2009 PSD Funding
From Extension Collaborative Wiki
5. List 2009 collaborative activities and funding sources
South Carolina - Clemson University
A revised new agent orientation web based module is in production in collaboration with the PSA Media Services.
Virginia Research funding comes from Southern SARE for the How Farmers Learn project. This project includes collaboration with Extension colleagues in Tennessee and Louisiana to collect, analyze, and report data. Research support for the PLN project came from ASRED, PLC, and coworkers from NCSU and NCA&T. The Community DECISIONS project includes a collaboration with a Center at the University of Virginia. As topical interest group officers for the American Evaluation Association, Nancy and Heather have strong collaborations with members across the country.
Kentucky
We are completing the process of increasing the county contributions to the total Cooperative Extension program to $1.5 million. The county contributions will be 42% of the total budget. This has allowed us to fill vacant county agent positions. The collaboration of counties with the University has made it possible to maintain a strong Extension program in Kentucky.
Kentucky State University is looking forward to collaborating with University of Kentucky colleagues to contribute to new agent training and development activities; serving as the KSU representative on an Extension Leadership Development work group formed to inventory the leadership development programs being conducted by Cooperative Extension (see the University of Kentucky report);
Arkansas
In addition to collaborative efforts with academic program faculty of the Agricultural and Extension Education Department at the UA-Fayetteville campus and the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at UAPB, PSD faculty members are currently involved in the following multi-state and national collaborative activities:
Managing in Tough Times (MiTT) National Extension Initiative. PSD faculty Karen Ballard and Rich Poling have served as charter members of the leadership team that developed and is implementing the "Managing in Tough Times" National Extension Inititative. The purpose of the MiTT Initiative is to provide Extension educators across the country with access to educational resources, produced mainly by fellow Extension educators, for use in their educational programs. The resources are for use in programs for the following audiences: farmers and ranchers, individuals and families, youth, and communities. A MiTT planning workshop, funded through a grant from CSREES, was held in Dallas in May to develop the MiTT design and delivery plans. Extension educators from many disciplines and from across the country participated in this planning workshop. The final product of the MiTT Initiative, an online database of available resources called MiTTNet, was rolled out to the Extension System on July 30. There are currently over 800 resources listed in the database, with additional resources being added on a regular basis. Plans are underway to help Extension educators better utilize MiTTNet resources through a series of professional development events produced by MiTT subject matter teams.
Rich Poling continues to serve as a member of the eXtension Financial Security for All Community of Practice and on the Evaluation Team for that CoP.
Allisen Penn served on the SEAL planning committee. She has also been on the Empowering Volunteers writing team, which is charged with developing three lessons for the SEAL curriculum and for presenting the lessons during the concurrent sessions.
Karen Ballard is collaboratively working with Extension and UA Fayetteville Agricultural Economists to evaluate the U of A “Cotman” computer software program, used by consultants and producers in most cotton producing states.
Karen Ballard co-chaired the National Integrated Reporting and Evaluation Online System Workgroup with Dr. Helen Chipman, National Program Leader, Food and Nutrition Education, CSREES, USDA.
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
ACES is collaborating with the Auburn University School of Nursing in a Healthy Families Community Project as well as a Caring for Caregivers Project in the FCS area and other states have requested the use of our resources; Sustainable Management of Imported Fire Ants is another collaborative effort with ACES, AAMU and USDA and through eXtension have produced a publication that will be used in several southern region states; Asian Soybean Rust Project is another project that ACES has been involved with and it includes 28 other states, Canada and Mexico.
Texas Continued work with Hurricane Ike project with the hopes of additional funding.
