Focusing on Texas AgriLife Extension Services' Vision

When middle managers sit back on Friday afternoon to reflect on this weeks events their thoughts will obviously focus on budgetary challenges that seem to be lurking on the horizon. District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors may be saying to themselves how can we be talking about recruiting, retention, on-boarding and interpretation when the agency is facing uncertainty in terms of our budget. Obviously, it is difficult to focus on these priorities when our middle managers' central focus must be on addressing issues that relate to the 5% budget reduction plan that has been requested by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House. However, when faced with any uncertain situation it is also important to focus on Texas AgriLife Extension Services' vision which is "to be the premier 21st Century outreach and continuing education organization in Texas responding to the needs of the people."

During times that present challenges it is important that we reflect on this vision and focus our efforts individually and collectively on efforts that will enable Texas AgriLife Extension Service to achieve a level of success that accomplishes this vision. Some fundamental elements that middle managers should continue to focus on that enable Texas AgriLife Extension Service to be the premier 21st Century outreach and continuing education organization include;

• Ensuring that County Extension Agents are providing quality programs that address local issues and results in measurable outcomes. Remember, our programs are how clientele, stakeholders, and elected officials judge Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
  
• Ensuring that Texas AgriLife Extension Service programs are visible in the community. Quality programs are of limited value if only a small number of people in the county are aware of the programs.
  
• Ensuring that our County Extension Agents are competent and professional. Competency and professionalism is only accomplished through effective on boarding of new agents and on going professional development for more tenured agents.
• Ensuring that our stakeholders and elected officials are aware of the impact of Texas AgriLife Extension Service programs. This is only accomplished through systematic program interpretation strategies that communicate public value to elected officials and stakeholders.
• Ensuring that Texas AgriLife Extension Service middle managers are implementing recruiting strategies that will provide Texas AgriLife Extension Service with a diverse, highly qualified workforce in the future. The development of budget reduction plans do not lessen our commitment to implementing recruitment strategies that addresses our needs for future County Extension Agents that will have the capacity to position Extension to address the needs of a diverse population in a future Texas.
  

Remember, there are County Extension Agents, District/County Extension Support Staff members and Extension Assistants/Associates who are looking to District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors for leadership during uncertain times! It is imperative that District Extension Administrators /County Extension Directors provide confident leadership by articulating that a focus on Texas AgriLife Extension Services' vision is more productive than getting caught up in rumors or spending time speculating on what might take place in the future.

Effective On-boarding- More Critical Now Than Ever

There is no question that there is a direct correlation between quality of on-boarding and agent retention. On August 31, 2009 District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors were trained to implement a new systematic on-board system that will be utilized to on-board new agents with Texas AgriLife Extension Service. As we operationalize this systematic more sequential on-boarding process it is critical that everyone who will be involved in on-boarding understand their role. One of the advantages of this systematic approach is that it involves various Extension professionals in the on-boarding process. The involvement of District Extension Administrators, County Extension Directors, First-Step host agents, mentors, coworkers, Specialists and Regional Program Directors certainly has great advantages in terms of mobilizing resources to address on-boarding needs. However, there is one danger of having the involvement of this many people is that on-boarding becomes "everyone's job and no-one's job".

As Texas AgriLife Extension transitions to a new systematic on-boarding system it is important that our middle managers have ownership in this process. While the Extension Foundations (formerly NEO), New Employee online modules and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Excellence Academy are components of the on-boarding system that our Organizational Development Group provides leadership to, it is important that District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors serve as the catalyst for all on-boarding functions in the Region. The following premises must be embraced if this new on-boarding system is going to be successful;

• All members of Regional Teams are responsible for new agent on-boarding.
  
• New agent on-boarding is a sequential learning process where one event establishes the knowledge base for future learning activities that provides progressively more complex training.
• All on-boarding experiences have specific teaching points that are designed to increase knowledge, develop skills, encourage adoption of best practices or lead to the refinement of best practices.
  
