See You There

If you are on a campus this time of year, you start thinking about graduation — all the ceremonies, the pomp, the proud and happy parents. In sitting through commencement ceremonies, I’ve noticed that a lot of advice is freely dispensed. The advice usually is about being bold, accepting change, and going forth to do good things. I always like hearing that advice. It’s a fitting message, because I believe education is all about helping us to take risks and succeed.

Part of the objective of education is to impart facts and knowledge. But our world is changing so rapidly that the set of facts we can learn today will not be enough. Our greatest challenge is to develop skills to enlarge upon that small set of facts; to learn how to think and reason so that in the future we can easily add to our knowledge base. All of us will encounter situations that our knowledge may not directly prepare us to handle. Without the ability to find the answers, to think through to a unique and different solution, it will be difficult to succeed.

A wonderful quote by Eric Hoffer speaks to this: “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

I believe Extension and Outreach creates capacity and opportunity for citizens to be learners. I believe we attempt to cultivate a few essential ingredients in ourselves and those around us: an open mind and a lifelong desire to learn and grow, a thirst for accomplishment that is not fueled by greed or ego, a curiosity about the world, and a desire to make a difference. See you there.

– Cathann

change change, education, Extension, learn, learners, learning

Although we received some rain (and snow!) in the past few weeks, we will need more as we head into the growing season. I recently happened upon a conversation in a café in Independence about needing “rainmakers.” On my way back home, I began thinking about the power of belief in getting things done. Rainmakers aren’t just those who create rain; the term also refers to people known for achieving excellent results in a profession.

Adept faculty and staff, council members, and volunteers are crucial for success in ISU Extension and Outreach. Washington State University Extension, which also is moving toward a university-wide extension system, has focused on this concept of being a rainmaker. At Washington State, a rainmaker is someone who through his or her skills and abilities can bring people and resources together to meet the challenges facing extension now and in the future. Rainmakers are continual learners. They have an area of expertise, but also must be entrepreneurial and capable of working in multidisciplinary teams. They must be competent in establishing partnerships, able to empower constituents, and adept in developing relevant educational programs. Subject matter specialization is desirable, but “big picture” thinking is required.

Washington State even has published an extension rainmaker job description (http://ext.wsu.edu/careers/Rainmaker.pdf). Potential rainmakers must have appropriate academic degrees, but most of the job description lists the skills, abilities, and attitudes that rainmaking requires. However, rainmaking can be learned. These attributes can be gained through professional development.

ISU Extension and Outreach encourages and supports professional development and growth in faculty, staff, council members, and volunteers, because we seek to be a dynamic organization — and to become the university that best serves its state. As you plan for your professional development, think about what skills you can build upon so you can make a difference for Iowans. Let’s make it rain. See you there.

– Cathann

Partnerships, professional development Extension, Partnerships, professional development

“Together you have set a new record. With your strong wings and determination, mighty Eagle, and with your dreaming and your quick brain, little Wren, you have flown to a height never reached by any bird before.”
— The Eagle and the Wren, by Jane Goodall

About a dozen years ago, chimpanzee authority Jane Goodall and illustrator Alexander Reichstein created a beautiful children’s book based on the fable of the eagle and the wren. But the fable, which I first heard from my father, has always been one of my favorites. (My daughter is named, in part, for the little wren.) According to the story, all the birds got into an argument about who could fly the highest and bragged about their accomplishments. So the wise owl declared a contest to determine how high each bird could fly. All the birds began flying, but one by one they tired and dropped out of the contest, until only the eagle was left high in the sky. However, when the eagle was as high as he could fly, a tiny wren crept out from among the eagle’s feathers and flew high about the eagle. When the surprised eagle asked the wren how she flew so high, she replied, “You carried me all the way. I couldn’t have flown so high by myself.”

Today the story of the eagle and the wren reminds me of the partnership between our county offices and Iowa State. None of us can fly very high by ourselves. We all need an eagle. We need the help of other people. We are able to accomplish more because we are working together. I am thankful for our partnership and the commitment and dedication of all our faculty and staff and 900 council members throughout the state. I am confident we can reach new heights together. See you there.

