National eXtension Initiative

eXtension is offering an open call to form new Communities of Practice (CoPs) in areas of high interest and impact for state, regional and national programming. Those interested in forming and applying for funds to support a new community within eXtension should work with their Extension administration to identify subject areas of high impact and need for their respective Extension clientele in their state and region. All new CoPs are to be multi-state, and ultimately grow to be national in scope.

eXtension also encourages state Extension administrations to identify priority areas in your state and region and then actively recruit individuals that have a vested and strong interest in the identified priority area to lead the proposed CoP. Communication and cooperation between Extension administration and subject matter specialists will result in a stronger more cohesive application.

eXtension has appropriated funds to support 4 new Communities of Practice. Groups submitting applications can request start up funds for up to $50,000.00.

Application guidelines can be found at http://create.extension.org/CoP_Application.

All applications must be submitted as one pdf file including all appropriate application material.

All applications are to be submitted by March 1, 2012. eXtension would like to have funds awarded and communities working by July 1, 2012.

Any questions can be directed to Craig H. Wood (craig.wood@extension.org) or Ashley Griffin (ashley.griffin@extension.org).

eXtension will host Institutional Team Web Conferences on the first Tuesday of every month in 2012 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The dates are:

January 3
February 7
March 6
April 3
May 1
June 5
July 3
August 7
September 4
October 2
November 6
December 4

Agendas can be found prior to each month’s meeting in http://learn.extension.org

For more information contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org.

Last weekend, I enjoyed watching and listening to my daughter perform in a holiday choral program, Cocoa and Carols: A Family Yuletide Holiday Festival sponsored by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. It was a wonderful concert and a great way to be introduced into the sights, sounds, and spirit of another holiday season.

There’s nothing quite like the voices of young people raised in seasonal song to touch our hearts and place us into the holiday spirit! On behalf of eXtension I would like to extend to you season’s greetings and the fervent hope that you and your families experience a truly wonderful holiday season!

Dan Cotton

Since 2007, eXtension has enjoyed helping a number of teams integrate eXtension into grant applications and/or contract proposals. Most applications have been submitted to various USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) competitive grant programs, e.g., the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA), Rural Health and Safety Education, etc.

When eXtension is included, teams choose whether to enhance an existing Community of Practice or establish a new one in a subject matter yet to be represented by eXtension. Most teams choose to enhance existing Communities of Practice, but certainly a number of new Communities of Practice have been established, as well.

In reviewing the list of all known grants and/or contracts that have been submitted with eXtension inclusions, we can report the following:

• 114 NIFA applications have been submitted
• 50 NIFA applications have received awards totaling ~ $120,869,056
• Of the $120,869,056, ~ $13,789,065 (12%) has been directed to CoP programs.
• Communities of Practice have reported being included in $1,418,973 of non-NIFA related grants and/or contracts of which $1,282,364 (90%) is being directed to Community of Practice programs

In total, ~ $122,702,183 of grants and/or contracts with eXtension inclusions have been submitted of which $15,092,865 (12%) is being directed to Community of Practice programming.

The good news is that a growing number of researchers and educators both inside and outside the land-grant system are incorporating Cooperative Extension in their applications and/or proposals, collaboration is in the incline and that eXtension represents an opportunity to help them reach their educational goals. For Cooperative Extension the additional collaboration and funding delivers on the promise behind eXtension, that we will grow our programs by working collaboratively with others.

The eXtension Foundation has engaged Global Advancement, LLC, a strategic fundraising and development-consulting firm based in Lexington, KY, to assist with fundraising and development efforts as defined in the Partnerships and Funding section of the 2011 – 2014 Strategic Roadmap. Currently, Global Advancement is working with us to develop a compelling eXtension Case for Support and Comprehensive Development Plan, both to be completed by the end of 2011.

Another critical part of our development effort will be the creation of an eXtension National Foundation Leadership Council. This Council will be made up of approximately 12 to 15 individuals strategically selected from several groups including; eXtension’s leadership; nationally recognized corporate executives; nationally recognized non-profit foundation board members or executives; and other respected leaders who can raise awareness and provide access to potential funding sources. One of the key components of a successful development effort is the recruitment and involvement of volunteers who believe in the mission of the organization and are willing to give their time, energy and other resources in support of the Cooperative Extension System nationwide, and specifically, the eXtension Initiative.

This Council will play a strategic role in our fundraising activities and success, and assembling the best possible group of leaders will take a considerable effort. Currently, Cooperative Extension Directors/Administrators are being asked to help start the process of targeting potential candidates. Our goal is to conduct an organizational meeting by the end of the first quarter of 2012.

