Learning and development update

Programmatic Orientation to be held Oct. 17-19

UCANR's Programmatic Orientation will be held Oct. 17-19 at Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC), located at 4070 University Road, Hopland, CA 95449.

Programmatic Orientation is designed to help academics jump start their programs by focusing on program design. The event will showcase successful projects of other ANR academics.

The orientation is open to all early-career UC Cooperative Extension advisors, UC Cooperative Extension specialists, academic coordinators, academic administrators and Agricultural Experiment Station faculty who were unable to attend in 2014 or 2015 or who have been recently hired. Register here.

To learn about the administrative units that support your career, remember to sign up for the New Employee Orientation also.

New Employee Orientation to be held Nov. 14

The New Employee Orientation will be held Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UC ANR Building at 2801 Second Street in Davis. 

The New Employee Orientation is for staff and academics. It introduces statewide programs, focuses on administrative units and services and provides an overview of ANR structure, vision and mission. Register here.

Webinar: Transforming Extension

A webinar titled “Transforming Extension: Enhanced Engagement Through Client Management Systems” will be presented on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, at 8:30 a.m.

Kyle Flinn, University of Missouri Extension, extension enterprise project director, is the presenter.

The University of Missouri Extension is investing in transformative technology platforms to enhance engagement with the citizens of Missouri. During this webinar, the speaker will provide details about the specific e-commerce, e-marketing, online learning and event management platforms that will be launched in 2017. In addition, information about how the systems will complement tools like 4H Online will be shared. This new platform provides Missouri Extension with a new website, a new content management system and seeks automate a number of manual tasks.

To join the webinar, go to https://extension.zoom.us/j/944887647.

Lynda.com course feature: Building trust

You're responsible for building community, collaborating on a project, or managing a team. What's missing is a sense of trust. It appears not to be building by itself and it's time for change. Need a compass? Let author Brenda Bailey-Hughes teach you how to strengthen relationships, build trust in teams (even remote ones!), how to rebuild violated trust, and more. This course qualifies for professional development units through the Project Management Institute.

Implicit (unconscious) bias? Me?

Yes, you and me. We all hold bias and it can take a bit of courage to want to know what our inner biases are. In the coming months, especially for those of us involved in the hiring process at the University of California, we will be hearing more about implicit bias and receive UC-wide training in this topic area. Being aware of our biases will help us make better hiring decisions in the future.

In the meantime, Harvard University's Project Implicit® bias tests will give you an opportunity to click through a survey on any of the following areas to learn your level of bias for:

• Age
• Presidents
• Religion
• Sexuality
• Arab-Muslim
• Disability
• Weapons
• Race
• Gender-Career
• Gender-Science
• Weight
• Asian
• Native
• Skin-tone

After 5-10 minutes, you will receive a score. Be honest. Be prepared to learn about yourself.

Supervisor upskill: Learn, network and celebrate

Learn: UC People Performance Certificate Series

Join ANR supervisors who have grown their people management skills by completing the UC Performance Management Series Certificate (UC Learning Center). (Browse course titles and codes here).

Like you, these supervisors face challenges. The series provided them tools and communication practices that help them make a difference in the growth, engagement, and productivity of their employees.

Lori Renstrom, administrative officer for UCCE San Diego, said: "The UC People Management Certificate series has helped me to be a more well-rounded and engaged supervisor. I have learned that performance management is more than a once-a-year performance evaluation endeavor; it's an ever-evolving process of setting expectations and goals, monitoring and giving staff feedback, coaching, reviewing expectations, evaluating results which replays continually.  

"Additionally, I have learned how to work with my staff to create SMART goals which benefit not only the employee, but the entire organization as well. Additionally, using the lessons learned in the series, an administrative succession plan has been formulated which will ensure continuity of services and institutional knowledge."

Upskill: UC People Management Networking Cohort

Fill out this interest survey if you would like to be considered for the winter 2018 networking cohort. ANR people managers meet for a facilitated call once a month for 10 months at a preset day and time to share:

• Tools used from the UC People Management course and how they are affecting positive change
• Guidance for challenges or issues in engagement, productivity or communication
• Resolutions for workplace scenarios
• Homework assignments from the course

Celebrate: UC People Management Conference 2018 Sponsorships

ANR Learning & Development will be sponsor 10 people managers who complete the UC Performance Management Series Certificate by June 29, 2018, to attend the second annual UC People Management Conference in August 2018! Check out last year's conference website.

Early registration discount for NAEPSDP annual conference ends Oct. 30  

The 2017 National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) Annual Conference will be held at Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 5-7, 2017. 

The keynote speaker will be our very own, Mark Bell, vice provost for Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs!

What could you gain by networking with extension colleagues from around the US?

• Network with extension colleagues from other states
• Learn from early technology adopters
• Identify resources that can be shared
• Find collaboration opportunities
• Learn about NAEPSDP leadership opportunities
• Connect with individuals who have statewide and regional responsibilities that often include adoption of new technologies or practices for program development or managing human resources

Register now to get the early bird discount! NAEPSDP was formed to bring the national community of program and staff development professionals together. This community includes individuals with a range of responsibilities in support of extension educators and the overall mission of Cooperative Extension. Explore the NAEPSDP website for more information.

NAEPSDP members include:

• Middle managers
• Staff development faculty
• Evaluation specialists
• IT specialists
• Instructional designers
• Administrators
• Human resources managers
• Program leaders

Questions? Contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu or (530) 750-1239.

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