ANR Update

Beware of phishing/spam emails

Dear Colleagues,

Lately, we have seen an increase in the number of spoofed emails, a form of phishing/spam email. To avoid getting hacked, verify that email addresses are authentic before responding.

Email spoofing is the forgery of an email so that the message appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source.

Below is a real spoofing email one of our UC ANR employees received. We have replaced the From and To names, which were real UC ANR employee names. However, this was not sent by the person whose name appeared in the From section. 

Sometimes it is obvious as the email of the sender, From email, is not hidden. Sometimes it is hidden and all you see is the name, which might be your supervisor, manager, director or VP.     

The goal here is to have the employee (You) respond to the email, which doesn't have a link or attachment. So, it can't be a phishing/spam email, right? WRONG. Either a link or attachment would be provided once you respond.

Please be aware of these types of emails. If you have any concerns, or something doesn't make sense, follow the best practices: 

-        Try to reach out to the person directly via their known office phone

-        Send a NEW email to his/her known email address asking for clarification

-        Inform the IT team, via help@ucanr.edu.

-        Never reply to the email you have received

-        Never click on a link

-        Never click or double click on an attachment

-        Take a snapshot of the email using Windows built-in Snipping Tool rather than forwarding the email to someone else

Spoofed Email

     From:ANR Supervisor/Manager/Director/VP
     Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 10:26 AM
     To: You
     Subject: Urgent Request

     Are you available for a quick task?

     Thanks
     ANR Supervisor/Manager/Director/VP.

     Sent from my iPhone

P.S. Thanks to our ongoing Phishing Awareness Campaigns, our employee did the right thing and sent a new email asking for clarification and notified the IT team.

Tolgay Kizilelma 
Chief Information Security Officer

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

What you need to know about UCPath: UC ANR Town Hall on Jan. 29

Join VP Glenda Humiston, AVP Tu Tran and the UCPath Project Team for an important town hall Zoom session from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019.

We encourage all UC ANR academics and staff to save the date and plan to participate.

UC Path is the new systemwide HR and payroll-reporting system that will serve all UC employees. UC ANR's March/April 2019 go-live date is fast approaching, and during the town hall you'll learn what you need to do to prepare for the coming changes.

Managers and directors, please consider scheduling meeting space for the town hall so that your unit members can view the session together.

UC ANR Town Hall: UCPath

• Tuesday, January 29, 2019
• 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• Live in the ANR Building's Valley Rooms in Davis and broadcast via Zoom
• Zoom meeting information will be sent in January

For more information on UCPath, check the UC ANR UCPath website http://ucpath.ucanr.edu.

If you have questions or comments about UCPath or training, please post them on https://ucanr.edu/UCPath or send the ANR UCPath team an email at ucpath@ucanr.edu.

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

UC ANR - We connect. How we might do this better?

Being able to connect is key to the success we in UC ANR enjoy in developing and providing solutions to help the people of California. 

Please provide your input (see #3 under "Where are we?) to see how we might do this even better.

A summer survey to PT leaders and WG chairs asked for input on how we currently connect (and our current structure). 

The three main findings were:

1. Our current structure (roles of Workgroups (WG), Program Teams (PT) and Strategic Initiatives (SIs)) is - shall we say - somewhat “fuzzy”.

2. Even with the lack of clarity on WG, PT and SI functions, people greatly value the opportunities to engage and interact.

3. There is a desire to identify which of our (80+) Workgroups are active and still needed.

Where are we? What are the actions in play?

1. “Workgroups: Frequently Asked Questions” A fact sheet on our structure was developed to help clarify roles. Your feedback is welcome.

2. Identify active Workgroups. This week, we are doing a follow up survey with WG chairs to seek input on the level of WG activity and connections.

3. Your input welcome. We welcome your input through this simple survey - 5-10 minutes can help us all move forward. Please complete the survey (https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=26325) by Jan. 4.

4. What's next? After receiving input from you and the Workgroup Chairs, we will revisit our structure (program teams, etc.) and see how we can better connect.

Thanks for your efforts to help us positively impact the lives of all Californians.

Deanne Meyer 
Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Co-Leader 

Mark Bell
Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

Apply to develop online educational resources for underserved audiences

All UC ANR and UC ANR-affiliated academics and staff are invited to apply for funding to develop online resources targeting underserved audiences.

Extending UC ANR's reach and impact to significant numbers of non-English speaking audiences in California is key to achieving our vision of effecting positive change in important areas or issue(s). Reaching audiences through on-demand, online resources is one part of the strategy.

