Tony Tyson, Chair of the Middle Management Committee, opened the meeting at 1:05 p.m. He explained the purpose of the committee and discussed program sharing as well as other agenda items for the week.
Tony introduced officers for 2005-2006 as follows:
| Chair: | Tony Tyson- Georgia |
| Vice Chair: | Pamela Hodson, Louisiana |
| Secretary: | Claude Bess, Oklahoma |
| Advisors: | Larry Arrington, Florida (1862) ASRED Latif Lighari, Tennessee (1890) AEA |
| PLC Reps: | Dan Lyons, North Carolina (1890) Kent Rorie, Arkansas (1862) |
Tony informed the committee that Pam Hodson, Vice-Chair, would not be attending the meeting due to Hurricane Katrina's impacting her home state of Louisiana.
He also discussed the election procedure and indicated that the committee will be electing a new Secretary and an 1862 PLC Representative during the week.
Tony handed out an agenda for the week and discussed it with the group. The Committee Night Out will be at Hyman's Seafood Restaurant at 6:30 p.m. with everyone meeting in the hotel lobby at 6:15 p.m. for the short walk. Tony asked everyone to update their email addresses for the Middle Manager's List Serve and to make corrections as needed to the PLN list serve.Minutes from last year's meeting (2004) were handed out and reviewed.
PLC Report - Kent Rorie
Kent Rorie, 1862 PLC Representative and Dan Lyons, 1890 PLC Representative gave a report on the PLC meeting that was conducted on Sunday afternoon, August 28. The following items from the PLC were discussed:
- The middle managers committee must elect an 1862 PLC representative for a 3-year term.
- Quarterly conference calls are conducted by the PLC and anyone missing more than two of the calls will be replaced.
- It was also reported that the Urban Programming session was held on Sunday afternoon with good attendance.
Tony asked for any new Information or Action items to be submitted to him no later than Tuesday morning. Kent will input the items and make sure they are presented to the PLC Wednesday morning.
2005 Middle Managers Conference
Tony gave a report on the 2005 Middle Managers Conference that was held in New Orleans, La. Tony handed out evaluations from the meeting. The evaluations were very positive and everyone felt the meeting was very successful. A financial report was handed out indicating a positive balance of $1,671.01 remaining after all bills were paid from the New Orleans meeting.
The next Middle Managers Conference is scheduled for April 9-12, 2007, in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Advisors Report
Tony introduced Dr. Larry Arrington, 1862 Advisor to the Middle Managers Committee. There seems to be confusion as to the 1890 Advisor and since Latif wasn't in attendance, we need to find out who the 1890 Advisor is.
Dr. Larry Arrington, 1862 ASRED Advisor to the Middle Managers Committee, presented the following items from the June, 2005 ASRED meeting in Atlanta:
- Federal Formula Funding for ExtensionExtension's role in University Engagement Program and Staff Development are working on this issue.
- Performance measures for Extension's involvement in the total University program.
Both Tony Tyson and Dr. Arrington served on a committee to make recommendations to Directors concerning Leadership Development opportunities in the Southern Region. The following recommendations were presented and accepted by the Directors:
- Provide some leadership development topics in the joint portion of the PLN annual meeting. Do not set up a separate leadership development program for only those who attend PLN. It would be too restrictive.Utilize CECP as a mechanism for sharing leadership development curriculum among states within the region. Make sure that aspects of leadership development are important topical areas addressed. These could include materials, resources, approaches, recommended presenters, etc.Consider developing an intensive Southern Region leadership development program similar to that conducted in the North Central Region. The regional program could be coordinated by an individual state like has occurred with NELD, or different states could provide the resource persons for different seminars based upon their strengths. At least some of the program could be delivered by distance education. States would cover the cost of their individual participants.
- Encourage states to nominate individuals to participate in national-level programs like LEAD21 when such programs fit their needs.
Continued use of the MAPS and EXCEL programs were also discussed by the committee as possible tools for leadership development.