• All on-boarding experiences are designed to give agents "early wins"!
  

Some of the learning components that collectively makes up the Texas AgriLife Extension Service on-boarding system includes...

• District Extension Administrator Orientation Agendas that provide core teaching points.
• Regional Program Director Orientation Agendas that provide core teaching points.
• An On-boarding continuum that provides a roadmap for on-boarding new agents.
• Online learning modules that provide agents with a introduction of Extension program management topics.
  
• Extension Foundations to replace New Employee Orientation that will provide experiential learning experience for new agents related to program development, subject matter program management, 4-H livestock project management, and reporting and accountability.
• Excellence in Programming Academy that provides new agents with in-depth experiential learning experiences related to program planning, teaching effectivness, program implementation, and evaluation and interpretation.
  
• The Texas AgriLife Extension Service Mentoring Program.
  
• First Step.
• Extension Fundamentals letter series designed to reinforce topics covered during orientations, face to face trainings and online modules.
• Revised New Agent Self -Study Guide.

These systematic trainings are designed to provide the sequential learning experience that will enable new agents to...

1. Gain knowledge of the organization.
2. Gain knowledge of organizational processes.
3. Develop skills.
4. Adopt best practices.
5. Refine best practices.
   

Public or private organizations report that they spend as much as 150% of the employee's salary to hire another individual (Friedman, Galinsky, & Plowden, 1992). Dr. Galen Chandler (2005) estimated it could cost Extension from $7,185 to $30,000 to replace an agent who had an annual salary of $30,000. Therefore, quality time in effectively on-boarding new agents that could potentially result in increased retention should be viewed as an investment in the future of Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

References

Chandler, G. D. (2005). Organizational and individual factors related to retention of county Extension agents employed by Texas Cooperative Extension. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(12), 4432A. (UMI No. 3157047).

Friedman, D., Galinsky, E., & Plowden, V. (1992). Parental leave and productivity: Current research. New York: Families and Work Institute.

2010 Texas Market Poultry Production and Selection Workshop Announced

The 2010 Texas Market Poultry Production and Selection Workshop will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at Texas A&M University’s Louis Pearce Pavilion on George Bush Drive in College Station. The workshop will begin at 8:50 am and will adjourn at approximately 3:00 pm.

This workshop provides CEAs, Agriscience Instructors, 4H Leaders, parents and youth with an opportunity to ‘hear the experts’ and work alongside judges and superintendents for major poultry shows in Texas. Educational activities include an in-depth discussion of brooding, management, sanitation programs, feeding programs and selection methods for broilers, turkeys and roasters. Discussion on selection procedures and bird quality characteristics will be followed by ‘hands on’ practice in early culling and selection of show pens.

Registration for the event will be conducted by Texas AgriLife Extension Conference Services online at http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu beginning in April. Mail-in registration instructions can also be found on the website. Early registration for the event will be $35 per person or family with an additional (optional) cost of $9.00 per meal for BBQ lunch. Agriscience instructor and CEA registration for the event will be $15 per person with and additional (optional) cost of $9.00 per meal for the BBQ lunch.

A reminder memorandum will be sent in early April to CEAs and 4H for the event. If you have any questions about the workshop please contact Dr. Michael Davis with the Poultry Science Unit of Texas AgriLife Extension Service at (979) 845-4319 or mdavis@poultry.tamu.edu. District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should ensure that agents make clientele aware of this educational opportunity.

Content for this article was provided by Kevin D. Chilek, Extension Program Specialist 4-H- Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Utilizing Volunteers in Interpreting Extension Programs

The utilization of volunteers who serve on various committees and task forces is an excellent strategy to implement in both formal and informal interpretation efforts. The involvement of volunteers in the interpretation process is ingrained in many counties' interpretation culture. In counties where volunteers are utilized in interpretation agents have spent quality time arming committee and task force members with the type of information needed for them to effectively interpret Extension educational programs. However, there are many counties across the state where volunteers could be more effectively utilized in formal or informal interpretation efforts.

