Developing the people management capabilities of our leaders is a priority for the University of California. In support of this mission, Systemwide Talent Management will launch the University of California People Management Conference in August at UCLA Luskin Conference Center in Los Angeles.

A networking reception will be held on Aug. 1, 2017, with the conference to follow Aug. 2-3, 2017.

Eligibility for participation requires completion of one of the following:

• UC Systemwide People Management Series and Certificate
• Management Development Program
• UC-CORO Systemwide Leadership Collaborative

Conference topics include:

• Human Resources & Management Practices
• Leadership & General Management  
• Change Management  
• Coaching
• Talent Management
• Employee Relations
• Financial Management
• Labor Relations  
• Compensation

A limited number of guest rooms are reserved at the Luskin Conference Center for a group rate of $239 per night, which you can secure using a promo code included in your registration confirmation email.

Registration is $350. Cancellations before June 1, 2017, will be fully refunded. For more information about the conference, visit https://pmc.ucop.edu.

Rob Wilson describes a potato variety trial at Intermountain Research and Extension Center.

Three scholarships are being offered to college students majoring in agriculture by the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The scholarships will be awarded for the fall 2017 semester or quarter. The deadline to apply or nominate for the scholarships is May 19, 2017.

KNOWLES A. RYERSON AWARD IN AGRICULTURE

Amount:  $2500 – two awarded each year, one each at Berkeley and Davis

The Knowles A. Ryerson Award in Agriculture is awarded annually to a foreign undergraduate student in a college of agriculture at UC Berkeley and UC Davis, in any curriculum, preferably after completion of the junior year. Students must be nominated by UC faculty or academic advisors. The $2,500 award is made on the basis of high scholarship, outstanding character and promise of leadership. One recipient will be selected from the Berkeley campus and one from the Davis campus.

HOWARD WALTON CLARK PRIZE IN PLANT BREEDING AND SOIL BUILDING

Amount:  $5,000 – one awarded each year

The Howard Walton Clark Prize in Plant Breeding and Soil Building is given to a senior student in a college of agriculture at UC Berkeley, UC Davis or UC Riverside who seems to show the greatest promise. Students must be nominated by UC faculty or academic advisors. Selection for the $5,000 scholarship is based on high scholastic achievement, talent for independent research and other characteristics, with particular reference to either plant breeding (leading to new/improved crops and new/improved varieties using appropriate tools) or soil building (leading to improving soil quality related to soil productivity and sustainability as a resource).

BILL AND JANE FISCHER VEGETATION MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP

Amount: $1,000 – one awarded each year

The $1,000 Bill and Jane Fischer Vegetation Management Scholarship will be given to promising students with demonstrated interest in vegetation management (weed control) careers. Students from any accredited California university are eligible, with preference given to graduate students. The recipient will have an academic major and emphasis in one of the following areas (listed in order of preference): 

• Vegetation management in agricultural crop production;
• Plant science with emphasis on vegetation management in horticultural crops, agronomic or vegetable crops;
• Soils and plant nutrition with emphasis on field, vegetable crop relationships;
• Agricultural engineering with emphasis on developing tools for vegetation management;
• Agricultural botany with emphasis on weed biology and weed ecology;
• Plant pathology with emphasis on integrated vegetation management;
• Plant protection and pest management with emphasis on field, vegetable, or horticultural crop relationships; or
• Agricultural economics with emphasis on vegetation management in field, vegetable or horticultural crops.

For more information about the scholarships and nomination and application processes, visit http://ucanr.edu/Development_services/Awards_and_scholarships.

It is that time of year that many of us would like to avoid: the performance appraisal discussion. Although the process makes some of us uneasy, there is good news. There are preparations we can take that will ease this process and make it more of a partnership between the supervisor and the direct report. Consider preparing yourself with the following ideas and tools.

Direct reports:

• Complete the “Receiving Feedback” learning module via the UC Learning Center. Know the difference between criticism and constructive feedback.
• Come to the table willing to listen and a sense of inquiry. Be open to hearing about areas for skill development and growth. Suggest to your supervisor where you may learn new skills (UC Learning Center; Lynda.com; other ANR resources). Know that your supervisor also has areas for growth and will also participate in their own performance appraisal.
• Share feedback with your supervisor on processes and any obstacles that exist in productivity. Ask your supervisor how your goals align with UC ANR and with the mission, vision and goals of your program.
• Offer your supervisor help with general planning for projects. Let them know you have a unique perspective and can share with them any obstacles that have come up in the past. 

