Epsilon
Sigma Phi Newsletter2007 Calendar of Events and Opportunities
Looking for Money to Help you Learn?
Community-Based Entrepreneurship in Thailand: A Unique Study Tour
Create-21: A New Future for Extension
Have Land Grant Universities Become Elitist?
It’s Not Too Late to Renew Your Membership
Celebrate Growth of ESP at Extension Annual Conference
2007 Calendar of Events and Opportunities
April 24-27 PILD -
Washington, DC
September 10-15 ESP National Meeting, Charleston, SC
Extension Retiree Meetings
April 11 Columbia, MO Sex,
Politics, and Stem Cells
Dr. Bill Bondeson, MU Professor
April 18 Troy, MO From Crude Oil to Nylons: A Comprehensive
Look at the Oil Industry
Mr. Jeffy Black, Oil Executive
April 20 Sedalia, MO Bad Men, Guerillas, and the Border Wars
Mr. Bill Berry, Civil War
Historian
April 26 Jackson, MO title to be determined
Mr. Davis Minton
May 9 Gallatin, MO The Border Wars
Mr. Bill Berry, Civil War
Historian
May 10 Lamar, MO to be determined
May 11 Springfield, MO Another Look at Islam
Dr. Hasan Askari, M.D.
Attention Recent Retirees – If you are not yet a Life member of ESP, now is the time to make it so! Be sure to sign up for your ESP Life Membership before September 1, 2007. The current national membership fee is $150. After September 1, it will be $200.
The North Central Region JCEP meeting was in St. Louis, MO., Feb. 28 – March 1, 2007. It was a very informative meeting and I learned a lot about ESP. I would encourage everyone to attend a Regional meeting in the future. Be sure to visit the national ESP website at http://espnational.org/. You can learn about your national organization and there are many national scholarships and professional development opportunities listed there. While you are at it, consider serving on a national committee. Committees meet face-to-face only at the National Meeting. The rest of the year they meet via email.
Live. And Learn. Our slogan encourages continued learning. And, thanks to the Extension Loan and Fellowship Fund, we have money to help us continue learning too. A simple application and a plan stand between you and a new learning experience. You can receive as much as $1000 for educational endeavors.
Who’s Eligible? You must be currently employed as a university faculty or professional staff member. And, you must have two years of consecutive employment with the University of Missouri or Lincoln University. Priority is given to first-time applicants. Applications must be submitted prior to the professional development experience.
How much is Awarded? Up to $1,000 per award will be granted. The total amount individuals may receive during their tenure with the University is $1,500. Funds should offset expenses not covered through other sources. Applicants must submit a budget identifying anticipated expenditures and other sources of financial support, including personal contributions. Awards will not exceed actual expenses.
The number of awards granted will depend on the availability of funds in the Extension Loan and Fellowship Fund.
The Study Tour
The University Extension Global Leadership Program is
announcing a unique study tour to Thailand which will offer 12 participants an
exceptional opportunity to see a successful community-based entrepreneurship
program. The group will meet with policy makers as well as others in local
villages and towns to see how communities are enhancing local and regional
economic development through an innovative program called OTOP (“One Tambon, One
Product” (a Tambon is a local government unit which translate to
“sub-district”). To maximize the learning experience of this study tour, group
size is limited to 12 participants.
This study tour will focus on strategies to:
Create and foster local entrepreneurship through networks and partnerships
Convert local assets into a sustainable economy including regional branding and product identification
Stimulate local leadership and innovation to develop strong networks of community and regional partnerships
The OTOP program, started in 2001, brings income to local communities by developing and marketing products made in the community from local materials and knowledge, including handicrafts, textiles, clothes, jewelry, furniture, decorative items, food and beverages. Eco-tourism and value-added agricultural products are also an important component of the OTOP program. The OTOP focuses on alleviating rural poverty by:
Strengthening communities through the development of a place-based economy, that also preserves local Thai culture and skills;
Creating jobs and increasing incomes for communities; and
Encouraging self-reliance and creativity.
One innovative approach in the program is a classification system to assure the highest quality and marketability of products. Local decision-making and a marketing system are key component of OTOP with community involvement in all steps of the process.
In Missouri, programs are also underway to support entrepreneurship at the community level using available assets, from local materials to traditional knowledge. As new opportunities for entrepreneurship arise, this offers economically disadvantaged communities, especially those in rural areas, prospects to create achievable opportunities by building businesses that are owned and operated by local populations.
Application Process and Possible Funding Resources
More information about the study tour, deadlines and how to apply can be found on the GLE Thailand Study Tour website: http://extension.missouri.edu/cd/gle.
Resources are available to assist both state specialists and regional faculty in funding an international development experience. For more information on the following list of resources, go to http://extension.missouri.edu/staff/awards/awards.html.
