October 29, 2001 ESP Annual Meeting

Minutes of the
Epsilon Sigma Phi Annual Meeting
October 29, 2001
Holiday Inn Executive Select, Columbia, MO

The annual meeting of the Alpha Tau chapter was held at the Holiday Inn Executive Select, Columbia, MO, beginning at 10:34 a.m. Gail Carlson, president, welcomed the members and specially recognized retirees who were present. She gave a short President’s Report citing our chapter’s accomplishments during the year:

“Techniques and Tools for Creating Multimedia Presentations” was conducted via ITV with about 100 Extension faculty and staff registered at eight sites.
Three newsletters have been written and distributed to ESP Active and Life Members.
Six awards were presented to colleagues and friends.
Changes in the bylaws opened membership to persons having an Extension appointment of 50% or more who have performed satisfactorily for three or more years.
Representation on the National ESP Public Issues Committee and on ESP’s 75^th Anniversary Celebration Committee.
Representation at ESP National Meeting, December 2000; the North Central JCEP meeting, February 2001; and the PILD conference, April 2001.
ESP scholarship auctions in 2000 and 2001 were supported by donations of Missouri-made products obtained from Missouri Department of Agriculture.
Alpha Tau chapter has 63 active and 118 life members, for a total of 181 members.

Wilma Jean Lower led a memorial service, consisting of two lighted candles, representing friendship and knowledge, and a thought-provoking reading, in remembrance of the following Extension workers who have died since the last annual meeting: Juanita Barr, Harold Breimyer, Don Fancher, Alex Gates, Pat Klobe, F.E. “Jack” Rogers, N. June Stigall, Dorothy Borchelt, Wilfred Craig, Herschel Gaddy, Warren Jaynes, Beryl Lycan, and Virgil Sapp.

Business Meeting

Gail Carlson, president, called the business meeting to order at 10:40 a.m. The order of reports was changed from the agenda to accommodate Brenda Procter, who had to leave early.

Awards Committee Report. Brenda Procter reported there were 10 nominations for the awards to be presented 10/30/01. She thanked the committee members for their work in evaluating the applications.

Secretary’s Report. Minutes of the October 24, 2000, annual meeting were approved as distributed by Roxanne Miller, secretary.

Treasurer’s Report. Tom Henderson reported that as of 9/30/01, the savings account balance is $2,613.63, and the checking account balance is $73.31, for a total of $2,686.94. He also presented the total accounts balance of the previous three years to show a comparison:

9/30/00 $3,016.17
9/30/99 $4,539.09
9/07/98 $4,668.04

He said our chapter received $11 per member. A copy of the report is filed with the minutes.

Membership Committee Report. Tom Henderson gave the report in Rex Ricketts’ absence. He reported the 2002 membership totals (as of 10/26/01):

29 Active Members. [Note: This total does not include new memberships that were entered into the database after Annual Conference. As of March 1, 2002, there were 68 Active Members.] (As a comparison, previous membership totals were 62 in 2001; 90 in 2000; 109 in 1999; and 109 in 1998.)
117 Life Members (same as 2001).
7 New Members: Kevin Allen (SC), Karen Branstetter (SC), Floyd Clark (SC), Tammy Gillespie (UMC-C), Joe Horner (UM System), Judy Lueders (SE), and Duane D. Williams (NW).

Tom Henderson announced our new national director is Linda Cook. He also reported he has addresses for our 117 Life Members if anyone would like them.

Annalist Report. Annalist Bob Schultheis reported he has been serving as ESP website manager since the decision was made at the October 2000 ESP annual meeting for the Annalist to perform that job. He said the website at http://outreach.missouri.edu/esp has been frequently updated with both online and downloadable versions of member newsletters and board meeting minutes, plus current listings of state ESP officers, committee chairs and association bylaws. The Life Members section is slowly growing with e-mail addresses that facilitate ongoing communication among retirees. The benefits section lists opportunities for members to obtain scholarships, loans and mini-grants in support of the ESP mission of professional development opportunities for Extension faculty. The awards section shows ways for Extension faculty ro receive recognition for their work. Additional content, corrections or suggestions can be mailed to Bob Schultheis at SchultheisR@missouri.edu.

Loan and Fellowship Committee Report. Pat Snodgrass reported the fund received $55 in contributions in FY00/01 and has a principal balance of $122,730.21 (as of 6/30/01). There was $5,073.46 in award expenses paid in FY00/01, with an income balance of $19,581.99 as of 6/30/01 available for future fellowship awards. She reported that no name was added to the Loan and Fellowship Fund plaque this year (when $100 is contributed in someone’s name or memory), marking the first year no name has been added. She said University Outreach and Extension Fellowships support the professional development of specialists and professional staff members. Applicants must be employed by the University of Missouri or Lincoln University for at least two years. Applications are evaluated on their benefit to the individual, UO/E and people of Missouri. Preference is given to first-time applicants. Awards of up to $1,000 may be requested. Individuals may receive up to $1,500 during their outreach and extension career. Fellowship applications will now be accepted year-round with applications reviewed monthly. Applications are due by the first of each month. Applicants will be notified within 45 days. Pat also reported that the guidelines and application form can be accessed through the Staff Resources page, and that ESP now has a board member on the overall Extension Loan and Fellowship Awards Committee.

