|
|
Cooperative Extension Service |
 |
|
|
|
|
Agricultural
Experiment Station |
|
|
|
|
|
History
Dale Bumpers College
|
Cooperative Extension Service
Departments
|
|
|
|
Dr. Ivory W. Lyles |
More than 200 staff members from across the state and the Division of Agriculture packed the Arkansas Ballroom of the Holiday Inn at Springdale to honor colleagues for their achievements in teaching, research and extension.
We are proud to have seen six of our Extension colleagues recognized with John W. White awards.
Poultry Specialist Susan Watkins of Fayetteville received the John W. White award for extension service at the state level. Watkins provides training and problem solving for poultry producers and industry personnel who work with producers. She has been director of the National Egg Quality School for four years and manages the student internship program for poultry science majors at the University of Arkansas.
The John W. White award recipient for extension service at the county level was Randy Chlapecka of Newport. As staff chair of the Jackson County extension office for 19 years, he manages a comprehensive program of support for agriculture, community development, family and consumer education and youth development through 4-H clubs.
The John W. White team award recognized accomplishments of the “Eating and Moving for Life” program, a joint project of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Team members are Reyna Alvarez and Theresa James of the Sevier County extension office in DeQueen, Keith Cleek of the Phillips County extension office in Helena-West Helena, and Easter Tucker, associate professor and nutrition specialist at the state extension office in Little Rock.
John W. White awards for outstanding teaching, research, extension service and teamwork are named for the U of A System’s first vice president for agriculture when the Division of Agriculture was created in 1959. The 2008 awards luncheon was chaired by two Extension specialists, Laura Connerly and Allisen Penn.
- Ivory W. Lyles
Honorary and Memorial Gifts
The following honorary and memorial gifts were recently received in support of programs and funds within the Cooperative Extension Service. This list covers gifts deposited December 1-31, 2007.
Communications Section Fund
In honor of Carolyn Bryant
Bernadette Hinkle
Extension Service Retiree Scholarship
In honor of J. W. Lehman
Merritt Royal
In honor of Delores Sowerbrower
Bernadette Hinkle
In honor of Frances Story
Merritt and James Royal
In memory of W. H. Freyaldenhoven
Portia and Romeo Short
In memory of Marjorie Phillips
Portia Short
In memory of Lynn Russell
D. Leroy and Wanda Gray
Lynn R. Russell Endowed Award for Professional Excellence
In memory of Lynn Russell
Bernadette Hinkle
Mildred and Liz Childs CES Professional Development Fund
In memory of Mildred Childs
Elizabeth Childs
Honorary or memorial donations may be forwarded to the Development Office, Cooperative Extension Service, P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, AR 72203. To ensure that proper notification is sent, please also include in whose honor or memory the gift is made and the mailing address of the person to receive the notification.
- Merritt Royal
Employees of the Quarter for Quarter Ending December 31, 2007
Little Rock State Office
Allisen Penn, Assistant Professor - Leadership Development, Program and Staff Development: Allisen manages and coordinates all aspects of the successful Faculty Leadership Program, probably the best internal leadership program in the Southern Region. New Employee Orientation is also an area where Allisen excels. She is an excellent trainer and is often sought as a speaker. Allisen is dedicated to the mission of Extension and goes above and beyond the call to help train people, whether it is an EHC member, FLP participants or a group of nine-year-old 4-H’ers. She is honest, ethical, forthright, energetic and enthusiastic about her job and in her dealings with colleagues and clientele. She is truly passionate about serving others and addressing their needs. In addition to her normal duties, Allisen has taken the lead to teach a class this semester along with working on her dissertation.
Jackie Yarbrough, FSNE Financial Management, Family and Consumer Sciences: Jackie is a valued member of the FSNE team and has gone above and beyond her responsibilities this year during the transition of hiring a new FSNE program coordinator. She not only assumed some of the responsibilities of program coordinator, she served as a trainer for the new coordinator. Jackie has been in the position of FSNE financial manager for 4 1/2 years. In this position, she has managed funds in excess of $12.5 million. In addition to the overall state budget, Jackie coordinates 75 county budgets, working with FCS agents to plan and manage their budgets throughout the year. Jackie serves as treasurer of the AACES professional association. She is also working toward an additional master’s degree and will be able to take the CPA exam upon completion of her coursework.
