Announcements

Celebration Corner

4-H Horticulture team finishes first in NJHA contest

Michael Rethwisch, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Riverside County coached the California 4-H Horticulture team to first place at the 2024 National Junior Horticultural Association (NJHA) contest in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In the contest, the teams had to identify 100 horticultural specimens – 25 from four categories. The categories were flowers and indoor plants; landscape ornamentals; fruits, nuts and berries; and vegetables. They also answered 80 questions on a written test and completed eight sets of judging. Some of the specimens included dahlia and snapdragon seeds, a hawthorn twig, lilac flowers, maple leaves, eggplant seeds, coffee leaves and guava fruit. The California 4-H team scored more than 100 points ahead of the second-place team. A perfect team score would be 1,320 points.

“California was the only team to break 1,000 points this year (including the open class and FFA teams competing in other divisions),” said Rethwisch, who coached the team via Zoom and only met with them in person at the competition. 

Four individuals on the California 4-H Horticulture team also earned placings. Maya Krishaswamy of Santa Clara County took first place; Jolene Junge of Tehama County placed second; Noemi Nejedli of Santa Clara County placed fifth; and Lucas Gribi of Alameda County placed 11th.

Rethwisch praised the dedication and personal efforts of the members to learn the specimen details.

Koundinya receives Extension Excellence in Staff Development Award

Vikram Koundinya received the 'Extension Excellence in Staff Development Award' from the National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) at their annual conference on Nov. 14.

NAEPSDP's Extension Excellence in Staff Development Award recognizes individuals who use creativity, innovation and evidence to develop and deliver staff development initiatives that strengthen the employee capacity of Cooperative Extension systems.

Koundinya received this award for 2024 for his trainings, one-on-one consultations and publications aimed at building the capacity of California Cooperative Extension academics and programmatic staff in evaluation through extension teaching.

He was also elected president-elect of NAEPSDP.

 

$5,000 matching campaign for Forever 4-H Endowment in Santa Barbara County ends on Dec. 4

The 4-H Youth Development Program in Santa Barbara County believes that true leaders are not born, they're grown. With the support of its generous donors, strong volunteer base, and community support, the 4-H Program in Santa Barbara County successfully equips and empowers young leaders to develop essential leadership skills; build confidence and skills in healthy living, science, technology, engineering and math; and explore college and career pathways.

Recognizing its significant impact in the community, the Edwin and Jeanne Woods Foundation committed a $5,000 matching incentive to the Forever 4-H Endowment of Santa Barbara County. As longtime supporters of 4-H, the Edwin and Jeanne Woods Foundation believes in the program's mission and vision to engage youth in reaching their fullest potential while providing meaningful opportunities for all youth and adults to learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change.

“I was able to learn more about how I can improve myself in order to help improve my community. From becoming more confident in my knowledge and abilities to my ability to connect with people of all ages,” said a 4-H youth participant regarding their overall experience in the program.

4-H Club based projects focus on animal science, career and leadership, civic engagement, healthy living and nutrition, outdoor education, and STEM. Currently there are twelve 4-H community clubs located throughout Santa Barbara County in Carpinteria, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Orcutt, and Solvang. In addition, there are five school-based clubs at elementary schools located in Santa Maria with a focus on leadership in health and nutrition.

Established in June 2019, the Santa Barbara County Forever 4-H Endowment's market value as of October 31, 2024, was $242,265. The payout from this endowment will provide a sustainable revenue source contributing to the program's continued efforts in providing hands-on learning and leadership opportunities, and empowering youth to excel academically, socially, and personally well into the future.

Consider doubling your impact with a gift to the Santa Barbara County Forever 4-H Endowment during this year's Giving Tuesday Campaign, Dec. 3 by making a donation at the link found here https://give4h.ucanr.edu/forms/SantaBarbara-4H.

UC ANR welcomes AES faculty at UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz

Since President Drake announced the expansion of the UC Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), we have partnered with UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz leadership to integrate these two campuses into our UC ANR network.

We are excited to share that their founding AES faculty have started new AES projects as of this federal fiscal year, which started Oct. 1. See list below.

Please join us in welcoming them to the UC ANR network and reach out to grow our collaborations.

For more information about UC AES, visit https://ucanr.edu/UC_AES.

