Recently OSU passed the billion-dollar mark on our first-ever capital campaign, with the 4-H Foundation raising over $16 million – strengthening 4-H today and for years to come. Plans are now underway for a post-campaign fundraising initiative, and there is an opportunity for our division to play a significant role. As a first step, we have been asked to identify distinctive qualities that would inspire financial support for outreach and engagement programs.
I’d appreciate your thoughts on the following:
- What makes outreach and engagement at OSU distinct from similar units at other institutions?
- What are our emerging areas of strength deserving of additional investment and why?
- What can the division provide to students so they are best prepared to become leaders?
Please contribute by commenting below. Your answers will be shared with our OSU Foundation team as they work on shaping this new campaign initiative.
DIVISION UPDATES
In March, the OSU Board of Trustees approved a biennial request for the Statewide Public Services that adds $16 million of new funds in addition to a 5.8 percent continuing service level adjustment. Download the “Proposed 2015-17 Legislative Funding Request to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission” document (2.9MB) to read the details of this request, including the five areas of focus put forth by Extension. This information can be found on pages 30-33.
In May, we will begin accepting applications for the division’s new Leadership Development Program for Executives. Curious and want to learn more? Join us on April 25 at the O&E Quarterly Update when Deb Maddy will share additional details about this exciting opportunity.
The spring issue of O&E Magazine is now available in print and online. This issue features stories about STEM-related outreach and engagement activities from across the university. Check out the stories on the new website.
In an effort to advance the division’s diversity goals, we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Learn more about the division’s key diversity goals, as well as details of the MOU.
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
O&E Colloquium
Wednesday, April 16, 2-5pm (reception to follow)
CH2M Hill Alumni Center
Event website
Ecampus Faculty Forum
Over lunch, Eduventures’ President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Nemec will present a national market update on online education based on a 2014 study published by this Boston-based market research firm.
Thursday, April 17, 8am-4:15pm
CH2M Hill Alumni Center
Register
O&E Division Quarterly Update
Friday, April 25, 9-10am
Kidder 202 and streaming online at http://live.oregonstate.edu/
IN THE NEWS
- Trains, Tiburones and Beavers: What do they all have in common?
- Oregon State’s Craft Brewery Startup Workshop offers Ninkasi internship
- Starting from scratch: Food entrepreneurship offered online from Oregon State
- Bovine PTSD? Scared Cows Cost Ranchers Too (OPB)
- A New Use for Your Old Livestrong Bracelet: Monitoring Pollutants (vocative)
- The language of science (Ag Weekly)
- 3 easy Oregon strawberries to plant now (Oregonian)
- Transform fish waste into food for an aquaponics garden (Mail Tribune)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EdFuture 2014: Global Collaboration for Online Higher Education, presented by the American Distance Education Consortium
This conference, to be held May 13-15 in Orlando, convenes today’s top education thought leaders and practitioners to share their vision of tomorrow’s online education ecosystem and provides a roadmap of how to collectively reach it. Dave King will be presenting on the international projects and the bilingual learning modules being produced by our Open Educational Resources unit. Check out Dianna Fisher’s guest post on her recent trip to China to learn more about work in this area.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q: What is OSU doing to support faculty success?
A: I serve on a Provost’s Council work group that is designing a prioritized approach to helping our faculty be successful. In February, we sponsored a faculty forum to collect input about possibilities. Some of the ideas included:
- The importance of meaningful start-up funds for new faculty, grant support, help in achieving work-life balance, and controlling cumbersome bureaucracy (early career).
- The mixed value of mentoring and need to focus on items that simplify the conflicting demands of serving on the faculty—such as facilities support and ordering equipment. (mid-career)
- Work elements that enhance satisfying relationships, the importance of physical spaces, administrative support. (late career)
Several division faculty members participated in this exercise, and the Provost’s Council will soon consider initiating a systematic program.
College of Public Health and Human Sciences Extension Family and Community Health and 4-H programs are strategically planning within an emerging “Health Extension” framework, which can be accessed at the following link: https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5115
Having 2 Extension programs located with a (soon to be) Oregon’s only accredited College of Public Health and Human Sciences and the nation’s only land-grant without a medical school that hosts an accredited school of public health, which (1) makes outreach and engagement at OSU distinct from similar units at other institutions; (2) is an emerging area of strength deserving of additional investment to ensure OSU’s impacts work across nutrition, health, environment, and agricultural systems in Oregon and for Oregonians; and (3) provides and opportunity for students to engage in experiential learning in communities through statewide Extension Service so they are best prepared to become tomorrow’s public health leaders and communities have the added benefit of OSU health Extension outreach.