John Lawrence’s message from March 16, 2020
COVID-19 updates
- Continue to check the campus safety page for updated information about the COVID-19 outbreak and Iowa State’s response. We’ve also added the link to our Disaster Recovery page, accessible from the ISU Extension and Outreach homepage.
- Our Annual Conference will be virtual on April 1. See my message from March 11. Also, please remember to cancel your hotel reservations. Council members and staff who haven’t previously registered: Do consider registering for the virtual conference. Information will be added to the conference website as details are confirmed.
- My recent COVID-19 updates for all staff, faculty and council members have been archived on the Office of the Vice President website. Topics include ISU student use of Wi-Fi, employee leave, instate travel and cancellations. Continue watching for updates from me.
Did you know?
Whether at home, in the barn or even out in the pasture, 4-H youth can log on to Animal U and become better caretakers for animals. Through this online gaming platform, youth direct their own learning to gain knowledge and skills that apply to their livestock projects. Did you know?
- ISU Extension and Outreach and the Department of Animal Science developed Animal U, a program that is intended for use nationwide. Amy Powell, extension youth animal science specialist, manages the project, which is a collaboration of extension subject matter experts, faculty members, commodity groups and industry partners.
- Animal U is designed to connect more young people to animal agriculture, whether they have or don’t have an animal of their own. They learn about the relationship between animal agriculture and the science and technology that supports it in everyday life. In addition, they learn about potential careers associated with food production.
- Animal U is open to everyone now. After May 1 it will be available to Iowa 4-H at no cost and to other states by subscription. The long-term goal is to extend it nationwide to 4-H partners and schools across the country. For more information, contact Amy Powell, ampowell@iastate.edu.
Internal Communications update
In 2019, our Internal Communications Task Force recommended that we develop a method for crisis communications. In addition, Iowa State did an internal audit of our processes, which recommended we establish a social media crisis communications plan. (Our previous crisis communications plan – yes, we did have one – was established in 2017 but did not reference social media.)
No two situations are alike, and it would be impossible for us to anticipate every situation. However, our new crisis communications plan will help staff recognize a crisis situation or event, take the first steps in the process and bring together the appropriate people as the crisis management team. The plan leaves room to investigate the individual crisis and determine the best course of action. You can find the plan on MyExtension under the Advancement tab, then navigate to “Guidelines and How-Tos.”
More notes
- Please review the March program update from the leadership team for current examples of what is happening across our programs.
- Goodbye … and welcome, February 2020: Please review this list of individuals who left ISU Extension and Outreach in the past month, as well as those who have joined our organization.
- The March 9 Second Monday Live archive is available. The session covered Annual Conference, our new crisis communication plan, a webinar on Human Sciences’ new block map and Animal U.
- If you want to be the first county to transition to the new website platform, enter the contest by March 27. (EIT has extended the deadline.) The winner will be announced at our virtual Annual Conference, April 1. Featured publications will feed into specific pages in the new platform and county content editors will be able to choose which publications to feature on their own sites. The new platform also will make it easier to share news articles between counties and the ISU Extension and Outreach homepage.
— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach