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TopicsMay 9, 2023
- Message from the Associate Vice President and Director of Extension
- NETC Conference a Success
- New Maricopa County Interim CED, Extension Promotion
- Congrats to ALVSCE Spring Award Recipients
- CALES/CES Faculty Council Minutes Available
- Help Arizona Solve Water Challenges - WRRC Annual Conference
- New Tribal Extension agent in Window Rock
- Water Irrigation Efficiency Program Town Hall
- CCT Data Science Workshops
- WRRC Seminar Series: Green Infrastructure in Tucson, Ariz.
- AmeriCorps Site Applications Open
- SNAP-Ed/EFNEP Candidate Information
- Continuing Status and Promotion Workshop
- Arizona Cooperative Extension Annual Conference
- Collective Impact Working Group
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Message from the Associate Vice President
and Director of Extension
Last Saturday, I attended the CALES Awards Dinner and was honored to be one of the presenters. Many outstanding people were honored that night. Among them was Mr. Pat Murphree. Pat was awarded the Friend of CALES Award. I worked with Pat when he was a Farm Manager at the UArizona Maricopa Agricultural Center. One of our Extension Specialists, Dr. Betsy Greene, was awarded the Outstanding Achiever Award for her in equine Extension. Also, Mr. George Cairo was awarded the CALS Alumni Achievement Award. George was my first graduate student in what was then the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. In addition to these three, awards were presented to others that have supported Extension over the years, including Andy Groseta, Mike Gannuscio, Tom Jones, Gary Pasquinelli, Kevin Rogers, Stefanie Boe, the Matfield Family, Nancy Caywood, Karen Tepper, Ian Pepper, Elin Miller, James O’Haco and Fred Oliver. There was even a new award – the Shane C. Burgess Leadership award, which was a surprise to our own VP Burgess. It may have been the first time I’ve seen him surprised and at a loss for words (but only for a moment). Congratulations to everyone, and thank you for supporting the University, Division, College, and most importantly, UArizona Cooperative Extension.
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 | The University of Arizona 2023 NETC Conference planning committee (from left): Dominic Rodriguez, associate director for operations; Matt Rahr, director CALES director of cyber and information technologies; Brad Poole, content developer; Sandra Saad, assistant in Extension; Dave Bogner, program director CALES cyber communications and technologies; Jessica Montgomery, volunteer systems coordinator; Ben Downer, marketing manager. Not pictured, Ashley Wright, area assistant agent, Cochise County
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2023 National Extension Technology Community Conference
From April 24-27, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension hosted the 2023 National Extension Technology Community conference in Tempe, Arizona. This gathering included Extension technologists from 25 land-grant universities and colleges, including four 1860s and two 1994s.
The four-day event highlighted amazing Extension work happening around the country and allowed Arizona to showcase our own work and how technology plays a part in delivering the mission of Extension to the communities of Arizona.
Planning for the event began last year, and feedback from many participants indicates this was one of the best conferences they've attended in years. Credit for this goes to the Extension planning committee (pictured above) who worked tirelessly to raise the awareness of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
You can find a wrap-up story about the event here.
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New Maricopa County Interim CED
Congratulations to Ayman Mostafa, associate programmatic area agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources/Field Crops Integrated Pest Management and Urban Agricultural Production and regional specialist, Department of Entomology, who was recently named interim Extension director for Maricopa County.
Congratulations on Extension Promotions
Ashley Dixon-Kleiber, Gila County, promotion to Associate Agent with continuing status: Working in Gila, Yuma, and Pinal counties, Ms. Dixon-Kleiber collaborates with numerous community organizations, including the Apache and Navajo tribal councils, to identify needs and develop and implement parenting and financial literacy programming and early childhood health screenings; in her current role, she contributed to nine peer-reviewed publications and 12 training guides for Extension Agents.
Traci Armstrong Florian, Maricopa County, promotion to Agent: Using her foundation researching nutrition in underserved populations, Ms. Armstrong Florian demonstrably improves Maricopa County nutrition, food safety, and physical activity through her management of Cooperative Extension diabetes prevention and nutrition education programs; she has published numerous peer-reviewed papers including one the American Journal of Health Behavior, and her programs collectively reach 50,000 people annually.
Alex Hu, School of Plant Sciences, promotion to Specialist with continuing status: Dr. Hu successfully re-established the Plant-Pathogen Diagnostics Laboratory, developing an effective program with statewide impact, analyzing more than 400 samples annually, while conducting research in both classical and innovative pathogen testing.
