Tuesday Morning Notes

August 19, 2003


The 12% budget cuts have affected all units in CALS and the State Extension offices are no exception. We are reducing our support staff by 3+ FTE and our administrative support by 1 FTE (Shirley O'Brien). In addition, we have combined the receptionist for our office and 4-H and centralized the State 4-H offices to Forbes 301. All of us have combined and added new duties. Since many have asked "who does what?," we offer the following outline of duties: ROBERT ARMSTRONG, Support System Analyst Senior - computer support for county offices and Ag centers, database support for APROL and 4-H Plus. PATTI BACIEWICZ (Patti B.), Administrative Associate - budgetary support and management for federal and state-funded programs; assistance to agents regarding continuing status, promotion and peer review. KELLY BLOCK, Information Services Coordinator - management of Extension website, development of statewide websites, training and problem-solving with APROL. JIM CHRISTENSON, Director - overall leadership for Cooperative Extension. JOANIE CRAIG, Administrative Associate - special administrative projects (retiring winter 2003). STEVEN CROFTS, Administrative Associate - operations and policy assistance to county offices. JOE HILLER, Assistant Director - Extension Indian Reservation Program. LISA LAUXMAN, Special Assistant to The Director - program evaluation, leadership and volunteer management, 4-H curriculum development, and professional development. ANDY MEDINA, Support System Analyst Senior - computer support for county offices and ag centers. SHEILA MERRIGAN, Program Coordinator - training and support for professional development and assessment, grant seeking, database management for "Az Flora and Fauna." BILL PETERSON, Assistant Director - 4-H youth development, staff issues, civil rights and affirmative action. SANDRA SAAD, Events Coordinator, Senior - coordinates statewide events in all program areas. JENNIFER STAPP, Administrative Secretary - front office support and management, coordination of calendar. GLENDA THOMPSON, Accountant Associate - accounting, money management; faculty hiring procedures. DEBORAH YOUNG, Associate Director - statewide programs, working groups, and state initiatives.

Congratulations to Rob Grumbles and his colleagues from the University of Nevada-Reno - George Borden, Robert Fletcher and Jim Lopez - who produced the 75-page May 2003 report "Water Based User Profile and Estimated Economic Contributions to the Laughlin and Bullhead City Regional Economy." It is excellent and is available on the University of Nevada website at http://www.ag.unr.edu/uced/reports/technicalreports/fy2003_2004/UCED2003-04- 02.pdf.

Congratulations to Monica Pastor and Pam Justice, Maricopa County, who were recognized by the Arizona Bioengineering Collaboration for their involvement in the development of the "GM Foods in My Schoolyard" curriculum. This curriculum unit on agricultural biotechnology for Junior High students encompassed 10 lessons. Thirty-five teachers have already participated in a two-day workshop with an additional thirty-five to be trained in September.

I would like to thank Pat Clay, Bill McCloskey, Kai Umeda and the many other faculty and staff who provided leadership to the Weeds Field Day at the Maricopa Ag Center last week. Good program!

The Rural Communities Fuels Reduction Management Partnership was given a 2003 Honor Award by the Secretary of Agriculture. This high-level US Department of Agriculture award recognizes government agencies for significant contributions in public service and was submitted by the Kaibab National Forest, one of the partners in this University of Arizona program. The University of Arizona is one of the key players in this fuels reduction partnership because we employ the program coordinator and solicit and manage grants that fund the program. This would not be possible without the support of the university staff in the School of Renewable Natural Resources, Cooperative Extension, and Special Project Services. Congratulations to all staff members on the UA campus who provided critical support. Their behind-the-scenes efforts are a big part of the reason this national-level award recognition was received.

A reminder that it's awards time in Extension and we need your nominations! The Extension Faculty of the Year and the Extensionist of the Year awards for 2003 will be presented at the Dean's Fall Faculty/Staff Meeting. The deadline for award nominations is September 2, 2003. Faculty of the Year Award criteria and guidelines can be found at http://cals.arizona.edu/awards/extfacultyawd.html and a nomination form for the Extensionist of the Year Award is available in PDF format at http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/temp/2003_Nomination_Form.pdf.

Submissions to Tuesday Morning Notes are now automated. On the Extension website, go to "Employee Resources" and on the left side index (in blue) click on "Submit to Tuesday Morning Notes." This will bring up a form to fill in (see http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/employee/news/submittal_form.html). Just enter your information, click on "Send" and you're done! We welcome your input!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 19 - Pre-Season Vegetable Workshop, Cooperative Extension Auditorium, 2200 W. 28th Street, Yuma, 8:00am-12:40pm. No fee or preregistration required. For more information, contact Mohammed Zerkoune (928-726-3904 or zerkoune@ag.arizona.edu).

August 26 - Late Season Cotton Management Meeting, Maricopa Ag Center, 8:00am-12:00pm, 4 CEU's granted. Includes lunch. For more information, contact Patrick Clay (pclay@ag.arizona.edu or 602-470-8086 x313).


ADDENDUM:

Congratulations to Rob Grumbles and his colleagues from the University of Nevada-Reno - George Borden, Robert Fletcher and Jim Lopez - who produced the 75-page May 2003 report "Water Based User Profile and Estimated Economic Contributions to the Laughlin and Bullhead City Regional Economy." It is excellent and is available on the University of Nevada website at http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/pdf_files/FinalReportWaterRecreation.pdf.

Submissions to Tuesday Morning Notes are now automated. On the Extension website, go to "Employee Resources" and on the left side index (in blue) click on "Submit to Tuesday Morning Notes." This will bring up a form to fill in - see http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/employee/news/submittal_form.html. Just enter your information, click on "Send" and you're done! We welcome your input.





James A. Christenson, Ph.D.
(jimc@cals.arizona.edu)
Associate Dean and Director
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Forbes, Room 301
Tucson, Arizona 85721
520/621-7205
520/621-1314 FAX