Author: Sandra Conn

Announcing Expansion of Innovation Teams for Premium Member Institutions

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date March 10, 2016

Over the last several years, the eXtension Foundation has worked with several state Cooperative Extension Services, helping them develop Innovation Teams to advance new initiatives, particularly initiatives that involve scaling up and applying uses of new technologies.

The success and study of these Innovation Teams, together with the development of new capabilities within eXtension, has prepared eXtension to now offer Premium Member Institutions of eXtension Foundation an opportunity to form Innovation Teams, with consulting support and services from eXtension, to accelerate their institutions’ adoption of innovations.

Examples of successfully achieved innovation goals include:

Oregon State Extension — statewide deployment of Ask an Expert, now advancing to system-wide use of Twitter
Ohio State Extension — development of an Education Technology team devoted to helping OSU Extension faculty integrate technology and practice as well as statewide adoption of Ask an Expert
University of Delaware — deployment of social media system-wide for Delaware Extension professionals to share success stories with followers and attract new audiences

From studying these and other successes, eXtension has developed an Innovation Team methodology to guide Member Institutions in choosing what innovation(s) to focus on; setting goals; building a team; and planning and integrating tasks into plans of work for implementation success. Regularly scheduled webinars and other special custom-education activities are offered by eXtension to each institution’s leaders, team and team members to advance their institution in achieving its goals with measurable impact.

For more information, visit our Innovations Teams page, or contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org or Jerry Thomas at jthomas@extension.org.

Tags innovation, Members, News, Technology

Announcements Catalog Newsroom Professional Development Tools and Services Webinars

Announcing Catalog: New Clearinghouse for Extension Professionals’ Educational Offerings

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date March 10, 2016

The eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of Catalog, soon to become the gateway to a comprehensive listing of online courses, webinars, workshops, and eBooks available–both for Extension professionals and public learners–throughout the Cooperative Extension System. The initial launch includes approximately 100 courses but will steadily scale up in the immediate term to offer more than 450 free and fee-based courses, webinars, and other educational offerings. All Extension professionals from eXtension Foundation Member Institutions can list their education offerings on Catalog.

The offerings on Catalog cover a wide array of topics and are delivered through several different platforms or technologies. Most of the courses are delivered through eXtension’s online course system, Campus, at campus.extension.org. Originally launched in 2007, Campus offers some 360 courses of varying subject matter, rigor, cost and credit. Course subjects reflect the breadth of the Cooperative Extension System, as Extension educators from about 40 different land-grant universities and involved in various agriculture, family, community and youth programs offer online education through Campus.

Increasingly, these Extension educators are using new ways to deliver education to their respective audiences–particularly webconferencing, or webinars–which allow presenters to enhance their educational offerings with additional resources, opportunities for continued conversation, testing, certification or other extended learning activities. Some webinars may require fees for admission, and Catalog facilitates payment of fees and enrollment in those webinars. A full list of webinars can be found at learn.extension.org.

For more information and a close look at the Catalog, visit catalog.extension.org. Also watch for coming announcements of webinars and other opportunities to learn more about using Catalog. For any questions you may have, please email cataloghelp@extension.org.

Tags Catalog, Online Learning, Professional Development

Information Newsroom

eXtension Board, ECOP Seek Restoration of NTAE Funding

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 19, 2016

On Thursday, February 11, eXtension Foundation learned that the New Technologies in Agricultural Extension (NTAE) budget line which provides eXtension’s base funding was dropped from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) budget submitted to the President’s budget request for FY2017.

eXtension is a part of the Cooperative Extension System that provides a national platform that supports Extension professionals with resources and professional development for advancing science-based knowledge, digital technologies and innovation into local communities of all kinds in the United States.

In 2015, eXtension refocused its mission and added new initiatives to enhance development of Extension professionals’ effectiveness in addressing issues, innovation, and impact. Some issues targeted by eXtension and Extension professionals are food, agriculture, health, and energy.