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Peter Ellsworth, 2022 Extension Faculty of the Year
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Tribal Livestock Extension, 2022 Outstanding Team Award
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Tricia Dunham, 2022 Outstanding Staff Award
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ALVSCE Spring Award Recipients
Peter Ellsworth, 2022 Extension Faculty of the Year - As an Extension Specialist and Department of Entomology Professor, Dr. Ellsworth develops science-based solutions for integrated pest management through ecological investigations and Extension outreach. As Director of the multi-disciplinary Arizona Pest Management Center, he serves Extension's federal IPM Coordinator and Pesticide Coordinator, and oversees and helps organize research teams.
Tricia Dunham, 2022 Extension Outstanding Staff Award - As an Administrative Assistant in the Cochise County Cooperative Extension, Willcox office, Dunham serves as an assistant for Cochise County Range, Livestock, Horticulture, and 4-H agents. July will mark her nine-year anniversary with Extension.
Tribal Livestock Extension Team - Dr. Betsy Greene, Juan Arias, Grey Farrell, Susan Sekaquaptewa, Kristy Kinlicheenie, Elisabeth Alden, Alex Carlisle, Adonis Alamban, Dr. Joslyn Beard, Ashley Wright, Nathan Brawley
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CALES/CES Faculty Council Minutes Available
The CALS/CES Faculty Council is tasked with recommending ways to more effectively carry out our three-fold mission of teaching, research and extension. Minutes for all meetings can be found here and major topics discussed in the last monthly meeting include:
- CALS is now CALES – College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences
- Removal of Provost from position
- Pay equity
- Vote of No Confidence on President Robbins
This was the last meeting for the academic year. Please contact Extension faculty representatives Debbie Curley and Traci Armstrong Florian if you have any matters that you feel should be brought to the attention of the Council.
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Help Arizona Solve Water Challenges
The 2023 Water Resources Research Center annual conference, What Can We Do? Solutions to Arizona’s Water Challenges, is your chance to join a conversation about solving water problems affecting all of us at home, at work, and in our communities. A limited number of cost-free registrations are available for UArizona Cooperative Extension faculty and staff (contact Jessie Hampton for more information). Free registrations are first come, first served, so register soon.
The conference is set for July 11–12 at the University of Arizona Student Union. The goal is to address pressing state, regional, and tribal water resource challenges by collectively coaxing out ideas that enhance water security. The two-day program will feature sessions on water quality, information gaps, farming practices, working with nature, adapting policy, growing the workforce, technology, and more. There will also be ample opportunity for networking to continue the solution-focused discussions of the conference. Keep an eye on our conference page as the agenda develops.
Early bird registration is $110 ($65 for one day), until June 14. Student registration is $30. A free, non-interactive livestream registration will be available soon. We hope to see many of you in Tucson this July!
Click here to become a conference sponsor.
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| New Tribal Extension agent in Window Rock
Leander Thomas is a member of the Navajo Nation and was born and raised in Steamboat, Arizona. Leander earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma and a Masters in Arts from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Leander has 13 years of experience as a high school agriculture educator at Ganado High School in Ganado, Arizona. Leander enjoys working with livestock, helping native producers in farming and ranching, and being an advocate of improving rangeland. He is a farrier by trade.
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Water Irrigation Efficiency Program Town Hall
The state Water Irrigation Efficiency Program, administered by Cooperative extension, will hold a town hal;l meeting May 10 at the Yuma County Cooperative Extension office.The program offers farmers or ranchers $1,500 per acre, up to $1 million per farm, to switch to water-saving irrigation.
What: Water Irrigation Efficiency Program Town hall
When: 11:30 a.m. – noon, Wednesday, May 10
Where: Yuma County Cooperative Extension, 2200 W. 28th Street, Suite 102, Yuma, Arizona (next to Walmart on Avenue B)
Hosts: Ethan Orr, Associate Director for Agriculture and Natural resources; Robert Masson, Yuma County Cooperative Extension Assistant Extension Agent
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CCT Data Science Workshops
This three-part series will help you to unlock the full power of `ggplot2` functionality so you can create beautiful visualizations from start to finish without manual editing. You'll learn to plot multiple data sets, customize the appearance of your plots, and harness advanced features with ggplot2 extensions.
When: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., June 5, 12, 26 (Mondays)
Instructors: Jessica Guo, Eric Scott, Kristina Riemer
Location: Zoom
Registration: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Prerequisites: Recent versions of R and RStudio installed. Familiarity working with R and RStudio. Some familiarity with making plots using the `ggplot2` package in R (e.g., you've gone through Jeff Oliver's ggplot2 lesson).
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WRRC Seminar Series: Green Infrastructure in Tucson, Ariz.