An eXtension Scholarship Resources page is now available. This page was developed to house links and instructions for obtaining information on an individual’s eXtension activities and contributions for use in scholarship documents (e.g., tenure and promotion dossiers, annual faculty reports, etc.). This page provides directions to access:

1) Your contributions to Create and Ask an Expert,
2) Your attendance in Learn professional development sessions (for those professional development sessions in which you indicated that you attended),
3) Google Analytics to capture content developed by your Community of Practice and interactions with it on the eXtension public website, and
4) Published content by your Community of Practice.

It is also a place where people can post documents and comments about their successes and challenges in documenting the scholarship of eXtension.

Click on the link below to go to the page:

http://create.extension.org/node/86591

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Mike Lambur (mike.lambur@extension.org)

In the coming weeks eXtension will release a call to form new Communities of Practice. Everyone interested in forming a new community or with ideas for a new community should start thinking about pulling in the right people to move the ideas or community forward.

Tentatively, eXtension is looking at a March 1, 2012 deadline for application submissions with funding being awarded by mid 2012. Watch your email inboxes in the coming weeks for the formal call for new Communities of Practice . The Community of Practice application process is being revised and you can watch its progress at http://create.extension.org/node/1363.

The Family Caregiving Community of Practice celebrated National Caregivers Month with two virtual special events at the LiveAbility House in Second Life: “A Personal Perspective on Animal Assisted Therapy” presented by Deb Sellers of Kansas State University, and “Family Caregivers Coffee Hour” which offered peer interaction and a look at eXtension resources for caregivers.

Looking ahead, watch http://www.extension.org/learn for monthly special events presented by eXtension in Second Life, beginning January 18, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. ET with “Teaching Financial Literacy Through Immersive Role Play: A Visit to the Isle of Financial Capability.”

If you are new to Second Life, please contact luann.phillips@extension.org to schedule a personalized orientation session.

All webinars are free and available nationwide. The times listed are Eastern Time so adjust the viewing time for Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian Time.

From Penn State University Dairy Alliance
Tuesday, December 13 – Solar Energy
http://www.das.psu.edu/dairy-alliance/education/technology

From the Organic Agriculture eXtension learning community
Tuesday, December 13 – Reduced Tillage in Organic Vegetable Production: Successes, Challenges and New Directions
http://www.extension.org/pages/61683/webinar-reduced-tillage-in-organic-vegetable-production:-successes-challenges-and-new-directions

From the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Wednesday, December 14, Managing Food Safety Risks in Agritourism
http://www.extension.org/pages/61594/webinar:-managing-food-safety-risks-in-agritourism

From Penn State University Dairy Alliance
Friday, December 16 – Understanding Team Dynamics
http://www.das.psu.edu/dairy-alliance/education/forum

From the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Tuesday, December 20 – The Bottom Line on Broilers: Best Practices for Raising Meat Chickens
http://www.extension.org/pages/61595/the-bottom-line-on-broilers:-best-practices-for-raising-meat-chickens

In November, eXtension news releases came from 28 states:
8–Michigan State University
6 each–Ohio State University, University of Missouri
4 each–Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, University of Illinois
3 each–Cornell University, Mississippi State University, Oklahoma State University, University of California, University of Nebraska
2 each–New Mexico State University, North Dakota State University, University of Connecticut, University of Georgia, University of Minnesota, University of Tennessee, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin
1 each–Clemson University, Montana State University, South Dakota State University, University of Alaska, University of Arkansas, University of New Hampshire, University of Wyoming, Virginia Tech, West Virginia State University
5–Original releases
25–Other sources

eXtension also posted news releases to 33 resource areas/topic areas in November –
10–Families, food and fitness
7–Entrepreneurs and their communities
6 each–Freshwater aquaculture, Parenting
5 each–Personal finance, Plant breeding and genomics
4 each–Corn and soybean production; Dairy; Farm energy; Gardens, lawns and landscapes; Horses; Military families; Organic agriculture
3 each–Animal manure management, Bee health, Drinking water and human health, Food safety, Grapes
2 each–Companion animals; Cooperatives; Diversity, equity and inclusion; Extension master gardener; Home energy
1 each–Agricultural disaster preparedness; Blueberries; Climate, forests and woodlands; Community planning and zoning; Creating healthy communities; Family caregiving; Pest management in and around structures; Small meat processors; Wildlife damage management; Wood energy

102 Total Releases