Volume 23, Number 3 – Feb. 20, 2008
New WVU Leaders Welcome Participants in Celebration at Capitol
eXtension’s Public Launch Celebration Finalized
Small Farms Conference to Focus on Horticulture, Business, Markets
Country Roads Tour to Visit Central West Virginia May
13-15
Register Now for Culturally Responsive Teaching Conference
Meeting Notes
People and Places
Important Program Planning and Reporting Dates for
2008
More than 700 enthusiastic WVU Extension Service supporters made their presence known at the State Capitol yesterday (Feb. 19) at “Our Day at the Legislature.”
WVU’s newest leaders officially opened the annual tribute to the University’s service to the state. Welcoming the crowd were WVU President Mike Garrison, WVU Associate Provost of Extension and Public Service Dave Miller, and WVU Head Football Coach Bill Stewart.
The opening also included appearances by Brady Campbell, the WVU Mountaineer Mascot, and the 4-H Dance Ambassadors, traditional Appalachian folk dancers from throughout the state.
“West Virginia University changes lives,” said Garrison. “WVU Extension educators and program leaders take our University out to every county in West Virginia and touch people from every generation. They are a part of the fabric of our state.”
“Our Day” has become a tradition of honoring a longtime tradition—WVU’s service to the state. Every year, employees and supporters celebrate and demonstrate the many ways in which WVU serves the people of West Virginia and helps them improve their lives.
After the opening program, the WVU Extension supporters met with their respective
state senators and delegates and observed the legislature in session. Some
4-H members served as pages for legislators.
The visitors also participated in activities associated with more than 30 exhibits
that focused on WVU outreach services and educational programs available in
their communities, on nearby campuses, or via computer.
Organized around the theme “WVU Extension Hosts WVU’s Service to the State,” the exhibits showcased WVU’s contributions to residents in their roles as family members, business owners, agriculturalists, employees, volunteers, lifelong learners, and other capacities.
In addition to the exhibits from WVU departments and colleges, WVU Extension exhibits showcased such programs as 4-H camping and 4-H health education, Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) clubs, Master Gardeners, Energy Express, firefighter training, diabetes education, labor training resources, and WVU Jackson’s Mill “History Hitting the Road.”
The day focused on both learning and fun. Attendees were led in song by 4-H members, “mined” for chocolate chips and played recycle “basketball” at a science exhibit, made Circles of Earth bracelets, and prepared individual “A Wish, a Hope, a Dream … for West Virginia” messages that were delivered to Gov. Joe Manchin.
Thanks to all who helped make “Our Day” day successful once again!The national eXtension initiative will celebrate its formal launch Feb. 21-22 during the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2008 Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C.
The national launch ceremony will include:
WVU Extension will participate in the launch by hosting a live videoconference feed as well as a discussion about the eXtension initiative and potential uses of eXtension technologies. The WVU-eXtension launch celebration will be held in 805 Knapp Hall beginning at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21.
A “Stump the Expert” event will be conducted by eXtension at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22. A national media panel will query experts from four eXtension Communities of Practice (Horses, Personal Finance, Parenting, and Gardens, Lawns, and Landscapes). This event will also be broadcast via Adobe Connect for interested persons and the media.
As a part of the Ag Outlook Forum, eXtension officials will staff large exhibits on the 16 Communities of Practice:
The USDA Ag Outlook Forum is a large annual event attracting hundreds of people associated with agriculture. Attendees include association members and staff, commodity and nonprofit organization staff, lobbyists, government agency staff, agribusiness and other corporate staff, and charitable foundation staff.
The fourth annual West Virginia Small Farms Conference will be held Feb. 26-28 at the Ramada Inn in Morgantown. Workshops will focus on horticulture topics ranging from new vegetable varieties and seed-saving to using high tunnel technology.
Other tracks deal with farm business management, energy costs, new markets, and aquaculture. Local foods and their markets will be emphasized on the final day, which will feature a meal demonstration by Dale Hawkins, executive chef at Stonewall Resort.
Representatives from two national groups, the Farmers Market Coalition and FoodRoutes, also will make presentations. The conference will conclude with training by W.Va. Department of Agriculture representatives on theWomen, Infants and Children (WIC) and Senior Voucher programs
The first meeting of the newly formed West Virginia Farmers Market Association (WVFMA) will be held in conjunction with the conference. Members of the new association plan to share resources; work on issues related to farmers markets throughout the state; and promote activities that help establish, operate, and expand the markets.
For more details, call Tom McConnell at (304) 293-6131, ext. 4237, or send him an e-mail (TRMcConnell@mail.wvu.edu).
