Extension viewed as vital to the success of OSU

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This month’s First Monday Update is a preview of the important conversations that will take place during the November 15* Quarterly Conversation, which include:

  • Budget conversations (analysis, rebasing and priority staffing process)
  • Restructuring of the Division’s leadership teams
  • Strategy for the Extension Citizen Advisory Network (ECAN)

Anita also emphasizes Ed Ray and Ed Feser’s view that, as the University’s primary outreach mechanism, Extension is essential to OSU’s success. Stay tuned until the very end, which is where Anita shares breaking news about the Division’s new name and title for the leader of the Division. You’ll want to attend in person or Zoom in starting at 9:00 a.m. in Kidder 202 (check your calendar invite for details). The Quarterly Conversation will be devoted to the above topic areas allowing lots of time for your questions.

*Ann Marie Murphy apologizes for sharing with Anita the incorrect date for the Quarterly Conversation. The correct day is November 15.

Connecting to Oregon and OSU

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Jason O’Brien, OSU Master Naturalist program coordinator, joins Anita Azarenko to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the OSU Master Naturalist program. The trained volunteers are driven by their curiosity about Oregon, learning about the natural history and natural resource management of the state. The next five years will focus on creating a greater presence at the local level through Extension and partner relationships.

The Master Naturalist program has an emphasis on learning and outreach. Anita would like to hear how you see your programs connecting to the larger land grant mission of Oregon State University: teaching (learning), research (discovery) and service (outreach and engagement). Share your thoughts in a comment below.

Next steps for OSU Extension leadership

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Provost Ed Feser joins Interim Vice Provost Anita Azarenko to share thoughts on the importance of the OSU Extension Service to Oregon State University’s mission and Strategic Plan 4.0, as well as next steps in the search for leadership of the OSU Extension Service.

Do you have additional thoughts to share on what’s important for the next leader of OSU Extension? Share your thoughts with Anita or leave a question or comment below.

Meet Anita Azarenko

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Interim Vice Provost Anita Azarenko makes her debut on the First Monday Update video in the company of retiring Vice Provost Scott Reed. Anita gives us a glimpse of how over the years she has experienced Extension and the learning/teaching, research/discovery and outreach/engagement land grant university missions. She also shares a quick overview of what her focus will be through the end of the year.

How did you come to do the work of outreach and engagement? Share your stories with Anita by replying below.

Sailing into uncharted waters

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Scott Reed, Vice Provost for the Division of University Outreach and Engagement, retires at the end of this month: July 2019. In his final First Monday Update video, shot on his sailboat New Wave, he fittingly sprinkles sailing metaphors throughout his parting words of wisdom and look into the future.

Share your own words of wisdom, or well wishes, with Scott using the comment section below.

Scott’s videos first appeared as end of the year messages in December 2012 and 2013. First Monday Updates in text form materialized March 2014. Monthly videos started appearing regularly beginning in July 2014. That’s a five year and 60 video tradition, many of which Scott shot, edited and posted himself. You might enjoy visiting the blog archives to take a walk down memory lane.

Creating interest with technology in the great outdoors

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The innovative Virtual Park Ranger is this month’s First Monday Update topic. Scott Reed learns more about it with guests Alan Dennis and Stephen Ward, multimedia and visual technology designers from Extension and Experiment Station Communications.

The Virtual Park Ranger will be a way for everyone to learn about and engage with the outdoors in a relatable, customizable and real-time way. Extension experts are anticipated to play a key role in providing information about our natural environment.

The VPR team is partnering with Outdoor School to pilot the project in outdoor school locations. If you work with youth and the outdoors, Alan and Stephen would like to explore how the Virtual Park Ranger can be adapted to generate enthusiasm for outdoor spaces.

Share one or more of your favorite outdoor places in the comment section below. Who knows, your favorite might be considered for a must see list on the Virtual Park Ranger!

Hemp – Responding to inquiries

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OSU recently rolled out guidelines on industrial hemp. Now tools are available to help you engage with the public. Join Scott Reed and guests Sam Angima, assistant dean of outreach and engagement in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Jay Noller, department head of Crop & Soil Science (and hemp expert), as they update us on the hemp discussion tools available to Extension employees. These tools include a phone — or office visit — triage document, that has been shared with Extension and Ag Experiment Station offices, to help us respond to questions from people registered to grow or handle industrial hemp, or those just interested in learning more about the crop.

Where do you think hemp production will rank in Oregon’s agricultural commodities in 2020 (nursery products currently rank #1)? Share your best guess by commenting below.

PACE to offer more learning objects

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John Buzzard, acting director of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), joins Vice Provost Scott Reed this month to talk about how PACE is dramatically altering the types of deliverables it offers. The changes are based on a recently completed benchmark study and a re-examination of PACE processes and outreach.

Scott would like to know about the ways you personally like to learn (is it by reading, listening to podcasts, hands-on activities, or some other way?). Comment below.

The Importance of Partnerships

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Jeff Sherman, Assistant Director, OSU Extension Service, Strategic Innovation and OSU Open Campus Program Leader, joined Vice Provost Scott Reed this month to highlight a program based on educational and family partnerships: Juntos. More than 1,400 Juntos families are expected to visit the OSU Corvallis campus on May 11 for Family Day. Volunteers are needed for Family Day! Find out details at http://bit.ly/osufamilyday.

The Carnegie Foundation application for the elective community engagement classification will highlight 15 community partnerships. Share the innovative community partnerships you are most proud of by making a comment below.

Oregon By the Numbers

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Vince Adams, Oregon State University Extension community educator, joins Scott Reed, vice provost for University Outreach and Engagement for this month’s First Monday Update. A collaborative effort between The Ford Family Foundation and OSU Extension’s Rural Communities Explorer, Scott describes Oregon By the Numbers as new, innovative and useful.

Vince writes in the foreword to the report, “that the concept for the report arose out of a question: What are the essential measures that all Oregon decision makers should be able to immediately access for their community?” Oregon By the Numbers provides an overview of the state and snapshots for each county allowing for county comparisons and more.

View the video to find out how you can get your hands on a copy and for a surprise (at least Vince was surprised!).