Elected officials place tremendous creditability on information related to Extension educational programs when it is provided by constituents . However, volunteers don't provide interpretation by chance-- it happens as a result of planning, training, and design.

The following is some suggestions related to working with County Extension Agents this fall in program planning activities to ensure that every county has a strategy to involve volunteers in the interpretation of Extension programs. In order for volunteers to be effective in interpreting programs they must...

• Be an individual that opinion is valued and respected by elected officials.
  
• Be a participant in an effective county program that results in measurable outcomes.
  
• Have an understanding of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service as an organization.
• Be armed with appropriate data related to Texas AgriLife Extension's roles in providing educational programming efforts at the county level.
• Embraces the philosophy that an investment in Texas AgriLife Extension Service programs is an investment that provides a return to the county in terms of economic, environmental and/or social outcomes.
  
• Be equipped with information related to specific program(s) outcomes.
  

Performance Appraisal Conferences should be utilized by District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors to ensure that every county has a interpretation plan that includes the utilization of key volunteers in formal and informal interpretation efforts.

Key's to the Courthouse County Government Curriculum Premiere at Judges and Commissioners Conference

This week at the Annual Judges and Commissioners Conference hosted by the VG Young Institute of County Government in College Station, the new “Keys to the Courthouse” county government curriculum was premiered by Director Smith during his update to the court members. The Texas 4-H Program also hosted a booth that allowed the judges and commissioners to preview the curriculum and receive an informational flyer about the enrichment program (see attachment). Many of the judges and commissioners who reviewed the curriculum had positive comments and expressed an interest of working with Extension to implement the curriculum back in their county schools. Because of the potential for an educational partnership between the Commissioners Court and Extension we want each County Extension Agent and Office to the information shared in case a county officials or school superintendent mentions it. This new county government curriculum will replace the one produced by Extension some twenty-five years ago.

The new curriculum will focus on the grades of 7th and 12th and include five lessons, along with activities appropriate for both grade levels. Additionally, the curriculum is written so an elected official, or educator, can use components of the curriculum with civic groups/adult audiences to explain the role of each elected official and county government. The bound curriculum will include the curriculum lessons, activities for both 7th and 12th graders, a Texas county wall map, and a DVD with videos about county government and the activities for easy printing.
Currently, the curriculum is in the final stages of development and printing and will be distributed through your District Extension Administrator in May, 2010. It is our hope that it will be fully utilized during the 2010-2011 4-H Year.

This curriculum was the collaborative effort between the Texas Association of Counties, County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, V.G. Young Institute of County Government, and the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program. Please look forward to additional information about this new curriculum in the following months.

Content for this article was provided by Dr.Toby L. Lepley- Assistant Professor,
Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

AgriLife Extension Participates in Career Fairs

In support of the 2010 Administrative Priority to Improve Recruitment and Retention, District 9 Extension personnel recently participated in Career Fairs at Sam Houston State University and Texas A&M University.

Kevin Chilek, Extension Program Specialist - 4-H, Meredith Henry, Walker CEA-FCS, and Dale Fritz, District Extension Administrator, participated in the Agricultural and Industrial Sciences Career Fair on February 2, 2010 at Sam Houston State University. The recruitment screen display for AgriLife Extension was used along with the brochure "Growing People, Ideas and Youself" and the fact sheet on an internship with AgriLife Extension. Also, handout materials on available positions and compensation packages were used. Over 100 students stopped at the Extension display and discussed career and internship opportunities with AgriLife Extension. Kevin, Meredith, and Dale visited with the students to provide a brief overview of Extension, outline procedures for applying with Extension, and answer their questions. Also, students provided their names and e-mail addresses to be used to maintain communication with them and to notify them of the posting of the intern position, etc. In addition, resumes were accepted from students who will graduate in the near future.

