John Lawrence’s message from Feb. 11, 2019
Human Sciences Extension and Outreach recently released Healthy and Homemade, the first full priority program developed through their Educational Offerings Life Cycle Process. The Healthy and Homemade series focuses on strategies to help Iowans use their time, dollars and skills wisely to save money and prepare nutritious, safe foods. It’s a complete educational package with marketing and evaluation materials, and it will be reviewed every two years. Human Sciences is using this new process to ensure all their educational offerings are research-based or evidence-based, up to date and appropriate for Iowans. Did you know?
- Educational offerings refer to programs, consultations and resources — the menu of educational opportunities that Human Sciences Extension and Outreach provides to Iowans.
- The life cycle process is a systematic approach to how and when Human Sciences Extension and Outreach creates, adopts, adapts and reviews subject matter to produce educational offerings.
- All Human Sciences Extension and Outreach faculty and staff are expected to follow the process when creating, adopting or adapting new educational curricula and materials. Existing educational offerings are worked into the two-year review cycle.
Reviewing an educational offering won’t take long if the science has not changed. However, as Human Sciences Extension and Outreach Director Deb Sellers has noted, “If we are teaching something that is out of date, then we have a responsibility to change that content in our offerings.”
Goodbye … and welcome
In January, we said goodbye to the following individuals who left ISU Extension and Outreach:
- Natalie Oberbeck, Clinton County youth coordinator.
- Elwynn Taylor, professor, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Dee Weiss, clerk III, Extension Information Technology.
- Daniel Burden, program coordinator II, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
We welcome the following new staff:
- Jessie Soderstrum, Story County youth coordinator.
- Courtney Chapman, Appanoose County youth coordinator.
- Emily Yockey, Woodbury County youth nutrition educator.
- Lisa Chensvold, Madison County office assistant/bookkeeper.
- Alexis Seuntjens, Pochahontas County program coordinator.
- Sean Murphy, Wayne County program coordinator.
- Susan Roos-Rickels, extension program assistant I, Human Sciences.
- Amanda Ruckdaschel, program assistant II, Conference Planning and Management.
- Beth Bunkers, field specialist II, 4-H Youth Development.
One more note: There still are opportunities to participate in “Creating Accessible Documents” workshops, to learn about new processes when working in Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher and Outlook. Workshops will be held in Ames during February and March, in LeMars in April, and in Independence in April and May.
— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach