CD Wire - November 26, 2013

AD Update:

Planning for the December 3 Unit Meeting

It is hard to believe we are just a few short days away from the Thanksgiving break. Add in our December 3 unit meeting and Extension Annual Conference at the Ohio Union on December 4 and we’ll be pushing into the middle of December in no time at all. No doubt it has been a jam-packed year to date and the theme continues for our unit meeting on December 3 (10:00-12:30, Ag Admin 105). The full agenda will focus on accomplishments in 2013 and plans for 2014 and beyond. In addition to bringing your laptop and/or hand-held devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.), here’s what you can do to prepare:

Also, since we don’t start until 10:00 a.m. on December 3, you may want to make arrangements to meet in teams, with colleagues in other departments, and/or schedule an ‘optional’ seminar if desired (if you have a specific topic in mind, please share). And don’t forget, immediately following the 1:00-3:30 JCEP Awards Luncheon in the 4-H Center Auditorium, we will have time together to focus on all things NACDEP/professional development in the NACDEP sectional breakout scheduled from 3:45-5:00 in the 4-H Center (Board Room).

Speaking of NACDEP/professional development, special congratulations are in order for two of our newly elected 2014 Ohio JCEP officials: Joe Lucente as the ESP President Elect and Greg Moon as the NACDEP Vice President. Plan to see them installed at the annual meeting in the 4-H Center the afternoon of December 3.

And finally, given the time of year, I thought our Director’s comments in the latest Communique were especially fitting. I very much appreciate the many contributions that you have made in 2013. Whatever you might have planned this week and wherever your travels may take you, please have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

Travel Pre-Approval Reminder for Annual Conference

If you are planning to stay overnight next week for the Professional Association Meetings and Extension Annual Conference, obtain pre-trip approval via email from your supervisor. This pre-trip approval email replaces the need to get a T# in advance of your trip. The exception would be if you use a PCard for your lodging, you will need a T# in advance.

Travel Approval Process Change Clarification

A couple of all-Extension memos were sent out last week explaining the travel approval process change. (Please note, if Greg Davis is your supervisor, you will still need to mail your travel form with original receipts to him for approval.) Here is what has changed: Once the business office receives your travel reimbursement form, enters it into the eTravel System and approves the payment request, you will receive an email communication from eTravel.do.not.reply@osu.edu providing a link to the travel reimbursement. You will then click on the link in the email (or go to https://eTravel.osu.edu), review and electronically sign the request. You will not get your payment until you electronically sign the request. Please let Sandy (614-292-6232 / odrumsky.1@osu.edu) know if you have any questions.

Mandatory Online Environmental Health & Safety Training

OSU’s Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) has advised that all Ohio State employees are required to complete training on the subjects of “Hazard Communication" and “Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.” This training is mandatory, even for personnel who do not work in a laboratory or handle hazardous materials. These trainings are being required in order to comply with the state Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Program or “Employee Right-to-Know” act. Both of these mandatory trainings can be done online and will not take very long to complete. Click here for complete instructions. Please send confirmation of completion of this training to your supervisor.

Taxable Fringe Benefit Policy Change

Effective immediately, gifts, apparel and other items of value received by an employee must be reported as a taxable fringe benefit. This includes gift cards, apparel (any apparel purchased with OSU funds) and bags, hats and other gift items. In other words, if you purchase apparel with a university fund, it must be reported as a taxable fringe benefit. The procedures and guidelines are being developed and will be available soon. Click here to read the memo of November 8 regarding the OSU policy update.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Sustainability Film Series at COSI with Lonnie Thompson - December 5:

The Office of Energy and Environment is sponsoring "Researching Climate Change: Glacial Balance" on Thursday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m. at COSI, 333 W. Broad St. Watch Glacial Balance, a documentary that explores the local impacts of the melting of the Andean glacier reserve, followed by a presentation from Ohio State climate expert Lonnie Thompson and Glacial Balance filmmaker Ethan Steinman. The event is free. Ohio State's Byrd Polar Research Center and Wexner Center for the Arts are partners for this event. Read more at: oee.osu.edu.

