Posts Tagged: Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty
UC ANR Interim Director for County Cooperative Extension
As you know David Bunn, our recent Director of County Cooperative Extension, retired earlier this month. We have had a number of leadership changes recently and I am very cognizant of the need for internal continuity across the organization. After carefully considering options, we have arrived at an interim leadership structure to preserve the integrity and effectiveness of our county extension efforts. Key changes are outlined below and illustrated in the attached interim org chart.
I am pleased to announce that Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty has agreed to step into a 50% assignment as Interim Director of County Cooperative Extension.
I know that all of you have worked with Lynn in her role as Director of our statewide 4-H Youth Development Program. Lynn also served as a County Director for 7 years and is very familiar with the work and opportunities of our county offices and programs. She is a strong champion of all county-based research and extension. All County Directors will report to Lynn. She will continue in her role as Director of the Statewide 4-H Youth Development Program (50%) and will also continue to serve as the Strategic Initiative Leader for Healthy Families & Communities.
Keith Nathaniel and Steven Worker have each agreed to take on a 25% Interim Assistant 4-H Youth Development Program Director role. Keith will focus on leading the 4-H staffing plan and Steven will focus on implementation of the 4-H 2018-2028 Strategic Plan. Both Keith and Steven are well-suited for these roles as they were intimately involved with the development of these respective plans. Their knowledge and leadership will ensure a smooth transition for everyone.
I know that we now have a number of interim leaders across the organization. I am grateful for their passion and dedication to the UC ANR mission and their desire to ensure that we continue to serve the communities of California as a strong and cohesive organization. The search for a permanent Associate Vice President is about to begin; we expect to be posting it shortly. Once that person is in place, we will take the opportunity to consider how our programmatic leadership structure can best position UC ANR for future success. While the search is underway, please offer these interim leaders your support in any way you can.
I will overview this new structure at the October 7 research and extension center and county directors meeting and at the October 20 Town Hall.
In addition, Lynn will host open “office hours” on Monday, October 3 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and again on October 4 from 2-3 p.m. If anyone would like to hop on a Zoom to ask questions or just chat, the Zoom links are listed below.
- October 3 from 11 a.m. to noon: https://UCOP.zoom.us/j/95139507968?pwd=anIzQlFGTnRzS2RUa3JTempaaFc2QT09
- October 4 from 2 to 3 p.m.: https://UCOP.zoom.us/j/97250695251?pwd=TkxoR1dsS2gyWTNaRU9ZSFJCVm43QT09
If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, Deanne Meyer, Tu Tran or Kathy Eftekhari.
Best wishes,
Glenda
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
UC ANR Org Chart- Interim Reporting FINAL.(092822)vsd
New publication helps youth evaluate post-high school ‘pathways’
Free downloadable curriculum recognizes diverse family circumstances
Not all young people are on an expressway to a four-year college, and a new publication from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources acknowledges their many circumstances and possibilities. The “Pathways to Your Future” curriculum invites high school-aged youth – and their families – to map their unique situations and passions before embarking on their own road.
Whereas similar guides might convey advice on a one-way street, this free download outlines a “hands-on” experience – in school settings or out-of-school programs – to help young people steer toward their best post-high-school education, training and career options.
“We wanted to make a youth-centered publication,” said co-author Claudia Diaz Carrasco, UC Cooperative Extension 4-H youth development advisor in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. “A lot of the content out there is based on delivering content to kids – just like information on college and careers; with ‘Pathways to Your Future', it's actually a skill-building curriculum so that youth are doing research and having critical discussions and making comparisons.”
In a pilot program that engaged 228 high schoolers across California (primarily 9th graders recruited from local 4-H programs), many participants said they appreciated that the curriculum presented a variety of pathways, including vocational education, non-degree certificate programs, community college, on-the-job training or entering the workforce – as well as four-year institutions of higher education.
“They have been liking that it doesn't start with ‘pick a college and get there,'” Diaz Carrasco said. “But really it's a self-reflection approach, where they start going back to what they're passionate about and what they think they're good at – and how much money they want to make in the future – and really just having that opportunity to know themselves before jumping into college or a career.”
To help them attain that clear-eyed perspective, the modules in the curriculum also debunk myths about the college experience and incorporate budgeting activities.
“This program gives youth the opportunity to constantly reflect on their learning as they get more data,” said another publication co-author, Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, UC ANR's statewide 4-H director. “In the beginning, youth may have a very rigid or glamorized view of their future; the ‘Pathways' program grounds things and brings reality into the picture.”
Parents of the pilot-program participants – who predominantly identify as Latino – were also thankful for opportunities to engage in “real talk” with other parents about the wide array of options. Acknowledging the diversity of families across California, “Pathways to Your Future” also includes several sections in Spanish to make essential information more accessible.
“The parents need as much – or more – education on the processes, opportunities and expectations to support post-high school life,” Schmitt-McQuitty explained.
