- Author: Wendy Powers
Mark, Glenda and I attended the Western Extension and Experiment Station administrator meetings this week. The meetings were in San Diego. Mark attends the Western Region Program Leaders Committee (WRPLC) meetings, I attend the Western Extension Directors Association (WEDA) meetings, and Glenda attends the Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD) meetings. During part of the WEDA meeting, we meet with WAAESD and during a different portion, WEDA meets with WRPLC. It's not that we don't have enough to keep us busy in UC ANR, but getting together with our counterparts across the region (and once a year, across the country) gives us an opportunity to see where we face the same challenges and present a unified front for supporting Extension and the Ag Experiment Station. The Western Agenda serves as that platform of common issues. So many of our conversations focus on how to make sure rural and agricultural needs west of the Rockies are recognized. These needs include support to address invasive species, endangered species, youth development, rural infrastructure, rural-urban interdependence, water/drought, climate change impacts, hunger and poverty, onboarding new academics and staff, communicating the value of Extension, and measuring our impacts. No doubt we could have all of these conversations just within UC ANR, but finding solutions means looking outside as well as inside.
Part of that ‘looking outside' has meant me considering what do we do and have at UC ANR that other states don't do or don't have? In other words, how are we expending funding? This came up a bit more indirectly during Program Council last week. Since arriving at UC ANR it has shocked me that we have approximately the same number of academics as my past states (Michigan and Iowa) yet California is so much larger than both in both size and population. In penciling out this anomaly, it has become clear that while we have fewer academics (and likely staff, as well) per capita and per square mile, we have more resources for personnel to use in accomplishing their work. In my previous positions, if I was holding a meeting, I lined up the venue, called the caterer or made the coffee, arranged the room chairs, sent out the agenda, collected registrations and any fees, etc. When Statewide Conference came around (annually, in those states) my travel costs came out of my grant or various donors accounts. And if I brought in part of my salary through a project, I saw none of it. Not to mention the fact that there was no help to coach me in fund development. I can imagine that if you haven't been outside in a while, or at all, it's easy to not recognize what we have at UC ANR.
I suspect it's also easily to forget how nice it is to just hop on a quick flight to San Diego and see some amazing things that UC ANR is a part of! We had an afternoon tour with Cheryl Wilen and Carmen Gispert as our bus hosts. You can imagine how fun and informative that was! I'd been wanting to see the Flower Fields and I was not disappointed. Holland has nothing on Carlsbad. Mike Mellano gave us a great tour; nothing like having an owner as a guide. Then off to Go Green Agriculture to see hyroponic lettuce production before stopping in a lemon grove with Gary Bender. Though many Emeriti in UC ANR are likely to help out, that's not the case everywhere. We finished up at a vineyard. Kellie McFarland had her work cut out for her keeping us all in line and on time. Sherry and her PSU team did a fabulous job with stops and accommodations.
No doubt what impressed everyone most was that every stop the host talked about their operation as a partnership with UCCE. No place was that more evident than at the Flower Fields, whether it be Mike talking about Mark Gaskell's work with the coffee production or hearing Laurent Ahiablame and Jennifer Pelham show us the results of their efforts and that of the UCCE San Diego Master Gardener's. A tremendous way to start a long weekend. Congratulations everyone for work well done!
- Author: Wendy Powers
Mark Lagrimini, our new Vice Provost - Research and Extension, effective June 1, was in town last week. We met for an hour to talk about the position, expectations, and work styles. He also met with Joan Warren to jump start the onboarding process as much as possible. Mark had dinner with a few members of Program Council so I hope that helped him understand the lay of the land a bit. During my conversation with Mark, we both learned that we had interviewed for the same position earlier in our careers. While neither of us ended up in the position, the coincidence had me thinking just how small the universe really is.
This week I am in San Diego for the Western Extension Director's Association meeting. There's a tour at the end of the meeting; this is what I am most excited about. The flower fields of Mellano Family Farms is one of the stops. I don't remember the other stops but I'm sure Sherry has lined up a great afternoon. The rest of the meeting is the usual type of meeting other than the fact that I am secretary so I have to pay attention and capture notes. That's not one of my strengths but we'll see how it goes.