Dale Fritz, Dusty Tittle, Burleson CEA-AG/NR, Billy Zanolini, Madison CEA-AG/NR, and Eric Zimmerman, Brazos CEA-AG/NR, participated in the Agriculture Career Expo on February 3, 2010 at Texas A&M University. As was the case at Sam Houston, the recruitment screen display of AgriLife Extension was used along with the brochure "Growing People, Ideas and Youself" and the fact sheet on an internship with AgriLife Extension. Over 150 students stopped at the Extension display and discussed career and internship opportunities with AgriLife Extension. Dale, Dusty, Billy, and Eric visited with the students to provide a brief overview of Extension, outline procedures for applying with Extension, and answer their questions. Also, students provided their names and e-mail addresses to be used to maintain communication with them and to notify them of the posting of the intern position, etc. In addition, resumes were accepted from students who will graduate in the near future. The ACE Committee also produces a notebook of resumes from students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This notebook was presented to each exhibitor.

These Career Fairs serve as a great opportunity to interact with a large number of students. We will continue to participate in these types of activities such as the Career Fair at Prairie View A&M University on February 17, 2010.

The content of this article was provided by Dale A. Fritz, Ph.D., District Extension Administrator-Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

2010 Texas 4-H Roundup - Wildlife Contest And Workshop Announced

Texas 4-H is pleased to announce the brand new Wildlife Contest and Workshop that will be held at the 2010 Texas 4-H Roundup. This event will be held on Thursday, June 10, 2010. This contest will be held at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection off campus in College Station. The Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection is a facility housing a research collection of one of the largest University based natural history collections with over one million preserved specimens.

Contestants will compete as a county team of 3 or 4 or as individuals. Contestants will compete within intermediate and senior age divisions. The contest consists of three parts; identification, decision making, and knowledge and skills quiz. Each part will be completed individually by each contestant. Each part may cover any or all of the five 4-H natural resources project areas.

All District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should ensure that all County Extension Agents are aware of this opportunity.

Content for this article was provided by Kyle Merten, Extension Associate- Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Form Numbers Changed for D-168 and D-1156

A project has been underway to reformat all forms on the various administrative services web sites. As part of that process, the form numbers only, not content, have been changed on the long used D-168 and D-1156.

( http://agservices.tamu.edu/forms/ag-484.pdf )

D-168 Modified Notification of Employment Termination is now the AG-484 Modified Notification of Employment Termination and is available at http://agservices.tamu.edu/forms/ag-484.pdf.

D-1156 Position Authorization is now the AG-485 Position Authorization and is available at http://agservices.tamu.edu/forms/ag-485.pdf

Please make note of the new URL.

District Extension Administrators, County Extension Directors and District Office Managers should make note of these changes.

Content for this article was provided by Jennifer Humphries, Director of Human Resource Services-Texas A&M AgriLife

Assignments for Program Excellence Academy Posted

Program excellence is predicated on the fundamental principle that agents have the capacity to effectively identify issues, prioritize these issues, develop sequential learning experienced designed to address these issues, evaluate program efforts and utilize the results of these evaluations to refocus and redirect programming efforts to ensure program relevance.

In order to more effectively equip agents to implement the program development process that is paramount to effective programming, an innovative professional development activity will be implemented statewide entitled the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Excellence Academy. Session I of the Program Excellence Academy will be held on April 26-30 at the Texas 4-H Center. This face-to-face session is only part of the experience associated with the Program Excellence Academy. Listed below are some important updates regarding the pre-session activities that agents will need to begin to work on soon.

• The course website is located at http://pdc.extension.org/. This is the same site that agents completed other courses on prior to Extension Foundations, so they already have a login for the site. Each of the agents has been enrolled in this course already, so it should show up under "My Courses" when they log in.
• There are also reading assignments to be completed before agents attend Session I. Their books have been received and will be mailed to them this week.
  