In addition to integrating families into discussions about their future, the curriculum also provides spaces for the high schoolers to participate in panel discussions with their slightly older peers, who recently went through their own decision-making journeys.
“The youth really appreciate seeing someone like themselves talking about what they went through, how they overcame obstacles,” said Diaz Carrasco. “They feel really inspired that there is a pathway for themselves.”
For assistance and support in bringing the “Pathways” curriculum to your community, contact your county's Cooperative Extension office, reach out to the local 4-H program, or email Claudia Diaz Carrasco at cpdiaz@ucanr.edu.
The other authors of the publication are Shannon Horrillo (College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources, University of Nevada, Reno Extension), Darlene McIntyre and Nathaniel Caeton (UC ANR), and Martin Smith (University of California, Davis).
/h2>Assistant Vice Provosts named
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Darren Haver and Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty have accepted Assistant Vice Provost appointments. The Assistant Vice Provosts are 25 percent positions to oversee special projects and serve as the coordinators for the Research and Extension Council (expanded from the former CD Council).
Darren Haver has been appointed to a two-year term as Assistant Vice Provost – RECs, effective Jan. 1, 2018. Darren has served as the interim associate director of the Research and Extension Center system since Oct. 1, 2017. In addition to his Assistant Vice Provost appointment, Darren is a UC Cooperative Extension water resources advisor in Orange County, director of South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine since 2009, and director of UC Cooperative Extension in Orange County since 2011. Haver joined UC ANR in 2002.
Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty has been appointed to a two-year term as Assistant Vice Provost – County Directors, effective January 1, 2018. Lynn joined UC Cooperative Extension in 1996 as a 4-H Program Representative in Butte and Placer counties and at the State 4-H Office. In 2001, Schmitt-McQuitty became the Youth Development Advisor in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, and added San Benito County to her appointment in 2012 as the Youth Development Advisor and County Director.
Lynn and Darren bring a wealth of experience to these inaugural appointments and will help shape the work of the Assistant Vice Provost appointments as support for and under the direction of the Vice Provost – Research and Extension (search underway). The Vice Provost – Research and Extension serves as the first point of contact for REC Directors and County Directors. While we continue our efforts to fill the Vice Provost position, the UC ANR Associate Vice President will be that first point of contact.
Please join me in congratulating and supporting Darren and Lynn in their new appointments.
Regards,
Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
4-H youth learning to love nature
Youth in California will know the thrill of the find as they search out and observe birds in their own communities. The children will be taking part in the UC Cooperative Extension 4-H program's pilot study of new birding curriculum developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Cornell has long offered “Bird Sleuth” materials for use in schools. Now they have branched out to informal educational settings by writing two new curricula, “Habitat Connections” and “Nature Detectives,” which are being pilot-tested in California, New York and Illinois.
“We'll be getting kids to start observing things in nature, making a record and sharing their data with the repository at the Lab of Ornithology,” Schmitt-McQuitty said. “As we go through the monthly meetings, we'll keep a running total of the species we see.”
The classes aren't just about spotting birds and identifying them. The curriculum weaves in a greater understanding of science and environment with sessions on habitat, the food web and bird survival. Each meeting begins with an optional one-hour bird hike, adding outdoor exercise and nature observation to the science activities.
Over the course of the program, the children will identify a habitat need for wildlife at Hollister Hills. At the final class, they will be out in the field addressing the need by placing nesting boxes, planting native plants, removing invasive species or some other habitat improvement.
Other California counties involved in the pilot study are Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and Orange. Cornell received a grant from the Noyce Foundation to create and test the curriculum. Representatives from the Ithaca, N.Y., school traveled to California to offer train-the-trainer instruction to 4-H advisors, program representatives and volunteer project leaders.
The curriculum comes in two versions: Nature Detectives, the one to be implemented by Schmitt-McQuitty in San Benito County, and Habitat Connections, which is adapted for afterschool programs.
4-H community educator in Orange County, Jason Suppes, will coordinate the pilot study of Habitat Connections in an Anaheim affordable housing development, Pradera Apartment Homes. Unlike Nature Detectives, in which each monthly class builds on previous lessons, Habitat Connections lessons stand on their own. The format is ideal for the Pradera program, which doesn't attract all the same children to each meeting.
“I don't expect the kids to all become avid birdwatchers, but I'll be pleased if they are able to identify one or two birds in their community,” Suppes said. “They'll get a greater sense about the environment where they live and what they can do to have an impact on the environment.”
The majority Pradera residents are of Latino descent, and most have had few opportunities to learn about nature. Because of the shifting demographics in California to a population with Latinos representing the largest segment, the stewardship of the state's open spaces and public lands could be passed to people who haven't had access or developed an interest.
“Some of these kids never leave their city block,” Suppes said. “Everywhere in the county, we're within 15 miles of the mountains or the ocean. The majority have never seen either one. In 4-H, we're shaping a new generation of land stewards.”
An initiative to maintain and enhance healthy families and communities is part of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Stratetic Vision 2025.