Staff FYI News

Internal Staff Information

For Your Information is an internal newsletter for Illinois Extension staff and Extension stakeholders. The monthly newsletter includes the latest communication, technology, and programmatic information, as well as highlights of staff-related accomplishments and announcements.

    March 2023

    Dr. Shelly Nickols-Richardson
    Associate Dean and Director of Extension

    On March 1, the Joint Council of Extension Professionals gathered for its annual conference. The theme this year was “Moving Forward with Gratitude.” Developing and expressing gratitude is important because it is associated with happiness, fulfillment, and positive outlooks. There are several exercises that one can do to increase gratitude, including sharing a story about something you appreciate, writing down five things for which you are grateful, saying thank you to others for specific actions, assuming good intentions in others, and being forgiving of others.

    In the spirit of gratitude, I thank you for the work that you do every single day to have positive impact on those we serve. I thank you for making sacrifices in your own lives to bring opportunity and hope to others. I thank you for working across disciplinary lines to develop and implement educational programs that others find valuable and life-changing. I thank you for being the heart and soul of University of Illinois Extension. And I thank you for being excited about our future and ready to move forward with optimism, gratitude, and innovation!

    At the end of the conference, I was fortunate enough to have the winning bid for the Irish-themed silent auction item. Attached to the box of green goodies was an Irish saying that I share with you during this month of St. Patrick’s Day: “For every storm, may there be a rainbow; for every tear, a smile. For every care, a promise, and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, may there be a faithful friend to share. And for every sigh, may there be a sweet song.” You are appreciated!

    Inclusive Extension

    Camaya Wallace Bechard
    Assistant Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

    Women's History Month
    March is National Women's History Month. It is designated to celebrate the achievements, recognize the struggles, and honor the legacy and contributions of women and girls in American history. In 1987, the National Women’s History Alliance, formerly National Women’s History Project, petitioned Congress to approve March as Women’s History Month. This expanded the week-long agreement that was passed in Congress in 1981. National Women's History Month in the United States corresponds with International Women's Day, typically, on March 8, which first emerged in the early 1900s and is celebrated in many countries around the world. 

    The theme for this year’s National Women’s History Month is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Who are the women in your life that help to tell your story? Who are the women in our communities that help us to understand the needs and challenges of our local areas? Whether it is women who partner with us to address food insecurity, the women who work with LGBTQIA+ youth, or the women who establish community centers for older adults, all these women help tell our stories. They help us as Illinois Extension gain access into the lives of the people we serve. I hope you find some opportunities in your local areas to celebrate the women who tell our stories. 

    Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Organizational Plan:

    • The updated 2023 EEO organization plan is now available for all staff to review. Your direct supervisors will provide instructions for reviewing the document and completing the acknowledgment statement. 
    • An EEO plan is a comprehensive document that provides relevant labor market data, employment practices, and Civil Rights regulations and legislation to identify barriers to the participation of women and minorities at all levels of our workforce. 
    • If you have any questions as you review this document, please feel free to contact me, at cawb17@illinois.edu.  

    And Justice For All Posters:     

    • We have received the most recent version of the “And Justice For All” Civil Rights posters that are displayed in our Extension spaces. These will be made available to all the units over the next few weeks. 
    • These posters include non-discrimination policies and inform customers of their rights to relevant accommodations.

    A Few Upcoming in April: 

    *Dates retrieved from UIUC and NIH Calendars.
    *This list is not exhaustive. Please send suggestions to cawb17@illinois.edu.

     

    Marketing and Communications

    Bridget Lee-Calfas
    Director of Marketing and Communications

    Weekly Marketing and Communications Updates
    Join our mailing list to receive our weekly updates. View the latest edition now, which featuring the latest press releases, blogs, newsletters, graphics packages, webinars, trainings, social media posts, and more. 

    Upcoming Website Trainings March 13-17 from 9 to 9:30 a.m.

    Recent Marketing Assets to Share

     

    Information Technology

    James Hazzard
    Director of Information Technology

     

    It’s official. The Extension website redesign has launched onto our new Drupal 9 platform and exciting changes are open to the public. Take a moment to browse the new website and see all the changes to topic areas, unit sites, blogs, and events. Our web development team, led by Jason Frye, in collaboration with the MarCom team has pulled off an extraordinary lift and we’re excited to see how it performs with all your excellent content. 