• There are three pre-session assignments to be completed, with the first due on March 26. These are fully detailed under each of the modules on the site. Two of the assignments will be uploaded directly to the course site, the third e-mailed to the instructors.
• There will be discussion board postings every couple of weeks for agents to respond to. It is important that agents take the time to provide their thoughts and input on these discussion threads. This should be an excellent opportunity for agents to learn, as well as share their experiences with co-workers.
• For those of agents who have shared the needed information related to obtaining graduate credit for the Academy, things appear to be progressing well with their University. If agents have not shared the requested information, or are having difficulties with their University, please instruct them to contact Dr. Jeff Ripley.
• Finally, be sure to have agents save the dates of November 15-19, 2010 for Session II of Academy. The location will again be the Texas 4-H Center.
  

A complete agenda with travel authorization will be sent to agents in advance of the session. There is no need for agents to make reservations at the 4-H Center, those are already taken care of. If agents have any questions, please ask them to contact Dr. Jeff Ripley. It is important that all District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors work with agents prior to this face to face session to emphasize the importance to these pre-session activities and assignments.

Content for this article was provided by Dr. Jeff Ripley, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist-Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

2007 Research Indicates that Interpretation is Important to Commissioners' Willingness to Fund Extension Programs

During the past several months Texas AgriLife Extension has devoted a tremendous amount of effort in developing systematic program interpretation plans. While we instinctively know that there is a direct correlation between interpretation of program outcomes and county commissioners' courts willingness to provide local funding for Extension educational programs we seldom point to research that documents this relationship. In 2007 James Lindstrom conducted a study entitled The Relationship among Washington State County Commissioners' Knowledge and Perception of Washington State University Extension and Their Willingness to Fund WSU Extension that investigates the relationship between effective interpretation and Commissioner Courts willingness to fund Extension programs.

This study (Lindstrom, 2007) was designed to determine whether Washington State Commissioners' Court members' perceptions, knowledge, and/or understanding of Extension are related to and may have predictability to their willingness to provide funding for local Extension programs.

Lindstrom (2007) conducted a census of all Washington State's County Commissioner Court members. Lindstrom (2007) received responses from all of the 39 counties in Washington State. In this study, the following was determined as a measure of commissioners' familiarity of Extension (Lindstrom, 2007);

• 70% of respondents participated in 4-H and Youth Development Programs, and 67% participated in Agriculture and Natural Resource Programs.
• 74% of the respondents had read an Extension Newsletter or brochure while 70% attended an Extension workshop or meeting.
  
• Over one half of the commissioners responding reported that they have met with an Extension educator for a personal consultation.
  
• Almost one quarter of the commissioners responded they or a family member has been a member of an Extension organization, such a 4-H.
  

Lindstrom (2007) reported the following as a measure of perception of Washington State University Extension;

• 93% indicated that Washington State University provided a good value for the county expenditure. No county commissioners responding to this survey indicated that Washington State University Extension was not a good value for the county expenditure.
  
• 97 % of the census respondents reported that the Agriculture program area was perceived as having good or adequate quality.
• 95% of the census respondents reported that the 4-H program was perceived as having good or adequate quality.
• 77% of the census respondents indicated that the family and consumer science programs having good or adequate program quality.
• 67% of the census respondents indicated that the community development programs having good or adequate program quality.
• 100% of the census respondents reported that Washington County Extension was cost effective or at least cost neutral.

Lindstrom (2007) reported the following related to willingness to fund Washington State University Extension;

• 98% of the census respondents indicated their willingness to fund Extension with adequate county resources.
  
• 96% of the census respondents indicated their willingness to fund Extension even with insufficient county resources to fund all county obligations.
  

Lindstrom (2007) reported the following related to the relationship between willingness to fund Washington State University Extension and County Commissioners' Perceptions;

• 82% of the census respondents view Extension as cost effective and were willing to continue to fund Extension.
  
