects of common interest (e.g., orchard, cover crops, oilseed crops, etc.). We are currently working on a cover proposal and also planning to hold a workshop on the linkages (increased integration) between forage production and grazing and dryland farming.
Research Area: Soil, crop, and water management
Teaching Responsibilities: None
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, writing, walking, swimming, gardening, and spending time with my children and granddaughter.
Contact Information: 16910 County Road Z, Yellow Jacket, CO, 970-562-4255 abdel.berrada@colostate.edu

Updated