Carolyn Bryant, Associate Designer/Editor, Communications: Carolyn has developed into a top-notch designer, creating looks for high profile collateral such as the annual employee awards banquet and the annual Soybeans Today tabloid for the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. Carolyn is a team player and always welcomes the challenge of a new project. She is efficient, thorough and very willing to participate in analyses to improve processes. Carolyn is always researching new and better techniques for designing her work and continues to pursue professional development opportunities for herself. When she discovers a new way of working a project, she will instantly apply and share her knowledge with her colleagues. Carolyn is a welcome addition to any team, both inside and outside her department.
Delta District
Sharon D. Treat, Secretary, Lee County: Sharon is a real team player. She works well with everyone and is willing to go above and beyond what is required to help agents prepare for educational meetings and activities. Sharon assisted in organizing a Cloverbud 4-H club and prepared monthly lessons and activities when needed. This was the first Cloverbud club organized in Lee County. Sharon has been with Extension for 28 years and is considered the “right hand” of agents in Lee County.
Shea M. Hornsby, County Extension Agent - FCS, Prairie County - DeValls Bluff: Shea is an enthusiastic, courteous, friendly and caring person who is loyal to the organization. Since becoming FCS agent in Prairie County almost a year and a half ago, she has organized a new 4-H club, a 4-H fishing derby and an EH project club. Shea is self-motivated and strives to make accomplishments in FCS and 4-H. She is always a team player and a joy to work with.
Queen E. Thomason, Program Assistant - Family (EFNEP), Jefferson County: Queen is energetic and works well with supervisors, her peers, other staff members and clientele. She is willing to share her expertise gained from almost 20 years of going the extra mile for youth and adults in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. Queen works hard to graduate homemakers in EFNEP and encourages them to participate in other Extension programs such as EHC, Master Gardener and 4-H. Her knowledge, motivation, positive attitude and cooperation have made Queen a valuable asset to the Jefferson County office.
Ouachita District
Doug Petty, County Extension Agent - Staff Chair, Miller County: Doug leads the office in teamwork. He inspires all to work as a team and can be counted on when help is needed. Doug is the person to call in Miller County for entomology questions. He is always identifying bugs and even goes to the client’s residence if needed. He is known as the “fire ant man” in the Miller County area due to the creation of the Neighborhood Abatement Program, which has been ongoing in conjunction with the city of Texarkana for 14 years. Doug is trustworthy, dependable, responsible, a good citizen, and an overall great person. He goes above and beyond in his desire to help others both personally and professionally. Doug has assumed leadership of the 4-H Shooting Sports team and has received grants from the NRA to improve the program.
Marian Snortland, Secretary II, Pulaski County: Marian Snortland serves as receptionist and EFNEP secretary for the Pulaski County office. Marian handles each call and walk-in clients in a professional manner. She goes out of her way to make sure clients receive the information they need whether it is a publication or directions to another county office. She is often juggling more than one call as well as walk-in visitors. Marian also serves as secretary for the EFNEP program. She works with the EFNEP agent and eight program assistants to make sure reports are kept up to date and deadlines are met. Marian does it all with a willing, cheerful and professional attitude.
Shirley Lewis, EFNEP Program Assistant, Pulaski County: Shirley is an exceptional program assistant who has a unique talent in gardening and canning. She has high enrollment and graduation rates and is dedicated to telling many about EFNEP and what it has to offer. People of all ages love working with and learning from her, and she is always willing to give the most to her clientele. She is kind, considerate, loving, compassionate and looks out for others. She is more than helpful and dependable. She has gone above and beyond welcoming the new program assistants and giving them guidance and wisdom. She’s a go-getter when it comes to getting new contacts and getting the word out about EFNEP. She has the ability to talk and connect with many different types of people. Shirley is very deserving of this award.