    Microsoft Teams transition to our telephony solution is nearly upon us. We’ve been training and notifying for months now, and time is short. Skype for Business is going away on May 17 and its functions will be rolled into Microsoft Teams. If you haven’t been following Dan Horn and his training sessions to prepare for the change, there is still time to sign up for one more training session.

    Qualtrics users will have gotten an email from Josh Henry in the College of ACES about our license. To reiterate, Extension’s Qualtrics license is moving to consolidate with a campus-wide license for Qualtrics that will open the software to all staff. There is NO action required at this time, but we will be moving accounts to the new instance late this summer, so look for additional communication from us if you’re a Qualtrics survey owner.

     

    4-H Youth Development

    Lisa Diaz
    Assistant Dean and Director of Illinois 4-H

    4-H'ers share their stories with legislators: 4-H youth leaders are heading to Springfield March 15-16 and April 26-27 to continue the tradition of engaging youth to share their 4-H program stories and impact with legislators. Participating youth receive specialized public speaking training ahead of their visit.

    2023 Illini Summer Academies registration is open: 4-H is excited to collaborate with the following ACES departments: Crop Sciences, Department of Animal Sciences, Family and Consumer Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences along with 11 other university colleges/departments for a high-fidelity, exploratory college program where youth get first-hand experience in the areas that interest them!

    Illinois youth attend first super summit: Teen leaders from across Illinois are representing the state at the national Ignite by 4-H Super Summit now through March 12 in Washington D.C. Delegates are participating in inspiring and engaging panels, hearing respected speakers, attending workshops, enjoying entertainment, and creating amazing connections. Speakers include U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and other leaders.

    Youth set to plant 950 trees in 38 counties this spring: Thirty-eight counties in Illinois are moving closer to cleaner water, healthier soils, more animals and birds, greater biological diversity, and cleaner air with the help of youth and adult volunteers that will help plant 950 trees into oak-tree savannas throughout the state as part of Illinois 4-H's Green Communities Tree Program. Contact your local Extension Office if you are interested in volunteering.

     

    Agriculture and AgriBusiness

    Travis Burke
    Assistant Dean and Program Leader

    A Crucial Conversation of Climate Smart Agriculture and the Agricultural Landscape is underway. The group, led by Dr. Emily Heaton, University of Illinois professor of crop science, meets twice monthly to discuss proposals and ideas for an upcoming conference in September in Chicago. We continue to plan this event as a collaborative of Illinois Extension, campus faculty, and partnering agencies to produce this outstanding event at the summer’s end. The event will be professionally facilitated and will offer productive conversation on "dollars and sense" of Climate Smart Agriculture.

    In Cook County, local foods and small farm educators are working on two programs for urban farmers later in March. “Digging Deep into Data” will involve working on cash flow sheets with farmers one on one. In addition, a Food Safety Modernization Act training will be offered. This training is the required “produce safety rules” for growing, packing and harvesting food. Zack Grant and Kathryn Pereira, Extension educators in Chicago, will be leading these opportunities.

    A recent review of the 2023 Farm Bill Request from the APLU was shared at a recent session in Washington, DC by Dr. Doug Steele, vice president of the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities. A proposed $5 billion dollars is proposed in the 2023 bill request “Research Facilities Act.” A recent study has shown that 69% of research and education facilities at land-grant universities are at the end of their life cycles. This is a proposed request due to fear of the United States losing ground as the global leader in agricultural science as other countries around the globe continue to make strides to outpace the United States. With over 59,000 graduates needed annually to meet the needs of food and agriculture, infrastructural needs are critical. This compelling report was offered as a piece of the proposed farm bill for 2023.

     

    Community and Economic Development

    Anne Silvis
    Assistant Dean and Program Leader

    Extension’s four Regional Rural Development Centers released a report from a study designed to identify the investments needed to build community capacity and improve quality of life in rural America. Their report, Investing in Rural Capacity: Comprehensive Summary of National Rural Development Stakeholder Listening Sessions, can be used by a practitioners, decision makers, and government agencies to inform where programmatic efforts and resources may be most effective in tackling key issues facing rural communities. Comments were focused on topics of widespread importance, including broadband and the digital divide; rural innovation and entrepreneurship; workforce development, training and education; and community planning, leadership and governance. Participants represented a wide range of stakeholder organizations including land-grant universities, nonprofits, government agencies, and others. They were asked to identify, discuss, and prioritize future investments, including education, outreach, technical support, research, and other efforts. Several themes emerged from the eight listening sessions. Participants identified the need to support and increase collaborative efforts across disciplinary, organizational, and geographic boundaries; inform decision making through place-based and community-engaged research and best practices; involve underserved groups and pursue greater equity; and build climate and related economic resilience into local, regional, and national planning.