Upon learning of the removal of NTAE’s baseline funding for extension, the leadership of eXtension, eXtension’s Board of Directors, and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP)–the representative leadership and governing body of the Cooperative Extension System nationwide that is part of the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA)–came together to develop a request to restore NTAE’s budget line for funding eXtension in FY2017 at the FY2016 level of $1.55 million.

Anyone wishing to support this advocacy effort is invited to join this action using the request document linked above. This action has been approved by the BAA Budget and Advocacy Committee and Policy Board of Directors. As you advocate for this competitive line, please adhere to the guidelines of BAA and the language used in the request document.

Communications & Marketing Conferences/Meetings Events Meetings & Conferences Newsroom Professional Development Tools and Services

Manage Your NeXC2016 Schedule with a Free Sched Account

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 16, 2016

eXtension now offers a Sched.org application for the National eXtension Conference 2016 so attendees and speakers can plan and customize their schedules of Professional Development workshops and events. The conference will be held March 22-25, 2016, in San Antonio, Texas, at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.

Sched allows you to create a customized personal schedule of sessions you want to attend, view your schedule on any platform/device, revise it on the go as needed, network with other attendees and speakers both before and at the conference, and more.

An easy-to-use mobile web app built for iOS and Android lets you easily manage your schedule, including calendar syncing with iCal, Google Calendar and Outlook. You can print versions of your schedule, email it, and share it socially with colleagues and other attendees. Once you add your social media links, you will be able to view the schedules of friends and fellow attendees who have added theirs.

Register soon for the National eXtension Conference 2016: From Innovation to Impact. (Rooms will be held at the conference rate through February 29, 2016. Registration late fee applies after March 11, 2016.)
Sign up for a free Sched account and check out our Professional Development sessions to begin planning and sharing your schedule.
Sched sign up is fast and easy using your email or Facebook account. More information at sched.org/support/section/guide-for-attendees/.

Tags Meetings & Conferences, Professional Development, web tools

Impact Innovation Meetings & Conferences Professional Development

eXtension Conference to Focus on Leading-Edge Professional Development

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 10, 2016

Throughout the United States, Cooperative Extension professionals are living and working in an era of profound change. Never before has there been such a shift in how people work, think and conduct their daily lives that has occurred at such a dazzlingly rapid pace.

This point is made dramatically in a short — indeed rapid — video by New York University business professor Scott Galloway which has gone viral. In this video, Galloway documents the mind-boggling growth of the “Gang of Four” — Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple — in 2015. The multi-billion dollar gains he recounts in these corporations’ market capitalization are changing, not only the wealth of their investors, but the way everyone in all local communities throughout our country live and learn to live in the present and into the future.

These changes create huge challenges for Extension professionals and for eXtension Foundation, the internet-based learning platform that supports their daily work in advancing economic and social well-being in their local communities of service. In putting together our March 2016 National eXtension Conference focused on professional development and innovation, we found ourselves working hard to ensure that our professional development offerings would be at the leading edge of transferring the knowledge and technology insights that Extension professionals will need in the year ahead.

Descriptions of these offerings, proposed and presented by Extension professionals, present a wide-ranging selection of topics and workshop approaches that are rich in hands-on exploration and application. Also important will be the peer-to-peer learning opportunities for Extension professionals of all stripes — agents, educators, faculty, specialists, directors, and administrators — and from all areas of the country as they gather, meet face-to-face, and share their experiences, challenges and solutions for the changes rocking their communities.

Cooperative Extension professionals may not yet have a story to tell that is as sensational as Galloway’s “Gang of Four,” but their mission is the same: to lead innovation in their communities and create impact in helping their local clients benefit in the face of rapid, disrupting change.

Tags national conference

Newsroom

eXtension Announces Speakers for March National Conference

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 4, 2016

The eXtension Foundation announced today the lineup of speakers who will headline its National eXtension Conference: From Innovation to Impact to be held March 22-25 in San Antonio, Texas. All Extension professionals are invited to attend this conference that offers a rich array of innovation and professional development learning opportunities.

