Pictures of chickens, flowers, wheat, a boy looking through a magnifying glass, irrigation pipe, soybean pods, and fruits and vegetables.

Cooperative Extension Service

Search | Publications | Jobs | Personnel Directory | Links
County Offices | Departments

About Us

History
Administrative Personnel
Blue Letter
Annual Report
Strategic Plan

Find Us

For the Media

Agriculture

Business & Communities

Families & Consumers

Health & Nutrition

Home & Garden

Natural Resources

4-H Youth Development

Public Policy Center

For Faculty & Staff

Giving

Division Home

Agricultural Experiment
      Station Home

Cooperative Extension
      Service Home

Cooperative Extension Service Departments
Administration
Blue Letter - April 2006 No. 3648

Printer Friendly

From the Director • Employees of the Quarter • Professional Associations Show Appreciation to Dr. Lyles at Galaxy Conference • 4-H Centennial Theme Announced • Cossatot Forestry Clinic • Breakthrough Solutions II Conference • 4-H Day at Wild River Country and Magic Springs • Your Web Address May Have Changed • More New Features from GroupWise • April Grants and Contracts

From the Director

In February, the North Central Arkansas Regional Economic Development organization (NCARED) signed a $50,000 agreement with the Cooperative Extension Service to conduct its Breakthrough Solutions program for the seven-county region including Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Marion, Searcy, Stone and Van Buren counties. Leaders from these counties will participate in active learning, including breakthrough leadership skills, scenario planning, visioning, issue identification, asset mapping, strategizing for key issues and impact analysis. The expected result will be action projects and a regional blueprint to move the region forward economically in the global knowledge-based economy.

As Breakthrough Solutions rolls out to the state, the program’s success depends upon:

• Involvement and support of county agents
• The ability to identify key decision makers in communities
• Development of trust relationships with key leaders and champions
• Communicating the value of Breakthrough Solutions to the community
• A philosophy of investing in the future of communities’ youth
• A proven track record (in this case the predecessor program, VISION 2010)
• Workshops to teach fundraising.

Leadership for the program is provided by Dr. Mark Peterson and Maureen Rose.

After the initial one-year education and planning process, the Breakthrough Solutions program team will continue to support the region’s development process for an additional two-year period. For more information, please contact Dr. Mark Peterson or Maureen Rose.

In addition to Breakthrough Solutions, Community and Economic Development programs offer several other wonderful opportunities for county Extension staff members to participate in a high-impact program without full responsibility for development. Two of these programs are:

• Community Leadership Short Courses. Customized programs based on local needs determined by steering committee of local community leaders. The courses typically consist of 6 to 8 two-hour seminars and may include a project, retreat or field trip. Contact person: Mark Peterson.
   
• Developing Arkansas Leaders. The Developing Arkansas Leaders program will help maximize the leadership skills of Arkansas residents by revealing to individuals their strengths. Participants will learn ways to positively impact their community; they will also learn how to communicate effectively, inspire trust and cooperation, manage conflict, cope with criticism, and identify and adapt to new challenges. This program will offer basic and mid-level leadership training for diverse Arkansas audiences. This leadership program will attempt to reach a full spectrum of citizens by collaborating with outside groups, thereby increasing our visibility with policymakers, community leaders and other providers of information. Contact person: Tammy Seefeld.

– Ivory W. Lyles

Congratulations to the following employees on their selection as Employee of the Quarter for the quarter ending March 31, 2006:

Romona Thieme began her 30-year career with Extension as a secretary. She worked with Extension through college and spent her entire career in Mississippi County. She is most noted for her work teaching financial management to inmates in a local prison and for her development of a youth leadership program.

Although Venus is fairly new to the organization, she has taken to the work in Phillips County like a pro. Originally hired as a paraprofessional in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, she readily agreed to work with the Eating and Moving for Life program as well. She is dedicated to helping the people of Phillips County with both programs.

Saundra Blocker has worked almost 30 years with Extension in Lee County and is an example of one who has grown with the organization. She is soft-spoken, dependable, polite and the ultimate team player. She helps train agents to understand their roles and is always willing to lend support.