    The report provides eight overview summaries—one for each of the national topics explored during the listening sessions, and one for each of the four geographic regions. It also integrates additional qualitative data from a national survey conducted in Fall 2021, building on the survey’s quantitative findings published in October 2021.

     

    Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy

    Shibu Kar
    Assistant Dean and Program Leader

    The Red Oak Rain Garden is hosting the fourth annual Mulch  Madness tournament, a fun way to learn more about the Red Oak Rain Garden's native plants. To enter the contest, send completed bracket to uie-redoakraingarden@illinois.edu by 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 14. Games begin that same day at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The winner receives a $20 gift certificate to the local business of their choice. For brackets and more details, read the Mulch Madness 2023 blogpost. Extension employees are encouraged to enter, play, and promote the contest. May the best plant win!

    ILLINOIS-INDIANA SEA GRANT
    Coastal Resilience
    The National Sea Grant Program is prioritizing improved coastal resilience around the country by investing in projects that translate research into application. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is working on a visualization tool on coastal processes and their interaction with structures along Lake Michigan to help communities make informed decisions about protecting their shorelines. This funding is also supporting an analysis of floodplain communities in the southern Lake Michigan region.

    Coastal resilience is also a key priority for IISG as we rethink our open climate change position to address ongoing needs.

    Teachers Mentoring Program
    Sea Grant’s Center for Great Lakes Literacy recently hosted a summit to celebrate educator wins and share success stories from classrooms near and far related to its mentorship program. Attended by 35 mentors and mentees from across the Great Lakes region, the gathering provided a space for top-tier science educators to describe some of their favorite lessons—those that provide students with fun and experiential learning opportunities as well as help build a foundation for environmental stewardship.

    The Center for Great Lakes Literacy team is comprised of education specialists and others from Great Lakes Sea Grant programs. IISG has provided key leadership since its inception.

    ENERGY EDUCATION COUNCIL: SAFE ELECTRICITY
    Think you’re a great multitasker? Think again: April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
    When is the last time you drove without using your phone to talk or text? Even hands-free driving is not safe. Drivers on a call can miss seeing up to 50% of what they need to, including pedestrians and red lights. We love to multitask, but the human brain cannot do two things at once. The brain switches between tasks, slowing reaction time.

    While many people think multitasking in the car is acceptable, it claims lives. Here are a few facts:

    • Five seconds of distracted driving = driving an entire length of a football field with your eyes shut. 
    • About 3,000 people die in crashes involving a distracted driver every year (reported cases only).
    • Any attention that diverts your attention from driving is distracted driving.

    Help educate about the dangers of distracted driving with a Don’t Drive Distracted infographic and a distracted driving social media graphic. Distracted driving does not just involve using your phone.  Other forms of distracted driving include eating and drinking, talking to a passenger, selecting music or using a navigation app. Anything you concentrate on besides driving is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.

    Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Safety Council

     

    Staff Directory Updates

    • Madeline Davis, Extension Program Coordinator (4-H), Unit 14 (Adams County)
    • Melissa Fudge, Community Worker (SNAP-Ed), Unit 7 (Rock Island County)
    • Diann Sugden, Community Worker (SNAP-Ed), Unit 10 (McDonough County)
       

    Condolences

    Deepest sympathies are extended to Niki Flowers-Kimmerly, Unit 11 hort educator, and her family at the passing of her father, Robert Flowers. Read the full obituary. Expressions of sympathy may be mailed to Niki, University of Illinois Extension, 15411 N IL 100 Highway, Lewistown, IL  61542.

    Condolences are extended to Annette Cole, regional business/administrative associate, and Melissa Bland, office support assistant Unit 16, at the passing of their father, Veryl Dean Reiher, on February 19, 2023. Read the full obituary. Expressions of sympathy may be mailed to Annette, University of Illinois Extension, 700 S. Airport Drive, Springfield, IL  62707 and to Melissa at University of Illinois Extension, 420 S. 7th Street, Petersburg, IL  62675.

    Condolences are extended to Assistant Director Doug Harlan at the passing of his father, William “Bud” Harlan, on Friday, February 24. Read the full obituary. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Doug at the Region 3 office, University of Illinois Extension, 3452 Broadway, Mt. Vernon, IL  62864.

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