– Cathann

Partnerships, Uncategorized Extension, Partnerships

“If you like things easy, you’ll have difficulties; if you like problems, you’ll succeed.” – Laotian proverb

Does Extension and Outreach need an “easy” button? It seems to work for Staples. You can download an easy button for your desktop from the Staples website. You even can order your own talking easy button so you can hear “that was easy” at any time. An easy button certainly may come in handy for ordering ink and toner cartridges, but for preparing and delivering our educational programs? Not so much.

Extension and Outreach often has prided itself on being a problem solver. We’ve said we solve problems or we help Iowans solve problems. It used to be easy. Perhaps there used to be fewer problems or perhaps we solved the easy problems first and just left the tough ones. Most education was based on this type of model as well — solving problems.  If train A leaves the station at 6:00 heading east, and train Y leaves a station 50 miles away heading west…

This type of model is based on knowing things.  And Extension and Outreach has always been very good at knowing things.  Today there is so much information out there it’s a bit harder to keep up.  People grasp at quick solutions before understanding what the real problem is.

If you think of it that way, it may not be that we need problem solvers, so much as problem finders.  We are engaging with problems to which even our researchers may not know the answers or taking on the “unknown unknowns,” as Ewan McIntosh says.  Bottom line: You have to understand the issue you’re dealing with before you can find an accurate solution. This is a skill we must cultivate in ourselves and in our clients. 

When we focus on providing access and building capacity, then Iowa State education and research can benefit Iowans quickly and effectively — and Iowans can inform the evolving research. Together we can find the best solutions — after we find the right problems. See you there.

– Cathann

change building capacity, Extension, problem-solving, providing access

For years, some of our colleagues here in Iowa and many more throughout the nation have remarked that extension is a “best kept secret.” Just last week, Representative Bruce Bearinger referred to us that way when tweeting about our hotlines.  Type “extension best kept secret” into Google and most of the top 10 results refer to extension work. (The others deal primarily with hair extensions, where I imagine a secret is a good thing.) But being a secret is nothing to be proud of for us. I’ve heard the reasons why for years – we tend to be busy and don’t like to promote ourselves.  Most extension professionals don’t like the spotlight.  It’s hard to fully understand all the variety of work we do.

To reverse this situation, we need a game plan. We need equipment, drills, plays, and strategies. (Sort of sounds like football, but then again, the Super Bowl was just last Sunday.) We need a playbook and our Organizational Advancement team is preparing one right now. You’ll receive your copy in time for Extension and Outreach Week, March 24-30.

The Advancement Playbook is a guide for our organizational marketing efforts. It contains plans to promote and advance Extension and Outreach and advocate to external partners about our educational mission and program impact. The Playbook will make it easier for all players in our system — statewide, on campus, and within counties and regions — to function as one team with one game message: We are a community-based education unit providing the state with educational goods and services that benefit many.

And therein lies the trick, which a playbook is designed to help address – to sort through the clutter, learn fast, and communicate faster. See you there.

– Cathann

Communication advancement, Communication, Extension

Gardeners often grow clematis with roses, because the two plants can be a successful combination. However, you have to provide adequate spacing for the plants and prune carefully. If you choose varieties that bloom at different times, you can sequence the flowering for a longer span of blooms in the garden. Then, not only can you enjoy the flowers of each plant, you can revel in the beauty of both. Because one is embedded in the other, the two plants work together, and they complement each other all summer and into the fall. In fact, clematis and roses can become so embedded together that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

During President Leath’s installation address in September, he noted that Extension and Outreach’s signature issues focus on the needs of our state, initiatives of the Governor, and priorities of Iowa State University. He pointed out our continuing efforts in agriculture, food and nutrition, environmental sustainability, community development, business assistance, and K-12 youth outreach. He also noted our work in support of the Governor’s STEM initiative and Healthiest State initiative. These are ways we build the capacity of the university.

At our annual conference, President Leath again expressed his confidence in our work and reminded us that Extension and Outreach plays a key part in the bigger picture that is Iowa State University. He said the faculty and staff of Extension and Outreach are the university’s front line when it comes to creating partnerships. He emphasized that the work of Extension and Outreach is central to the university and essential for Iowa State to become the university that best serves its state.

Extension and Outreach is not a separate organization; we are an integral part of Iowa State. However, our clients may not always recognize that Extension and Outreach and our programs such as 4-H, IPM, and CIRAS are all part of a larger portfolio of Iowa State University. They may view extension work as something that only their county does, or as a distinct organization only focused on one issue or audience. It’s our job to help them understand our connection to the university.