Angie has returned to her most treasured extension program, and that is 4-H. She has accepted the challenge and made an impact in the 4-H program by increasing the number of clubs, membership and leader development. She received and completed an innovative grant and has several extension publications available in large print and Braille for the blind in Saline County. She also has been involved in her professional organization in leadership roles.

Reyna has been the front door to reaching the Hispanic audience in the Sevier County Eating and Moving for Life program. She has translated educational materials in order for the Hispanic audience to participate in her program as well as other extension programs in the county. She also has been instrumental in recruiting a Hispanic Extension Homemakers Club as well.

Nora has transformed the Cleveland County Extension Office into what every Extension office should be. Her positive attitude has changed the entire atmosphere for anyone entering the office. Her attitude has inspired the entire staff to want to come to work each day. Her supervisor pays her the best compliment by saying she should be the measure to which all other support staff are compared.

Dustin is well liked and respected by clientele and co-workers. He is continuously developing new horticulture educational programs as a result of clientele questions to ensure that he is meeting the needs of the clientele. He projects a very positive image in the community, largely because clientele recognize his vast horticulture knowledge base and consider him a specialist in his field. He is an excellent team player conducting horticulture programs in Crawford and Sebastian counties. Dustin has also provided horticulture assistance to agents in others counties in the district.

Since joining the Pope County staff, Robbie has organized a new club and is working hard with the existing clubs. She is a well-organized and a very detail-oriented person. She puts together a great newsletter, pulling together club news and upcoming events. She has won the hearts of everyone, kids and leaders, and is the kind of employee that energizes the whole staff. Robbie brings her experience as a retail store owner and is putting it to good use for Pope County 4-H.

Dianna has been a vital part of the Stone County Office for 30 years and continues to do an excellent job. In addition to staying up to date on Extension policies and coordinating county office activities so that things run smoothly, she remains true to the Extension Service mission. She always puts the clients first, making sure their needs are met, and always with a smile.

Bob is an excellent scientist and Extension educator. He is very supportive of Extension team efforts. He initiated and followed through on all external fund-raising and led the team that secured $138,000 in external support for the new greenhouse complex at the Lonoke Center.

Mark works seven days a week, scheduling maintenance work early in the morning, at night and on weekends to reduce the inconvenience to others. He also manages the system backups for the many servers we have in place doing Extension’s business, which often requires him to come into the office during weekends and holidays. He has implemented a system by which virus protection updates are monitored hourly and installed as soon as available. His proactive work ethic has kept Extension information flowing during times when other campuses and state agencies were shut down by viruses.

Sherry exhibits professionalism on a daily basis with her strong work ethic and positive attitude. Her customer service skills are excellent. She handles phone calls and visits with co-workers with extreme confidentiality and is always friendly, respectful and helpful. She is always aware of the departmental requirements and regularly goes above and beyond her job duties to make sure the work gets done.

Professional Associations Show Appreciation to Dr. Lyles at Galaxy Conference

Members of AACES, AAE4-HA, ESP and NEAFCS-AR expressed appreciation to Dr. Ivory Lyles, associate vice president for agriculture - extension, for his continued support to the professional associations and Extension programs with the presentation of a special plaque during the 2006 Galaxy Conference in February at Hot Springs.

– VeEtta Simmons

Plans are well underway for the 4-H Centennial Celebration, which will span from October 2007 – October 2008. After a month-long online voting period that was open to the public, the Centennial Planning Committee is proud to announce that the theme for the celebration will be "Arkansas 4-H: Honoring the Past – Celebrating the Future."

We are also currently conducting an extensive 4-H Alumni search. If you are or ever were involved with 4-H, please visit http://www.kidsarus.org/form/4h_alumni.htm  and send us your information.

Be on the lookout for more announcements of events and products to help us celebrate 100 wonderful years of 4-H in Arkansas.

– Sarah Harrison

One hundred and twenty-three landowners and loggers attended the 4th annual Cossatot Forestry Clinic on March 11. The clinic was conducted by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service of Polk, Howard and Sevier counties, with the help of an advisory council consisting of representatives from the Arkansas Forestry Commission and private landowners and loggers.

Funding for the day-long training was originally provided by a grant from the Arkansas School of Forest Resources. Current funding is provided by the Extension Service, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Domtar, Inc., and Weyerhaeuser, Inc. Funding provided by the sponsors allowed the participants to attend free of charge. Lunch was provided, as well as a notebook with resource materials on forestry and wildlife management.

