ANR Update

UC ANR COVID-19 Update: Letter to Congress, Extension funding

Letter to Congress

President Napolitano and the leaders of the California State University and California Community Colleges systems sent a letter to Congress earlier this week requesting federal financial and regulatory assistance to help manage the significant impacts of the outbreak on our institutions and communities. Read the letter at https://www.ucop.edu/president/_files/20200323_intersegmental_covid-19_stimulus_final.pdf.

Supplemental funding for Cooperative Extension

Wendy Powers, Anne Megaro and I are also working closely with UCDC government relations to advocate for federal funding for Cooperative Extension which will allow us to expand our programming and services to support our local communities during COVID-19 response and recovery. Due to the increased need to reach people where they are, it is imperative that Cooperative Extension transition programming and services into the digital medium and assist communities by providing not only educational content, but in some cases, basic needs like internet connectivity.

Celebration corner

To show how much they appreciate the good work hospital staff are doing with senior homes and sick patents, 4-H youth and families in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties are creating “messages of kindness” to be collected in a slide show for hospital workers and patients.

I wish everyone a safe, restful long weekend in honor of Cesar Chavez.

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

 

UC ANR COVID-19 Update: Master Gardener volunteer hours, extension resources

Master Gardener volunteer hours

Given the tremendous impact COVID-19 is having on planned spring UC Master Gardener events and gardening activities across the state, program leadership has determined that all UC Master Gardener volunteers who choose to remain active and reappoint during the upcoming reappointment period (June 1 – July 31) will be approved, regardless of the number of volunteer or continuing education hours completed this program year. Further, volunteers will not be responsible for making up any incomplete volunteer and continuing education hours in the following program year. Read the message to volunteers at https://conta.cc/2Jh4pMc. 

Extension resources

The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) has organized a collection of Extension resources developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 40 institutions have contributed to the collection at https://virtual.extension.org/extension-responses-to-covid-19/.

Celebration corner

JoLynn Miller is livestreaming embryology lessons on FaceBook for 4-H youth in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado and Tuolumne counties. Check out yesterday's lesson on chick hatching (featuring JoLynn's crazy hair for Spirit Week) at https://www.facebook.com/Tuolumnecounty4h/videos/235774560806010/.

As our colleagues at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center remind us, calling out the things you are grateful for is important in this time of crisis. I'm grateful for the incredible work you are doing to help your communities!

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

 

Discuss COVID-19 driven changes in community-based programming

A national action dialogue on community-based programming in the digital networked COVID-19 age will be hosted by eXtension.

March 26 & April 1, 2020
12 noon - 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Available to all Cooperative Extension professionals
Register at https://bit.ly/2JrlROd

Panelists include:

Chuck Hibberd, Dean & Director of Nebraska Extension
Paul Hill, Extension Associate Professor, County Director, Community Economic Development, Utah State University
Elise Lofgren, Senior Instructional Designer, Purdue University
Doug Edlund, Assistant Director of Operations, UTIA Communications, & ACE President

In partnership with ECOP, eXtension has been mobilized to support Cooperative Extension System (CES) during this tough time of social distancing and in response we have started a webinar series to address working virtually and connecting with your audiences through digital technology. You will also find more information at virtual.extension.org and in the Connect Extension Group: Extension Response & Resources for Extension Professionals Working Online you might consider joining.

What next?

To take this all one step further, eXtension will be hosting a National Action Dialogue around Community Based Programming (CBP) in the Digital Networked COVID-19 Age as a two-session online event starting March 26, available for all CES professionals across the country regardless of eXtension Foundation, Inc. membership. Registration is Open

Online Event: Community Based Programming (CBP) in the Digital Networked COVID-19 Age 

• Part 1: Thursday, March 26, 12 noon-1:30 p.m.
• Part 2: Wednesday, April 1, 12 noon-1:30 p.m.

Purpose/Outcome: The purpose of this National Action Dialogue is to position our universities to rapidly respond to CBP in the Digital networked COVID-19 issue by delving in, capturing collective wisdom, inspiring innovative thinking, and focusing on new opportunities, partnerships, solutions, tangible actions and collaborations on issues for farms, families, businesses, and communities that will exist long beyond this public health crisis. This is open to all Cooperative Extension professionals.

• The first day in Part 1, a panel of speakers will seed the conversations around the topic and time will be allowed for small breakout groups to discuss the issues and groups will report back the main outcomes of their conversations to the entire attendance.
• The second day in Part 2, the top issues will be explored more deeply by breakout groups to share strategies for addressing these issues and potential needs to address the issues.

Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfj0bHoIQ0kIUNRt_N75lO6sbpohWFip8SlmIwoxgyQdlv8OQ/viewform. (Sorry for the long URL, but if the link breaks you can copy and paste the URL.)

 

UC ANR COVID-19 Update: In-person meetings directive, cybersecurity

UC ANR directive on planning for in-person meetings/events/gatherings

Note: This directive does not affect work sites where ANR “essential employees” are continuing to work, or any future dates of return to work for ANR employees. Return to work information will be communicated separately, based on updated information from UCOP and/or the state.

• Cancel, postpone or conduct online all meetings/events/gatherings statewide through April 30, 2020.
• During this time, ANR personnel, volunteers, and program participants also may not represent ANR or its programs at in-person meetings/events/gatherings.
• Leaders and event planners should assess meetings/events/gatherings that are scheduled for May 1-31, 2020, and plan for the possibility that there may be extension of this directive, requiring additional cancellations.
• ANR's Emergency Response Team will re-assess the situation in two weeks (April 6), and every two weeks thereafter.
• If the Governor's order is lifted, modified, or other public health guidance concerning in-person gatherings is issued, this date will be reassessed and new standards for public gatherings will be provided.

Many people are finding innovative ways to reach their communities online - virtual livestock visits, graduation ceremonies, 4-H contests and more. Resources are available on the Learning and Development site.

Cybersecurity vigilance  

Cyberattacks against many organizations are increasing, and more than 90% of all breaches start with a malicious email. Although we have the necessary network safeguards in place, we rely on you as an essential first line of defense against attackers. Please follow these tips for avoiding cyberattacks and telephone phishing scams. Now is also a good time to make sure you are up to date on the cybersecurity training that UC provides.

Celebration corner

In response to a systemwide call for assistance to help UC Health operations meet their critical needs for personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, UC ANR has provided its inventory of 820 N95 respirators to UC Davis. These masks will be used at the student health center on campus and/or the UC Davis Medical Center. If any other UC ANR locations have large quantities of PPE (gloves or respirator masks) that are not currently needed, please contact David Alamillo (daalamillo@ucanr.edu) and we can share that information with our UC colleagues.

After two challenges to their annual fundraiser, first a postponement due to Public Safety Power Shutoff in November 2019, and then cancellation of the rescheduled March 15 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hopland Research and Extension Center moved the event online. Registrants were asked by survey if they would like to divert their registration to the Hopland Scholars fund for research and education at HREC, and were offered the chance to take part in the planned auction online. Short videos capturing HREC's work over the past year were coupled with the auction to ensure that HREC supporters stayed in touch with their research projects and educational programs. This allowed over $7,000 to be raised from an event that it seemed was never meant to be!

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

UC ANR COVID-19 Update: Updated FAQs for paid administrative leave, UCPath Center reduced operations

Updated FAQs for paid administrative leave

On March 16, President Napolitano issued an Executive Order outlining expanded paid administrative leave to address the extraordinary demands placed on UC employees due to impacts related to COVID-19 on themselves and their family members. The executive order makes all employees eligible to receive a one-time allotment of up to 128 hours of paid administrative leave to be used no later than December 31, 2020, based on certain conditions. Today ANR Human Resources updated the FAQs to include additional details about time reporting and the allocation for employees who work less than full-time. If you believe you are eligible for paid administrative leave, please work with your supervisor to approve and document as described in the FAQs.

UCPath Center reduced operations

To ensure the health and safety of UCPath employees, the UCPath Center in Riverside began shifting all employees to remote work on March 20, 2020. Starting March 20, UCPath phone service is unavailable until further notice. Although the UCPath Center is temporarily modifying their services, their highest priority is to ensure uninterrupted payroll, benefits and other critical services for the UC community.

ANR employees should continue to contact their normal ANR channels for any critical requests during this period of modified services. For payroll questions, contact anrpayroll@ucanr.edu and for HR, humanresources@ucanr.edu. They will be able to help escalate urgent requests to the UCPath Center on your behalf.

While the UCPath Center phone service is not available, ANR employees are still able to submit requests and inquiries directly to the UCPath Center through online cases. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. 

Celebration corner

To help meet an urgent need in their community, Imperial County 4-H Young Ambassadors are sewing masks for a local hospital and making plans for a possible larger distribution.

Extra special congratulations are in order to the 2020 Tuleyome graduating class of certified California Naturalists, the program's first “virtual grads.” Students met by video to present their capstone service learning projects, including topics as diverse as nature journaling with kids, discovering soil types of field trip locations, cataloging game camera photos, unlocking the potentials of Zooniverse, building a new container for composting and more. On March 20, they were certified as California Naturalists via Zoom.

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

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