The original multistate diversity efforts of the Change Agent States for Diversity (CASD), now known as Change Agent States (CAS), will receive the CSREES Partnership Award for Multistate Efforts. This team is made up of 19 land-grant institutions in 14 states (AZ, CO, DL, ID, LA, MO, MS, NM, NY, NC, ND, PA, SD, WA). The excellent work done by the multistate team will be recognized at the CSREES Day of Appreciation scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, in Washington, DC. The Arizona team (originally started by Shirley O’Brien and later co-chaired by Billye Foster, Steven Crofts, and Jim Christenson), included many CALS faculty, staff and professionals (Ruth Carter, Jim Chamie, Ruth Jackson, Maria Marzinsky, Valerie Teetor, Esperanza Torres, Sabrina Tuttle, LaVonne Walton).
Kim Gressley appreciates all of the cards, emails and phone calls from faculty and staff in CALS since she and Ron were in a motorcycle accident on May 9. The messages and notes have helped them keep on track with all of their hospital stays and ongoing treatments at UMC. Ron recently had his fifth, and hopefully his final, long hospital stay in trying to save his kidney. They remain optimistic that they will heal, be able to move forward with their lives, and Kim looks forward to coming back to work in October. Kim wants everyone to know how grateful they are for the strong support from both family and friends. These kinds of experiences really help put everything in perspective.
There are just over two weeks left to nominate someone for the Extension Faculty of the Year Award and/or the Extensionist of the Year Award. Please work with your faculty and staff and nominate one of the many good people we have out there (both on and off campus). The Faculty of the Year award will be presented at an appropriate event where the recipient will receive $1,000 and a plaque. The Extensionist of the Year award will be presented at an appropriate college-wide event to recognize residents of the State of Arizona who have contributed time and talent, through Cooperative Extension, to citizens of their community and state. Letters of nomination from faculty and staff in Extension should state the nature and extent of the service that the individual has performed and how it has benefited the community, the state and its citizens. Please submit your nominations to my office by September 30. Go to cals.arizona.edu/awards/extfacultyawd.html for Extension Faculty of the Year Award nomination form and criteria and to cals.arizona.edu/extension/download/2009_Nomination_Form.pdf for the nomination form for the Extensionist of the Year Award. If you have any questions, please contact my office (520.621.7205).
Have you signed up for Drupal Training - our new content management system for Cooperative Extension Websites? If not, there are still available dates and times. Just go to the Doodle site doodle.com/tcxi25yg74qd7mt7 and indicate all dates/times you are available. If you plan on attending the training at MAC this week, be sure to respond by tomorrow, September 16. This training will enable you or your designee(s) to easily enter, change and update your program and event information content directly into a Website right from your computers. There are general trainings and also county and 4-H trainings (a general training must be taken prior to a county or 4-H training). If you have questions, contact Sheila Merrigan (merrigan@cals.arizona.edu or 520.626.6543).
Information regarding the 2010-2011 sabbatical leave application process, a copy of instructions and relevant forms are now available at the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Website (facultyaffairs.arizona.edu/sabbatical/letter.html). Since the Faculty Affairs Website is currently undergoing a redesign (and should be fully updated in October), some dates for materials listed will be incorrect but the information is the same. Additional information and deadlines for sabbatic applications to County Extension Directors and for submission to the Director's Office are available under Section 6.03.03 (cals.arizona.edu/extension/employee/pandp/chap6.html#6.03.03) of our Program & Procedural Manual. If you plan to apply for a sabbatic leave, be sure to read through this information. If you have questions at the Extension level, either see your CED or contact Patti B. (pattib@cals.arizona.edu or 520.621.5308). If you have questions at the CALS level, contact Audrey Levine (alevine@email.arizona.edu or 520.621.3612).
On September 30 at 12:00am, CSREES email and Internet site names will change to reflect the agency's new name -- the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The new Internet site URL will be nifa.usda.gov and staff email addresses will change to first initial and lastname @nifa.usda.gov. In both instances, the old Internet site URL and the old email addresses will remain functional.
Operating in the Face of Uncertain Markets Webinar – Niche & Specialty Crops, Alternative Marketing Strategies (www.msuextensionconnect.org/aginuncertaintimes/), September 17, 9:00am PT with Russ Tronstad and Rod Sharp; part of the Ag in Uncertain Times webinar series provided in collaboration with the eXtension Managing in Tough Times (mittnet.extension.org/) effort.
The 10th Annual Arizona Highlands Garden Conference will be held September 19 at the du Bois Conference Center at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Although registration is full, details and other information are available at the conference Website (cals.arizona.edu/coconino/highlandconference.html).
Master Consumer Advisor Training – Pima County Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Health Sciences is offering the Master Consumer Advisor Program to assist consumers with speedy help for solving problems successfully. Volunteers will sharpen their problem-solving techniques and expertise with workshops from September 23-October 28 at 4210 N. Campbell Avenue. Classes will run from 9:00am-3:00pm on Wednesdays. Participants will receive 36 hours of research based training, which includes a training manual, in exchange for 36 hours of volunteer time at Cooperative Extension. Training includes financial and house management, food & nutrition, food safety, food substitutions, food preservation and drying, clothing and textile care, pest control, and searching on the Internet. There will be demonstrations, food tasting and "hands-on" experiences. Master Consumer Advisor volunteer opportunities are not limited to answering telephone calls, but will include additional community outreach with other Family & Consumer Health Science such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed), Bone Builders and Small Steps to Health & Wealth. Class size is limited and there is a registration fee of $65 to cover class materials, handouts, food and beverages for the six-week training. Registration closes on September 18. For more information, contact Linda Block (lblock@cals.arizona.edu) or Peggy Bowker (bowker@cals.arizona.edu) at the Pima County Extension Office (520.626.5161).
James A. Christenson, Ph.D.
(jimc@cals.arizona.edu)
Associate Dean and Director
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Forbes, Room 301
Tucson, Arizona 85721
520/621-7205
520/621-1314 FAX
TMN submittal: http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/tuesday/submittal_form.html