Charlene Jacobs discussed succession for Extension leadership. Discussion was also held on the LEAD21 program and the use of CECP and Distance Education as mechanisms for delivering and sharing leadership development programs, with much of the discussion centering on the cost for delivering a regional program. It was decided that it would be difficult to replace face to face trainings.The potential audience for leadership development programs was discussed with County Directors and County Coordinators being the primary ones identified.The 12 modules developed by North Carolina for County Director training was discussed. Florida reviewed these materials in a recent retreat. Russell King and others will present the modules in more detail Tuesday morning.
Middle Managers Committee Funds
Russell King reported that Middle Manager Committee funds are in a foundation at North Carolina State University and are drawing interest. No fees are being charged for managing the funds at this time. Tony Tyson informed the group as to why the funds were transferred from the Southern Rural Development Center to North Carolina.
Urban Representative Session
Bonnie McGee and Charlene Jacobs discussed the 2nd Annual Urban Representative Pre-conference that was held on Sunday afternoon. There were 19 participants. The agenda for the meeting was based on a survey from last year's session. The topics identified included:
- External Funding Staffing Patterns Interpretation/Marketing Pilot Programs Collaborations and Networks Diversity in Urban Programs-audiences and staff
- Master Volunteers
Bonnie McGee discussed other items on this year's agenda. She also reported that a Chair and Co-Chair were selected for next year:
Chair - Joe Schaefer, Florida
Co-Chair - Barbara Board, Virginia
Last year, we proposed an Urban Conference be held on off years from the Middle Manager's Conference. Texas obtained funding from the HEEP Foundation for a National Urban Conference to be held in Dallas December 7-9, 2005. The conference will focus on Youth and Family Wellness. Bonnie encouraged all states to send representatives to the conference.Bonnie also proposed having another pre-conference prior to the PLN meeting next year. After discussion, it was determined that the pre-conference had been approved by the PLC last year and should only be submitted as an information item this year.
Acceptance of Minutes of Last Year's Meeting
Tony Tyson asked for changes to last year's minutes. Several typographical errors were noted. Russell King made a motion that the minutes be accepted as amended. Joe Schaefer seconded the motion. Motion carried.Barbara Board was elected last year as the Middle Managers Representative to the CECP Curriculum Committee. Tony Tyson named a nominating committee for the recruitment and selection of nominees for Secretary and 1862 PLC Representative. The committee will consist of Russell King, Chair, Charlene Jacobs and Dan Lyons, members.State Reports
Tony asked for volunteers to give their state reports. Reports were given by the following:
North Carolina - Russell King
Mississippi - Martha Ray Sartor
Georgia - Tony Roberts
Tennessee - Mike Gordon
Alabama - Ray Rice
Florida - Joe Schaefer
Tony reminded everyone of the Committee night out and gave instructions.
Meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Action/Information Items
Kent Rorie and Tony Tyson asked for Action or Information Items to be submitted to the PLC.
The Urban Pre-conference was selected as an Information Item. Information also included the election of Joe Schaefer as Chair of the Urban Representatives and Barbara Board as Co-Chair.The December, 2005 Urban Conference to be held in Dallas, TX will also be submitted as an Information Item.The next Middle Managers Conference, April 9-12, 2007, will be submitted as an Information Item.Tony asked about the Southern Region Leadership Development Program for Middle Managers and County Directors. The decision was made to table this item until after Russell King's presentation.The following Action Item will be submitted: To authorize and fund Extension faculty to include County Extension Agents, County Extension Directors, Specialists and other Extension personnel with urban programming responsibilities to attend the Urban Extension Conference to be held in Dallas, TX December 7-9, 2005.Discussion was held on Urban Conference on alternate years from the Middle Managers Conference. Other Extension regions may host conferences. The 3rd Galaxy Conference will be held in 2008.Tony asked for other items to be included in the Middle Managers Committee Report to the PLC.It was reported that the Middle Managers Committee is working on modules for CECP, along with Program and Staff Development.
State Reports, Continued
Arkansas - Kent Rorie
Kentucky - Charlene Jacobs
PODs Presentation
Russell King, Mitch Owen and Donald Cobb gave a presentation on the Personal Organizational Development (PODs) modules for New and Aspiring County Extension Directors developed by North Carolina.
