We wrapped up the Information Sessions on Friday. Mark stayed behind in San Diego to enjoy the weekend. Each session brought about different topics for discussion during the open session. One common theme was that of the need to retain current academic and staff employees as well as a need to increase the numbers of employees focused on program delivery.

San Diego sunset. Photo courtesy of Mark Bell.

This week I will be back in San Diego on Wednesday to talk with the local office about the challenges of reduced staffing. The UCCE San Diego team isn't alone in this challenge, but we need to do some planning and brainstorming. I don't expect there will be time for the zoo or the sunset unless there is a delay in my return flight.

Mark Bell visits the San Diego Zoo

I'm headed to Fresno Tuesday evening to attend a local meeting to discuss the 4-H program and brainstorm how best to fund program growth. Hopefully, the attendees bring good ideas to the conversation. That program is doing such important work. Recently, the County received a $62,000 grant to pilot Work-Based Mentoring with At-Risk/Foster Youth. Congratulations to Alena and the team for their efforts to make this happen!

We are identifying new funding models for positions across the division. Considerations include County or other partner support for program staff or academic positions, endowments for program staff or academic positions, and recharge for business and research positions. All options come with challenges. Status quo has its own set of challenges.

On our way from the Kearney session to the San Luis Obispo session, we stopped at the SunMaid grower store in Selma. We discovered flavored raisins. Who would have thought that raisins, a product that has stood on its own for decades, would need to reinvent itself to keep up with changing consumers? One of our traveling group commented that the expansion in the product line did not sit well with the industry. I suspect that will change if the marketing strategy proves successful.

Thursday the Vice President's Council meets followed by the Dean's Council. At some point, I will have to identify what preparations I need to do for those meetings, but for now, I will focus on now through Wednesday.

During our meeting this week, NIFA Director Scott Angle met with the group and shared a number of updates. Things are moving quickly to relocate NIFA to Kansas City. About a dozen staffers and 8 program people will remain in DC. Program staff have until the end of this week to apply to remain in DC. While it's disheartening to think about UC ANR's budget this coming year, I can't even imagine how those within NIFA feel about things. Director Angle talked about NIFA priorities, citing that efforts will focus on 5 areas: climate change, nutrition and health, policy, artificial intelligence, and sustainable intensification. This isn't new information though he emphasized that NIFA is committed to addressing climate change which is a bit of a different direction than previous messages that have come out of USDA. We also heard about plans to take a look at the capacity fund allocation method. It's unclear what this means but good to know it is coming. Hopefully it means good things for California.

We heard quite a bit about the matching requirement for NIFA funds. Efforts are underway to have a fix in place for next year's call for proposals. Unfortunately, there isn't a fix for the current RFA. Rumor has it Glenda played a big role in conversations to make headway.

Hot air balloons over Albuquerque

We received an update from National 4-H Council. Good things are happening there. Mary Ciricillo's success in receiving $60,000 as a result of Foundation efforts was called out. And Fe Moncloa's co-leadership of the Access, Equity, and Belonging Committee was recognized for the resources under development. Of particular interest was a True Leaders in Equity Institute that was held in DC in April. Take a look at what some of the participants shared about what equity means to them.

It has been fun to hear what's going on in other states. Ten schools in Albuquerque, previously rated as ‘failing' now have 4-H Fridays where the last hour of the day is a 4-H meeting. Every student goes to a ‘club classroom' and works on projects. Attendance during the week and completed homework assignments are required in order to participate in the club that week. The result – better attendance, better grades, excitement over school! In Oregon, OSU Extension has partnered with REI to launch an outdoor economy initiative. Non-profits, for-profits, and agencies will be engaged as partners as the initiative develops.

I'm ready to head back to CA and put my new knowledge to use. If the ambient temp is going to be in the high 90's I would rather have that at home.

Odd that people from the Oakland office came to Davis Monday to cool off, citing that their homes in the Bay area don't have air conditioners and that it was actually cooler in Davis. That didn't last long. I am extra fortunate in that my house has A/C, but we didn't need to run it over the weekend or last night; that didn't last long either, and now it is running.