Ozark District
Mark Keaton, County Extension Agent - Staff Chair, Baxter County - Mountain Home: Mark has developed an excellent agriculture program. The Master Gardener program is one of the strongest in the state with 123 members. He has participated in the Ozark Straps Multi-County Program and provided leadership to forages with work in stockpiling fescue, nitrogen sources, forage testing, brush control, lime demonstrations, short courses, etc. Mark has provided leadership to the North Central Arkansas Stocker Conference. As staff chair, Mark works with other agents as a team to have equally strong programs in 4-H, FCS and community development.
Sherry Kaufman, Secretary, Conway County - Morrilton: Sherry is a team player who does a wonderful job in providing support to the agents by keeping them informed and on track. Her most outstanding achievement is her willingness to go out of her way to help the clientele in the county. We are very grateful to have a person of her caliber working in Conway County. Sherry is an overall asset to Extension.
Toy Siler, 4-H Program Assistant, Independence County - Batesville: There is not a more dedicated or harder working person for 4-H than Toy. She has five 4-H clubs she visits regularly, and she keeps in close contact with those club leaders and others. She speaks to various civic groups publicizing and informing them about 4-H. Toy contacts the judges for the county O-Rama contests and helps conduct the contests. She contacts individual 4-H’ers to help fill any empty slots for regional and state O-Ramas. Toy conducts a journal workshop each year and helps individuals with their journals. The county had 111 completed journals this year.
Division of Agriculture Implements New Classified Evaluation System
The Division of Agriculture has implemented the new State of Arkansas classified employee performance evaluation system. This system was developed in conjunction with the state merit increase pay plan for classified employees introduced last October by the Division of Agriculture.
The new form includes universal duty areas common to most jobs to help assure consistency in classified performance evaluations throughout the division. Two universal duty areas will be mandatory for every performance evaluation - self management and civil rights/diversity compliance. The new system also emphasizes measurable standards to bring more objectivity to the evaluation and written justification to support any duty area rating other than “satisfactory.”
One major change in the new state form is the definition of the four overall rating levels. “Satisfactory” is defined as performance meeting all essential work objectives and occasionally exceeds management expectations. An employee performing at this level demonstrates good knowledge of job duties and accomplishes assignments effectively with normal supervisory guidance. At the “above average” level, performance is characterized by high quality and quantity of work that exceeds most position requirements on a regular basis. This employee demonstrates outstanding skills and abilities, accomplishing assignments in a highly effective manner with limited guidance and direction. The “exceeds standards” level describes performance that consistently goes beyond position requirements, accomplishing assignments in an exceptional manner with minimal direction. This level is characterized by outstanding achievement seldom accomplished within the department. “Unsatisfactory” performance does not consistently meet essential work objectives and management expectations. Performance at this level means that improvement is necessary for continued employment with the institution.
Through the month of January, supervisors of classified employees took part in mandatory training sessions to familiarize themselves with this new performance evaluation form and the new rating period, which is tied to the employee’s merit increase eligibility date rather than the calendar year. Classified employee orientation sessions were also presented. Additional sessions for supervisors and classified employees will be offered in February.
If you have questions about the classified evaluation system, contact Donna Rothberg at drothberg@uaex.edu or 501-671-2219.
Forms are available at http://division.uaex.edu/policy_management/default.htm.
Gifts of Appreciated Securities Provide Tax Advantages to Donors
The donation of appreciated securities (stocks, bonds or mutual funds) can be a more tax-efficient tool for donors. In the event that a person owns a given security that has a current value greater than its cost basis, consideration regarding the tax implications of capital gains must be given once the securities are liquidated.
By donating appreciated securities, a donor can avoid capital gains while also maximizing his/her charitable giving goals. Clearly, this is a win-win for our donors and our programs.
Both the Arkansas 4-H Foundation, Inc., and the Agricultural Development Council (ADC) of The University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc., are structured to receive and dispose of gifts of securities. Should a donor desire that a specific county or program benefit, separate accounts can be created within either of these 501(c)3 charitable entities that would be designated for the purpose defined by the donor.
