President Gail Carlson called the meeting via conference call to order at 10 a.m.  

Present: Gail Carlson, Barb Froke, Joan Hickman, Wilma Jean Lower, Roxanne Miller, Brenda Procter, Rex Ricketts, Bob Schultheis, Georgia Stuart-Simmons. 

Absent:  Tom Henderson, Pat Snodgrass, and Karla Spencer.

Membership update. Rex Ricketts reported that the latest membership figures are up to 61 active and 123 life members. A few others have indicated they plan to join.  Rex said he planned to obtain a current staff roster from Jim Ollar’s office. Gail Carlson said that according to our state ESP bylaws, individuals who have been employed by UO/E for 3 years as of 8/31/01 are eligible. She said we could start the process by using the list as of 8/31/00.

Rex said that for the last two years, regional membership representatives have not been active as they once were. He said direct letters have been used to increase the membership numbers to what they are at present. Gail Carlson said that another available recruiting tool is the promotional ESP flyer that Roxanne Miller developed a few months ago for East Central Region. Bob Schultheis asked for Roxanne to e-mail the flyer so he could post it on the state ESP web site. Roxanne said she would revise the flyer first by taking off her name and leaving a blank for the contact name. Rex Ricketts said he was willing to serve as the state contact on the flyer. 

Rex said the next opportunity for recruitment is to obtain the list of newly eligible members. He said that a letter usually goes out to newly eligible members. He said he would obtain the new list soon and then send out a letter of invitation to join ESP.

Awards Committee Report. Brenda Procter said she is assembling the ESP Awards Committee. She said she has been using the existing regional lists to identify active members and asked if those were up to date. Bob Schultheis said they were up-to-date as of mid-February 2001. Rex Ricketts asked if Laura Ward needs to send the regional lists to Bob Schultheis to update. Bob said yes, adding that she could e-mail an Excel file to him. Brenda Procter indicated that she has had difficulty obtaining a list for the Northeast Region.

Brenda said she planned to use the same awards nomination process used last year. In a few weeks, she said she would send out a draft call for nominations and ask the members of the Awards Committee to make any changes.  The deadline for nominations will be September 7, 2001. She said she would send out the call for nominations this spring, then follow-up reminders during the summer. By September 11, 2001, she said she hoped to distribute all the nominations to the committee to vote, then determine the finalists and order the awards by September 21. She said she was open to suggestions for changes.  Bob Schultheis clarified that he could use the same information as last year for the web site. Brenda said she would send that information to Bob.

Georgia Stuart-Simmons said she could include awards information in the next ESP newsletter.  She said the deadline is May 15 and that she planned to distribute the newsletter by early June.

Barb Froke said that when the Board was asked to vote on regional and national ESP awards, she felt frustrated reading about award nominees from other states but not from  Missouri, adding that she knew our staff also have significant accomplishments here in Missouri. She suggested that because staff do not usually nominate themselves or each other, that one strategy would be for the Board to make a list of outstanding teams that would be good for distinguished service and then submit the names. Rex Ricketts said he agreed, and that that approach was the only way we would get nominations.

Gail Carlson agreed with Barb that we are not able to get people to complete the forms. She added that our ESP association is not the only association having that problem. Brenda Procter said there is a tradeoff between developing strong teams and having the time to nominate. Barb Froke said we could encourage people to apply.

Rex Ricketts said we could move nominations forward each year if we keep files on teams and update each year. Each of us should identify some teams that might be competitive and ask them to submit an application. Gail Carlson asked how the Board wanted to proceed to submit names.  Joan Hickman said she was working on the UMEA Awards Committee and that each regional representative had accepted responsibility to seek nominations. She said that she had already received three nominations and that they were not due until July. Barb Froke said that modesty and being too busy are the problems. Gail Carlson suggested completing the other agenda items, then spending a few minutes at the end of the conference call to brainstorm possible nominees in the various categories.

Bob Schultheis located the ESP award categories on the state ESP web site: 

·        State Certificate of Recognition (ESP member)

o       Regional Faculty (Woman)

o       Regional Faculty (Man)

o       State Specialist

·        State Friend of Extension (ESP membership not required; up to 3 awards given per year)

·        State Distinguished Service (ESP member, 20+ years of service)

·        State Mid-Career Service (ESP member, 10-20 years of service)

·        State Early Career Service (ESP member, less than 10 years of service)

·        State Retiree Service (ESP member who is retired)

·        State Meritorious Support Service (ESP membership not required)

·        Team Award (one or more members must be ESP member)

·        Visionary Leadership  (ESP membership not required)

Barb Froke said that as part of the work of the Retirement Committee, Dick Lee and she would submit a nomination from the list of persons they have written about in the newsletter this year.

