Present:
Helen Brooks, MM, Alcorn State University
Lawrence Carter, AEA Advisor, Florida A&M University
Paul Coreil, ASRED Appointee, Louisiana State University
Charles Cox, Chair, 4-H, Oklahoma State University
Thelma J. Feaster, PSD, North Carolina A&T State University
Bob Fehr, CIT, U. of Kentucky
David Foster, ASRED Advisor, Oklahoma State University
Thelma Hunter-Sanders, FCS, Tennessee State University
Ed Jones, CD, North Carolina State University
Gloria Mosby, CIT, Prairie View A&M University
Carolyn Nobles, Past Chair, Prairie View A&M University
Louie Rivers, ANR, Kentucky State University
Charles Shepphard, CD, Alcorn State University
Kathy Volanty, FCS, Texas A&M University
Joe Waldrum, PSD, University of Arkansas
Dorothy Wilson, 4-H, Langston University
Ron Brown, ASRED, Ex-Officio
Bonnie Teater, SRDC, Ex-Officio

Absent:
Ross Love, ANR, Oklahoma State University
Dalton McAfee, AEA Appointee, Alcorn State University Welcome:
Charles Cox welcomed new member, Dorothy Wilson, who will be serving a one year term, representing 4-H Youth Development. Action Items from Committees/Subsequent PLC Action:

Agriculture and Natural Resources
To address growing concern about lack of programmatic support from CSREES and lack of collaborative connection to other federal agencies, ANR committee is drafting a strategy that would establish "virtual" program leaders who would provide programmatic leadership for Extension, including e-Extension. Among their responsibilities would be to establish and sustain productive working relationships with CSREES and other federal agency partners. Tim Cross and Roger Crickenberger will provide a draft before the end of 2003 to facilitate presentation and discussion at the 2004 National CES director's meeting.

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC directs committee to include other program areas, seek AEA/ASRED approval, then submit to ECOP for consideration at the national level.

Communications and Information Technology
In an effort to improve efficiency and service to Extension programs in the Southern region, the Communications and Information Technology (CIT) Program Committee (PC) of the SR-PLC voted to request that the current committee be divided into two committees: 1) Communications and 2) Information Technology

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC has previously studied and approved, and now seek AEA and ASRED approval.

CIT requests authorization to study and to look at the future funding and purchase of a collaboration tool for sharing information and applications.

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC seeks endorsement for the study and the opportunity to demonstrate it.

Community Development
Approve Southern Region Extension community development educator conference to be held in Tampa, FL on May 19-21, 2004

PLC Action: Designated as Information Item; no action needed.

Endorse the development a proposal on the concept of a community development educator certification.

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC requests AEA and ASRED to authorize the development of a Certification program proposal.

Family and Consumer Sciences
Request face-to-face meeting with module development teams

PLC Action: Moved item to CECP items.

Develop a task force on multi-state obesity initiative.

PLC Action:
PLC agreed that this request should be handled through the SERA process.

Designate SERA on childhood obesity.

PLC Action: Included with 4-H Program Committee for action.

4-H Youth Development
Charge the new CECP Steering Committee with reviewing the history of both the 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System and 4-H Experiential Learning Design Team so we can learn from the history of these projects as they have spent considerable time dealing these issues.

PLC Action: Moved to CECP items.

Family Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development
Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences programs have both expertise, curriculum and program delivery capability which can be successfully engaged in a preventative posture to increase youth and family knowledge & decision making skills to promote healthy food choices and physical activity. Action: Form an integrated task force to include a 4-H Youth Development, Family Consumer Sciences and Community & Economic Development (and possibly ANR) representative to develop and position paper on implementation strategies and future collaboration on a state and multi-state basis.

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC supports the formation of an integrated task force to develop a position paper outlining strategies that will engage CES in a preventative posture regarding the topic of childhood obesity. (It was proposed that the Task Force include representatives from FCS, 4-H, CD and possibly ANR).

Middle ManagementUrban Issues
Middle Management Committee is requesting formal approval of a pre-conference meeting for members of the Middle Managers Committee that focuses on urban issues to be held on Sunday afternoon prior to the PLN Meeting. Middle Managers will take leadership in organizing this session. Middle Management Committee recommends that PLN remind Directors and Administrators that in order to reconfirm the importance of urban concerns that each institution identify an urban Middle Management contact in each state and to authorize travel to PLN when and if that person is different than the institutional representative.

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC approved a 2004 PLN pre-conference focusing on urban issues, and recommends approval by AEA and ASRED. PLC also requests that ASRED and AEA reconfirm the importance urban programming by designating an urban MM committee member and then supporting their participation and travel to the PC meetings.

Middle Management Conference - Spring 2005
The Middle Management Conference will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana in Mid-March to early April 2005. Registration fee will be less than $200.00 per person. The objectives and expected outcomes are:

1. To present information on Extension programming current trends, management and leadership strategies. To gain skills in succession planning.
2. To focus on ways to implement positive change such as CECP.

Recommended session topics include mentoring, stress reduction, handling turnover, fee based programs, leadership development, succession planning, urban programming and others. (PLC treated this item as an information item.)

PLC Action: Designated as Information Item

Program and Staff DevelopmentStaffing support for CECP
The Southern Region possesses a wealth of subject matter expertise necessary for the development of learning modules within CECP. Yet, across the region there are too few individuals with expertise in instructional design, graphic design, multi-media programming, editing and evaluation. For CECP to reach its full potential, a plan must be put into place for increasing the number of staff in the SR with expertise in these areas. Options include regional staff, contracting and additional staff housed within states with special responsibilities for CECP module development. The program and staff development committee encourages the CECP Steering Committee, AEA and ASRED to collaboratively develop a strategy for addressing this imbalance of personnel needs. (Note CECP Action items.)

PLC Action: Moved to CECP Items

Integration of taxonomies
As program committees move from developing taxonomies of competencies to creating CECP courses and modules for placement online, the Program and Staff Development Committee has a concern regarding duplication of efforts among the program committees. The Program and Staff Development Committee recommends that a priority be placed by the CECP Steering Committee on reviewing the taxonomies developed by the seven program committees to identify common elements, reduce duplication and integrate, where necessary. (Note CECP Action Items.)

PLC Action: Moved to CECP Items

CECP Action Items (involves all PCs):
PLC requests the CECP Steering Committee to:

• develop a strategy that will address the imbalance of personnel needs that are seen as being necessary to advance the CECP program--primarily a process that matches instructional, graphic, and multi-media design with subject matter. (P&SD) place taxonomy competency review as a priority to identify common elements, reduce duplications and integrate PC courses as necessary. (P&SD)
• review the 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System and 4-H Experiential Learning Design Team history regarding intellectual property, copyrights, and review and jury processes (4-H).

PLC Action: Approved by Consensus:
PLC also requests AEA and ASRED to financially support limited face-to-face meetings of module development teams, along with electronic interactions.

Election of Officers:
Carolyn Nobles, Chair of the PLC Nominating Committee, moved the election of the following:

• Gloria Mosby, Chair
• Ed Jones, Vice-Chair

There were no nominations from the floor, and the slate was elected by acclamation. Thelma Feaster was elected by the non-program members of PLC to serve on the Executive Committee. Next Meetings:
Conference Call: Thursday, September 18, 9:00 a.m. Central / 10:00 a.m. Eastern

• Annual Work Plans
  Minutes
  Review List Serves
  
• Other Items

Face-to-Face Meeting: December 8 and 9, 2003 (noon to noon meeting) Biloxi, Mississippi

Gloria Mosby thanked Charles Cox for his service during the past year and adjourned the meeting.