Please note: agenda for the
CALS 2002 Faculty Conference and map to the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort
and Spa. http://cals.arizona.edu/employees/ac2002agenda.html,
http://www.tucsonnational.com/.
See you soon.
The First Annual Arizona Weed Contest, organized by Pat Clay, was a
success! Forty growers, pest control advisors, and Ag professionals
attended the event last Tuesday at the Maricopa Ag Center. Activities
included weed identification, herbicide damage identification, equipment
calibration problems, and a simulated activity to determine the cause of
one or two production related problems. Many Extension faculty assisted
with this event, including Kai Umeda, Bill McCloskey, Eric Norton, Randy
Norton, Mohammed Zerkoune, Jeff Schalau, and Steve Husman. Special thanks
to Judy Robinson, Kalb Stevenson (MCCE staff) and Maricopa Ag Center - Dave
Langston, Bob Roth, Peter Ellsworth and many MAC personnel.
Editors David Byrne and Patti Baciewicz recently published the 2002
Vegetable Report. This report provides the most recent findings of the
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences vegetable researchers. Senior
authors include Michael Matheron, Mary Olsen, John Palumbo, Michael
Rethwisch, Barry Tickes, Kai Umeda, Mohammed Zerkoune, and David Byrne.
The Region IX Water Quality Coordination Project, led by Kitt Farrell-Poe,
was recently funded by USDA-CSREES. This project addresses water quality
research, education, and Extension efforts common to the eight states,
territories, and tribally-controlled community colleges in US EPA Region 9:
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, America Samoa, Guam, Diné College, and
D-Q University. Specific objectives include: establishing state-level
advisory committees for local priority setting; creating a Regional Water
Quality Coordination Team for cross-state decisions and thematic
programming; hiring a Project Manager to strengthen external partnerships,
coordinate internal activities, and generate linkages and communication
with relevant research within the Region; conducting a Region-wide survey
to determine baseline information about water quality literacy, views, and
needs in each state; and funding for high-priority state programs.
I attended an advisory board meeting for an initiative, funded by the Ford
Foundation (including my travel) called RCCI, Rural Community College
Initiatives. Funding will become available for Cooperative Extension to
work with rural community/tribal colleges to build new partnerships to
support rural communities. The Ford Foundation initiated a national
learning network called RCCI in 1994 to increase access to higher education
and enhance economic development in distressed regions of the United
States. The Initiative began with nine pilot colleges, with 15 added in
1997. The Ford Foundation is now expanding the program to include working
with Cooperative Extension and all regions of the country. The Foundation
has provided financial support and technical assistance to 24 strategically
located community colleges. It expected the colleges to identify
community-based solutions to local needs by establishing collaborations
with local businesses, government and non-government community
organizations, public schools, and private citizens. Right now we are
exploring the RCCI with Diné College. Other opportunities may follow. Call
my office if you are interested in more details.
Shirley O'Brien and Dave Cox will be conducting the annual sabbatic leave conference
call which has been set for Thursday, September 12 at 11:00am. If you are interested
in becoming a candidate for sabbatical leave in 2003, you will want to be "on-line"
for this discussion. The purpose of the call is to offer suggestions for successful
submissions, to discuss the requirements for eligibility, and to share information
on any new policies. Contact Steven Crofts at 621-7145 or scrofts@cals.arizona.edu
to sign up for the call. Teleconference dial-in information and an agenda will
be sent to participants prior to the call.