4-H & Families

Thanks for helping tell ANR’s story

Myrna Cadena was our first UC ANR Ambassador winner.

Kearney REC requests proposals

The Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) is requesting proposals for new research and demonstration projects for the period Nov. 1, 2017, through Oct. 31, 2018. Research rate for new projects will be approximately $30 per hour.

Located near Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, Kearney has 330 acres suitable for many types of tree, vine, and row crops and environmental research.

Kearney has the most extensive specialized agricultural research facilities of any off-campus location within UC: modern greenhouse, postharvest facilities, sample handling (including cold storage and drying), sensory evaluation and associated research laboratory facilities. This year, a soil weighing lysimeter is available for plant water-use studies.

Substantial open ground, plantings of grapes, stone fruit, kiwi and alfalfa are becoming available.

Proposal forms are to be submitted electronically via the “Universal Review System” accessed through your UC ANR Portal by Oct. 2, 2017. Forms are located at http://recs.ucanr.edu/For_Researchers/Research_Proposal_Application_and_Forms.

To submit the required forms, follow these simple steps:

1. Log into your portal at https://my.ucanr.edu.
2. Click on “Login to Universal Review System”.
3. Under “Open Systems” select “Kearney REC CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS 2017-2018”.
4. Fill out the “New Proposal” form, then submit it using the “Create Proposal” button at the bottom of the page.

If you have questions about field research management, contact Dale Pattigan at (559) 646-6022 or dpattigan@ucanr.edu. For questions about the facilities, contact Laura Van der Staay at (559) 646-6030 or ljvanderstaay@ucanr.edu.

Other questions may be directed to Jeff Dahlberg, KARE director, at (559) 646-6060 or jadahlberg@ucanr.edu. For assistance with submitting your proposal, contact Janie Duran at njduran@ucanr.edu or (559) 646-6010.

To learn more about Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, visit http://www.kare.ucanr.edu/

 

ANR’s 2016 Federal Report Snapshot is available for viewing

A snapshot of UC ANR's Federal Report highlights is available online at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Planning.

The snapshot highlights several dozen examples of research and extension occurring in each Strategic Initiative and in the field of sustainable energy. The Federal Report Snapshot can be used as a tool by anyone in ANR or shared with stakeholders and potential donors to better understand the breadth of projects and range of impacts that occur throughout ANR in a given year. 

Each spring the UC ANR Office of Program Planning and Evaluation compiles and submits a report to our federal funding partner, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). 

In June, NIFA approved UC ANR's 2016 report. The report captures the annual activities, outputs and outcomes that occur throughout ANR on campuses, in counties and at the research and extension centers. 

Information for the report comes from submissions entered in REEport, DANRIS-X and UC Delivers, which includes those from ANR competitive grant final reports. Content experts identify the most significant research highlights and write the program area narrative summaries. This year, we can thank Chris Greer, Cheryl Wilen, Keith Nathaniel, John Harper, Doug Parker and Jeff Dahlberg for serving as content experts.

Because the report is thorough and lengthy, Program Planning and Evaluation has created this condensed snapshot, which is drafted with input and support from the Strategic Initiative Leaders and Communications Services.

The full 2016 federal report is available at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Planning.

Learning and development opportunities

Sign up for HR Partners newsletter

When you sign up for ANR's bi-monthly HR Partners Newsletter you will receive:

• Updates and shortcuts for Human Resource procedures
• Announcements about compliance training
• Professional development opportunities
• Helpful hints for recruitment
• and more

To subscribe, send an email to Patricia Glass at pglass@ucanr.edu.

Happiness tips weekly with Lynda.com

According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of the How of Happiness, nearly all of us buy into what she calls “myths of happiness.” To access happiness, there are things we need to stop believing and others that we need to start believing.

That is where Lynda.com coach Chris Croft comes in with Happiness Tips Weekly. In weekly mini sessions, Croft provides practical actionable techniques for finding more time for the things you love and maximizing your day-today happiness.

Find out how you can remove sources of unhappiness from your life, reduce stress, change your thoughts, and be creative in new ways by viewing Happiness Tips Weekly here. 

Webinar: 5 healthy Lynda.com habits for people managers

Join our ANR exclusive Lynda.com webinar for ANR People Managers to explore how you can incorporate 5 healthy Lynda.com habits for you and your team.

The webinar will be held Thursday, Aug. 24, from noon to 1 p.m. at https://bluejeans.com/9495636582/5719?src=calendarLink.

UC ANR supervisors are and will continue to be instrumental in the UC ANR 2016-20 Strategic Plan People Goal 8 opportunity:  “UC ANR must support the career development of UC ANR academics and staff in order to retain an engaged workforce who can conduct relevant programming and respond to complex challenges.”

Lynda.com is an excellent resource to help advance your employees and yourself toward Goal 8. Learn how you can:

1. Develop your employees by finding appropriate learning content for them
2. Create and share playlist with your employees
3. Manager groups and users
4. Use reporting feature to follow employee completions
5. Develop your people management skills

Registration now open for 2017 NAEPSDP annual conference

Registration for the 2017 National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) Annual Conference is now open.

This year's conference will be held at Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, Nev. The conference will be held Dec. 5-7, 2017. The tentative 2017 NAEPSDP Annual Conference Agenda is posted as a PDF online.

To register for the conference, go to the NAEPSDP website and do one of the following:

• For current NAEPSDP members - If you are a current 2017 NAEPSDP member (dues paid in full by the time you register), log into the association website (http://naepsdp.org) using your member email and password. (If your email address has changed since you created or last updated your member profile, go into your member profile before registering and update your member email address and any other information that has changed.) 
  