Name	Dept./Campus	AES Project
Michael Loik	Environmental Studies, UCSC	Measurement / Control of Resources in Controlled Environment Agriculture
Greg Gilbert	Environmental Studies, UCSC	Fungi and Fire in Central Coast Forests
Hannah Waterhouse	Environmental Studies, UCSC	Building Soil Health to Help Farmers and Communities Adapt to Climate and Regulatory Realities While Protecting Water Quality
Matt Sparke	Politics, UCSC	Farmworker Community Training Innovations for Climate Resilience
Colleen Josephson	Electrical & Computer Engineering, UCSC	Open-source hardware and software to democratize agricultural and ecological sensor networks
Rebecca Ryals	Life & Environmental Science, UCSC	Coupling Organic Waste Streams with Agricultural Health
Reza Ehsani	Mechanical Engineering, UCM	Automation, Sensing, and AI for Climate-Resilient Specialty Crop Production in Central Valley
Safeeq Khan	Civil & Environmental Engineering, UCM	Assessment and Modeling of Climate Change and Human Interventions Impact on California's Water Resources, Agriculture, and Dependent Ecosystem Services
Josue Medellin-Azuara	Civil & Environmental Engineering, UCM	An Agro-economic and Water Supply Framework to Quantify Economic Impacts of Climate and Management Adaptation

 

 

 

Canva now available to UC users

We're excited to announce our partnership with Canva, the all-in-one graphic design platform with leading-edge visual communication and design tools.

UC ANR staff can purchase Canva Pro subscriptions to enhance their design capabilities.

Cost

• The UC-negotiated annual rate is $94 per user license recharged to the department (regular rate = $120/year).
• Licenses purchased in July will run through the FY 2025.
• Orders placed after July will be prorated to the fiscal year.
• Users purchasing a license will have the option to renew each July.

How to order

To request a Canva license, take the following steps:

• Contact CDWG at Scott.Mueller@cdwg.com for a quote. Include your department's name and the number of seats requested.
• If you are requesting licenses for multiple users, you may attach a spreadsheet listing the members' names. We encourage departments to purchase seats in bulk in order to facilitate the process.
• After receiving a quote, contact your business manager to make the purchase.
• Once UC ANR Canva administrators receive notification of a seat new purchase, we will place the buyer in the corresponding Canva Team and Group.

Teams

Users will be added to one of two UC ANR Canva Teams. The UC ANR Communications Team will include staff from our statewide programs. Each program will be assigned a group that can easily share content with users in other groups.

The UC ANR General Team has been set up for users in all other departments/units.

Additional important information

What if I already have a current UC-paid Canva account?

Existing users won't automatically be added to the new UC contract and teams. They can still access Canva how they did previously. However, they are strongly encouraged to sign up for a new account at the lower user rate of $94/user/year.

If you join the new UC Canva account, Canva will refund the remainder of prepaid Pro licenses, but those users will have to move their designs over to the new account using these instructions.

Anyone with an existing paid Canva license will still have access to the teams they had access to before switching over to a new UC account.

What is the turnaround time between placing an order for Canva Enterprise and account activation?

Canva & CDWG are aiming for a two-day (2-day) provisioning window, but this timeframe may be slightly longer during the initial months due to order volume. This timing may improve after the first few months as the volume of orders evens out.

How do I access my new Canva account?

With their license purchase, staff users will access Canva using their Single-Sign-On (SSO) credentials. New users will receive a welcome email.

What if I already have a current UC-paid Canva account?

Existing users won't automatically be redirected to SSO, but can still access Canva the way they did previously. However, they are strongly encouraged to sign up for a new Canva Enterprise account at the lower user rate of $94/user/year. Current Canva users on UC-paid accounts will be given a grace period to purchase a new license.

Canva will refund the remainder of prepaid Pro licenses, but those users will have to move their designs over to the new account using these instructions.

Anyone with an existing paid Canva license will still have access to the teams they had access to before switching over to a new UC account.

What if I already have a “5-for-1” Canva license?

Canva is phasing out 5-for-1 licenses as of November 2024. Users with these accounts can keep them until they phase out, but as of November 2024, they will need to purchase a new Canva Enterprise account at the $94/user/year rate (prorated to their purchase date).

Existing 5-for-1 account holders will not be able to use SSO for sign-in and have fewer features than Canva Enterprise accounts.

Can existing UC Canva users transfer their designs?

Yes, existing UC Canva users will be able to seamlessly transfer designs over from one team to another using these instructions.

What level of data is Canva approved for?

Canva is approved for P1 and P2 data only. For more information, see Data Classifications.

Canva will not have the ability to detect or block P3 or P4 data. Please ensure that you are not including this level of data when using Canva.

Have the Canva AI features been approved at the system level?

All AI features have been disabled and may be enabled in the future when they are reviewed.

Where can I get help?

See Canva's robust help resources.

Who are the main contacts at UC ANR if I have additional questions?