Speakers for the 2006 event were: Tamara Walkingstick, Jon Barry, Rex Herring, Carla Vaught and Sherry Eudy from Extension; Jennifer Sheehan from Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission; and John Shannon, Jonathan Crews and Dennis Eagle from Arkansas Forestry Commission. The afternoon management tour was organized by the employees of the AFC and included four stops for the participants.

– Carla Vaught

On May 18, the Breakthrough Solutions II Conference will be held at the Brinkley Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The program theme is asset-based development, with speakers and panels discussing strategies that offer unique opportunities to create jobs, experiences and wealth in the global economy. The keynote session will focus on how the rules have changed in the new economy. Other sessions include an in-depth look at North Carolina’s "Handmade in America" program and a panel on natural resource-based development. The conference is being planned by a team including VisionWorks partners from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Following the Thursday conference, there will be evening activities, followed by a post-conference workshop on asset-based development on Friday, May 19, 2006.

For more information, contact Dr. Mark Peterson or Maureen Rose.

– Maureen Rose

We are pleased to announce 4-H Day has been set for both Wild River Country and Magic Springs.

4-H Day at Wild River Country is June 12. The park is in Little Rock and full of water fun. There are slides, rides and the largest wave pool in Arkansas. This year Wild River Country is offering prizes for the top three counties with the largest attendance, the top three clubs traveling the greatest distance, and the top three 4-H clubs with the most in attendance.

Tickets for 4-H Day at Wild River Country will be $14, one free chaperone ticket with every 12 purchased. Tickets must be purchased by June 12 to get them at 4-H day prices. If you are unable to attend 4-H Day, 2006 tickets are good any day after that during the regular 2006 season.

4-H Day at Magic Springs is set for July 22. The park is located in Garland County. With Magic Springs you get both the theme park full of rides and the water park with slides and a wave pool. 4-H Day will be on a Saturday this year and will feature a concert by the rock band "Kansas."

Magic Springs 4-H Day tickets will be $19.99, one free chaperone ticket with every 15 purchased. They must be purchased 48 hours prior to the event to receive the discount. Tickets will be good on 4-H Day only. There will be no prize money attached to 4-H day at Magic Springs this year. Parents and others may attend by buying tickets at the 4-H Day price. Ticket order forms will be given out at the Spring Leaders Forum, and copies will be sent to each County Extension Office via email.

– Patti Tucker

Since the Extension Web site was redesigned and reorganized, information for your program may now be on a different page than it once was. To remedy this and prevent any confusion for our clientele, here’s the solution we recommend:

Before publishing or promoting your Web site address, please check your link and let us know if there are any problems with it. Since Extension’s site has more than 32,000 pages, we haven’t been able to check them all. If you could check your individual site, it would help us tremendously.

Again, if you have any problems with your link, please contact Donna Rinke at drinke@uaex.edu or (501) 671-2302. She’ll be happy to find a solution.

– Jennifer Vickery

Version 6.5 of GroupWise continues to please and surprise us. If you haven’t seen the two features listed below, check them out when you have time.

• Sort Your Folders

Right click on the top folder in your folder list on the left that bears your name and select Sort Subfolders. (If using Jaws or other accessibility tool, tab to the folder bearing your name and use the keyboard equivalent assigned by the software for right click, then move down to the Sort Subfolders selection.)

• Checklist Folder

Use the Checklist folder to create a task list. You can move any items (mail messages, phone messages, reminder notes, tasks or appointments) to this folder and arrange them in the order you want. Each item is marked with a check box so that you can check off items as you complete them.

After you have moved an item to the Checklist folder, you can open it, select the Checklist tab and assign it a due date. You can also mark it Completed and set its position in the list from the Checklist tab.

If you want another folder to work the way the Checklist folder does, right click the folder and click Properties (or tab to the folder, press Alt, then File, then Properties), select the Display tab and then select Checklist from the Setting Name drop-down list.

The Checklist folder is a system folder. It replaces the Task List folder.

– Nina Boston

April 2006 - Grants and Contracts

• Calendar of Events
• Award Recipients
• What's New in Publications
• Personnel Changes
• Policy Changes
• Template Changes
• Previous Editions

Back to Administration