Extension and Outreach is embedded in Iowa State University. However, we must expand this embedding even further — so President Leath, the Board of Regents, the Iowa Legislature, and the people of Iowa cannot even imagine Extension and Outreach without Iowa State or Iowa State University without Extension and Outreach. By broadening and strengthening our embedded partnership, Iowa State can become the “partnership university” — the university that best serves its state. See you there.

– Cathann

Mission, Partnerships Extension, Iowa State, Partnerships, signature issues, STEM

If your family is like ours, then Thanksgiving week involved not just turkey, family, and football, but one or more of you may have found yourselves untangling strings of holiday lights, unpacking ornaments, or hanging wreaths or other holiday trappings.

Things got problematic in our household this year. When we opened the attic to retrieve decorations we stashed during the move, I could have sworn the boxes multiplied. When did we end up with that many ornaments? And, since we are now in a new house, it was unclear where decorations would go. There was quite a hotly contested campaign between the two youngest Kresses regarding optimal placement of the tree and how to hang stockings from a very different mantel. This all left me wondering: when did celebrating and decorating get so complicated?

Ron Ashkenas, author of “Simply Effective,” contends that this happens to organizations, too. We start out with a simple goal, basic product, or manageable structure and over time, it gets more complex. We change the way our organization is structured for a variety of reasons and we have to relearn our roles. We have a proliferation in programs and services as our organization grows, which makes focusing and thus managing the whole even more difficult. As we use new and varying approaches to solve problems, we add on processes or expectations that now also have to be learned and managed.

The same conclusion I reached in decorating for the holidays applies for organizations. It’s probably wise to step back and consider if there are ways to simplify and streamline. This summer a committee of council members, Iowa Association of County Extension Councils leadership, and extension staff and administrators took a thoughtful and pragmatic look at our partnership and drafted a new memorandum of understanding. Our County Services administrative unit coordinated the effort. This MOU outlines the partnership between ISU Extension and Outreach and the county extension districts, which extension councils represent. We’ll be gathering feedback on the draft MOU from council members, staff, and other citizens. We expect to have a final agreement by next April.

The MOU is a legal agreement authorized by the Code of Iowa. However, its impact reaches far beyond the legal necessity of the document. The new MOU carries forward the work that began with our leadership summit and continues through our new strategic plan and the reorganization of Extension and Outreach administration. Every organization includes complexity: technologies and procedures, program and staff development processes, and intricate partnerships with partners and customers. All of these are complex. But we amplify the complexity when we add unnecessary layers, ambiguous roles, confused accountability, slow and unclear decisions, garbled communications, or lack of focus. Rather than bash complexity, we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves whether we are adding to it. See you there.

– Cathann

P.S. The draft of the MOU and the archived Nov. 26 webinar are online at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/content/countycouncils/.

Partnerships complexity, Extension, organization, Partnerships

My daughter, Wren, now a high school freshman, is also a cheerleader. I was familiar with cartwheels and back flips, but now I know about aerials, straight cradles, and extended stunts, among other things. And I’ve learned a new phrase, something Wren’s coach often says. She describes the squad as “crazy super awesome!” (And I think an exclamation point may be required!)

Cheerleading originated in the United States, and while it may be easy to dismiss all that jumping about, these young people are ambassadors for their schools, promote school spirit, and essentially, organize a crowd to work together to support a common goal. You might be surprised to know that three U.S. presidents were once cheerleaders (Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George W. Bush). It may not be a big surprise, but I was once a cheerleader too, for football, basketball, and wrestling. Go, Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). I learned a few things that I think still apply:

1. Cheer the whole team. Encourage all your team members, not just the stars. Success relies on everyone doing his or her job well.
2. Move on. When something doesn’t go as planned (a fumble, a botched play), acknowledge the setback and move on.
3. Harness momentum. Figure out ways to build on the interest and enthusiasm of the crowd.
4. Focus on team success. Celebrate what the team has accomplished together.

My daughter cheers for Ames High, but we all can appreciate the success of our team, ISU Extension and Outreach. Looking back over the past nearly year and a half, we have a lot to cheer about. You all work diligently to serve the people of Iowa, and it shows. We have story after story that demonstrates the commitment and dedication of our entire team. All this awesomeness is due to one valuable resource: People. Thanks for everything you do — but be careful with those back flips. See you there.

