I know it is right before some of our colleagues retire and, as a result, these numbers will be changing next quarter, but we have some gains in the academic footprint since last quarter. Take a look:

It may not seem like much, but tiny victories are welcome, too! I decided to go with a table this time rather than a graph. Perhaps it is easier to see the change in numbers, though clearly that change is in the Advisor category, only. The downside with the table is that we need to wrap our head around the notion of a 0.01 FTE. We have a number of new Advisors starting in this upcoming quarter (May-Jul) and some Specialists in the following quarter so I think we may see these numbers prevail despite upcoming retirements.

The VP Council met today. This group is made up of Statewide Program and Institute Directors, unit Directors, and senior leaders. The conversation included quite a few numbers (budgets, metrics and targets) as well as updates on the ANR Advisory Committee work and general messaging about happenings in ANR. If you happen to have conversations with anyone from this group, feel free to ask them for an update.

Glenda, Tu, Jan, and I met with Jennifer Bungee to talk about budget allocations for the upcoming fiscal year. What's already a difficult conversation given we don't have all the resources we'd like ends up just being a bit weird when we aren't really sure what our budget will be. That makes it hard for everyone out there wondering what funds they have to work with to help their clientele, meet with their program teams, and plan ahead. We're looking for ways to stretch the dollar and maximize programming activity by leaving open some key administrative positions. The problem is, these positions are important, too; without them more of the paperwork gets pushed on to others, plans to offer new things that will make life easier get pushed to the back, and, ultimately, everyone feels it. There's no easy answer, even when it might seem like there is.

Speaking of numbers, 3 more merit and promotion packages to review. I'd better get that wrapped up.

In between finishing up the merit and promotion packages, I did some gardening this weekend. My favorite plant on the property was in bloom. Unfortunately, it's not one of the plants that needs thinning and clearly doesn't spread like so many others we have (trumpet vines, calla lilies, cannas, among others) and I have no idea what it is. So consider this a trivia question and let me know if you recognize this plant.

Plant trivia - try to name this plant

Some think gardening is relaxing. I seem to approach it more as a full contact sport. I guess it's a matter of perspective. For example, I'm challenged to find the benefits to dividing California into 3 states but, clearly others find this a good idea. Who knows, I may be enlightened over the next few months. Right now, I struggle to see what such a change would mean to the University of California system. That could definitely make deciding between the Blue, the Gold, or a modified state for UC ANR appear a much simpler task.

Before the end of the week I need to put together a presentation about ‘what UC ANR program delivery looks like' to share with the ANR Advisory Committee early next week. I haven't decided yet what that presentation looks like. In the meantime, we have our annual meeting with President Napolitano on Thursday afternoon. We'll focus on progress made on our strategic plan goals. If you haven't visited the strategic plan website lately, take a look at the document now posted that provides updates on recent accomplishments. This will be updated 3 to 4 times per year so stop back in a few months to review the updated version.

One of the accomplishments outlined is the development of shared positions through new partnerships. As a result of a new financial partnership with NRCS, Anthony Fulford has joined UC ANR! Anthony started today as a CE Advisor, Nutrient Management and Soil Quality, based in Modesto, CA, with programmatic responsibilities in Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin Counties. Please take a minute to welcome Anthony.

Thursday is also the second WebANR where Nancy Franz will be joining us to talk about how the Public Value Statements are a strategy to help focus one's efforts, among other purposes. Like last month's webinar, it will be recorded in case you are unable to join the conversation live.

With Thursday promising to be a busy day, I'll be sure to give you an update on anything exciting that may happen. In the meantime, I'm staying out of the garden.

Make good use of the longest day of 2018!

Yesterday was the start of my third year with UC ANR. I didn't go out and celebrate because we had our meeting with President Napolitano today and she is always well prepared for these meetings so I wouldn't want to risk not being on my toes. Overall, it was a good meeting. We were well prepared and we had strong progress on our goals to be shared. I haven't fully processed the conversations but I'm sure thoughts will weave their way into future blog posts.

Earlier in the day, President Napolitano gave a Town Hall meeting in Oakland. One statistic she shared that we should all be talking about is the fact that 42% of UC graduates were first generation students. That's amazing and I have no doubt that the work UC ANR does around the state contributed to some of those students making their way to UC, through youth development efforts, programs that enhanced skills or business success of parents, and/or money management and budget classes.