I've wrapped up all but 1 of my academic annual reviews though I still have 4 to write up and post. Apparently I missed the deadline for uploading my academic reviews so I need to get that done ASAP. I didn't count how many AE meetings I had but it was quite a few (>40). I took sparse notes during the 45-60 minute conversations; mostly action items for me and ideas for the future. Perhaps my airport time this week will give me a chance to compile all of my thoughts and reflections and get them down on paper to reveal any themes or ideas to run by the group of directors. Next I need to work on staff reviews and then, of course, write up my own accomplishments and get those submitted in the next 2 weeks. Following, it's time to start reviewing dossiers submitted for merit and promotion. It occurred to me recently that I don't really have to wait until after the Peer Review Committee has reviewed them to start reading them myself. Have I mentioned that I've never been a fan of reading or homework?
A couple weeks back I mentioned that I heard a great keynote speaker, Charles Blow. Last week his daughter won the NCAA Individual Women's Foil Fencing Championship - this information courtesy of my sister who fences. It really is a small, small world.
- Author: Wendy Powers
Program Council met this week. We spent a couple hours Tuesday afternoon and the bulk of Wednesday reviewing budget submissions for Statewide Programs and Institutes, Strategic Initiatives, Program Team meetings, Specialist support at the campuses, the ANR Competitive Grants Programs, and salary equity programs. There might have been a couple other things in there that I have forgotten. The group the reviews the administrative units had met on Monday. The approach this year at Program Council was quite different from last year and, apparently, prior years. Different doesn't necessarily mean better or worse. Upon reflection of the meeting, most participants felt that the approach taken this year had some real advantages and we were able to identify ways to improve it for next year.
The conversation itself was quite different compared to last year, also. When the budget call was issued for FY18-19, the guidance that accompanied the invitation to submit a budget indicated that any submission needed to be cost-neutral relative to the FY17-18 submission. Therefore, any new requests had to be offset by a reduction elsewhere in the unit's budget. So the conversation focused on the mission-critical attributes of each unit rather than detailed use of allocated budgets. Those mission-critical attributes, in turn, require funding to continue.
In hindsight, I think it would have been valuable to add to the conversation a discussion about where key investments are needed, even if they need to be made in a cost-neutral manner. While it may seem counterintuitive to spend money when money is tight, hiding cash in the mattress is quite the opposite of what retirement planners recommend when the stock market falls. Instead, financial planners tell you to invest in the future. That's exactly what we need to do if we want to get out from under dependency on declining state and federal dollars. Perhaps a follow up conversation with Program Council will follow at our next meeting in early May.
Cooperative Extension actually received a call-out from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine in the current issue. It was an article about a retired sheriff and assistant district attorney in Georgia who now supplement their retirement income with a small farm, selling meat, eggs and canned goods. Cooperative Extension helped get them started. Changing lives throughout the U.S. – that's Cooperative Extension! It was great to see that acknowledgement in somewhat of a non-traditional publication.
In other good news, on April 3 the 2018 Bradford Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award will be presented to Rachel Surls Sustainable Food Systems Advisor in Los Angeles County @RachelSurls. Congratulations Rachel – well done! I can't wait to attend and show my support for Rachel's accomplishments! If you recall, David Lewis was the recipient last year. This is definitely a positive trend!
- Author: Wendy Powers
Ready for more fun facts? Recall that the sense of taste and the sense of smell are tightly related. Skeptical? Try the following at home. Obtain a bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans, mixed flavors. Then, with a clothespin on your nose and your eyes closed, taste a jelly bean and try to determine the flavor. More than likely, you can determine that it is sweet but you can't identify the flavor. Now, remove the clothespin. The flavor is likely now readily identifiable. I hope it was a flavor you like!