Funding is available to develop educational materials in languages other than English and make them accessible through the UC ANR website. Please consider development of a range of material forms including, but not limited to, courses, video or other media.

All products must be branded UC ANR and hosted on the UC ANR website with linkages to other sites and resources.

Proposals of up to $25,000 will be considered. Multiple awards will be made. Please note that equipment purchases may not be included in budget requests.

Proposal submission process

To begin the submission process, log into the ANR portal. Go to “open systems” on the right menu and click on the link to “Develop Online Educational Resources Targeted at Underserved Audiences.”

Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific time on Jan. 28, 2019.

Strategic Initiative Leaders and the Strategic Initiative Panels will evaluate proposals. If additional expertise is needed, ad-hoc reviewers may be solicited. The following criteria will be used to determine funding decisions.

Proposal criteria

Format. Proposals will be no more than 3 pages in length, minimum font size is 10-point and the minimum margin is 0.75 inches.

Proposals must include the following:

• Justification. What is the issue or important area addressed and who is the intended audience?

• Output. Give a brief description of the product to be developed and the method used to develop the product (e.g., will you include contracted services?). How will you ensure products are culturally relevant and applicable? Show how products will be delivered through UC ANR and how appropriate UC ANR branding will be assured?

• Expected Reach and Impact. What is the extent of the proposed reach and what behavior change(s) are expected? Which UC ANR Public Value Statements and Condition Changes will be positively impacted? How will some form of impact be assessed?

• Audience Access and Promotion. Clearly articulate the plan to promote the product so that it will be discoverable and adopted? What is the evidence that the targeted audience will access the product through the targeted medium?

• Team Capacity. Is there strong evidence that the PI and team can develop the intended product, on time and in budget? Is the appropriate expertise available within the team or as a contracted service?

• Budget. Is there clear need for the requested budget? Does a contractor (internal or external to UC ANR) provide estimates for any contracted services? Note: equipment purchases are not allowed in budget requests. You may submit your budget as a separate document if necessary.

Eligibility

All UC ANR and UC ANR-affiliated academics and staff are eligible to apply for funding.

Timeline

• Submissions due by Jan. 28, 2019, 5 p.m. Pacific time

• Successful applicants notified by Feb. 22, 2019

• Products completed and funds expended by Jan. 10, 2020

• Final reports (1 page) due by Feb. 28, 2020

Note on the funding source: The funds for this initiative come from those budgeted to further the impact of our Strategic Plan goals.

If you have questions about the application process, contact Jennifer Caron-Sale at (510) 987-0214 or Jennifer.Caron-Sale@ucop.edu.

 

 

California Naturalist accomplishments recognized in five-year program review

The UC California Naturalist program successfully completed its first UC ANR five-year statewide program review. Associate Vice President Powers and I extend a thank you to the ad-hoc committee for their time commitment and thoroughness in examining the program and providing recommendations to UC ANR's Program Council. The time Adina Merenlender, California Naturalist director, and Greg Ira, program coordinator, spent providing detailed information on all aspects of the program is also greatly appreciated. Last, but not least, a big thank you to all the UC California Naturalists, instructors and partners who submitted feedback during the review.

We recognize the program's accomplishments in their first five years – development of a new education and service program, creation of a network of more than 47 statewide partner institutions, and training over 2,600 Certified California Naturalists who have contributed over 140,000 hours of volunteer service (as of June 2018) – promoting the stewardship of California's natural resources.

To guide the program into the future, below is a summary of the direction and next steps for the California Naturalist Program:

1. Until recommendations in #2 below are addressed, roll out Climate Stewards as a continuing education opportunity within the UC California Naturalist program.

2. Revisit the current models that are being used to deliver the California Naturalist curriculum to consider an expansion in on-line instruction, post-course community engagement, and new UC ANR tools for program evaluation.

3. Continue efforts in equity, diversity and inclusion to increase the program's reach to new and underserved clientele; and focus the next needs assessment on the course participants since the first assessment was focused on partner organizations and instructors.

4. Develop a method to systematically collect success stories that are aligned with the UC ANR public value statements and metrics to illustrate contribution to UC ANR condition changes.

5. Add members to the Program Advisory Council who are external to UC ANR.

I look forward to working with the California Naturalist Program as it pursues these and other opportunities that may arise. In particular, I hope to explore how to incorporate more community and citizen science activities and expand collaboration with other UC ANR programs. Best wishes for the ongoing success and growth of the California Naturalist Program!

Sincerely,

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

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