• When comparing value of the county expenditure and willingness to fund Extension, 91% of the county commissioners were willing to continue to fund Extension.
• 90% of the respondents viewed the agriculture and natural resources program as efficient and were willing to fund Extension at current or increased levels.
  
• 86% of the census respondents viewed the 4-H program as being efficient and were willing to continue to fund Extension at current or increased levels.

Lindstrom (2007) reported the following related to the relationship between willingness to fund Washington State University Extension and County Commissioners' Knowledge and Perception of Extension;

• Of county commissioners who had accessed Extension through reading brochures or newsletters, 95% indicated that Extension was a good value.
• Of county commissioners who had attended an Extension workshop, 100% viewed Extension as a good value.
  

Lindstrom (2007) reported the following related to the relationship between willingness to fund Washington State University Extension and County Commissioners' Knowledge of Extension;

• Of those county commissioners that indicated that they have had a past personal experience with Extension program areas, 98% indicated they have a positive view of funding Extension programs.
• Of commissioners that utilized Extension through various program methods, 96% indicates that they have a favorable view of funding Extension.
  

In summary, Lindstrom's (2007) research suggests that county commissioners' interaction with Extension influences their knowledge and perceptions related to the value of Extension. This influence on commissioners' knowledge and perception can potentially impact the commissioners' views related to funding programs at the local level.

Some lessons that Texas AgriLife Extension Service can learn from this research (Lindsrom, 2007) includes;

• Involvement of elected officials in Extension "Showcase Events" is imperative to increasing county commissioners and legislators knowledge and perception of Extension programs which in turn potentially impacts funding.
  
• District Judges and Commissioners Conferences hosted by District Extension Administrators are critical in enhancing relationships between Extension and elected officials. These events, when designed correctly, can be an excellent venue for program interpretation.
  
• Extension Making a Difference Newsletters that communicates Texas AgriLife Extension's public value can enhance elected officials knowledge and perception in Extension programs.
  
• Urban Capacity Program Highlight report for County Commissioners can enhance elected officials knowledge and perception in Extension programs.
• Formal interpretation events with elected officials conducted annually that communicates Texas AgriLife Extension's public value are critical to our future funding.

The bottom-line is this research (Lindstrom, 2007) supports the theory that the formula for county commissioners' court support is predicated upon three elements;

1. Effective programming,
2. Visibility, and
   
3. Effective interpretation .
   

While these three elements sound elementary, most District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors would agree that if County Programs effectively employ these elements the likelihood of sufficient commissioner court support is increased significantly. During economically challenging times, ensuring that County Extension Programs include effective programming, high visibility of programs, and effective interpretation is paramount.

Reference

Lindstrom, J. H. (2007). The relationship among Washington State County Commissioners' Knowledge and Perceptions of Washington State University Extension and their willingness to fund WSU Extension. Unpublished Dissertation, The University of Montana.

Urban Legislative Interpretation Event Hosted by County Extension Directors

On January 28, 2010 the Texas AgriLife Extension Service County Extension Directors hosted an Urban Legislative Interpretation Event at the Texas Capital in Austin. During this event Dr. Ed. Smith Director of Texas AgriLife Extension provided urban legislative staffers with an overview of Texas AgriLife Extension and Dr. Bonnie McGee, Associate Director for Human Science and 4-H and Youth Development highlighted accomplishments associated with One Day 4-H. Also legislative staffers were provided an excellent overview regarding the effectiveness of Texas AgriLife Extension Service 4-H and Youth Development programs in addressing contemporary urban youth issues by a Travis County Volunteer and a Bexar County former 4-H member. This event was attended by almost 30 legislative staffers representing 26 legislative offices.

52nd Annual County Judges and Commissioners Association Continuing Education Conference and Exposition

The 52nd Annual County Judges and Commissioners Association Continuing Education Conference and Exposition is scheduled for February 9-11, 2010 at the Hilton Hotel Conference Center in College Station, Texas.

This is an excellent opportunity for Extension Middle Managers to interact with County Commissioner Court Members.

