Present:
| Rick Maurer, University of Kentucky (Chair) | |
| Carolyn Nobles, Prairie View A&M University (Vice-Chair) | |
| Sarah Anderson, University of Arkansas | |
| Charles Artis, South Carolina State University | |
| Jack Bagent, Louisiana State University (Advisor) | |
| Bo Beaulieu, Southern Rural Development Center | |
| Claude Bess, Oklahoma State University | |
| Charles Cox, Oklahoma State University | |
| Fred Broughton, South Carolina State University | |
| Sam Felder, South Carolina State University | |
| Bill Harris, Texas A&M University | |
| James Hill, South Carolina State University | |
| Gloria Mosby, Prairie View A&M University | |
| Bonnie P. Teater, Southern Rural Development Center | |
| Jerry Whiteside, University of Georgia |
Absent:
| Lawrence Carter, Florida A&M University (Advisor) | |
| Carla Craycraft, University of Kentucky | |
| Nickey Jefferson, West Virginia State College |
The meeting was called to order by Rick Maurer, PLC chair. After welcome and introductions, a brief history and overview of responsibilities was provided to all present.
Jack Bagent, 1862 advisor, indicated that the following action items were approved by the directors at their recent meeting:
Southern Region Program Leaders Annual Meeting, August 26-29, 2001, in Savannah
Aging Baby Boomers in the South
FCS Accountability Planning
He also reported that the directors and administrators will be meeting next fall on September 23-26, in Roanoke, Virginia. This will provide PLC with approximately 3 weeks to get all committee reports and action items prepared for presentation to the directors and administrators at their fall meeting.
Bagent also reported that the 1862 directors had voted to hire a Southern Region Extension Director whose responsibilities would include such things as coordinating regional efforts, provide a coordination function for competing for additional financial resources, and support multi-state efforts. It is anticipated that the announcement will be out in January with hopes to have the position filled by summer. The directors approved a 5-year commitment of $200,000 annually.
An overview of the Federal budget process and preliminary figures for budget increases was provided by Bagent. He did note that from 401 funds, there were two new regional efforts in the South: National Animal Waste Center and a Southern Region Center Water Quality program.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Agriculture and Natural Resources-Bill Harris/James Hill
- The ANR Committee is working with the North Central ANR Committee to convene a March 2001 joint meeting in Washington, DC.
- There are changes coming in the regional Sustainable Agriculture program.
- The Master Naturalist and the Master Gardener Committees are up and going.
- Discussion regarding the Southern Regional Forester position is ongoing within the ANR committee.
- Interest in a Small Farm Committee has been expressed. Glenwood Hill is chair of the group who is to come forward with a proposal for this effort.
Communications and Information Technology-Gloria
- The CIT Committee is taking a hard look at the sharing of materials throughout the region (i.e., photographs, etc.)
- The web-based grammar training will be up and going in the Spring.
Community Development-Charles/Rick
- The CD Committee is planning a 2001 Community Development Institute in the Texas area.
- There is an effort underway to scan the system for economic development resource materials that will be compiled for use within the Southern region.
- The Committee meetings on a bi-monthly basis via telephone conference calls and is planning a face-to-face meeting at the end of January during the SAAS meetings.
4-H Youth Development-Charles/Sam
- National Congress will be convening in Atlanta, November 24-28. There is an excellent program planned
- A regional meeting on Youth and Workforce Issues is scheduled for February 21-23. This meeting gives an opportunity for the State 4-H Youth Development Program Leaders to meet.
- The issue of multi-state agreements was discussed and will be pursued by the Southern 4-H Youth Development Program Leaders. Specifically mentioned was the Character Education efforts.
Family and Consumer Sciences-Sarah/Carolyn
- Nayda Torres has been appointed a two-year term on the National FCS Leadership Team.
- Three multi-state issues being pursued are: Family and Community Health, Aging Baby Boomers and Working Poor.
- Families First was discussed and will be developed into a multi-state agreement which will be posted to the PLC website.
Middle Management-Claude/Fred
- The Spring 2001 meeting is being planned for April 2-5 with Mitch Flinchum serving as chair. The theme for the conference is "Maximizing Organizational Effectiveness through Middle Managers." Claude requested input from PLC for potential speakers that will be passed on to the planning committee.
- The Committee did discuss the need for annual Middle Managers meeting. No decision was made. There was two differing opinions on the issue. There was also some discussion of having a National meeting every four years.
- The Committee has much interest in the SELD program.
Program and Staff Development-Jerry
- A regional conference entitled, "Strengthening Extension Advisory Leadership," was discussed. It is scheduled for May 3-5 in North Carolina. Announcements have been distributed for this training.
- The SELD program continues to be of interest to the Committee. An item regarding the management of the program was discussed. Bagent will follow up as appropriate with Chester Fehlis and Extension directors.
Southern Region Website Update
The Southern Rural Development Center maintains the Southern Region Website. Information to be placed on the site comes from the individual program committees. The need for Multi-State Agreements to be posted to the site was discussed. A letter needs to be sent to all Program Committee Chairs encouraging them to get those agreements posted (Teater will send out.)
Sustainable Development Conference
Rick, Bo, and Bonnie participated in this regional training which attracted nearly 110 participants from all 13 Southern states. The Conference Planning Committee (Curtis Absher/Ed Jones, co-chairs) is continuing discussion, because participants really felt a need for further involvement. The Committee is trying to get a handle on the entire concept of sustainable development and will continually be in discussion regarding the topic. However, immediate action as a result of the meeting will be the following: (1) development of list serve of participants, (2) sending out powerpoint presentations to all participants, and (3) following up with state teams.
2001 Southern Region Program Leaders Meeting
August 26-29, 2001 - Savannah, Georgia
The Committee reviewed conference evaluations from the 2000 meeting and highlighted strengths, weaknesses, format, etc. that were presented by participants. After much discussion, the following theme and outline were addressed:
Theme: Building Quality Communities of Tomorrow . Today!!!
| Monday a.m. |
General Session-Quality Communities (Bo to check with someone from Drucker Foundation) |
Panel Session-Texas, South Carolina State, and Louisiana Experiences |
| Tuesday a.m. |
Community Response |
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Facilitated Roundtable Discussions |
Panel Response |
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Follow-up Conference Calls
December 14-9:00 a.m. (Central) / 10:00 a.m. (Eastern)
February 23-9:00 a.m. (Central) / 10:00 a.m. (Eastern)
April 27-9:00 a.m. (Central) / 10:00 a.m. (Eastern)
June 22-9:00 a.m. (Central) / 10:00 a.m. (Eastern)