|
|
Cooperative Extension Service |
 |
|
|
|
|
Agricultural
Experiment Station |
|
|
|
|
|
History
Dale Bumpers College
|
Cooperative Extension Service
Departments
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Dr. Tony E. Windham |
 |
| Dr. Mark Cochran |
Dr. Mark Cochran New VP for Agriculture
By the time you read this, Dr. Milo Shult will have retired after 18 years as our Vice President for Agriculture, and Dr. Mark Cochran will have stepped in to fill the position vacated by Dr. Shult.
When you look at Dr. Shult's career with the U of A Division of Agriculture, and compare our fiscal standings with other land grant universities, you can't help but notice the positive and lasting impact he has had in Arkansas.
During our reception for Dr. Shult, he was presented a full-color, hardbound book that contained images of all the facilities built and renovated during his tenure. It's apparent that Dr. Shult is leaving an impressive legacy.
Dr. Cochran comes to us extremely well prepared with the experience, smarts and strong sense of mission to step into his new role.
He has served as associate vice president for agriculture - research since November 2006. Prior to that, he was department head and professor of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness from February 1998 - November 2006, a job he took after serving as interim for two years.
Dr. Cochran had already established himself in research, teaching and writing and was recognized as a member of the Arkansas COTMAN team that won the 1999 John W. White Outstanding Team award.
I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him during my entire career at the faculty as well as administrative level.
I have no doubt we selected the very best professional for the position, and I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Cochran in his new role.
Though Dr. Cochran has spent his career on the teaching and research side of the Division, he values and supports Extension and our county, regional and statewide programs in agriculture, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development and community development.
As you become more familiar with Dr. Cochran, I know you will appreciate his work in keeping us positioned to play a significant role in extending our knowledge and research to help Arkansans enrich their lives and those of their families and community members.
- Tony E. Windham
 |
After 18 years, Dr. Milo Shult retires as vice president
for agriculture.  |
Faculty members honored by AACD
Two University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture faculty members have been honored by the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts.
Tom Riley, director of the U of A Division of Agriculture's Public Policy Center, was named Communicator of the Year. Mike Daniels, professor - environmental management, earned the Conservation Professional of the Year award. Riley, of El Paso in White County, frequently deals with conservation and environmental issues in his work in the Public Policy Center.
"This is the organization in Arkansas that holds the future of the state's natural resources. The people that the organization represents live conservation and environmental stewardship everyday,” Riley said. "For AACD to recognize the work of folks like Mike and myself is a great tribute to both us professionally and the work of the conservation partnership.”
In addition to public education and research, Daniels, of Greenbrier, is involved in the Mississippi River Basin Initiative and the University of Arkansas' Discovery Farms project, in which conservation measures are demonstrated in real-life, real-time conditions.
"AACD is great group of people to work with, so this is quite an honor and it's humbling,” Daniels said. The purpose and mission of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts is to assist the conservation districts of the state of Arkansas in their efforts to serve the soil and water conservation needs of the people of Arkansas. To learn more, visit http://www.aracd.org/. For more information about conservation, contact your county extension office or visit www.uaex.edu.
 |
COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR - Tom Riley accepts the Conservation Communicator of the Year Award. |
 |
PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR - Mike Daniels accepts the Conservation Professional of the Year Award. |
Breakthrough Solutions presents two awards
Breakthrough Solutions, a program of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service, is a 16-partner initiative committed to equipping community and regional leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to be successful in a 21st century economy.
Breakthrough Solutions gave two SOAR awards recently. SOAR stands for strengths and assets, opportunities for breakthroughs, aspirations and visions and results you can measure. A SOAR award is given to a community, region or individual who embraces and expresses the principles and process of Breakthrough Solutions in local community development work.
One award went to Harrison C.O.R.E., founded in 2009 by John Paul Hammerschmidt. It is a volunteer organization, which is revitalizing a 64-square block central area of Harrison. Its mission is to engage the community in its own revitalization and improve the quality of life for residents and those in surrounding communities.
C.O.R.E. stands for Central Organization for Revitalization and Enhancement.