North Carolina is currently working on how to share this information with others in the region.
National Small Farm Conference
Dan Lyons announced the 4th National Small Farm conference to be held October 16-19, 2005 in Greensboro, N.C. Dan invited everyone to attend and/or to encourage attendance from each state. Dan indicated that the USDA Secretary of Agriculture may attend and conduct a listening session during the conference.Charlene Jacobs clarified the Career Ladder System for Kentucky and discussed the logos for the marketing brochure.Nominating Committee Report and Election
Russell King presented the following nominations on behalf of the nominating committee:
Secretary - Tony Roberts, Georgia
1862 PLN Representative - Joe Schaefer, Florida
Tony asked for nominations from the floor. Hearing none, Tony asked for a motion to elect the nominees by acclimation.
The motion to elect nominees was made by Kent Rorie and seconded by Lannie Lanier. Motion carried.Russell thanked the nominating committee for doing a good job.
Panel Presentation on Alternative Staffing Patterns
A panel consisting of Tony Roberts, Georgia, Martha Ray Sartor, Mississippi, and Russell King, North Carolina, made presentations on staffing patterns in their states. Questions and discussion was held after each presentation.
CECP Curriculum Committee
As mentioned earlier, Barbara Board was elected last year to serve a three-year term as the Middle Management representative to the CECP Curriculum Committee. A new representative will need to be selected at the 2007 Middle Manager's Conference.
State Reports, Continued
Texas - Kyle Smith & Bonnie McGee
Oklahoma - Claude Bess
Louisiana - Tony Tyson distributed the Louisiana report on behalf of Pam H.
South Carolina - Kellye Rembert
Tony suggested that we meet at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning to finish with the Middle Manager Committee business.Joe Schaefer asked for discussion on a plan for Regional Post-disaster Relief. Kent Rorie said he would discuss it with the PLC on Wednesday morning.Dan Lyons suggested we send cards to our committee members who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Tony said he would pick up cards to be signed on Wed.Ray Rice reported on damage from Katrina in the Mobile, Alabama area.
Tony reminded everyone we would meet at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning and that evaluations would be due then.
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Cards for Steve Mullen, Pam Hodson, Martha Ray Sartor and Dwayne Wheeler were circulated for signatures. Tony will mail them. Tony also reported on Martha Ray's home situation.
PLC Report
Kent Rorie and Dan Lyons gave the PLC report.
- Nina Boston, Arkansas was elected as Chair of the PLC for next year. Next year's PLN meeting will be held in Puerto Rico with the dates to be determined.A Memorandum of Understanding among states for emergency management was presented to the PLN by the Ag and Natural Resources Committee. Healthy Lifestyles programs to help youth and adults in hurricane impacted areas will be presented to the Center for Disease Control.Crisis Communications for was suggested for the keynote speaker topic at next year's PLN meeting.
- Program and Staff Development is requesting a conference similar to the Middle Managers Conference every other year.
Joe Schaefer, newly elected 1862 PLN Representative, reported that the FCS PLN representatives weren't aware of the National Urban Conference.
State Reports, continued
Virginia - Barbara Board
Alcorn State - Helen Brooks
Kent Rorie asked to poll states about residence requirements for Extension Agents. Most states indicated they either had already or were in the process of moving away from the requirement that an Agent must reside in the county where they work.
Kent also asked about policy regarding an Agent working in their home county. Most states don't have a policy prohibiting this.
Other Issues
Barbara Board encouraged everyone to sign in to the CECP web site and make use of it.Tony Roberts asked about enrollment trends in Agricultural Colleges across the region. Most states indicated some problems with recruitment and competing with industry and public education with initial salaries being higher for Ag teachers.Application processes were discussed.Tony reminded everyone about the evaluations and instructed them to place them in a box near the registration booth.Tony was given a round of applause for doing a great job as Chair of the Middle Managers Committee.
Tony thanked Kent for serving as the 1862 PLC Representative and Kent was given a round of applause.Tony introduced the new officers for next year.The meeting adjourned at 10:00 a.m.Minutes respectfully submitted by:
Claude Bess, Secretary
September 2, 2005