E-mail list:  The group discussed the possibility of setting up an e-mail distribution group or listserv of ESP Board members to make it easier to communicate with one another. Bob Schultheis said someone should be in charge if a listserv were set up. He offered to contact John Myers to set up a listserv. Bob said Laura Ward is the person who changes names in listserv for all ESP members. Bob suggested she might be the one who could be list owner. Rex Ricketts said he would ask Laura if she is willing to maintain the listserv. Bob Schultheis said he would ask John Myers to set up the listserv.

Professional Improvement Committee Report. Joan Hickman said she had contacted the national chairs about professional development, and they said they’re considering a NetMeeting. UMEA has proposed a joint professional development meeting of community development, 4-H and all associations in spring 2002. Gail Carlson gave background about the joint meeting concept, saying that the discussion had started at the JCEP regional meeting.

Gail said that she and Joan Hickman had discussed previously what they could do as professional development this year and had considered offering a PDE. When the JCEP meeting was held in February, she had talked with Rebecca Travnichek and Nancy Coleman about the idea of having a joint association meeting. Gail said at the UMEA meeting in March, the group thought it was too pushed to do a professional development event this spring, but they thought about offering some activity in spring 2002. A group of people was identified as being interested in working on it, and possible speakers were identified. Gail said that there is a joint committee ready to move on the idea with whom Joan Hickman could work. Gail said she had just emailed the various association presidents to see if they’re all interested.  She said she needed the input of the ESP Board. 

Gail Carlson said it’s an issue of how we provide professional development for our members. She observed that it is difficult to provide professional development during annual conference, and with ESP national deciding not to do a satellite downlink, that opportunity is no longer available.  Some discussion took place about various category retreats in the state for 4-H and agriculture staff members. Georgia Stuart-Simmons said that the 4-H retreat had been held and that the agriculture staff retreat would be in June. Gail Carlson suggested using the retreats might be a way to encourage people to join the associations.  Brenda Procter said it might be possible to give a price break to members. 

Gail Carlson said that other states are doing joint association professional development opportunities and that the group thought that would work for Missouri also. She said we could do more in the state by working jointly with the other associations and also inviting retirees.

Joan Hickman asked if ESP wants to move in the direction of working with other associations. If so, she asked what type of format we would suggest. Gail Carlson asked if Joan’s committee was comprised only of ESP members, or if it had broader representation. Joan said she had contacted people who have been with MELD or NELD and who are ESP members, including Nancy Flood, Linda Rellergert, Marsha Alexander and Janet Lafon.

Gail Carlson suggested assembling a committee that represents all the associations, not just ESP. She said she should probably contact each association president to determine interest in a joint association effort, and then appoint someone from ESP to be on the joint committee. Gail said she was asked by UMEA to get the committee started.

Gail said the bigger issue is whether the ESP Board should be involved in planning a joint association meeting.

Rex Ricketts said he thought a joint association activity would be good, but that it probably would not promote membership in ESP.  Barb Froke said that collaboration is positive, but could take a long time. She suggested that ESP could move on its own to do something more quickly.

Gail Carlson asked Joan Hickman to have the Professional Improvement Committee consider possible professional development activities for ESP members, including possible topics, methods, and presenters. Gail Carlson said she would proceed to work with presidents of the other associations to explore the possibility of a joint event of all the associations in spring 2002.

Rex Ricketts moved that the ESP Board explore opportunities to have a joint association professional development opportunity in the spring of 2002. Joan Hickman seconded. Roll call vote was taken; motion was approved by unanimous vote.

E-mail list (continued).  Rex Ricketts said he had just received an email from Laura Ward saying she would be willing to maintain a listserv for the ESP Board.  Bob Schultheis said he would talk to John Myers about setting up the listserv. 

Annual Conference:  ESP ice cream social. Gail Carlson asked if the Board wanted to sponsor an ice cream social again at this year’s Annual Conference in October. She said she is serving on the Annual Conference Planning Committee and that an agenda had not yet been finalized. She expressed concern that the activity is a major budget issue, considering that it cost $480 last year to host.

Brenda Procter said she thought the ice cream social gives ESP greater visibility at Annual Conference. She asked if we could get more “bang for the buck” to combine the event with a membership flyer or something high profile to use it as a recruitment tool. Barb Froke agreed with the idea of doing more to promote ESP at the event, adding that she didn’t think people know who sponsors the activity.

Rex Ricketts moved that ESP sponsor an ice cream social at the 2001 Annual Conference. Brenda Procter seconded.