Ed Levy, a principal at Cromwell Architects Engineers in Little Rock, was the second recipient this year. He has been a member of the Breakthrough Solutions Advisory Council since 2005, has spoken at Breakthrough Solutions conferences and has been involved in developing the Breakthrough Solutions model and road map. He has also worked with Harrison C.O.R.E., helping develop architectural drawings for the C.O.R.E. district.
 |
Ed Levy, left, a principal at Cromwell Architects Engineers in Little Rock, accepts a SOAR award from Mark Peterson, professor-community development with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service. |
 |
|
| Members of Harrison C.O.R.E. stand to accept a SOAR award from Mark Peterson, center, professor-community development with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service. From left to right: Patty Methvin, CEO, Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce; Jeanette Fitton, Harrison C.O.R.E.; Dave Fitton, Harrison City Councilman - elect; Layne Ragsdale, C.O.R.E. facilitator; Ronnie Bell, publisher, "Harrison Daily Times”; Nita Cooper, Boone County extension agent-staff chair; Jack Moyer, Hotel Seville; and Jeff Crockett, Harrison mayor-elect. | |
Outstanding Peer Mentor
Aly Signorelli, administrative specialist in Community
Development, was recently recognized as the University of Arkansas
at Little Rock's ASAP 2010 Outstanding Peer Mentor.
ASAP stands for Adult Student Advocacy Program. Adult students can sign up to be mentored or to mentor.
"Students just starting to add school to their lives can get some support from a 'regular person' who already knows where the registration office is, or how to get your shot record updated, or how to study for a chemistry final,” Signorelli says. "And it's a good way for everybody - mentors and mentees, too - to feel less isolated."
Adult students tend not to be involved in student organizations, because they don't have time, so it's easy to feel like they are the only one whose life is difficult. "It's nice to be in a loosely knit group of people who are all in a sort of similar situation,” says Signorelli.
- Tom Riley
A new family resource is now available
Do you want to be happier, improve your marriage or find helpful ideas for raising your children? We all need credible information to strengthen our relationships, but it can be hard to find factual and relevant information.
The Family Life team in the FCS department is offering a new, free resource: Navigating Life's Journey. You can sign up to receive weekly e-mails. The ideas you'll receive are research-based and effective.
The e-mails will be short so you can read them quickly. If you want more detailed information, you can click on links in the e-mails.
There will be three e-mail series running simultaneously. You can sign up for one, two or all three:
To sign up go to www.arfamilies.org.
- Wally Goddard
January 28 deadline for CES retiree scholarship fund applications
Applications for the Cooperative Extension Service Retiree Scholarship are due to Amy Hedges, assistant to the associate vice president no later than noon on Friday, January 28, 2011. Applicants must complete the application form and submit two letters of reference. The application form and award criteria are available at http://www.uaex.edu/giving/endowments/retiree_scholarship.htm.
Funded primarily by Extension retirees, the intent of the Cooperative Extension Service Retiree Scholarship is to equip and train current employees to better carry out their responsibilities by providing an annual award for professional development opportunities, including attending conferences or pursuing a degree. The scholarship is valid for one year after notification of award. Previous recipients include Carla Haley (2010) and Vicki Shadell (2009).
Questions regarding application criteria may be directed to Merritt Royal, director of development (479-575-2322, 501-658-2753, 501-671-2156, mjroyal@uark.edu).
Program associate wins competition at Technical Conference
Kyle Colwell, an entomology program associate for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, won the graduate student competition at the Arkansas Crop Protection Association Technical Conference.
The research conference was held Nov. 29-30 in Fayetteville.
"My talk was on efficacy of selected insecticides for control of bollworm and budworm in conventional cotton,” Colwell, of Lonoke, said. "My research focused on conventional cotton, but I also compared Bollgard II and Widestrike technologies to foliar applications.”
Colwell said he was pleased by the recognition and looks forward to conducting more research in this area.
"Cotton producers in Arkansas are showing interest in conventional varieties, and this research can help them make planting decisions,” Colwell said.
"This conference gives us graduate students a good opportunity to prepare for extension and industry roles,” he said. Colwell said he is nine hours away from completing his master's degree in agriculture, food and life sciences.
 |
John Braun, left, a tech representative for BASF, which sponsors the graduate student competition, presents a certificate to Kyle Colwell, right. |
Moving and sharing large files
Many times Extension personnel have a need to share or transfer large files. There are at least four options available, but the right one depends on your needs.
Zimbra E-mail - Zimbra will handle file attachments up to 25MB. For most users this will accommodate their needs.
