Present:
Helen Brooks, MM, Alcorn State University
Charles Cox, 4-H, Oklahoma State University, Chair
Robert Fehr, CIT, University of Kentucky
Thelma Hunter-Sanders, FCS, Tennessee State University
Ed Jones, CD, North Carolina State University
Ross Love, ANR, Oklahoma State University
Gloria Mosby, CIT, Prairie View A&M University
Louie Rivers, ANR, Kentucky State University
Kent Rorie, MM, University of Arkansas
Charles Shepphard, CD, Alcorn State University
Kathy Volanty, FCS, Texas A&M University
Joe Waldrum, PSD, University of Arkansas
David Foster, 1862 Advisor, Oklahoma State University
Ron Brown, ASRED, Ex-Officio
Bonnie Teater, SRDC, Ex-Officio
1862 Administrative Advisor's Report:
Dr. Foster reported that he had made a presentation during the ASRED meeting on the reorganization plan of Southern Region PLN. The presentation was unanimously accepted. He indicated that there was some talk about scheduling the Fall ASRED/AEA and SR-PLN meeting jointly and how to carry that out. Foster indicated that there was some discussion about forming a separate IT program committee. However, no formal proposal was presented to ASRED, but only mentioned as information item to Directors and Administrators.
Committee Reports:
Agriculture and Natural Resources-Ross Love / Louie Rivers
ANR will have a mid-year meeting in April in Texas. The ANR committee is working some on the curriculum effort as well as the effort coming through the Southern Region Forester's Office related to the Curriculum and e-Extension effort.
Communications and Information Technology-Robert Fehr / Gloria Mosby
The major project for the CIT Committee is CECP and will be discussed with an informal goal of January release. The Committee is also working on the taxonomy. Larry Lippke, Texas A&M University, is trying to identify all sites at all states in the region so we can do videoconferencing throughout the region.
Community Development-Ed Jones / Charles Shepphard
The Community Development Committee is primarily dealing with training of Extension staff and partnering organization. The Rural Community College Initiative was discussed, which will support efforts in Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. A Local Government team is working on a regional perspective to develop curriculum and training materials.
Family and Consumer Sciences-Thelma Hunter-Sanders / Kathy Volanty
1890 FCS leaders are looking at the nutrition area in schools. The 1890s have come together to submit a white paper to look at things to do as a group to work with local school districts to continue programs on FCS or Vocational Education. Individuals are displaced because of proposed cuts in school districts. FS News is one activity by 1890s that is encouraging individuals to improve nutrition. During the national meeting in October, the committee worked on areas of FCS (i.e., EFNEP and FNP programs.)The Committee will be meeting midyear on January 11, 2003, and will be discussing competencies to be released at the end of January.
4-H Youth Development
Charles Cox reported that 4-H Youth Development still does not have an 1890 representative for 4-H PLC. The major Committee Activity is the rural development grants that National 4-H Council has provided through USDA. These grants have targeted three areas-after school programs, youth government and adult partnerships, and volunteer development (related to after school care).Each of the Extension regions received funds. In the Southern region, the 4-H Youth Development Committee decided that each state would identify by priority which they wanted and support pilot kinds of project grants. J.C. Penney is interested in advancing the after school effort. The region also hosted the National 4-H Congress with 1,100 young people + adults in attendance. The community service project while there was an effort that received recognition and was even on CNN's "Talk Back Live."
Middle Management-Kent Rorie / Helen Brooks
The Southern Region Middle Manager's conference is scheduled for April 7-11, 2003, in Roanoke. John Mowbray is chair. The committee has been working on some of the taxonomies for competencies, and some modules are being prepared to support County Extension Director competencies. Three other modules for county advisory councils training are being developed. By the end of December more of these modules will be on the web.
Program and Staff Development-Joe Waldrum
The Program and Staff Developed Committee designated an official member to CECP by naming Mitch Owen. Michael Lambur, Virginia, is the new chair, and he is working through the process of three or four subcommittees to develop training modules. Teams have been designated to work on those. The Committee is working on a recommendation of core competencies for Extension professionals.
Representatives from the Program and Staff Development Committee and Community Development Committee are looking into certification training. It was suggested that this activity might be appropriately run through CECP.
CECP and e-Extension:
Ron Brown reported that all program committees are working on their taxonomies. Some committees are finished with their draft. The taxonomies will give Extension a good look at the staff development training skills needed. Each program committee is in the process of selecting two or three high priority topics that will be developed into modules that fit the CECP mold. Brown indicated that he would send out the latest version of the guidebook which outlines the agreed-to procedures for developing modules. Every state should develop training modules according to the guidebook. University of Florida is taking the lead in developing a module using the CECP procedures as a test of the concept. The CECP team was able to get financial support in the amount of $45,000 to support CECP activities. At the last meeting, the group decided to forgo acceptance of contract funds that had been allocated as stipends and to use that money to support the pilot testing work at Florida and to provide support to Texas A&M to do a content management system that should be ready early Spring. The long-term goal of CECP is for the Content Management System to go through e-Extension, but this interim system will allow placement and retrieval of modules in the interim.
e-Extension has generated magnificent amounts of interest. There are currently three (3) major activities underway:
- Think tank meeting in Atlanta, organized by ADEC, with approximately 50+ in attendance. The meeting was a day-long brainstorming of organization, structure, operation and content of e-Extension. The results will be fed into a report for Directors and Administrators in February.