EPN Breakfast to feature Metro Parks Director discussing Outdoor Recreation Goals - December 10:

The Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) breakfast, Tuesday, December 10, at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, will feature John O’Meara, Metro Parks director, discussing recreation trends and plans, and School of Environment and Natural Resources capstone and Fisher College honors students presenting the concept and business plan for a potential “Discovery Center for Outdoor Recreation and Education.” Doors open at 7:15 a.m. Read more at:epn.osu.edu. Contact: David Hanselmann (hanselmann.3@osu.edu).

Open Doors Training - December 12:

If you were unable to attend one of the regional or campus based Open Doors Sessions, you have one more opportunity before the end of the year to attend on December 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Fisher Auditorium at OARDC in Wooster. The training is free. Click here for complete information. The first ten Extension folks who register will receive complimentary mileage (only one complimentary mileage per office). Register using the link below. To secure your mileage reimbursement, let Kathy Lechman (lechman.1@osu.edu) know that you have registered. Register on-line at:go.osu.edu/WoosterOpenDoors. For questions, contact Rhonda Billman, Assistant Director, Ohio State ATI at (330) 287-1213 or billman.36@osu.edu.

NCRCRD Webinar - December 18:

The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) will present the following free webinar on December 18 at 1:00 p.m.:
  • Utility Scale Renewable Energy Development – Project Sitting & Conflict Resolution
    • Large-scale wind farm development requires non-bias, factual based information on both the positive and negative community impacts to guide conflict resolution and the evolution of community perceptions. Local elected officials and decision makers need access to research-based information that will help them better understand the potential benefits and impacts on their community. Extension is uniquely positioned to help given its connection to university resources, its objective and unbiased research and its commitment to transformational education. This webinar will provide an introduction to a three-module curriculum developed with funding through the NCRCRD that addresses topics on project development, utility siting issues and concerns and methods for resolving conflict involving wind farm projects.
    • Speakers are Peggy Hall and Eric Romich (The Ohio State University) and Wayne Beyea (Michigan State University).
    • There is no registration and no fee for attending this webinar. To join the webinar go to connect.msu.edu/ncrcrd, “enter as a guest” is by default already chosen. Type your name into the text box provided, and click on “Enter Room."

A complete list of upcoming as well as recorded webinars can also be found at: ncrcrd.msu.edu/ncrcrd/webinars.

Promotion Workshops - December 18 or January 14:

Has it been ten years since you were tenured? Do you have an interest in applying for promotion? Want to better understand the role of review committees, the review process and performance expectations? Want help getting your arms around the OSU Extension APT document or faculty and A&P promotion guidelines? Plan to attend one of the upcoming Extension promotion workshops on December 18 or January 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Agricultural Administration Building auditorium.

Each workshop agenda includes:

  • the items above
  • review of the Department of Extension’s dossier outline
  • discussion of curriculum and quality indicators
  • demonstration of the need to maintain documentation of your accomplishments

Extension professionals with all levels of experience with the process are invited. Registration fee is $25. Click on only one of the following links to register:

  • To register to attend the Wednesday, December 18 Promotion Workshop, register online by 5 p.m. December 3 at: go.osu.edu/PTWDec182013.
  • To register to attend the Tuesday, January 14 Promotion Workshop (repeat of December 18 session), register online by 5 p.m. December 31 at: go.osu.edu/PTWJan142014.

These workshops are NOT Research in View (RiV) trainings; however, techniques to effectively document your accomplishments in RiV will be discussed. For more information, contact:  Promotion and Tenure Committee Chair Judy Villard-Overocker, Administrative and Professional Committee Chair Jeff McCutcheon or Department Chair Ken Martin.

Bio-plastics Conference - January 12:

The 2nd Annual Bio-Plastics Container Cropping Symposium will be held on January 12 in Kottman Hall in conjunction with the OSU Nursery Short Course and CENTS. See the flyer for complete information, and please distribute to anyone that may be interested.