Zimbra Briefcase - One of the features of the Zimbra Collaboration Suite is the ‘Briefcase.' It allows you to post individual files up to 1GB. You can place the file in a folder that you create and share it internally or externally. The file and folder will remain until you delete it. These files are included in your total e-mail quota total.
FTP (FileTransfer Protocol) Site - The first and most important comment to make about the FTP site is that it should only be used to transfer files (versus longer term storage). The FTP site can provide a temporary means to move very large files (even files larger than 1GB) very quickly. But be aware an automated program checks the date on the files and deletes anything older than 90 days. To use the FTP site, follow the steps below:
These steps are listed on the UAEX website at http://www.uaex.edu/depts/InfoTech/Howto/ftp.asp.
The preceding three methods are completely under your control and at your disposal at any time. Should you need a more permanent solution, Spot Groups should be considered.
Spot Groups - Spot Groups can provide a permanent location to create a web-based presence to share documents, photos and newsletters to a specific audience. These groups can include both Extension and non-Extension personnel. To request a Spot Group, click on the ‘Groups' icon at the top right of your Spot screen. At the bottom of the list of your current Groups, there's a link ‘Request Group.' Fill in the requested information and submit the data.
- Sam Boyster
New in-service training system and employee development center now open
Two new websites are now open to help Arkansas Extension employees develop skills and knowledge for their jobs. The new sites are the Employee Development Center at develop.uaex.edu and LEARN.uaex.edu, the new in-service training system.
The Employee Development Center features the Arkansas Extension core competency wheel, divided into sets of knowledge and skills required to effectively perform Extension jobs. Employees are encouraged to complete a competency assessment and identify which competencies to develop. Each competency page shows related workshops, online courses, and other resources. Visit this growing site to view the introductory videos and learn more about competencies and learning opportunities. This site, develop.uaex.edu, does not require a password.
At LEARN.uaex.edu, employees enroll in courses, workshops, webinars, and online courses all in one location. Course evaluations, course completion certificates, online courses for employees, and instructor-provided material are also available at this site.
An added bonus is the New Employees Welcome Center at uofaces.wordpress.com that provides resources for new hires and all employees on topics such as history, structure, professionalism, tips, and advice.
Be sure to check out these sites and the newly redesigned training tab in Spot for links and information. Still have questions or need support? E-mail learn@uaex.edu.
- Lisa Ferris
"FCS of the Future” 2010 Professional Development Conference - Dec. 7-10, Embassy Suites, Little Rock.
Employees of the Quarter
Delta District
Randy Forst, County Extension Agent - Agriculture, St. Francis County: In the short time Randy has worked in the office, his interaction with staff members, clients and 4-H youth has had a remarkable impact. He is punctual, considerate and a joy to work with. Randy takes on whatever task presents itself - whether agriculture, horticulture, 4-H or assisting the FCS agents. He excels in work ethic and client satisfaction. Each client receives Randy's full attention and prompt response. His expertise has earned him an excellent reputation among Master Gardeners, Garden Club members, Farmers Market vendors, and local gardeners. His reputation among livestock producers is much the same. He helped organize a new 4-H club which continues to increase in members and leaders. Because of Randy's diligence in making producers aware of Monsanto's America's Farmers Grow Communities Project, St Francis County's 4-H Foundation was awarded $2,500.
Ouachita District
Vicki Brakefield, Administrative Specialist, Montgomery County: Vicki has been working for a year, and during that time she has made a tremendous impact in the County Extension Office and with the citizens of Montgomery County. Vicki has a great personality and outstanding people skills. She is also organized, efficient and a hard worker. She takes the initiative to get the work completed accurately and in a timely manner. The Montgomery County office has had the CEA-agriculture position vacant on and off for over a year. Vicki has filled the void by assisting with 4-H, FCS, Agriculture, County Fair and community programs. She is willing to help wherever she is needed. We are very fortunate to have Vicki in the Montgomery County office.
Liz McKay, County Extension Agent - Family and Consumer Sciences, Union County: Liz conducted a "Holiday Foods” educational forum which was open to the public and had 250 in attendance. She has outstanding dedication and caring for clientele. She has wonderful cooperation with clientele, businesses and county administrators. She provided education on diabetes and Celiac Disease for the public which was promoted in the local media. She also developed a recipe booklet with dishes related to the educational component.