Keynote speaker on Wednesday, March 23, will be John Stepper, author of Working Out Loud, widely heralded as the new roadmap for working more effectively in our new increasingly digital environment. Says Stepper of his concept, “Working Out Loud starts with making your work visible in such a way that it might help others. When you do that – when you work in a more open, connected way – you can build a purposeful network that makes you more effective and provides access to more opportunities.”

Keynote speaker on Thursday, March 24, will be Paul Pangaro, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of the MFA Interaction Design program at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Dr. Pangaro teaches, researches and consults on “designing for conversation” to develop and implement innovations, software and organizational processes. In sessions in both conference tracks, he will show how designing new conversations with the right range of perspectives can take impact to the next level.

Capstone speaker on Friday, March 25, will be Tom Fox, Vice President for Leadership and Innovation at the Partnership for Public Service. He oversees the Partnership’s Center for Government Leadership (CGL) and growing portfolio on innovation in government. He also writes the FedCoach column for The Washington Post. Reflecting innovation, he comments, “…too many people give up too easily. If you’re certain your idea is worth implementation, listen to the feedback you receive and continue improving upon your idea until it prevails.”

Also speaking on Friday morning will be two Cooperative Extension System and ECOP (Extension Committee on Organization and Policy) leaders.

Michelle Rodgers, PhD, Chair of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and Associate Director Cooperative Extension and Outreach at the University of Delaware.

Keith L. Smith, PhD, retired Director of Cooperative Extension at The Ohio State University, a strong advocate for innovation in the Cooperative Extension System and Chair of the new ECOP Innovation Task Force, a follow-up of the Cooperative Extension System Innovation Inventory, which he also chaired.

Together Drs. Rodgers and Smith will launch the new ECOP Innovation Task Force in conjunction with the task force’s first meeting held at the National eXtension Conference. The Innovation Task Force’s objective will be to build on the findings of the Innovation Inventory to develop guidelines for implementing innovation strategies throughout the Extension system.

Newsroom

eXtension Launches 2016 i-Three Issue Corps

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 3, 2016

The NEW eXtension is pleased to name the first eXtension i-Three Issue Corps. These 126 individuals comprise 72 projects focused on either food systems or climate. In addition, they represent 31 states and 33 institutions. Over the coming weeks and months, the Corps will collaborate with eXtension staff, key subject matter informants, experts in project design, technology, marketing, and each other to enhance and improve their projects and experiments. During the National eXtension Conference in San Antonio, March 22-25, 2016, the Corps will meet as a group and move through a “design-a-thon” experience to further refine their projects or experiments.

Newsroom

Peter Aamodt Appointed New CFO of eXtension Foundation

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 3, 2016

Announced: Tuesday, January 26, 2016

eXtension Foundation CEO Christine Geith, PhD, announced today the appointment of Peter Aamodt as part-time Chief Financial Officer of eXtension Foundation beginning immediately.

Peter has served in a wide range of financial and business officer roles in his career. He has worked in both large and small organizations and is very experienced at balancing a broad strategic focus with hands-on governance activities. Most recently he served as Interim Director, Strategic Procurement and Contracting, at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and prior to that was Vice President, Finance, at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. His work history also includes a progression of increasing financial responsibilities in the University of Tennessee system.

“We are very pleased to have Peter join our team,” said Dr. Geith in announcing the appointment. “He has proven capabilities in delivering a strong focus on institutional compliance and integrity and providing excellent service. He also has a highly effective, collaborative work style based in workgroup-oriented technology, making him a perfect fit for our nationally distributed, virtually connected eXtension team and partners.”

The eXtension Foundation is an integral part of the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and a partner with USDA-NIFA. eXtension’s purpose is to deliver professional development and promote innovation to help Extension professionals increase their visible and measurable impact locally and system wide.