In this WRRC seminar, Adriana Zuniga will describe a brief history of water management in Tucson and how this desert city became a national leader in green infrastructure. Blue Baldwin will then present an overview of the modern evolution of green stormwater infrastructure in Tucson over the past decades, from grassroots, "pre-legal" actions to current policy and ultimate institutionalization with the advent of the Storm to Shade Program at Tucson Water. The Storm to Shade program's goals, project prioritization framework, maintenance program, key partnerships, challenges, and long-term vision for the S2S will be covered.
When: Noon-1:15 p.m., Wednesday, May 17
Speakers: Blue Baldwin, Storm to Shade Program Manager, Tucson Water; Adriana Zuniga, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona
Click here for more information.
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AmeriCorps Site Applications Open
UArizona Wildcat Corps is now accepting applications from sites that would like to have AmeriCorps members serve with their programs during the 2023-24 grant year. Through direct service AmeriCorps members assist with addressing your community programming and outreach needs.
To receive an AmeriCorps member request packet, contact Christina Lipin. The application deadline is May 26.
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SNAP-Ed/EFNEP Candidate Information
Candidate assessment links and recording of presentations for Specialist position (lead for SNAP-Ed/EFNEP) in the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness. Please complete your assessment by end of business on Thursday, May 11.
Assessment linksCandidate presentations
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Save the Date!
Continuing Status and Promotion WorkshopMay 17-18
Cooperative Extension agents and specialists on the continuing status and promotion track are invited to a two-day workshop regarding the process, updates, and other important information to support successful dossiers. Sessions will address all levels of the continuing status and promotion process. You can attend in-person or virtually.
Who should attend: Candidates for continuing status and promotion (third year retention, associate and full), County Extension Directors, Agents, Specialists, and Administrators.
What: Continuing Status and Promotion Workshop
When: May 17-18 (Wednesday-Thursday)
Where: Maricopa Agricultural Center, 37860 W. Smith Enke Road, Maricopa, Arizona
Click here for the agenda. Click here to register for in-person or livestreamed attendance. Please register by Friday, May 12. If you have questions, please contact Area Agent and Regional Specialist Patty Merk at pmerk@cals.arizona.edu
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| Save the Date!
Arizona Cooperative Extension Annual ConferenceAugust 2-4
The 2023 Annual Arizona Extension Conference Planning Committee is soliciting proposals for breakout sessions, posters, and Heart of Extension Awards at the conference to be held August 2-4 in Tucson on the University of Arizona Main Campus. This year's conference theme is Building the Future of Extension Through Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration. Please consider submitting for a breakout session, bringing a poster, or nominating a deserving colleague for the Heart of Extension award. Information on submitting for these sessions and awards is below.
Breakout sessions will be approximately 1 hour in length. Please plan 45 minutes of content leaving 10-15 minutes for questions and discussion. Sessions can be on any topic relevant to Cooperative Extension, special consideration will be given to topics that are issue driven (rather than programmatically driven). We are looking for a variety of multi-disciplinary sessions that appeal to faculty and staff across all sectors of Extension. Proposals should include a title, list of presenting authors, and a 250 (maximum) word description of the issue or topic you intend to cover, how the audience will benefit, and the goals of the proposed conference presentation.
Deadline: May 15, 11:59 p.m.
Heart of Extension Awards recognize and reward individuals who demonstrate the heart of the Cooperative Extension Mission: To engage with people through applied research and education to improve lives, families, communities, the environment, and economies in Arizona and beyond. Awards will be presented at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Annual Conference. See the attached file for more information on criteria and nomination materials.
Deadline: May 15, 11:59 p.m.
Poster Session. Posters can be on any Arizona extension-related topic, including, but not limited to, community issues, extension initiatives, programs, or research projects. Posters presented at other conferences are eligible for display. Poster space is limited. Posters will be accepted in the order they are received until space capacity is reached. To submit a poster, please use this link to provide the title, authors, a short (150-word maximum) abstract, the style (hanging vs tabletop), and the approximate size of your poster:
Deadline: July 3, 11:59 p.m. Your submission will be confirmed by Friday, July 7.
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Collective Impact Working Group
The Collective Impact state working group is developing a system to achieve long-term outcomes and capture our collective impacts for all programmatic areas in Arizona Extension. We are recruiting additional leadership from 4H and ANR program areas to expand our efforts. Please contact Evelyn Whitmer to join our team or for more information.
Collective Impact is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems-level change.
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Extension Website RedesignThe UArizona Cooperative Extension website is undergoing an overhaul. You can help guide the process by completing this 10-minute questionnaire.
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