Doralicia Garay, Social Media Strategist, dgaray@ucanr.edu

 

L&D - Community Health Coalitions, Navigating Medicaid, Active Transportation, Climate Resiliency, Mitigating Ageism, Conflict Competence

UC ANR Learning & Development

Landing page | Archived webinars | Learning resources   

Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
Office, Team, & Personal Management 

Community Health Coalitions: Extension as an Integrated System for Health & Wellness (Virtual, Extension Foundation & University of Georgia)
Dec. 9, 2024, | 10 – 11 a.m. PST

Details & Registration
Community coalition-led efforts to promote health are increasingly recognized as the ideal way to promote systems change and long-term community health. This webinar will share the stories of three communities approaching community health in an integrated effort from all Extension program areas. We will discuss best practices adopted (for replication), impact and outreach, lessons learned, and future efforts. Join presenter Jenna Daniel and colleagues form the University of Georgia for a webinar sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Phi, The Extension Professional's Organization.

Engaging Extension and Community Partners for the Creation of Active Transportation Plans (Virtual, Extension Foundation & Penn State)
Dec. 10, 2024, | 10 - 11 a.m. PST

Details & Registration
In this webinar, Penn State Extension's Leadership and Community Vitality team members Neal Fogle and John Turack will share their experiences of working with Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, on the development and implementation of an Active Transportation Plan (ATP) in collaboration with PA WalkWorks, a PA Department of Health initiative. Their award-winning collaboration resulted in an ATP that provides transportation equity by considering the needs and impacts of projects in low-income census tract and block groups, connects walking and bicycling networks, leverages partnerships by engaging key stakeholders in the process, improves public health through education and increases economic mobility by allowing for non-motorized transportation enhancements throughout the County's boroughs and townships.

Join Penn State Extension's Leadership and Community Vitality team as they discuss their collaboration with Huntingdon County, PA, and PA WalkWorks to develop an award-winning Active Transportation Plan (ATP). The ATP promotes transportation equity, connects walking and biking networks, engages key stakeholders, enhances public health, and boosts economic mobility through non-motorized transportation improvements.

Building Climate Resiliency through Disaster Preparedness Education and other topics (Virtual, Extension Foundation, Florida AMU, West VA U Extension, Americorps)
Dec. 11 | 10 - 11 a.m. PST

Details & Registration
This talk will discuss experiences working with the C-CRIT program and the work we completed. It will describe future plans for the program and how it can be improved to best fit the needs of different coastal communities. Also describe what I learned about Jones County, North Carolina and specific barriers that hinder the county's ability to build back with resiliency. Join Kimberly Davis, Extension Emergency Management Specialist, FAMU Extension Disaster Education Programs, Florida A&M University (FAMU), Megan Kruger, Evaluation and Research Specialist and Environmental Educator, West Virginia University Extension, and Jack Voight, Coastal Community Resilience Immersive Training (C-CRIT) Program, Americorps Assessment Coordinator.

Navigating Medicaid: How Cooperative Extension can further optimize health in our communities (Virtual, UC ANR – Community Nutrition & Health)
Dec. 18 | 12-1:30 p.m.

Registration
Evidence shows that people with Medicaid health insurance experience increased access to health care services, improved health outcomes, and enhanced financial security relative to their counterparts who are uninsured.? Unfortunately, not every Californian who is eligible for Medi-Cal ends up enrolling for this benefit, and lack of health insurance contributes to health disparities.

In this session, Drs. Kevin Grumbach and Raul Gutierrez of the University of California, San Francisco will provide an overview of Medi-Cal and how impactful it can be in promoting physical health and preventing chronic disease. This presentation will cover current enrollment data, highlighting disparities and key barriers individuals face when accessing Medi-Cal coverage. Our presenters will also share eligibility requirements, enrollment processes, and key resources that are accessible to the public. During this session we will:

Summarize the history of Medi-Cal coverage and benefits, including expansion of Medi-Cal eligibility under the Affordable Care Act and state policies to include undocumented Californians and how a new federal administration may impact the future of Medi-Cal. Build familiarity with the basics of Medi-Cal eligibility and enrollment, including answers to common questions people ask about eligibility. Visualize the role of Medi-Cal in improving health and well-being across California, with a focus on nutrition and physical activity. 

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Business Operations Center New Employee Orientation
Every first Tuesday beginning in 2025!
Jan. 7, 2025, | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Details & Registration
This orientation is geared toward new employees (and employees seeking a refresher). The Business Operations Center (BOC) will cover: systems, policies and procedures needed for purchasing and reporting; BOC resources and trainings; and account management.

Creating Compelling and Effective Proposals (Virtual, Extension Foundation)
Dec. 12 | 11 a.m. – Noon PST

Details & Registration
Join Mallory Rahe, Associate Extension Professor of Agricultural Business and Policy, for a session on crafting compelling grant proposals. With experience guiding Agricultural Business Development teams in securing Federal and State grants, Mallory will share strategies to help your proposals stand out. Learn practical tips for identifying the right grant programs, making sure your application aligns with funding goals, and creating a proposal for maximum impact. Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your grant-writing skills and improve your chances of success!