The preregistration deadline is Feb. 18. The cost to attend all three days is $100. Check the Web (www.wvu.edu/%7Eagexten/sustanag/events/index.htm) for registration forms and the conference agenda. Scholarship applications also are available on the site. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received a scholarship previously.
Faculty are invited to participate in the 2008 West Virginia Country Roads Scholars Tour, which will explore Calhoun, Braxton, Gilmer, and Lewis counties. The May 13-15 tour will emphasize economic development programs.
Gerald Lang, provost, and Dave Miller, associate provost for Extension and Public Service, will serve as the tour hosts. Sally Howard, Bruce Loyd, and John Murray helped plan the tour.
This annual program is designed to help faculty learn about WVU’s role in the state; West Virginia’s history, culture, and economy; and its educational and health care systems.
The tour is open to a maximum of 25 full-time WVU faculty. Preference is given to newer faculty (within the first three years of employment) and first-time participants who register by March 16. All transportation, meal, and lodging expenses are covered by WVU Extension Service and the Office of the Provost.
The tour will begin Tuesday, May 13, with a visit to WVU Jackson’s Mill for sessions on WVU Extension’s outreach programs at the new fire academy and in the historic area. Participants will have lunch with regional economic and political leaders and then visit the nearby Lambert Winery.
Also that day, the group will tour the Mountaineer Food Bank in Braxton County and have dinner at Café Cimino, where the chef, Tim Urbanic, and other members of the Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia will discuss the organization’s benefits to local food producers and consumers and its impact on regional tourism.
On Wednesday, May 14, the tour will visit GTR Labs, a company that manufactures compact x-ray equipment at its Gassaway facility for clients throughout the world. Other stops include Braxton County High School, the Braxton County Center for Pierpont Community and Technical College of Fairmont State University, Billy and Marge Burke’s Titan Farm, a medium-security federal correctional institution, the Minnie Hamilton Health Systems in Grantsville, and Glenville State College.
The final day’s stops include Linn Pottery, the former Weston State Hospital, and Stonewall Jackson Resort.
The priority registration deadline is March 16, but registrations will be accepted until April 6.
For more information, contact Jessika Thomas at (304) 293-4813. To read more about the tour or to register, visit the WVU Web site (www.wvu.edu/~acadaff/countryroads.htm).
Register now to attend “Culturally Responsive Teaching: Responding to the Educational Needs of All Children,” a free conference that will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown.
The conference is open to all WVU students, faculty, and staff as well as to interested classroom teachers, counselors, administrators, and community members.
Dr. James M. Patton, professor of leadership and special education at the College of William and Mary, will be the keynote speaker. His research interests include the educational and psychosocial development of culturally and linguistically diverse learners; the social, political, and economic correlates of mild disabilities; cultural competency development; and analysis of policies that affect people of color and those from low socioeconomic circumstances.
The educational program also will include presentations in two formats: 15-minute roundtable discussions and 40-minute breakout groups.
The Diversity Task Force of the WVU College of Human Resources and Education is sponsoring the conference in collaboration with Monongalia County Schools.
Although the conference is free, registration is required. The program’s seating capacity is limited. Participants may register on the Web (www.hre.wvu.edu/dtf/event08/).
For more information, contact Sandra Schoder (Sandra.Schoder@mail.wvu.edu) in the College of Human Resources and Education.
… No meeting notes to report in this edition.
… Faculty and Staff Changes
Joyce Clark has been working as the office administrator with 4-H Youth Development since Feb. 1. For nearly eight years, she was an Extension human resources assistant. Joyce joined Extension in 1998 as administrative assistant with the development and recruitment offices. Earlier, Joyce held positions with the WVU Library, the WVU College of Arts and Sciences, and Hanover County (Va.) Public Schools.
April Roach will begin working Feb. 25 as Extension agent in Lincoln County. Although she’ll be in the Agriculture and Natural Resources unit, she will work in all areas of programming. April currently is an industrial hygiene officer as a Reservist in the U.S. Navy, conducting on-site training and education in industrial hygiene and safety. As a substitute teacher for the Lincoln County Board of Education, she recently taught ninth-grade science and chemistry to 120 students for an entire school year. April also has experience as an investigator in the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Resources, where she evaluated and investigated complaints of medical provider fraud and physical abuse of incapacitated adults. She also worked as an environmental resource specialist for the W.Va. Bureau for Public Health and as an environment field investigator for the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. April earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of Charleston in 1992 and a master’s degree in occupational safety and health from Marshall University in 1994.