Data Gathering made Easier:

Members of the university community whose work involves data analytics may be interested in a newly installed automated web-scraping program in 186 Hagerty Hall. The Office of Distance Education and eLearning, in collaboration with the Department of Political Science, has purchased a small number of licenses for Outwit Hub, a program designed to find and collect data that are spread across a large number of webpages. A lecture from the iTunes U course "Data Literacy and Data Visualization" explains its use. Read more at: digitalunion.osu.edu. View the video lecture here (scraper example begins at 6:56). The full course description is available here.

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SCHOLARLY / CREATIVE / OPPORTUNITIES:

2014 Outreach and Engagement Grant RFPs & Information Session:

Request for Proposal information is now available for the 2014 Engagement Impact Grants, OSU CARES/OSU Extension Seed Grants and Service-Learning Grants. These grants support engagement scholarship and provide faculty, staff and students with opportunities to apply innovative scholarship that addresses compelling challenges in communities.

Big changes for 2014:

  1. The amount available for each partnership will increase from $10,000 to $25,000, and a larger pool of funds to award will also be available.
  2. Focus will be expanded a bit from the Extension impact areas to also include the OSU Discovery Themes of food production and security, health and wellness, and energy and environment. Visit discovery.osu.edu/ to learn more.

Deadline for proposals is Friday, February 28. A brown bag info session will take place on Monday, December 16, in 110B Hale Hall. RSVP to outreach@osu.edu. For more information, including other information sessions, visit:outreachgrants.osu.edu. For questions or information on partnering with other colleagues on campus, contact Karen Bruns (614-292-9613 or bruns.1@osu.edu).

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REMINDERS / UPDATES / NEWS:

2013 EEETs due December 4:

The deadline to submit EEETs for this calendar year is December 4 (your EEETs must be postmarked by that date). The Program Development and Evaluation (PDE) Unit will NOT process any EEETs until 2014 if they are postmarked after that date. This means any late EEETs will NOT be on the three-year EEET summary report that will be sent to county program faculty and staff in January 2014.

There are still options for getting final EEETs to PDE:

  • Bring your EEETs to Annual Conference on December 4. There will be a designated location to drop off your sealed envelopes of EEET forms (location to be announced at the conference).
  • Bring any EEETs you have to the December 3 RiV training. Unless inclement weather prevents the training, either Kim Showalter or Debby Lewis can accept your forms that day.
  • Mail your EEETs to: EEETs, Suite 25 Agricultural Administration Building, 2120 Fyffe Rd., Columbus, OH 43210. MUST be postmarked by December 4, 2013.

Please remember to include a cover sheet with each set of EEETs, one cover sheet for each instructor. All EEETs should be in SEALED ENVELOPES. Your form collector should sign his or her name on the seal. Please submit ALL EEETs in a TIMELY manner. All EEETs are entered BY HAND by PDE staff. If you volunteered to collect forms for a colleague, please send them to the PDE office immediately; your peer is depending on you.

Ed Tech Team Update:

  • The Ed Tech team, in partnership with CommTech, will be offering various hands-on social media workshops in each EERA next year. All workshop dates will be set before Annual Conference, and details will be shared with everyone at that time.
  • If you have not yet visited the new EdgeU Tech blog, please go to: https://u.osu.edu/extensionedtech. An option to subscribe is located on the left side of the blog. Enter your e-mail address to receive new posts via email automatically!

U.OSU – A website for everyone at Ohio State:

Establish your very own professional web site through U.OSU, a web authoring service provided by the Office of Distance Education and eLearning and the College of Arts and Sciences. Students, faculty and staff are eligible for up to five domains, supported by Ohio State. Early adopters are already using this flexible, WordPress-based platform. Browse existing sites, watch a 'Getting Started' video or dive right into your own blog or website at U.OSU.EDU.

Articles of Interest:

Ohio Sea Grant Experts Available to Speak on Asian Carp (CFAES News)

Huntington Partnership Already Exceeds Expected Benefits (onCampus)

Ohio State Agricultural Economist Offers 2013 Farm Bill Update (CFAES News)

For Ohio State Scientist Fred Michel, Sustainability Is a Way of Life (CFEAS news)

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OSU Extension CD Mission Statement:

Ohio State University Extension Community Development helps communities enhance their well-being.


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