A fact that's even more fun – we are increasing in numbers! Progress to increase the academic footprint is slow. The Program, Planning and Evaluation group are tracking numbers of academics each quarter so that we can all start to see that progress. From the chart one can see that the Advisor headcount increased by 1 while the CE Specialist headcount remained steady. Other categories, plus AES headcount (not shown) dipped slightly. There will be dips because of the waves of retirements (June and December) offset by trickling of hires throughout the year, but as we continue to plot our course, a trend in growth will become more apparent.
Headcount of CE academic titles, measured at the end of each quarter displayed.
Over the past month, Hawau Bojuwon started her career with UC ANR as an Assistant CE Advisor in Nutrition, Food and Consumer Sciences for Kern County, based in Bakersfield. That same day, Lynn Sosnoskie began as an Assistant Area Cooperative Extension Advisor in Agronomy and Weed Management, based in Merced, with programmatic responsibilities in Merced and Madera Counties. Please welcome them; we are glad they are all here!
This week is Program Council and a few more days of one-on-one meetings with County Directors. Program Council will be reviewing budget requests and talking about observations of the position call process, to date. I am meeting with the UCD Specialist Advisory Committee on Tuesday before Program Council. Thursday the Ethics, Compliance and Risk Committee meets in Oakland.
On Friday, Dr. Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdivia, starts as an Area IPM Advisor for Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties. Campuses have been busy extending offers to CE Specialists. So combined, we are moving in the right direction!
- Author: Wendy Powers
I was caught in the rain yesterday. That's not something I can say too often in California! And despite the fact that I don't much care for rain (snow is much preferred!) I don't dare complain. It sounds like we have quite a ways to go to achieve the desired state for moisture and snowpack, though we are making progress (70% in the Sierra).
For some reason a number of things are ending up in my junk mail these days. My understanding is that this is the result of stricter security measures with the host server. Three quarters or more of the travel reimbursement submissions I approve are landing in the Junk folder. Fortunately I check that folder when I am working on a laptop or desktop. However, I don't have that folder in the mobile version of my email and I tend to approve both timesheets and travel via my phone. My apologies to those who find their travel reimbursements held up by me. I don't think it is happening often, but my apologies, nonetheless.
I hear the email that went to academics about completing the ‘condition change' survey went to the Junk or spam folder for many as well. If you haven't completed it, take a look in those folders and see if it might be there. The purpose of the survey is to see how current effort is directed towards the 24 condition changes identified as key to achieving our UC ANR desired state (the 2025 Strategic Vision). The goal isn't to check every box but rather, for individuals to think about what condition changes they will measure from their work, over time. Additional condition changes may result from their work, but, if no one is measuring the change we won't have the data to support that our work makes a difference. Rather, we can focus on what we are measuring and convey that message. I have no idea what to expect from the survey but we plan to share the results in a poster at the upcoming Statewide Conference so that everyone can see the distribution of effort across the academics who participated in the survey.
The survey will get us thinking about how we, as individuals, are using our time and collecting impact data and then allow each of us to make adjustments to our efforts. I've heard concerns about how the time needed to realize change in conditions; the intent is to focus on change at the programmatic level and not at the project level. For example, I wouldn't expect a change in water quality to be the result of a publication or a workshop I delivered but rather as a result of the sum of things I do in my program (multiple research projects, several publications, regular meetings, perhaps implementation of a tool I co-developed) that has a targeted intended outcome (water quality).
The other message I hear went to the Junk folder was an update on the RECs and recharge rates. There's been much effort to position the RECs on a course of meeting research needs, long-term. We're looking at costs differently and looking at opportunities differently. It's not easy and the answers aren't obvious. But the conversations have been thoughtful and thought-provoking. Rates for the upcoming fiscal year should be available soon and while the approach may be tweaked in subsequent years, the time-consuming work undertaken over the last 6+ months will remain the basis for years to come. There's more work to do and things to consider, then reconsider. The effort is far from junk and allows the REC system to move towards its desired state.
Many more conversations with County Directors yet to be had during the annual evaluation process. Once I wrap those up, I hope to take some time to reflect on what I have heard; common themes and recommendations. In between, I need to work on my own annual review documentation. Tips and suggestions welcome!
