Present:

Virgil Culver, Mississippi State University
Hank Cothran, University of Florida
Bonnie Teater, SRDC
Bo Beaulieu, SRDC
Carmen Gonzale, University of Puerto Rico
Deborah Tootle, Lousiana State University
Greg Taylor, Texas A&M University
Ed Jones, North Carolina State University
Mark Peterson, representing Tony Windham, University of Arkansas
Rick Maurer, University of Kentucky
Brian Calhoun, Virginia Tech University
Harry Strawn, Auburn University
Alan Barefield, SRDC
Mike Woods, Oklahoma State University

USDA report:

None.

SRDC report:

Bo Beaulieu gave the SRDC report. Items include:

Updated information for the consortium needs to be sent in to SRDC.  SRDC is not getting much response from the requests for updating this information.  Some program leaders have sent this information out to new people.  Bonnie will send out existing list so that we can urge people to update and.

Technical Advisory Committee Meeting in Tampa.  SRDC will move toward measuring/evaluating their impact. They will begin by focusing on several areas and call in some recognized evaluators to assist.  They have already been able to do so in the food assistance area (i.e., journal articles, additional funding, personnel).

SRDC may start buying time of faculty in different universities in the South to work with Center as fellows. 

Some of the other programming areas have their competencies up on the web.  We are about halfway done and need to get this moving.  There will be a CECP meeting in December in which committee members will work through logistics.  We are using this system rather than Blackboard or other systems because of the costs and because we need something that will support the E-Extension efforts.  E-Extension will purchase the platform.  (Alan will send the minutes from the last CECP meeting and we can add to these minutes).  It is critical that we get our competency areas up as we do have overlap with other programming areas and we do not want our materials to be overlooked or excluded.

The national meeting of the Regional Rural Development Centers will be held next week in San Antonio.  The Ag Econ Dept heads have requested the RRDCs participate in their meetings.

RUPRI did get funding for a national rural poverty center.  SRDC will be talking to them later today.  They will be holding regional conferences on rural poverty and some of us may be involved in this process. Extension Administrators at Galaxy supported development of  the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals.  Mike Wood, Greg Taylor and Bo Beaulieu are on transition team.  Hank is putting together a memo for use in Florida to announce the organization of the Association.  He will send it out to everyone so that we can use it in our states. The SRDC one week training course on Civic Engagement will include Southern Growth Policy Board, Leadership Plenty.  We will set up a conference call in November to set date, probably in April.
SARE/SRDC met on October 20.  They received 47 submissions.  Grant funding awarded to 7.
Everyone should have received a copy of SRDC new policy series.  The Millennium series is phased out and replaced with the policy series.  The issues addressed in the series will be tied to central issues with which SRDC is concerned.  The first publication in the series is by Gary Green on workforce training. 
The Technical Advisory Committee suggested a format change for the SRDC newsletter.  The format will shift from a thematic format to a new focus on  current SRDC activities and events.  Alan Barefield is coordinating one last thematic newsletter on Smart Growth. 

State Reports:

Virgil Culver (Mississippi State University)

• Talked about the Conference in spring.  We’ve had a slow response to request for presentations and we are receiving some proposals from nontraditional and research faculty. The question is whether we include the research based presentations?  The group decided that this should be evaluated on an individual basis. The materials presented must be relevant to Extension and outreach efforts. Track chairs will take responsibility for handling this.  Our goal is to have a web-based brochure by January. We will have to do some recruiting.  Because of the slow response, we will expand our deadline for a week and get our recruiting up to speed.     

Alan Barefield (SRDC)

• Provided an update on RCCI. Community colleges are close to the point of needing technical assistance for community development from Land-Grants.  We are making significant progress on working together.

Hank Cothran (University of Florida)

• Discussed the National Extension Tourism (NET) Conference 2004 in Florida.  The website is up and SRDC (the host) will send out a notice very soon.  
  
• Reminded us that our next meeting is January 30.

Ed Jones (North Carolina State University)

• Reported that all the action items that we submitted to the Extension directors were approved.  At the PLC meeting next August there will be an urban issues preconference.

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Memo from Hank Cothran,
Regarding the Formation of National Association for Extension Community Development Professionals

    At the Galaxy Meeting in Salt Lake City, a group of community development professionals from throughout the US met and voted to form a national association for Extension Community Development professionals.  County and state faculty from more than 27 states participated in the discussions.  At the conclusion of the discussions the group voted to form the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP).  A set of by-laws was approved and a steering committee elected to guide the organization through the election of its first officers.  The group also decided to hold its first national meeting in the spring of 2005.  You may view a copy of the by-laws at http://srdc.msstate.edu/cred/nacdep/bylaws.pdf.

    We are currently compiling a list of names and addresses (including email) of persons interested in participating in the organization.  The first order of business for the new organization will be the election of officers.  To facilitate this process a new email list is being compiled on a state-by-state basis.  Only those who have indicated an active interest in the organization will be sent a ballot and thus allowed to vote.  If you wish to be a part of the establishment of NACDEP, please email Hank Cothran at hmc@ifas.ufl.edu with your name and contact information.  He will forward a Florida list in mid-November.  If you are interested in being nominated for office, let him know that as well and he will pass your name along.

    Hope this helps.    

    Hank    

    Henry M. Cothran
    1109 McCarty Hall
    PO Box 110240
    University of Florida
    Gainesville, FL 32611-0240
    352-392-1845 x 409
    352-392-3646
    webpage: http://www.bre.ifas.ufl.edu/