Supervisors:

• Complete the UC People Management Series Certificate Course module #2 “Setting Performance Expectations” via the UC Learning Center (course # DAC-HRUCPM02)
• Start your discussions with celebrating your employee's accomplishments. Share where you see skill strengths and areas for skill development. Share resources for learning new skills (UC Learning Center; Lynda.com; other ANR resources). Ask your employee for feedback on your observations. Maybe there are communications that will open new discussions for removing obstacles and creating new successes.
• Help your employees feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves by sharing the vision, mission and goals of your program and of UC ANR; discuss how the employee's goals align with your program.
• Include your employees in the actual goal-setting planning for projects, when possible. Be delighted as they take ownership and commit with competency to the outcome.

Both supervisors and direct reports should agree to meet at least quarterly to celebrate milestones and to check in on project progress and for skill development. Refer to the ANR Learning & Development website for Career Planning tools. An important tool is the creation of an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The IDP is a career action roadmap for skill building, professional development and career management.

Employees are encouraged to ask their supervisors for feedback and help in planning the IDP. Supervisors are tasked by UC ANR to coach employees in drafting and following progress of an IDP.

The ongoing project to gather, protect, digitize and share the history of UC Cooperative Extension in California is producing a collection that demonstrates the organization's impact in the past and potential for the future.

The effort was launched by former UC ANR vice president Barbara Allen-Diaz shortly after the 2014 UCCE Centennial celebration. She allocated funds to locate a professional archivist at the UC Merced library, which is becoming known for creating comprehensive digital collections of historical materials.

Help capture UCCE history by archiving important documents.

Archivist Lisa Vallen began work on three pilot projects, collecting materials from UC Cooperative Extension offices in Merced, Ventura and Humboldt counties.

In her initial assessment, Vallen learned that the National Archives has archived some UC Cooperative Extension records. UC Davis has digitized state-level Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station publications. Vallen studied archive efforts for Cooperative Extension in other states. In North Carolina, 4-H records, audio-visual materials and annual reports are being archived and digitized. In Colorado, they are working on digitizing their annual reports.

In Merced, Vallen identified 393 linear feet of material and performed a statistical sampling of 912 items. (A banker box is about 1 linear foot.) After sampling, she was able to cut the archival matter down to 102 linear feet, most of which needs to be re-housed or digitized. A priority is digitizing nearly 367 nitrate negatives, Vallen said. Nitrate negatives were the first flexible film base produced by Eastman Kodak. They were used from about 1900 until about 1950. Because nitrate negatives are flammable and give off poisonous gas, they are not easily stored.

Vallen also found a large amount of research trial reports, raw data and various runs of local newsletters in the Merced farm advisor records.

In Ventura, Vallen found 142 linear feet of material, which after sampling was narrowed down to 65 linear feet. She expects processing of the materials to be complete at the end of summer 2017.

“Ideally, historical records should be kept in a space that's climate controlled,” Vallen said. “In Ventura, they have some in a container on a farm. That's not ideal at all.”

The review of Humboldt County material will begin in late spring.

In addition to the pilot archival work, Vallen is developing a manual of policies and best practices for archiving material. The manual will guide UCCE offices on how to label, rehouse and retain a collection of important records, and provide retention guidelines.

“The manual will suggest what materials to keep, for how long, and whether they should be discarded,” Vallen said. The manual will also outline methods for collecting and preserving records that are “born digital,” such as email, PowerPoint presentations and website content.

In order to educate the public and researchers about UC Cooperative Extension, its history and the efforts of the UC Merced library staff to preserve the history, UC ANR has committed to funding the archive project through June 2019.

“There's no question about the value of this project and the richness it brings to the whole state, not just UC,” said UC Merced librarian Haipeng Li.

For more on the UCCE archive project, follow Vallen's blog on the UC Merced library website.