For more information Contact the County Programs Office or V.G. Young Institute of County Government.

Extension Mid-managers as Professional Development Pace-setters

Texas AgriLife Extension Service invest a tremendous amount of time and money in developing Extension faculty and staff. This commitment to employee training and development was reiterated last year with the implementation of a revised employee on-boarding process. This updated on-boarding did not simply add more activities; it brought more purpose to the process.

When hiring new County Extension Agents, we emphasize selecting agents with the right attitudes and basic competencies to fulfill their roles. At the same time, we realize that no one is going to join our organization fully equipped to handle all aspects of their position; furthermore, we understand that most skills can be taught and that expertise can be developed on the job. The technical competencies needed by County Extension Agents are acquired over a period of time, usually within Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Your interactive role as an Extension mid-manager is critical in the agent development process. Your attitudes and opinions regarding the value of professional development opportunities will be sensed and often adopted by agents. Lets take a moment to reflect on the value of professional development , from a couple of different perspectives:

The County Extension Agent's Perspective

People choose to work with organizations that encourage development. More importantly, employees tend to stay with us when we continue to provide meaningful opportunities for development, both formally and informally.

Extension’s Administrative and Mid-management Perspective

As leaders of County Extension Agents, a primary goal of Extension mid-managers is to have “engaged employees.” People produce their best work when they are interested and committed to what they do. If they believe in Extension’s mission and services, and they can see that Extension values their contribution by supporting their development in concrete ways, they are very likely to be “engaged.” Engaged County Extension Agents are motivated County Extension Agents. Highly skilled and motivated County Extension Agents are high performance employees. Peak performing County Extension Agents all across the state translates to a high performing Extension organization in Texas.

One important role that an Extension mid-manager has is to help CEAs become more excited about their learning opportunities through modeling a positive attitude towards those activities and explaining the significance and benefits of them. If we take the time to develop our CEA’s well, Extension will continue to improve the lives of people, businesses, and communities across Texas and beyond.

Reference

Stockley, D. (2007). The importance of training – a commitment to development. High Performance Newsletter. Retrieved from http://derekstockley.com/news-07/089-improtance-training html

Content for this article was provided by Dr. Landry Lockett, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist-Organizational Development, Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Extension Making a Difference Newsletters- Valuable Interpretation tool

One of the components of the 2010 County Programs Interpretation Initiative is the Extension Making a Difference newsletters for County Commissioner Courts. This newsletter can serve a number of purposes including enhancing communication with Commissioners Courts, provide recognition of agents programming, and communicate the public value of Extension programs in the county.

Some tips that should be considered prior to preparing this newsletter includes...

• Know Your Commissioners and Judges- Know what is important to them and is this information they need?
  
• Consider the County Commissioners and/or County Judges Point of View- Address topics from their point of view, not yours.
• Think About How You Present Yourself- The tone of the newsletter should be professional yet friendly.

The following are three simple questions that should be considered prior to developing this newsletter..

• What is this newsletter supposed to accomplish?
• Is this newsletter contributing to a systematic interpretation strategy?
• Does this newsletter serve to interpret the importance of Extension programming in the county?
  

The expectations for District Extension Administrators associated with the Making a Difference Newsletter are as follows;

• Send each County Commissioners' Court in the District at least one newsletter annually.
  
• This newsletter should be designed to communicate program program outcomes, acknowledge awards and recognition by agents, and/or serve as a means for interpreting the importance of Extension programming in the county.
• The newsletter should not be more than two pages in length.
• Copies of the newsletter should be sent to Dr. Edward Smith, Mr. Kyle Smith, Dr. Darrell Dromgoole, local State Representative and State Senator.
• Newsletters should be sent at strategic times during the year such as when new commissioners take office, following significant events, etc.
• County Extension Agents should not be asked to write or develop content to be utilized in these newsletters. Information used in this newsletter should come from monthly reports and/or other prepared reports such as program outcome summaries.