Professional Improvement Committee Report. Joan Hickman reported that the ESP professional development training on “Techniques and Tools for Creating Multimedia Presentations” was delivered by ITV to 117 participants on October 2, 2001. Those attending included campus and field faculty and education assistants, as well as administrative assistants and secretarial staff. A total of 10 sites received the program presented by Joe Lear, ESP member and ETCS faculty member. Evaluation results included:

78% of those answering indicated they had learned something from the presentation, 4% felt they learned nothing, and 18% answered “maybe.” The most frequently mentioned items learned were where to find sound waves and video clips.
59% thought it was worth their time and money, while 15% answered “no” and 26% “maybe.”
63% of respondents said they would attend again if another topic were to be presented, 11% answered “no,” while 26% replied “maybe.”
In answer to what format or type of program ESP should provide in the future, 62% voted for ITV, 26% requested face-to-face meeting and 12% replied “something else.”
On the subject of possibly paying a registration fee for future ESP programs, not quite half of the participants answered the question. Of those answering, 64% said they were willing to pay $5 to $10; 13% were in favor of an $11 to $20 fee, while 22% listed $21-40. Only 1% was willing to pay more than $40. However, most indicated they wanted UO/E or extension councils to reimburse them.
Suggested topics for future programs leaned heavily toward some type of technology training.

Retirement Committee Report. Georgia Stuart-Simmons gave the report for Chairman Barb Froke, who was absent. The first week in October 2001, the committee sent a letter of invitation to become a life member to recent retirees. ESP members who recently retired were sent a letter of congratulations and a certificate in March 2001. For the ESP Newsletter, Dick Lee wrote feature articles on retirees Catherine May (Winter 2001) and Max Miller (Summer 2001). He was unable to reach Walt Wilkening for the Fall 2001 issue. The committee nominated Catherine May for the 2001 Retiree Award. Several retirement issues were topics of articles for the newsletter. Gene Olson wrote an article on Legislative Tax News (Winter), and Joyce Cavanagh provided a two-part series on long-term care in Winter and Fall. The Winter newsletter included Barb Froke’s article on the Retiree Committee Plan of Work and a reminder to life members to help UO/E keep accurate information on retirees’ life status and addresses.

Awards Committee Report. President Gail Carlson announced the award winners:

Friend of Extension..................................... Ed Turner
Distinguished Service Award...................... Jim Ollar
Mid-Career Service Award......................... Joan Hickman
Meritorious Support Service........................ Derald McLane
Retiree Service.......................................... Catherine May
Outstanding Teamwork............................... Animal Manure Nutrient Management Team
Visionary Leadership.................................. Rex Ricketts

Nominating Committee Report/Elections. Representing Karla Spencer, chair of the Nominating Committee, President Gail Carlson presented the nominees for the open offices on the state board. Nominees were Georgia Stuart-Simmons, President; Ina Metzger, President-Elect; Tom Henderson, Treasurer; Roxanne Miller, Secretary; and Bob Schultheis, Annalist. With no additional nominations from the floor, Fred Meinershagen moved and Frank Graham seconded a motion to elect the officers by acclamation. Motion was approved.

New Member Installation. Gail Carlson conducted the new member initiation of Kevin Allen, Karen Branstetter, Floyd Clark, Tammy Gillespie, Joe Horner, Judy Lueders, and Duane D. Williams. Gail announced they would be presented with a membership certificate and Extension Worker’s Creed at a later time.

Installation of Officers. Gail Carlson conducted the installation of the 2001-2002 ESP officers:

President:............... Georgia Stuart-Simmons
President-Elect:...... Ina Metzger
Treasurer:.............. Tom Henderson
Secretary:.............. Roxanne Miller
Annalist:................ Bob Schultheis

Incoming president Georgia Stuart-Simmons received the gavel and president’s pin from Gail Carlson. Georgia thanked Gail for her work during the year and presented her with a gift of a pen and post-it note holder in recognition of her term as president. Georgia thanked incoming committee chairs: Karen Funkenbusch (Awards), Rex Ricketts (Membership), Karla Spencer (Professional Improvement), Pat Snodgrass (Loan and Fellowship), Wilma Jean Lower (Memorials/Courtesy), and Dale Hagerman (Retirement).

Gail Carlson reminded the members of the awards luncheon October 30 and the ESP ice cream social to be held in the Exhibit Hall the evening of October 29.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:05 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Roxanne T. Miller
Secretary

Web Manager: Bob Schultheis
Webster County Extension Center
Email comments to: schultheisr@missouri.edu
Last revised: 11/05/09

In answer to what format or type of program ESP should provide in the future, 62% voted for ITV, 26% requested face-to-face meeting and 12% replied “something else.”