  Go to the "2017 Annual Conference Registration" link under the "Conferences" tab at the top of the homepage. Select the "2017 Annual Conference Registration Information" tab and follow the registration instructions. (You can also access the conference registration information by selecting the "For more information about conference registration, click here" link in the 2017 Annual Conference - Save the Date box located on the website homepage.) 
  
  Most of the information for your registration will be pre-populated with the information from your member profile. It is important that the email address that is pre-populated from your member profile is your correct current email address. 
  
  If you are registering for another individual who is not a current NAEPSDP member, don't log into the website using your member ID and password to register for that individual. Follow the steps outlined below for non-members.

• For non-members of NAEPSDP - Go to the association website at http://naepsdp.org. Under the "Conferences" tab at the top of the homepage, click the "2017 Annual Conference Registration" link. Select the "2017 Annual Conference Registration Information" tab and follow the registration instructions. You can also access the conference registration information by selecting the "For more information about conference registration, click here" link in the 2017 Annual Conference - Save the Date box located on the website homepage.
  
  Please make sure that the information and email address asked for during the non-member registration process are those of the non-member. Follow the registration instructions.
  
  Keep in mind that you will only see the registration categories for which you are eligible. Association members will see those categories that are available for members. Non-members will see only those categories that are available to non-members. To be eligible to receive the member registration rate, NAEPSDP membership dues for the current year must be paid in full prior to your registration.

Payment:

You can pay your registration fee online through the NAEPSDP PayPal Guest Checkout (using your own credit or debit card, no PayPal account needed) or pay offline with a check or money order. If you choose to pay online, you will receive a payment receipt as soon as your payment is processed. If you choose to pay offline, an invoice will be emailed to you for your use in payment.

There is an "early bird" registration period for both members and non-members. The early bird registration period ends at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30. Registration for this conference will end on Nov. 27. There will be no onsite registration.

Lodging: 

Information about lodging options at Green Valley Ranch Resort are at Green Valley Ranch Resort Reservations. A block of rooms has been reserved for the conference, but it is limited, so please make your reservations early.

If you have questions, contact Teresa Byington at byingtont@unce.unr.edu or (702) 222-3130, or Julie Robinson at jrobinson@uaex.edu or (501) 671-2082.

Call for NAEPSDP presentation proposals

The theme for the 2017 conference is “Creating the Future: Extension as the Catalyst.”

Presentation proposals will be accepted from NAEPSDP members and non-members alike for four different tracks and four different session types. Proposals from graduate student research or projects are encouraged.

The four tracks for which proposals will be accepted are:

·         Organizational and Staff Development

·         Program Development and Delivery

·         Evaluation and Assessment

·         Technology and Communications 

The four session types are:

·         One-hour presentation

·         Forty-five-minute presentation

·         Ninety-minute workshop

·         Five-minute “ignite” presentation (five minutes with 20 slides)

To submit a proposal, click here and complete the proposal submission form. The proposal must include:

·         Lead presenter's name and contact information

·         Names, titles and affiliations of co-presenters (if any)

·         Presentation type

·         Presentation track

·         Presentation title

·         Brief description/abstract of the presentation (500-word maximum)

·         Any specific additional technology needs for presentation (projector, laptop and screen provided)

All presentation proposals must be submitted no later than Friday, Aug. 18, 2017. All presenters must register for and attend the conference. For conference registration information, go to www.naepsdp.org. 

For more information, contact Teresa Byington at byingtont@unce.unr.edu or (702) 222-3130 at Nevada Cooperative Extension Service, or Julie Robinson at jrobinson@uaex.edu or (501) 671-2082 at University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

New ANR employee guide 

UC ANR has a new online orientation guide for new employees. It begins with a welcome video from Vice President Glenda Humiston and continues to a table of contents where new employees will find topics such as ANR Mission and Vision, ANR Core Messages, History of ANR, ANR programs and unit overview videos, as well as personal responsibility, employee resources and more.

Forward the link http://ucanr.edu/newanremployeeguide to your new hires and give them a running start in aligning to ANR and all the great things we do!

Onboarding new employees quiz for supervisors

Use the Onboarding New ANR Employees: Supervisor's Guide to prepare you for the quiz below. Answer them correctly and you win!

1. Onboarding is

1. A single event
2. An ongoing strategy

 

2. Studies have shown a correlation between no or poor onboarding and

1. Employee engagement and retention
2. Employee disengagement and turnover

(Answers: 1b; 2b)

Use the Guide to prepare for, welcome, and engage your new employees; bring your newly hired employees up to speed with the policies, processes, culture, expectations, and day-to-day responsibilities of your program or unit.

Don’t lose your vacation time! Plan a leave now

If you can't remember when you last took time off, you might be missing out on more than rest and relaxation. UC policy limits your maximum balance of accrued vacation leave (based on your leave accrual code), and when you reach the limit, you lose any additional vacation hours you might have earned.

Taking a break from work is important for your health and well-being. Summer is a great time to work with your supervisor to schedule time away from the office, and ensure that you will continue to build up your leave balance.

How much vacation leave do I have?

Vacation leave accrual is calculated based on your appointment type, percent of time worked and how long you have worked at UC. You can see how much vacation you have accrued, as well as your maximum vacation accrual balance, by checking your time and attendance record in the Time Reporting System (for employees paid through UC Davis payroll).  

For staff employees: When should you use your compensatory time off?  

Some non-exempt staff earn compensatory time off (comp time) in lieu of overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek. Comp time is tracked in the Time Reporting System separately from vacation leave. If you have earned comp time hours, it is best to use those hours first before using vacation leave (unless you are approaching your maximum vacation accrual balance). 

Please talk with your supervisor about taking vacation leave or comp time to ensure that you have the opportunity for rest and renewal, especially if you are approaching or have already reached your maximum vacation accrual balance.

If you still have questions regarding your leave balances, please contact ANR Human Resources.

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