During the Town Hall the President was asked about the current practice of leaving vacant positions open. She gave an interesting answer, indicating that it's an opportunity for all to think about what they were doing and if it was the highest priority work versus using the vacancy as a driver to improve process efficiency. She went on to say that ‘change', while hard, can come from within and often it is that change that most contributes to success. The response caught me off guard but at the same time was quite empowering, as I believe it was intended. Sort of a “be the change” message.

During the noon WebANR, Nancy Franz talked about using Public Value Statements in your own program or your team's work. If you were unable to join, check out the recording. And if you have topic ideas for the WebANR series – topics ranging from effective program delivery, to resourcing your program, to navigating the office environment and systems – feel free to contact Jodi Azuli and share your idea! Be sure to thank Jodi for the work she has been doing on these third Thursday WebANRs.

While I may not be an official anniversary celebration, there's lots to celebrate in UC ANR. Fe Moncloa was just appointed to a national leadership role as co-chair of the 4-H PLWG, Equity and Engagement for All (EEA) committee. In this role, Fe will support the professional development needs of 4-H Extension professionals on issues of equity, belonging and inclusion. Congratulations, Fe!

The work of the Fresno UCCE team was recently recognized by CalCAN for their work with the SWEEP program. Congratulations to Michael, Ruth, and team! I had a chance to visit this office not too long ago and we visited a farmer who works closely with the local team. I don't think I will forget anytime soon how moving it was to hear about the partnership with the women's shelter nor with the Street Saints organization.

These are just a couple of examples of what we all have to celebrate. While the process of reviewing merit and promotion documents takes time, the timing is perfect as it allows me the chance to wind down each of my ‘years with UC ANR' recognizing and rewarding all of the outstanding effort, all across the state.

Tomorrow I need to pull together a presentation for the ANR Advisory Committee about the delivery of our programs and processes in place to review and resource programs. It's an easy sell to convey the importance of everyone's work. I just need to sit down and put it together.

Maybe I've just forgotten what June weather has been like for the past two years, or maybe it is hitting triple digits earlier than it has. Either way, I'm not a fan. But it gave me an excuse to stay out of the garden and finish recovering from past injuries. I had plenty of other things to work on over the weekend.

Today I had the opportunity to meet Kamal Singh-Khaira. She is the new UC CalFresh Director, based at UC Davis. Kamal comes with a wealth of experience and connections across UC and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In addition, she was fortunate to have a week of overlap with David Ginsburg as he prepares for retirement. Kamal plans to start getting out into counties to see the work of UC ANR.

I shared the work of UC ANR, in the broad sense, with the ANR Advisory Committee that is reviewing UC ANR. They had many questions, all good, and showed a strong appreciation for the work and the partnering we do. We can always do things better, so my hope is that out of the committee comes opportunities to work smartly and efficiently across UC, without losing sight of the important work we do.

Fires are roaring early this year, too. Hopefully everyone in Tehama and Lake Counties and surrounding areas are safe. We are headed to Tehama tomorrow to visit the county office and then on to Humboldt. So far the roads are open. It takes much work on the part of the local office to arrange these visits so I hope nothing derails our trip. This will be my first visit to the Tehama UCCE office so I am particularly looking forward to it. I had a chance to visit with the group in Humboldt/Del Norte a while back (spring 2017, maybe?) but there's so much to see and talk about with the local office that it feels like my goal of being in every office every other year (by invite) isn't often enough. And during meetings like the one earlier today, my visits prepare me with great examples of the important work going on all around the state. So, the visits are high on my priority list.

While today I met with the ANR Advisory Committee, Thursday I have an interview with the staff for the committee. Topics are around the general issue of how ANR should be funded, governance structures and options, and reporting lines. As I've said before, I understand the need to talk about these things, but I really hope we don't lose sight of the mission and the difference between what goes on at a campus and what goes on in local communities. That aspect, the work itself, doesn't seem to surface much in the conversations.

Time to head out for the day and see what's in the Inbox when I arrive home, learn of the progress in getting fires under control, and plan a bit for upcoming meetings and conversations. I hope things have cooled off some.