Tags newsroom, staff

Information

2015 Reflections: Creating the New eXtension

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date January 5, 2016

New Year’s Day is a time for making resolutions, but it’s also a time for reflecting on the year gone by. As we look back at our 2015 journey to creating the NEW eXtension, we can see that we have passed many important milestones toward reaching our goal: to provide outstanding professional development and foster innovation among Cooperative Extension System professionals to increase their ability to deliver greater impact, locally and system wide. We thank all our partners and volunteers who share our vision and generously continue to contribute to our work.

5 Great Milestones of 2015

1. eXtension Fellows and Innovation Project Awardees:

In March 2015, the eXtension Foundation Board of Directors issued a call for proposals to identify Extension professionals nationwide to receive grants as eXtension Fellows or Innovation Project awardees. Three Fellows were named and nine Innovation Projects were selected for funding, jumpstarting the new commitment to innovation and eXtension’s role in leading the quest.

2. New Chief Executive Officer:

Throughout spring 2015, our Board of Directors conducted a search for a new Chief Executive Officer for the eXtension Foundation. In June, they announced the appointment of Christine Geith, PhD, former director of MSU Global at Michigan State University, as our CEO.
Dr. Geith, an entrepreneurial national leader in online learning and innovative digital strategies for community engagement programs of all kinds, kicked off her new position with a whirlwind tour of Extension locations, getting to know the leaders, professionals and activities of eXtension’s primary audience—Extension directors and administrators, educators, agents, specialists and faculty nationwide.

3. New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) Grant Awarded:

At the end of August 2015, we learned that our NTAE grant proposal had won continued support from USDA-NIFA through the award of an NTAE Cooperative Agreement to Michigan State University and the eXtension Foundation. This secured funding to pursue the new vision and plans that Dr. Geith and the eXtension staff were developing for eXtension’s future.

4. New Vision Framework: In September 2015, eXtension leadership, staff and an extended team of eXtension Fellows and Innovation Project awardees met in Indianapolis to work together at building out the new vision framework into a concrete set of initiatives. Through a series of interactive brainstorming and planning sessions, together they created the “i-Three” initiative, a unique approach for energizing innovation among Extension professionals through focusing on “Issues, Innovation, and Impact.” At the end of the meeting the eXtension Foundation Board of Directors approved the new plan, and we left Indianapolis with a strong vision that connected both grassroots and leadership aspirations. All that was left was how to put it into action.

5. i-Three Plan of Action: Between September and the beginning of October, Dr. Geith and the eXtension staff created and finalized an action plan for the i-Three initiative, including the i-Three Issue Corps, the i-Three Innovation Lab and i-Three Rapid Solutions. Recruiting of Extension professionals to join the Issue Corps and work on projects addressing the issues of climate or food systems was launched at once. The process of gathering applications, reviewing them, and selecting the new Issue Corps members is now complete, and they will begin their work in January 2016. Those selected will work on their projects and experiments in the Innovation Lab, Rapid Solutions, or with experts from throughout the Cooperative Extension System who have agreed to be observers, consultants and mentors. The Corps experience will also include a variety of networking events and professional development opportunities with a focus on finding innovative approaches to increase impact.

Join Us in San Antonio

The cumulative results of reaching these milestones will be demonstrated at eXtension’s upcoming event. Plan to join this exciting, interactive adventure in making innovation happen.

From Innovation to Impact:
The NEW eXtension’s NEW National Conference
March 22-25, 2016
San Antonio, Texas
.

Information

eXtension Board, ECOP Seek Restoration of NTAE Funding

Post author By Sandra Conn
Post date February 18, 2014

Upon learning of the removal of NTAE’s baseline funding for eXtension, the leadership of eXtension, eXtension’s Board of Directors, and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP)–the representative leadership and governing body of the Cooperative Extension System nationwide that is part of the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA)–came together to develop a request to restore NTAE’s budget line for funding eXtension in FY2017 at the FY2016 level of $1.55 million.

Anyone wishing to support this advocacy effort is invited to join this action using the request document linked above. This action has been approved by the BAA Budget and Advocacy Committee and Policy Board of Directors. As you advocate for this competitive and capacity line, please adhere to the guidelines of BAA and the language used in the request document.