Fast Track to Contracts & Grants (Video recordings, UC ANR)

Video archive link
This series of training videos provides a comprehensive overview of key aspects of contract and grant management. Topics covered include an introduction to contracts and grants, the proposal development and submission process, cost sharing and salary savings, and the fundamentals of budget preparation. Additional sessions guide viewers through using the ANR Workflow Automation program for routing forms and advance account requests, understanding the awards process, working effectively with subrecipients, and managing post-award administration. Each video is accompanied by a detailed slide deck, with supplementary quick guides for specific tools and workflows.

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Tackling Ageism and Uncovering Hidden Biases in Serving Older Adults (Virtual, Extension Foundation)
Dec. 19 | 8 - 9 a.m. PST

Details & Registration.
When we attribute thoughts, feelings, or beliefs to an individual or group based solely on a specific characteristic, we risk falling into the trap of an “-ism.” For example, when it's based on race, it's racism; when it's based on sex, it's sexism; and when it involves age, it's ageism. While ageist beliefs can be directed toward any age group, they are most often associated with older adults. These implicit and explicit biases can significantly influence our perceptions, interactions, and ability to serve older adults effectively. This webinar will explore the impact of ageism and provide strategies for recognizing and addressing age-related biases in our work. Join Andrew Crocker, Senior Extension Program Specialist, Gerontology and Health Family and Community Health, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

UC Managing Implicit Bias Series (eCourse modules, UC Learning Center)

Link to Courses
The UC Managing Implicit Bias Series is a series of six eCourses designed to increase awareness of implicit bias and reduce its impact at the University. The program further reinforces the University's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Certificate consists of six self-paced, online interactive courses: "What is Implicit Bias?," "The Impact of Implicit Bias," "Managing the Influence of Implicit Bias – Awareness," "Common Forms of Bias," "Managing the Impact of Implicit Bias – Mindfulness and Conscious De-Biasing," and "Managing Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process." Upon completing all six courses, participants will receive a certificate in Managing Implicit Bias, and their coursework will also count towards the completion of the UC People Management Series and Certificate and to preparing for serving on a UC hiring committee.

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Take Charge of Your Career with MyUC Career.

The MyUC Career platform has been updated and provides you a tool for your professional success. Whether you're exploring options, preparing for your next step, or building new skills, MyUC Career has the tools you need. Why Choose MyUC Career?

• Tailored Career Tools: Personalized resources to guide your journey.
• Job Search Power: Access thousands of opportunities and connect with employers.
• Skill Development: Improve leadership, communication, and technical skills.
• User-Friendly Design: Simplified, intuitive interface for easy use.
• Exclusive UC Access: Built for UC employees, students, and alumni. 

Conflict Competence in Uncertain Times
Wed, Dec. 4, 2024, | 12 - 1 p.m.

Details & Registration
Difficult or unexpected changes can feel disruptive and can drive conflict at work. In this webinar, we will explore ways of communicating effectively and engaging constructively during periods of uncertainty. Participants will learn how bridging communication styles, demonstrating compassion, and facing difficult moments with courage and clarity can lead to better navigating challenges

Conflict Competence: Listening to be Heard
Thu, Dec. 12 | 9 - 11 a.m.

Details & Registration
Do you feel like your ideas and perspectives are not being heard? Have you ever felt stuck in a dynamic of defensive and attacking behaviors that break down communication and cause significant stress? One way to help people listen to us and restore communication channels is by first making them feel heard. When both people feel heard and understood, the chances of reaching a lasting resolution dramatically increase, relationships improve, and you can ultimately find greater success at work. 

An Opportunity for Discussion: Engaging Concepts from Conversations with People who Hate Me (UCD Ombuds)

Thu, Dec. 12 |12 - 1 p.m.

Details & Registration
Based on the webinar with Dylan Marron, creator of the podcast and book “Conversations with People Who Hate Me” – Join us for a creative discussion!

More ombuds workshops here. 

14-Day Writing Challenge (NCFDD)
Feb. 24 - March 9, 2025

Details & Registration
The 14-Day Challenge is an opportunity for you to experiment with daily writing, online community, and supportive accountability. It's very simple:

1. You commit to write every day for at least 30 minutes.
2. At the beginning of your writing time, you login to our online community, start the timer, complete your writing, and post your progress at the end.
3. You take 5 minutes to support other writers in your group by commenting on their progress.

 Get your NCFDD account today - UC ANR pays for your access.

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Credits
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

 

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