Wilma Jean Lower suggested it be offered at a time after the lunch, and that she thought scheduling it right before dinner was too late.  A brief discussion was held as to ways to promote ESP at the ice cream social: use aprons with words “Ask Me About ESP,” napkins, a skit, banners on tables, hats.

Gail Carlson said it would be good if we could come up with something at low or no cost. Barb Froke said she liked the idea of aprons. Brenda Procter said aprons would be reusable each year. Gail Carlson suggested that she could find out more information from the conference planning committee on time frame, and then the Board would be able to decide more easily.

Barb Froke asked if the cost of ice cream had gone up. Gail Carlson said the numbers have gone up with more staff attending Annual Conference, and that’s why the cost is higher.

As a way to announce the ice cream social and tie it to ESP, Roxanne Miller suggested creating a flyer and sending it out to all staff by email. Wilma Jean Lower said flyers could be printed and sent to retirees because many of them come to the conference on Monday.

Gail Carlson said she would ask the Annual Conference Committee if it would be possible to move the ESP meeting to Monday during Annual Conference so that retirees could attend, since many of them attend on only one day. Wilma Jean Lower said now that she is retired, she could see the need to find a way to generate enthusiasm for the retirees. Barb Froke agreed. Gail Carlson said that the last two years, some people in the associations had been unhappy because the awards luncheon had been moved to campus instead of holding it at the hotel.

Gail Carlson called for the vote. Roll call vote was taken; motion to sponsor an ice cream social at Annual Conference was approved by unanimous vote.

Gail Carlson suggested another option to help pay for the ice cream social: consider adding $1 to what people are already paying for dues to help pay for it. 

Bob Schultheis said MACAA has a scholarship raffle that generates a few hundred dollars. He suggested that one option would be to have people drop their ticket into a door prize drawing when they go through the line. Gail Carlson said that could also be done at the ESP membership table.

A brief discussion took place about associations doing fundraising during Annual Conference. Brenda Procter asked if ESP needs to get permission to do fundraising at our own membership table. Barb Froke said we could ask people to put in a dollar at the membership table to support the ice cream social. Gail Carlson said that $3 of the $11 in ESP state dues is allocated for the ice cream social.

Gail Carlson suggested waiting to see what the possibilities are after she attends the next meeting of the Annual Conference Committee. She said that in the past, the ESP past president gave leadership to the ice cream social. Gail said she would talk with Karla Spencer, past president, about the Board’s discussion. She said we needed to get a better idea on the status of the ESP budget from Tom Henderson before we decide if we need to raise more money.

Newsletter. Georgia Stuart-Simmons said the deadline for articles for the next newsletter is May 15 so she can get the next newsletter out by early June.  Barb Froke said there will be another interview from Dick Lee, as well as the second of two articles on long-term care from Joyce Cavanagh.

Gail Carlson suggested writing a short article on membership to encourage members to recruit individuals in their regions who meet the new criteria.

Barb Froke suggested the flyer that Roxanne had developed for East Central Region could be revised for state use. Roxanne was asked to send the flyer to Bob Schultheis, Georgia Stuart-Simmons and Rex Ricketts.

Retirement Committee Report.  Barb Froke talked about helping to find information about a former HES district director who used to be with extension. She said Lisa Knedgen had sent a letter to locate a great aunt Grace Klenn. Barb said she was able to find out more information about her, and Lisa was notified. Barb said to “never underestimate the ability of retirees to network.”

Memorials/Courtesy Committee. Wilma Jean Lower said she is compiling a list of names for the memorial service to be held at the annual ESP meeting during Annual Conference. The program will list ESP members and a category for other employees.

Email list (cont.) Bob Schultheis said he discovered on the web that his name is listed as owner of the list. He said he would check with John Myers who the listserv owner is, then talk to Laura Ward. Gail Carlson said that Tom Henderson’s term as treasurer ends this year, so it was uncertain if Laura Ward would continue working with the Board. Rex Ricketts asked if there was a limit to the number of years or terms a person could serve on the ESP Board. Gail said “no,” that the decision is up to each individual.

Annalist report. Bob Schultheis said he had not had time to look through the annalist materials yet. Bob asked that if any Board members have information they wish to share with members, they should send it to him in Microsoft Word format and he will put it on the web.

Awards nominations brainstorming. The Board went through the list of ESP awards and brainstormed possible nominees for each category. Brenda Procter asked Board members to send any other nominees to her ASAP.  Gail Carlson suggested that the Awards Committee could draft an email letter that could be sent to members and easily adapted to submit nominations.

Next ESP Board meeting. The next ESP Board meeting will be held via conference call from 10 a.m. to noon July 18, 2001. Wilma Jean Lower said she would be unavailable that day.

The conference call meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Roxanne T. Miller, Secretary

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