- Executive Advisory Committee, which is made up of high-level individuals representing the corporate sector, with David King (Purdue) serving as organizer.
- Series of three meetings scheduled for January to further discuss opportunities of e-Extension. CSREES has provided $100,000 to partially support these meetings. The results of the three regional meetings will be synthesized into a report for Directors and Administrators in February, and will lead to appointment of an ECOP task force on e-Extension with specific assignment, goal date, etc.
CIT Proposal Discussion:
Bob Fehr and Gloria Mosby indicated that during the August meeting there was a request that Information Technology split from the Communications group and be recognized as a separate committee. The proposal was presented to SR-PLC who requested that a more in-depth white paper be developed that provided more detail. The group met and presented a final on October 8. The white paper is attached to previous minutes.
The SR-PLC discussed various aspects of the proposal and requested that a shortened proposal be developed and submitted to SR-PLC Executive Committee for final vote and to send forward to ASRED and AEA that would outline the positive aspects of forming two different groups. Also, the idea of broadening the cadre of representation for future task force work should be highlighted in this revised proposal. A motion to take the proposal off the table was made and approved by consensus.
MOTION: Endorse the concept of separating the two committees. Approved unanimously. (Charles Sheppherd, Kent Rorie)
SR-PLN Structure:
Procedure Document
Ron Brown guided all SR-PLC members through the entire Southern Region - Program Leadership Network procedure document. Various elements of the document were discussed in detailed, and it was requested that all members review the document carefully and return comments, notes and thoughts so that the Executive Committee can make possible recommendations to SR-PLC for discussion and inclusion in a possible revision. Revisions will need to be presented to ASRED and AEA for approval.
Executive Committee
A motion to form two groups and elect representatives to the Executive Committee as outlined in the guidelines was approved (Sheppherd, Jones).The following persons were elected:
- Bob Fehr, representing the three non-subject matter areas
- Thelma Hunter-Sanders, representing ANR, FCS, CD, 4-H
Charles Cox agreed to contact Carolyn Nobles, past chair of SR-PLC and incoming Chair of SR-PLC Executive Committee, to give her an update so that a meeting can be convened.
ASRED and AEA will also need to elect representatives to the SR-PLC Executive Committee. (After the meeting, David Foster indicated that Jon Ort, North Carolina State University, was appointed as the ASRED representative, and Linda Williams-Willis reported that Dalton McAfee, Alcorn State University, will represent AEA.)
Annual Work Plans
The group decided that the first year's Annual Work Plan (for individual Committees) would be developed by taking minutes from the August 2002 meeting and using material already provided by committees. Ron Brown indicated that he would prepare a template for Committees to use.
Procedure Manual (operational guidelines)
It was suggested that a Procedure Manual might be an important effort of the Executive Committee in the future.
August 2003 Agenda:
| Sunday, August 24 | |
| 4:00 p.m. | SR-PLC Meeting |
| 5:00 | SR-PLC Meeting with Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs |
| 6:00 | SR-PLC Executive Committee Meeting |
| Monday, August 25 | |
| 8:00 a.m. | GENERAL SESSION |
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| Executive Committee is responsible for setting up the General Session with help from Ed Jones | |
| 9:45 | Break |
| 10:15 | Program Committees Meet |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Program Committees Meet |
| 5:00 | Committee Night Out |
| Tuesday, August 26 | |
| 8:00 a.m. | Program Committees Meet (some joint time) |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Program Committees Meeting (some joint time) |
| 2:45 | Break |
| 3:15 | Program Committees Prepare Recommendations to SR-PLC |
| 5:30 | Joint Reception (SR-PLN, AEA, ASRED) State Night Out |
| Wednesday, August 27 | |
| 7:00 a.m. | SR-PLC Meeting to finalize report to AEA and ASRED |
| 8:30 | Program Committees Meet |
| 12:00 p.m. | Adjourn |
Restructuring of ECOP:
ECOP saw that committees get bound down to just what is in committees. You have to work to move things across program lines. Did away with SPC, PODC and PLC. It formed a Program Advisory Committee. Combined the legislative and budget committee into an Executive Committee. They will also have a Legislative and Budget Committee. Most all work will be done by ad hoc task forces with task force membership being named by the ECOP Executive Committee Program Advisory Committee made of specialists from various programs from throughout the country.
Conference Calls:
February 6 -- 9:00 Central/10:00 Eastern
April 3 -- 9:00 Central/10:00 Eastern
June 5 -- 9:00 Central/10:00 Eastern
August 7 -- 9:00 Central/10:00 Eastern
Call Number: 662-325-8448