I spent Monday night in Riverside having attended the County Board of Supervisors Budget Hearing that evening. Despite the heat, well over a hundred people turned out for the meeting in support of maintaining the UCCE budget. Many, many thanks to all who helped turn the proposed '0 budget' into a '0 cut'! The supporters really put the heat on the Supervisors to reconsider the original funding (de-funding) proposal. Those who offered public comment provided heartfelt testimony about the impact of our programs and how they, personally, have benefited and how the County has benefited. Tuesday I returned to listen to the rest of the Budget Hearing. I thought about all of the untapped opportunities we have to partner more with other departments and achieve shared goals. Have we considered working with Corrections to leverage their funding with our Master Gardener Program as a means of increasing skills and citizenry of facility residents before their release? What are the possibilities to work with Riverside University Health System's Behavior division to provide programming that enhances wellness among youth, adult, underserved, or all populations? We have substantial, documented successes working with school systems, so why not assume our impact would be as meaningful if we partnered with other County units?

4-Hers show up in Riverside County. Photo courtesy of Jose Aguiar

The work's not over. We need to continue to engage those who don't know us but make decisions that impact us. We need to continue to engage those who do know us, and brainstorm how to do better – reach more people, have a greater impact. The work is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Out of the meeting on Monday, I met many of our long-time supporters. I met new supporters who were learning about UC Cooperative Extension for the first time. I was genuinely moved by the show of support by a group from CalFire who were there to fight for their own funding. I wonder, were they familiar with the UC ANR efforts around firewise landscaping, prescribed fire, or our response efforts following recent wildfires throughout the state? Or were they moved by the stories from the 4-Hers, the Master Gardeners, or the families that have benefited, directly, from UC ANR programs?

Now Wednesday is almost over, my 'Thank You' notes to the Board of Supervisors are ready for mailing, I'm behind on deadlines for the week, and it is only Wednesday. The good news – I think I've helped someone each day, been challenged by something each day, and learned something each day this week. And it's only Wednesday! Three years ago yesterday, I wrote a letter to my immediate supervisor indicating I was leaving my faculty/director position. While the message didn't say so, the reason was, in part, due to extreme boredom. Not bored yet. But I am still looking for a strategy to beat the heat.

Today was full of meetings. Strategic plan goal owners met to talk about progress on the plan, identify successes and obstacles, remind each other that we have a Wednesday deadline to provide updates into the Smartsheet project tracker. I hope to complete my updates early tomorrow morning.

Following the goal owner meeting, a number of us moved to the other end of the building to meet with the Development Services team and catch up on achievements around the state as well as prioritize the team efforts. There are many recent successes out in the counties. Congratulations to everyone who has been working with donors and partners! Even if you haven't realized a success, yet, the effort deserves a celebration.

The next meeting was to start to process of improving the UC ANR website, beyond the recent refresh that only addressed the first layer of the framework. Like Project Board, this entails a long process and sizable investment. We have to start somewhere. During the meeting, Hans Gude talked about risks in the process – outcome, process, and project risks.

After I complete my goal updates tomorrow, I head to the President's Advisory Committee meeting in Oakland. While the President is unable to attend, her office will be represented. Among other topics, Doug Parker and Secretary Karen Ross will provide an overview of our recent agreement with CDFA to increase implementation of climate-smart farm practices. The presentation will give Doug a chance to brag about the fantastic Community Education Specialists we've been fortunate enough to hire as a result of the partnership with CDFA. Though he might be jet-lagged a bit, I'm sure Doug is looking forward to the meeting. Doug, Glenda, and Sherry Cooper just returned from Spain over the weekend. They attended the Rosenberg Forum while in Spain.

Amidst meetings, jet-lag or whatever happens to be on your calendar, please don't forget a few key dates and items:

• Wednesday, May 1, is UC Walks. Try to get out and enjoy the great weather and don't forget your antihistamines. Last year, I had the great pleasure of walking with the Fresno County team through the Garden of the Sun – what a fun walk!

• May 15 is the last day to Raise Your Hand in support of 4-H. I noticed that Ohio is boasting over 17,000 hands raised. Surely we can beat out Ohio!

• If you have an educational news story to share, be sure to submit it into the story pipeline. Check out the story that David Lewis submitted.

I hope everyone's meetings go well this week!