You may contact Brad Davis (bdavis@uaex.edu, 501-671- 2079) for questions regarding gifts to the Arkansas 4-H Foundation and Merritt Royal (mjroyal@uark.edu, 501-671-2156) for questions regarding gifts to the ADC.
- Merritt Royal
Arkansas Wind Energy Conference Draws Statewide Participation
Braving icy conditions on Arkansas roadways, over 200 people attended the first ever Arkansas Wind Energy Conference on January 17 at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. The conference provided a broad overview of wind energy production and transmission as well as possible development of wind energy projects in Arkansas.
Governor Mike Beebe opened the conference by voicing his support for renewable energy sources. Larry Flowers, principal project leader with the National Renewable Energies Laboratory, spoke of the national wind energy goal of 20 percent of available energy from wind by 2030. Currently, the U.S. produces less than 1 percent of its energy from wind. Warren Ault, national account manager with LM Glasfiber, spoke about opportunities for economic development through attraction of wind energy components manufacturing facilities. LM Glasfiber has a new plant in Little Rock producing wind turbine blades. This is one of three North American plants for the Danish company based in the Netherlands.
Other speakers addressed the role of utilities in development of wind energy, an overview of small wind energy projects currently underway in northwest Arkansas, community wind projects and financing options for wind energy programs.
Tom Wind, Iowa, with Wind Utility Consulting, PC, shared case studies of community small wind generation projects and the integration of large wind turbines into the utility grid system. Tom Carnahan, founder and president of Wind Capital Group in Missouri, shared information on the development and financing of wind farms.
The potential for Arkansas’ wind energy development lies in the availability of abundant wind energy at 100 meters above ground. This resource needs to be tested through yearlong measurements with wind anemometers, in order to assess economic feasibility of development of this resource. The Arkansas Wind Working Group, made up of 70 conference participants who volunteered to participate, will explore this and other opportunities for Arkansas’ wind energy future.
Funded by the Arkansas Energy Office of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the conference was planned through a partnership with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Maureen Rose, program associate - community development, planned and organized the conference.
- Maureen Rose
Benton County 4-H Club Recognized as International Award Winner
The Bloomfield 4-H Club of Gentry has been named Wildlife Habitat Council’s “Community Partner of the Year” during the International Awards Banquet at the Annual Symposium in Baltimore, MD. This award recognizes the outstanding contribution that community-based organizations make to the Wildlife Habitat Council’s “Wildlife at Work” and “Corporate Lands for Learning” programs.
The 4-H club was nominated by American Electric Power, represented by SWEPCO/Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry. Beginning with the initial construction phase of the Eagle Watch/Nature Trail in 1999, Bloomfield 4-H members assisted and continue to partner on all projects undertaken since construction was completed.
Examples of Bloomfield 4-H contributions include planting and maintaining native and cultivated wildflowers, trees and shrubs along the trail; initial building, placement, monitoring and replacement of birdnesting boxes; trail maintenance including spreading wood mulches along the walking trail and around trees that improve the enjoyment of visitors to the Eagle Watch/Nature Trail; and management of one mile in the Adopt-A-Highway program along Hwy. 12 fronting the Eagle Watch/Nature Trail entry.
Bloomfield club member Hillary Henson, granddaughter of Clyde and Anita Henson, invested hundreds of hours in the Eagle Watch/Nature Trail that she included in her county and regional winning Environmental Stewardship 4-H Journal. In recognition of her involvement, club members chose her to represent them at the international awards ceremony in Baltimore, MD, on November 10-12. As one of the 151 groups nominated for the prestigious award, Bloomfield 4-H members feel the pride and satisfaction of being selected as a finalist but fully accept the challenge of continued responsibility.
In addition to assisting with packaging of the Bloomfield 4-H Club nomination, SWEPCO sponsored the expense-paid trip for Hillary and her chaperone to attend the national awards ceremony.
– Jessica Street
|
© 2006 |
|
|
University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
Mission
•
Disclaimer
•
EEO
•
|
Printer Friendly