Ozark District
Linda Simpson, Program Assistant, Benton County: Linda is a great PA. More than anything else, Linda is organized and timely. Anyone could walk to Linda's desk, open a drawer and find the file they are looking for. She is wonderful at designing display boards for different events. She most recently finished doing the background for a puppet show that we are using to teach kindergartners and first graders about preventing water pollution. Linda is an excellent employee to monitor and oversee as all documents and reports are turned in on time without anyone having to ask. She lends her organizational skills to all in the office as she organizes and monitors all our publications.
State Office
Sherry Funderburg, Payroll Service Specialist, Financial Services: Sherry is an asset to Extension. When new employees come on board, she is willing to go the extra mile and help them through any questions that they may have as well as make them feel welcome. She is always ready to get the job done and works hard every day to make sure her job is done accurately and completed on time. She does her work without complaint. Sherry is a team player and ready to step in when needed.
Shane Gadberry, Associate Professor, Animal Science: Shane is recognized for his work on the Winter Feeding Meetings that he and Paul Beck have organized. The work and effort that he has put into these meetings will have a huge impact on beef producers that have attended his programs. With prices of feed resources increasing and short supplies of hay, these meetings will have a great economic impact for the states beef cattle producers. In times when every dollar counts, his programs are an outstanding example of Extension serving the needs of our stakeholders. Shane is a valuable team member in the Animal Science Department. He continuously works toward adding value to all of our extension programs, even the ones outside of his expertise.
Willie Price, Acting Program Director, Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center: Since assuming an acting leadership position, Willie has been proactive in encouraging the APAC team to work together and in conjunction with the rest of the CED unit. He oversees staff in two separate locations in an effective manner. This quarter he successfully guided APAC through the financial part of its federal audit process. He also assumed added responsibilities of conducting government contracting courses, seminars and other outreach. He successfully hired a replacement consultant to oversee one-on-one client outreach and ensure the highest level of service to our constituents. Willie is well-respected by the staff with whom he works directly, his coworkers in CED and APAC clients. He represents our organization extremely well.
"Meet Our New Employees" will appear in February Issue. |
Monthly Gift Total Summary - September and October 2010
The following chart summarizes gifts and noncash gifts deposited in September and October 2010 to advance the programs of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. In comparing last year and current YTD giving totals for months ending October, giving to CES programs has increased by more than $3,500.
|
Cumulative Givingg |
||||
|
|
September 1 - October- 31, 2010 |
Fiscal Year 2011 |
||
|
|
Monthly Gift Count |
Monthly Gift Total |
Fiscal |
Fiscal |
| Delta District | 10 | $4,470.54 | 19 | $10,070.48 |
| Ouachita District | 9 | $1,423.05 | 18 | $5,459.15 |
| Ozark District | 6 | $3,167.00 | 10 | $3,516.50 |
|
4-H Youth Development |
0 | $0.00 | 2 | $5,596.35 |
|
Agriculture and Natural Resources |
58 | $345,236.00 | 74 | $439,936.00 |
| Community and Economic Development | 3 | $550.00 | 11 | $4,010.00 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences | 0 | $0.00 | 1 | $50.00 |
| Information Technology | 0 | $0.00 | 1 | $3,000.00 |
|
Arkansas 4-H Foundation |
41 |
$22,059.23 |
128 |
$215,282.37 |
|
TOTALS |
130 |
$377,075.82 |
284 |
$685,996.50 |
Grants and Contracts
| Project Title | Award Amount | Principal Investigator | Granting Agency |
| Southern Region Plant Diagnostic Network | $39,000.00 | Dr. Richard Cartwright | University of Florida |
| Arkansas Regional Economic Development "Strengthening Economies Together” (SET) Initiative | $50,000.00 | Dr. Deborah Tootle | USDA Rural Development |
| 4-H/Army Youth Development Project-KS, 2011 Operation: Military Kids | $85,885.00 | Maureen Rose | Kansas State University |
| The Southern Region Water Resource Project | $22,500.00 | Dr. Michael Daniels | Texas Agri. Extension Service |
|
TOTAL = |
$197,385.00 |
|
© 2006 |
|
|
University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
Mission
•
Disclaimer
•
EEO
•
|
Printer Friendly
