Leadership Horizons Newsletter-January 2005
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Tony DeLong University of Missouri
County Council Coordinator Extension Regions
c/o Tri-Lakes TCRC
P.O. Box 718
Reeds Spring, MO 65737
Phone: 417-272-8707
Cell: 417-337-0605
Fax: 417-272-8397
E-mail: delongt@missouri.edu
What Can Extension Do to Move Up on the County Commission’s Funding List?
By Tony DeLong
Though most of you have already submitted your budget to the county commission, councils should plan for the year ahead. It will continue to be a challenging economic time for all levels of government.
In a recent focus group discussion, some county commissioners were asked, “How can extension move up in the budget priority of the county?”
Here are some of the responses:
Do not just come when you want money at budget time! Come when you don’t want money, like in June; then tell us you’ll talk about budget later.
Visit at least once a month.
Reconsider bringing the big groups to advocate for funding. It is a negative.
Create a cycle of information flow. Come by and offer your services throughout the year. Offer solutions occasionally for issues we face.
Take us out into the community and show us what the needs are and what you are doing.
Be our extended staff.
In any relationship, communication is the KEY to understanding each other’s needs.
In the same focus group, commissioners were asked, “How do you prefer to have communication
with county extension staff and learn about extension programs?”
County Extension Councils Receive Excellence Awards
By Eileen Yager, as published in Extension Weekly News
Twenty-one county extension councils received excellence awards for completing council leadership training modules. The modules, developed jointly by MU Extension and county extension council members, were designed to help councils understand their role in programming, statutory obligations and the relationship with University of Missouri Extension.
“The development and delivery of these training modules reflects commitment to creating more informed and effective county councils,” said Tom Henderson, interim vice provost and director.
Counties receiving awards were Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Camden, Clark, Gasconade, Greene, Holt, Jackson, Lewis, Linn, Marion, Miller, Monroe, Pike, Ralls, Shelby, Stone, Sullivan, Texas and Vernon.
The recognized counties completed at least one of the eight modules. Shelby County extension council members completed all of the modules. In Holt and Andrew counties, 100 percent of the council members completed six modules.
For more information on the modules and the awards, see: http://extension.missouri.edu/extcounc.
By Tony DeLong
As another year of state legislative processes begins, we need to ask the question, “Are we ready to carry the message of Extension?”
With term limits in place, we need to be more engaged to ensure our representatives and senators really know the impact Extension programs have on citizens in their districts. As council members, making people aware of Extension’s impact is a charge given to us under the governance part of our roles and responsibility.
What is the best way to convey this message? To me, it would be to share the positive differences programs have made to change people’s lives.
Here are some examples to consider:
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program: Recent national studies confirm that for every dollar spent on the federally funded EFNEP program, there is a reduction in future medical cost for families of $8.74. In Missouri, the $1.4 million invested annually in this program results in an estimated annual reduction in medical costs of $12.2 million.
Extension Has Value in YOUR Community
By Tony DeLong
"Many exciting impacts and outcomes occur in your county
as a result of Extension programs."
Council members across the state have asked for information to convey the value of Extension to our stakeholders. Here are some quick and easy ideas for you to share:
· On average statewide, a 4-H volunteer gives 208 hours of service for a value of volunteer time equal to $3,575 per year.
· The Fire and Rescue Training Institute provides training to the 915 fire departments across the state. In FY2004, they delivered 709 courses with 16,176 enrollments in firefighting, emergency medical care, technical rescue, environmental and hazardous materials emergency response, and counter terrorism.
· The Human Environmental Sciences program had 1.8 million contacts with Missouri citizens in FY2003. The program produces $7 million in external funding and works with more than 2,000 partner agencies and organizations statewide.
· The Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA) has about 6.2 million annual visitors to the census data and University resources at their web site (http://oseda.missouri.edu).
OSEDA is part of Extension’s research and information.
· Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program sales have returned $12.6 million to participating producers.
· The Missouri Small Business Development Centers for FY2003 counseled 2,379 clients and sponsored 356 training events for 4,359 individuals. An independent study indicates those who received more than five hours of counseling generated $80 million in new sales and created 634 new jobs. They also generated an estimated $5.4 million in additional federal tax revenues.
