Tag: MyExtension

MyExtension is our connection

sternweis

John Lawrence’s message from May 28, 2019

With my smartphone in my pocket and my computer on my lap, it’s hard to remember a time when I wasn’t so fully-connected as an extension professional. We’ve all come to rely on our ability to find what we need online as we serve Iowans every day. One of the tools that helps us do our work and maintain our connection is MyExtension. Did you know?

  • MyExtension was developed about four years ago. It is our intranet, a place for our internal “stuff” – resources that we need to access, but that the public doesn’t have to see.
  • MyExtension is for extension staff only; you must have a net ID and password to log in. (Resources that council members need are available through our public County Services site.)
  • Sometimes you may receive an email message (like this message from me) or newsletter with a link to MyExtension resources. For the link to open, be sure you are logged in to MyExtension before clicking on the link.
  • Our public ISU Extension and Outreach websites have red headers, while MyExtension pages have gold headers – so you can easily tell where you are.
  • You can make some choices about what appears on your MyExtension homepage. Every employee has the ability to add widgets – such as a particular department or favorites or frequently viewed pages. (The photo gallery widget is a great way to share local photos with the rest of the state.)

Since technology keeps changing, our intranet is never “done.” We always are looking for ways to make MyExtension better. For example, a landing page for all eAccessibility resources and tutorials will be coming soon. If you have comments or suggestions, contact the MyExtension content editors.

More notes

  • Four candidates will be interviewing for the 4-H Youth Development Program Leader position on May 29 and May 30. Information about the candidates and links to their webinars are available online.
  • You can review the May 22 meeting summary notes and video from the Structured for Success committee, as well as an archive of summaries from previous meetings.
  • Dates and locations for our first-quarter area-wide meetings have been set: Southwest, Aug. 28, Cass County Community Center, Atlantic; Northeast, Aug. 29, Waverly City Hall-Civic Center; Central, Aug 29 , Christy Hall, Story County ISU Extension Office, Nevada; Southeast, Sept. 10, Washington County Extension office, Washington; Northwest, Sept. 20, Clay County Event Center (Clay County Fairgrounds), Spencer. You can review the overall plans and expectations for these meetings.
  • ISU Rural Development Symposium: Research, Practice and Success is Aug. 15 in Ames. Save the date for this opportunity to engage with the researchers who study the issues and the people who put the research into practice. Hear about current research and success for economic development and quality of life in rural America. Registration will be available soon. For more information, contact Gary Taylor, gtaylor@iastate.edu.
  • From now through the end of June, the ISU Alumni Association is running a membership campaign tracking membership growth by county. They are telling Cyclones throughout the state how county extension offices are hard at work every day building even more Iowa State loyalty in our communities through programs and services that build a strong Iowa. This partnership with the ISU Alumni Association could help drive traffic to our county offices over the next few weeks, raising visibility for local programs and building our network of Cyclones everywhere.

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Vice President for Extension and Outreach

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Knowledge teams for greater impact

sternweis

John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 16, 2017

Many people often think of Iowa as rural, and agriculture with its related processing and manufacturing is the economic foundation for much of the state. However, our citizens live in communities, large and small, highly structured and unincorporated, and operate differently than a family or farm when it comes to governance, finance, enforcement and a vision for the future. Across Iowa, some communities are prospering while others are struggling, but all are dealing with the challenge of change.

Our ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development faculty and staff work to identify critical issues facing communities in our state and determine how best to address them for greater impact. Their combined efforts have resulted in a new team approach to community and economic development efforts. Did you know?

  • CED now focuses on five critical issues: housing, demographics, local economies, built environment, and civic engagement and leadership capacity.
  • CED faculty and staff are organized into six knowledge teams based on their expertise: art and design applications; civic engagement and leadership; data and technology; local economies; local governments and nonprofits; and promoting equity, inclusion and respect in communities.
  • CED knowledge teams include both campus and field-based specialists across the state. They are all responsible for statewide programming. However, each person serves as a point of contact for regional and county directors to help them link to CED people and programs.

CED teams address client-identified needs and opportunities, and foster creative and robust local decision-making. The goal is to build capacity in Iowans – so they can sustain their communities and make them better places to live, work and play.

County website update

Our current web content management software, Drupal 6, is no longer being updated, making it unsecure and unreliable. That is why Extension Information Technology is beginning to develop a new framework for county websites in Drupal 8. EIT will be building the new framework to improve accessibility, responsiveness and brand management, and to make adding content easier. Content editors and county offices can share feedback with the transition team by responding to surveys between October and December. Information about the surveys and links to complete them will arrive in your email soon. As the project moves forward, the transition team will provide status reports on MyExtension (login with your Net-ID and password to view). If you have questions about the project, contact countywebtransition@iastate.edu.

A couple more notes

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Interim Vice President for Extension and Outreach

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Wear the brand with pride!

sternweis

John Lawrence’s message from Aug. 14, 2017

If you’ve seen me out in the state this summer (or if you follow me on Twitter), chances are you’ve noticed the red shirt I’m wearing. It probably had the ISU Extension and Outreach wordmark on it or Iowa State University. Maybe it featured the I-State logo if I was doing something related to Athletics and the Cyclones. The point is, on any given day I wear the appropriate shirt depending on what I plan to do. I show my connection to Iowa State, which matters to our clients.

In 2010 we conducted quantitative and qualitative needs assessments. When Iowans were asked how they would describe ISU Extension and Outreach, the most common response was “unknown” – and these were people who already used our services! However, nearly all were aware of Iowa State and had a positive perception of the university. It was obvious then that we had to connect more strongly to Iowa State to better serve all Iowans.

During the past seven years, we’ve made a lot of progress in building our brand. We need to stay on task, and we are not changing our branding strategy during this interim period. Did you know?

  • Today you’ll find more than a hundred ISU Extension and Outreach branded templates on MyExtension (sign in and check the Advancement tab). If you need to make a brochure, newsletter, stakeholder report or just about anything, you’ll find a template you can use. You also can contact our Advancement team for answers to questions, training and support.
  • Sign in on the Extension Store to find all kinds of organizational marketing items you can order, including pens, pencils, mugs, podium signs, table cloths, posters and banners. There’s even an ISU Extension and Outreach rain gauge for the hopeful among us.
  • Besides branding your events, remember to brand yourself. Order a new name badge via MyExtension (sign in and search for name badge) if you need one, or update your wardrobe with ISU Extension and Outreach branded apparel from the Extension Store. (Sign in and search for apparel.)

There’s no reason for ISU Extension and Outreach to be a best kept secret any more. No matter where you are or what you do, it’s easy for you and your event to be properly branded. All our program areas, departments, units and county offices are part of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, a 99 county campus with one well-known, credible brand. Wear it with pride.

One more note: As Interim President Ben Allen states, we must not ignore what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, or pretend it doesn’t impact us. I support his message that hatred, racism and bigotry have no place at Iowa State University, including Extension and Outreach. Please read his message.

— John D. Lawrence
Iowa State University Interim Vice President for Extension and Outreach

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