Tuesday Morning Notes

July 11th, 2000




Welcome Aboard to Joseph Hiller from the University of Wyoming. Joe will begin his position as the Assistant Director of Native American Programs on August 21, 2000. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming and has 16 years of experience and leadership with Cooperative Extension. His contact phone number will be 520/621-9638.

* Congratulations to Yavapai County Faculty and Staff for receiving notice on July 3, 2000 that their proposed County Extension budget of $111,221 was approved.

* Congratulations to Andy Medina, Support Systems Analyst, on being selected as the 2000 First Quarter College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Outstanding Staff Award recipient. He received a check for $250 and will receive his plaque at the next Faculty and Staff Meeting on October 26, 2000. He will also be honored at a luncheon in the spring of 2001 for the 2000/2001 recipients of CALS awards.

* The State of Arizona has announced new per diem, lodging, and mileage reimbursement rates as follows: In-state default on lodging = $55 (adjusted from $52.50); Meals = $29.50 (adjusted from $28). Meal breakdown for partial day travel: Breakfast = $7.00; Lunch = $7.50 and Dinner = $15.00. The personal vehicle mileage rate becomes $.325 per mile (adjusted from $.31). A complete listing of In-State and Out-of-State Lodging and Meal rates may be found at: http://w3.arizona.edu/~ops/travel/ These rates are effective July 13, 2000.

* The sixth annual Teen Biz conference for Arizona youth was held on campus, June 12-16, for 36 teens from six counties across the state. Teen Biz 2000 focused on career preparation, life skills and opportunities to job shadow in local businesses. Teen Biz sponsors are Arizona Cooperative Extension, the Southwest Retail Center and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). Supporting players included volunteers and county and campus faculty and staff members, businesses who hosted job shadowing opportunities and tours, and corporate partners (J.C. Penney and Sears). Special kudos to SIFE mentors who worked closely with the youth all week and to Kim Brooke and Becky Ohlau for their dedication to make sure that the entire event went smoothly. Because EVERYONE participates, the count at many sessions totaled over 50 people. Each year the conference is judged "the best ever" as an experiential, dynamic event.

* CED Reminder: We will be holding our August CED Retreat at the Nature Conservancy in Flagstaff, August 28-30, 2000. More details will follow but please hold these dates on your calendar.

* The Dean is looking for a few good women and men! We are implementing the CALS (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) Political Action Team. We want at least one faculty and/or staff member identified in each of the thirty Legislative Districts. Team members will be asked to meet and get to know the Legislative candidates in their district. Once the election is over, the team members will be asked to meet with each of the elected Legislators in their district to keep them educated on the activities of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. If you are interested in getting involved please contact Monica Pastor at mpastor@cals.arizona.edu. We can only be successful in this educational campaign if we can identify a Political Action Team member in each district.

* The University of Arizona and New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension will offer the 7th Annual Southwestern Noxious Weed Shortcourse to be held in Farmington, NM, July 18-20, 2000. The Shortcourse focuses on invasive plants in the rangeland environment and features well known noxious weed experts as instructors. Contact Larry Howery (lhowery@cals.arizona.edu, 520-621-7277) for more information.

* The program for the Safe Food 2000 - Food Safety from the Field to the Table is finalized and now available at: http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/fcs/sf200099.html#top. The conference will be on July 26 & 27 at the Mesa Pavilion Hilton (call 1-800-HILTON for room reservations). The pre-registration is due by July 14 at a rate of $80 that includes lunches, continental breakfast, tours, and printed materials. Late registration after July 14 and at the door will be $110.




James A. Christenson, Ph.D.
(jimc@cals.arizona.edu)
Associate Dean and Director
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Forbes, Room 301
Tucson, Arizona 85721
520/621-7209
520/621-1314 FAX