All District Extension Administrators should be reminded that the 2010 County Program Interpretation Initiative includes the following;

• District Judges and Commissioners Conferences hosted by District Extension Administrators.
• Utilization of the Extension Making a Difference Newsletters that communicates Texas AgriLife Extension's public value. This newsletter will be published on an annual basis.
  
• Utilization of an Urban Capacity Program Highlight report for County Commissioners and key stakeholders.
• All Counties conduct formal interpretation events with County Commissioners Courts annually that communicates Texas AgriLife Extension's public value.
• All Counties involve elected officials in Extension "showcase" events.
• All Districts will have a Marketing and Interpretation Committee.

In addition to interpretation efforts that District Extension Administrators provide leadership to, it is imperative that every county has an interpretation plan that is systematic and comprehensive in nature.

Reference

Brousard, S. & Floress, K. (2007). Are newsletters Effective? Assessing Their Role as a Communication Tool. Purdue Extension . FNR-269-W.

Program Planning Conference Task Force Appointed

Program Planning Conferences are one of the most important meetings conducted by a District Extension Administrator/County Extension Director and Regional Program Directors. This process provides an excellent venue to coach, motivate and encourage County Extension Agents.

As District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors begin thinking about establishing a Program Planning process that is part of a performance management system it is important to...

• Assist County Extension Agents plan programs that address issues in a rapidly changing world. Agents should be challenged to investigate new delivery techniques, begin new programs, and challenge themselves to expand their clientele base.
  
• Increase agent's alignment with Texas AgriLife Extension's County Program initiatives. These include the program interpretation initiative, the recruitment initiative, utilization of technology in program delivery initiative, and others.
  
• Increase accountability within Texas AgriLife Extension Service. This goes beyond just submitting reports in the timely manner-- it also involves agents holding themselves accountable to improve professionally, to challenge themselves, and to view change as an opportunity.
  
• Blend Generations (X,Y,Baby Boomers, etc.) into a cohesive team of agents that are focused on clearly defined goals.
• Establish clear and defined program performance expectations. County Extension Agents want to know what is expected and should work with District Extension Administrators/Regional Program Directors to develop clearly defined performance goals.
  
• Clearly communicate a vision for the future and strive to establish a shared vision with agents. This shared vision should embrace the program development process, committee/task force input, program expansion, and diversity.
• Counsel agents regarding developing their skills and career. Program Planning Conferences is an excellent opportunity to discuss dossier development, establish goals for promotion, professional development opportunities and career goals. However, it is important that supervisors are honest with agents in discussing future career goals.

In an effort to improve processes related to program planning a program planning conference task force has been appointed. This task force will review our program planning conference process and make recommendations to develop a consistent process for 2010 program planning conferences. The task force will consist of the following;

• Dr. Elaine Fries- Chairperson
  
• Hurley Miller
• Miles Dabovich
• Vincent Manniino
• Marvin Ensor
• Dr. Ruben Saldana
• Dr. Galen Chandler
• Dr. Susan Ballabina
  

This task force is asked to accomplish the following;

1. Establish agency goals and objectives for program planning. These goals needs to be clear and concise and aimed to move our agency to the next level not just "we are going to plan good programs".
2. Review all current pre-conference documents developed to assist agents in preparation for program planning and establish consistent documents or templates to assist agents.
   
3. Review all current agendas and areas of emphasis for program planning and establish a consistent set of agendas and points of emphasis.
4. Review all processes associated with program planning and establish some best practices that are designed to ensure quality control.
   

As District Extension Administrators /County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors work with agents in developing programs in the future it is important to ensure that we are...

1. Focusing our efforts.
2. Developing our agents.
3. Optimizing our results.
4. Communicating our results to decision makers.
   

Remember, success in Extension is by design--it just does not happen! Extension Program Planning Conferences are the venue that District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors utilize to establish plans that will result in success.