· University of Missouri Extension is in every community. Annually, more than 1 million Missourians turn to University of Missouri Extension to help them solve problems, address complex change and make informed decisions. Extension not only improves people’s lives, but also adds economic value to the state.
Many exciting impacts and outcomes occur in your county as a result of Extension programs. Talk with the specialists serving in your county, and create a county council statement to share with stakeholders.
By Tony DeLong
Fact
"We have at least 24 more specialists in the field than we did a year ago."
This year has been exciting for everyone involved in Extension. As Extension moved to become part of the Columbia campus, many thoughts have passed through each of our minds.
Now a year later, what are the results?
I think Chancellor Brady Deaton put it in the right context when Tom Henderson, interim director of Extension, reported Deaton as saying, “To me, this seems to have been effortless.”
As Henderson spoke on this subject and reflected, we all agreed that what Deaton meant is that the consolidation seems to have happened without any major hitches and was accepted by almost everyone.
I cannot remember a time when the morale of staff and county councils has been so high. The changes that have taken place appear to be seamless, and as promised, have taken place with little or no adverse effects in the field. There has always been, and continues to be, the CAN-DO spirit by all.
In fact, we have at least 24 more specialists in the field than we did a year ago. Our new specialists in the field and on the campus are helping many Missourians understand how valuable Extension is to the total mission of the land-grant university. There also seems to be a greater understanding among all the University of Missouri campuses that they would not be what they are today without the county councils and the local office operation on the front line.
One can ask if there has been a cost savings to all this? Well, here is my personal opinion on that: It was never going to save money! The reorganization has allowed reallocation of funds to some much-needed salary issues and employee retention. The ability to do this came from a cost savings of consolidating some employee benefit costs. The consolidation also allowed some ONE-time funds to be allocated to meet immediate, emerging needs in program development and innovation.
As a new year approaches, Extension is stronger and is maximizing every dollar going to the field to serve the programmatic needs of citizens.
How Effective Are You in an E-Society?
By Tony DeLong
“The TCRCs are just one more resource that we as Extension volunteers
and employees should direct citizens to for assistance.”
I know many of you are amazed (as am I) when the computer outsmarts me. I am not talking about fancy programs that have all the bells and whistles. I am talking about e-mail accounts.
A person can reflect and say, “What did we do before we had e-mail?” I have had e-mail so long that I am not sure I can even write a proper letter. Not that I could before!
There are so many e-mail account server options today, and people’s e-mail addresses seem to change on a regular cycle. How is one to keep up, let alone remember their password? It is amazing how many e-mail accounts I have to deal with on a monthly basis. There is my Hotmail account for personal e-mail and old-time friends; there is Outlook for work; I have two Hotmail accounts for boards I serve on to keep that business separate. We have another account at home; and finally, there is the e-mail account for the Navy that I have to deal with when I am at drills once a month or on two-week training missions each year. I try to keep many passwords the same, but some accounts require a number in the password as well as a capitalized letter.
I am not sure if it is age (yes, I know I look so young), but even if I write down the passwords and account information, I do not always have the notebook with me when I need it.
If you want to find a better method of sailing the rough seas of e-mail, remember that as Extension employees and citizens we have access to great resource people at the Telecommunication Community Resource Centers. I am lucky that my office is located in the Tri-Lakes TCRC. The TCRC staff has been a great help and has provided some easy-to-remember steps for me.
The TCRCs are just one more resource that we as Extension volunteers and employees should direct citizens to for assistance. Let us remember that option as we all strive to become more effective in an E-society.
This county is home to one of the 10
Telecommunication Community Resource Centers (TCRCs).
For those who did not call and let me know which county was mentioned in last issue, it was WORTH COUNTY.
Here is a new puzzler: This county was organized on Feb. 10, 1851. It comprises 755 square miles and is named for a pioneer settler.
· The University of Missouri Extension office is located outside the county courthouse.
· This county is ranked 69</