For both state specialists and regional faculty
ESP Fellowship
Ronald J. Turner Global Education Award (nominations due March 15!)
Community Development Extension Endowment
For regional faculty:
Individualized ISE
Annual professional development allocation
Other funding which faculty may raise locally
For more information, contact Sandra Hodge, Ph.D., at hodges@missouri.edu or 573-882-4435 or Mary Leuci, Ed.D. at leucim@missouri.edu or 573-884-9034.
Have you heard of CREATE 21? If not, you need to become acquainted with this proposal, which works to change the way that Extension, experiment stations and other land-grant agriculture programs are funded at the federal level.
In brief, CREATE-21 proposes creation of a National Institute within USDA which will provide continued "capacity" funding for our base programs and enhanced competitive funding to support innovative projects. Federal funding has been flat for at least a decade, and this proposal is a major effort to work with our federal partner to change that situation.
The CREATE-21 committee has been working on behalf of the land grant system for more than a year to develop a proposal that would make the needed changes, minimize disruption to current programs, and provide a vehicle for expansion of research and extension programs in the future. The Agriculture Deans, Extension Directors, and Experiment Station Directors voted on the proposal in September, and it was strongly supported by the system.
The effort has to include successful change of the authorizing language, which is included in each Farm Bill and provides the legal authority for our funding. After success in this arena, the next step is working with appropriators, who actually provide funds, through the appropriations process to obtain the money needed to implement the change.
The CREATE-21 Committee has put in countless hours working to provide a positive future for the Extension and land grant agriculture systems. The Committee co-chairs are Jeff Armstrong (Michigan State University), L. Washington Lyons (North Carolina A&T University), and Bob Steele (Pennsylvania State University). Detail is available on their web site, at http://www.create-21.org. This site is updated frequently, so bookmark the page and check back periodically for updates.
The ESP Family & Friends Leisure Cruise has been finalized and will include a 7-night Western Caribbean excursion on the world's largest cruise ship, FREEDOM of the SEAS. The cruise departs from the Port of Miami on January 6, 2008 and will include stops in Labadee, Haiti, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, George Town, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. All rates include travelers insurance and port and government fees. They do not include airfare to Miami or a $10.00 ESP processing fee.
Accommodations include: Inside Cabin at $945.66, Outside Cabin at $1,160.66, or a deluxe Outside Balcony Cabin at $1,320.66. This affordable touring package is available to all friends and family of Epsilon Sigma Phi.
Enjoy the Security and Camaraderie of Group Cruising: You will also have the added pleasure of dining with friends, experiencing the shopping in Jamaica, touring the Mayan Ruins of Cozumel, and having special ESP parties along the way.
We only have a limited number of staterooms reserved in each category. Names will be added on a first-come basis. The registration deadline has been extended past March 1. Deposits will be due on May 1st and August 1st. Learn more about Royal Caribbean by logging on to http://www.royalcaribbean.com. For the registration form go to website http://espnational.org/newsltrs/no10607.pdf. If interested in going, contact Mike McKinney at mckcar@msn.com or 813-973-4263.This question was asked by Dr. Carolyn Brooks, Dean School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Easter Shore, at the ESP Annual Meeting last fall. “The rankings are all about reputation and the amount of money an institution garners in federal funds and endowments, about the publication record of its faculty and the selectivity of its students,” Brooks noted. “Indeed, the land grant institutions, to have high rankings are almost forced to boast of selectivity…treading dangerously toward becoming elitist….exactly what land grant universities were not supposed to be.”
The message hit home as I reflected on the increased academic standards for admittance into the University of Missouri. Are we limiting access to young women and men from low income families in rural and urban communities? “SAT scores correlate closely with the family income of the test takers,” explained Brooks.
Dr. Brooks went on to offer opportunities for land grant universities to be more inclusive. Several that are relevant to our 4-H program include:
4-H could start helping the underserved to be test takers. The urban school youth need to learn the art of taking tests. Who else but 4-H could make test taking fun?
Expand the 4-H public speaking initiatives to help students increase communication skills before they enroll in college.
Get broader funding than just from the USDA and foundations. All higher education funding agencies have programs that would finance conferences sponsored by 4-H in the area of building self-esteem, teamwork, etc.
Expand technology programs for youth. Through the 4-H Foundation you have science, engineering and Technology programs. You prepare them for college through discovery and exploration. You help them see life’s big picture and find purpose and meaning.
Infuse more creativity into your programming for 4-H and your international youth exchange programs in a more visible way.
Dr. Brooks presentation is available at: http://www.espnational.org/2006NationalMeeting/DrCarolynBrooksSpeech.pdf.