– Cathann

P.S. As a reminder, there are thank you notes for all of you in the video that debuted at our 2011 leadership summit. If you haven’t watched it in a while, take another look.

Attitude, Mission commitment, Extension, goals, success

Extension and Outreach specialists, faculty, and county staff have been doing a tremendous job in responding to issues of the 2012 drought. More than 6,000 Iowans participated in our meetings and webinars and called our hotlines and specialists for updates on crop, livestock, and horticulture issues. Our drought response will continue, as we look ahead and anticipate Iowans’ needs for their farms, families, businesses, and communities, because the drought is a slow crisis. There are no fast-moving floodwaters that advance and recede; there is no rapidly spreading wildfire to extinguish. Instead it’s a long, dry wait that can be misleading as it seems less of a crisis to many people with harvest over, or with a few days of rain.

But a drought brings change. There’s episodic change, or step-by-step: issues of plant growth and disease, grain quality, and pre and post harvest concerns. A drought also brings systemic change, change that affects an entire system. The drought doesn’t just affect crop producers and their bushel-per-acre yield. It may more profoundly impact livestock producers who need food for their animals; if they can’t get enough grain and forages, they have to sell their stock. Livestock sales can flood the market, bringing prices down short-term, but increasing prices at the meat counter long afterward. Consumers likely will see a lot of rising prices — corn and soybeans are used in many products. If the drought continues long enough, wells and rural water systems may run dangerously low and water conservation or rationing may be on the horizon.

Over the past year Extension and Outreach also has been experiencing systemic change, as we’ve addressed how we work as well as what we do. We’ve shifted from being an ad hoc operation to an organization that acts based on shared, fundamental principles. We’re streamlining administration to better support our mission. We’re developing our business plan and documenting standard operating procedures for budget planning, collaboration, and policy management.

Our new program development process and program catalog will improve communication, coordination, and efficiencies in providing extension education across the state. New citizens advisory groups at the program level will provide more targeted citizen input. Stronger relationships with ISU deans and new partnerships with the colleges already are increasing engagement in Extension and Outreach initiatives and broadening program efforts. In addition, we’re revising the MOUs with all county extension councils and the 4-H Foundation to clarify roles and responsibilities and articulate the partnerships for the future.

That’s a lot of change in a year, but the reality is that change is part of the fabric of our work, just like the drought will be part of the fabric of our state potentially for the next couple of years. The changes are readying us for more strategic decision-making, effective program implementation, and coordinated, planned action across ISU Extension and Outreach. See you there.

– Cathann

change, Partnerships change, drought, Extension, Partnerships

My daughter recently asked me – what was the largest living organism?  She thought it might be the blue whale, but that title is claimed by a quaking aspen estimated to be possibly a million years old. Covering 106 acres just south of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, the aspen named Pando looks like 47,000 different trees. However, he really is one tree with one common root and a whopping 47,000 connected parts. Pando is a system.

Aspens don’t just grow up; they also grow horizontally underground. An aspen root may travel 100 feet underground before sprouting up, and each new stem can send out its own army of underground roots to form still more new shoots. Pando’s connected network of roots carries water and nutrients throughout the system, wherever they are needed. That’s why a quaking aspen system can survive in marginal environments where other trees would die.  In adverse situations, rather than shut down, the quaking aspen sends out new roots.  For example, if a fire wipes out many stems in a stand, the root system sends out a huge increase in new, rapidly growing stems.

If we pay attention to Pando, we can learn a few things about sustainability.

1. We can overcome marginal environments by taking advantage of our system.
2. We must communicate effectively. We have a variety of resources we can tap into, but we have to share information and data.
3. We have to know how to effectively deploy our resources.
4. If 47,000 trees can act as one system, then every person and every office connected to ISU Extension and Outreach can be part of our larger system as well.

The roots of Extension and Outreach are in youth development and agriculture. However, we extend Iowa State University to all the citizens of Iowa — not just to farmers, but also to community leaders, business owners, manufacturers, teachers, parents, families, and youth. We take Iowa State to main street as well as family farms, to schools and community centers, to industry and entrepreneurs, online and in person. Because of our partnership and commitment throughout all of Iowa’s counties, the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach system will leave our state better than we found it. See you there.

– Cathann

Communication Extension, Resources, sustainability, system