Denis Scott will begin work Feb. 25 as the Extension agent in Morgan County, where he will work in all areas of Extension programming. Denis has held numerous internships and assistantships over the last seven years. In 2007, he was a graduate reference assistant for the Downtown Center Library of the State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY-B). Prior to that, Denis worked as a graduate research assistant in the SUNY-B Department of Public Administration. There, he researched academic literature and organized, analyzed, and interpreted data. As an administrative intern with the Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Binghamton, he assisted teachers with supplemental programs through community collaborations. Denis taught English for a year in Arandas, Mexico. He was also a cooperative partner in Gandalf’s Public House in Frostburg, Md. From 1996 to 1999, he worked as a youth hostel manager for Hostelling International in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he directed the operations of a 75-bed facility. Denis earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Frostburg State University in 2004 and a master’s degree in public administration from SUNY-B in 2007.
Amanda Stull joined WVU Extension on Feb. 16 as an Extension agent for Putnam County, where she will provide residents with educational programs in the area of family and consumer sciences. Most recently, Amanda was employed as a resource/media specialist for the West Virginia University Research Corporation; she was responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing plans to promote the Early Childhood Resource Lending Library in Charleston. Amanda has also worked as an adjunct professor at West Virginia State University where she instructed an undergraduate class in the methodologies and practices of therapeutic recreation. She has also held positions as a recreation specialist/therapist at the West Virginia Rehabilitation Center and as a senior youth development specialist for the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley. Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from West Virginia State University in 2005. She was the top graduate in the master’s program in leadership studies at Marshall University, earning her degree in 2007.
… Have You Heard?
John Marra is recovering well from recent hip replacement surgery. You may send cards to him at this address: 17 Bryn Mawr Way, Culloden WV 25510.
Retiree Sue Miles has been selected to receive the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) 2008 Distinguished Service Award. The award will be presented during the 99th annual conference of the AAFCS June 19-22 in Milwaukee, Wis. Sue is just the second person from West Virginia to receive the award. She has been a member of AAFCS for nearly 40 years, serving in many appointed and elected roles. On the national level, Sue has chaired two committees and the Extension Section. In New York, she served as district president. She is currently completing her third year as affiliate president in West Virginia. Sue earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WVU and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. Her career includes serving as Extension agent in three West Virginia counties, instructor at Colgate University, Extension program leader with Cornell University, and WVU Extension youth specialist. She was Extension family life specialist at WVU when she retired in 2002.
4-H members entering WVU this fall may want to apply to receive the first Miller Presidential Scholarship, which provides a minimum of $3,000 per year over four years while the student attends the University full time. First preference is for a youth from Hancock County. If nobody from that county applies or meets the qualifications, the scholarship is open to a 4-H’er from any West Virginia county. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and high academic promise, including a minimum GPA of 3.8 and an ACT of 30 or higher or an SAT math/verbal score of 1340. Applications are available by calling Vicki Ginn at (304) 293-5691, ext. 3392, or sending her an e-mail (vicki.ginn@mail.wvu.edu). March 1 is the application deadline.
… In Memoriam
Karen Hooper Ross, the sister of Edgar Hooper, died Feb. 5 after a long illness. She was 57. Her funeral was Feb. 8 in St. Marys. She was a resident of Pennsboro. Other survivors include her husband, son, daughter, two sisters, and two brothers. Condolences may be sent to Edgar and Ann Hooper, 73 Briarwood Drive, Wheeling WV 26003.
… To Our Good Health
Wearing a pedometer helps us stay physically active. It serves as an incentive to “beat yesterday’s record” and walk a bit more each day. By keeping track of your numbers, you can show that you walked X number of miles during the month. Then you can compare that number with distances to familiar places in your area.
— from Sally Howard
Selected Program Planning and Reporting
Dates for 2008
Feb. 15, 2008 |
Requests for Proposals due: For Seed Grants for Research Projects, submit to Dave Cormier; for Competitive Funds for Team Activities, submit to Paul Becker. (Awards will be announced March 14, 2008.) |
March 28, 2008 |
Final reports due for those who received Seed Grants for Research and/or Competitive Funds for Team Activities in Spring 2007. |
**************************************************************************************
Our Continuing Mission . . .
The mission of the West Virginia University Extension Service is to form learning partnerships with the people of West Virginia to enable them to improve their lives and communities. To these partnerships, we bring useful research- and experience-based knowledge that facilitates critical thinking and skill development.
**************************************************************************************
Extension Focus is a publication of the Office of the Associate Provost for Extension and Public Service. News items should be sent to the Office of Communications, 506 Knapp Hall, P.O. Box 6031, Morgantown, WV 26506-6031.
Issues of Focus are archived on Extension's Intranet
http://intranet.ext.wvu.edu/intouch/orgnews/focus/focus.htm
Programs and activities offered by the West Virginia University
Extension Service are available to all persons without regard to race, color,
sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, national
origin, and marital or family status.
Submitted by Joyce Bower.