Thanks to all who have helped recruit new members into Missouri Epsilon Sigma Phi so far this year. Anyone with a 50% or greater Extension appointment and three or more years of service as of August 31, 2006, is eligible to join. For those who haven't yet renewed their membership for 2006-2007, we are still accepting dues. You can see if you're paid up by going to http://extension.missouri.edu/esp/archive/members/active2007.html.
To join or renew, print out and complete the application/renewal form on the ESP website at http://extension.missouri.edu/esp/archive/members/ESP_Member_Brochure.pdf and send it along with your dues check to Bob Schultheis, ESP Treasurer, Webster County Extension Center, 800 S. Marshall St., Marshfield, MO 65706.
Also note: national dues for current Extension Professional members will increase in Fall 2007 by $10 to a total of $40.
To see what Missouri ESP has to offer, and stay up-to-date on current events, point your Web browser to extension.missouri.edu/esp.
The Alpha Tau chapter celebrates eight new members. Inducted at the Galaxy Conference in October ’06 were: Gordon Carriker, Virgil Woolridge, David Hoffman and Sarah Staude. New members yet to be inducted are: BJ Eavy, Debbie Davis, Julianne Royse and Maude Harris. An induction ceremony will be held at the ESP Breakfast on May 24 during Extension Conference. Please be sure to attend so we can welcome our new and seven returning members. Alpha Tau now has 69 members.
Also, be sure to stop by the ESP booth at May’s conference to pick up a sticker for your name tag. Let others know you are part of a national honorary fraternity.
I encourage you to invite others to become a member of ESP. Brochures are available at website http://extension.missouri.edu/esp.
As part of the “Engauging New Members” campaign, there is one digital tire gauge left for the first paid membership.
ESP represents 75 years of uniting members, building support for the Extension system, and fostering the spirit of fellowship. Members benefit from recognition, monetary assistance, leadership workshops and conferences, networking with colleagues, sharing experiences and expertise, and discovering new resources. Be prepared to celebrate ESP’s 75th Anniversary at Annual Conference in May!
Missouri Alpha Tau Chapter Nominees sent on for National Recognition:
Morris Burger.... Friend of Extension
Cassy Dierking-Venters.... Distinguished Service
Sandra McKinnon.... Mid-Career
Wendy Harrington.... Early Career
Annette Fitzgerald and Terry Egan....Team
Albert Black....Visionary Leadership
Courtesy and Memorials
Wilma Jean Lower,
Courtesy & Memorials Committee Chair
ESP members and families please send information regarding the death of any extension colleague to Wilma Jean Lower at fwjlower@alltel.net or call 417-654-2496. We would like to know the date of passing, who is the family contact with mailing address, the title and position (including location) last held by the colleague. Thank you.
|
The
location of our national office / contact is: |
Epsilon Sigma Phi - Alpha Tau Chapter
2006-2007 Board Members
| Officers | Position | Phone | |
| Mark Stillwell | President | 573-882-2695 | stillwellm@umsystem.edu |
| Beverly Maltsberger | President-Elect | 816-279-1691 | maltsbergerb@missouri.edu |
| Nancy Flood | Past President | 660-947-7773 | flood@nemr.net |
| Rhonda Gibler | Secretary | 573-882-7756 | giblerr@umsystem.edu |
| Bob Schultheis | Treasurer | 417-859-2044 | schultheisr@missouri.edu |
| Janet Lafon | Annalist | 417-358-2158 | lafonj@missouri.edu |
| Committee Chairs | |||
| Sandra McKinnon | Membership | 636-583-5141 | mckinnons@missouri.edu |
| Joe Koenen | Awards | 660-947-2705 | koenenj@missouri.edu |
| Jo Turner | Professional Improvement | 573-882-7430 | turnerlj@missouri.edu |
| Lisa Wallace | Loan and Fellowship | 660-885-5556 | wallacel@missouri.edu |
| Wilma Jean Lower | Courtesy / Memorials | 417-654-2496 | fwjlower@alltel.net |
| Tom Henderson | Retirement / Life Members | 573-882-3087 | hendersont@missouri.edu |
| Nancy Flood | Nominations | 660-947-7773 | flood@nemr.net |
| Mary Leuci | Global Issues | 573-882-2937 | leucim@missouri.edu |
| Sandy Stegall | Public Issues | 573-882-4134 | stegalls@umsystem.edu |
|
Rex Ricketts & Karla Deaver |
ESP 75th Anniversary |
573-882-4553 417-466-3102 |
rickettsr@missouri.edu deaverk@missouri.edu |
For Newsletter Items or
Information, Contact:
Beverly Maltsberger,
President-Elect
Epsilon Sigma Phi Newsletter editor
Missouri Alpha Tau Chapter
E-mail: maltsbergerb@missouri.edu
Phone: 816-279-1691