Tag: reporting

Why we report

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John Lawrence’s message from Oct. 1, 2018

Happy federal fiscal new year! Today we begin our work for FY2019, while we also get ready to report on FY2018 and start planning for FY2020. In the meantime, USDA NIFA approved our federal FY2017 ISU Combined Research and Extension Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results. We report on USDA’s six priority areas incorporated into our seven broad, interdisciplinary programs. Did you know?

  • We report on outputs, outcomes and impacts for community and economic development, expanding human potential, food security, health and well-being, natural resources and environmental stewardship, sustainable and renewable energy, and K-12 youth development.
  • Our program units annually plan for the metrics they’ll report on. However, if an issue emerges that we need to address, such as a natural disaster or an economic crisis, we can reallocate staff time and divert resources accordingly.
  • In late November, USDA NIFA will open FY2018 reporting, and we’ll start crunching numbers and writing impact narratives to meet a Feb. 1 internal deadline. At Iowa State, extension is closely integrated with research, so ISU Extension and Outreach and the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station submit one joint report.
  • Together we report on all research and extension work accomplished through federal funds. By late March, the CALS dean, representing the Experiment Station, and I will sign off on the report, which we’ll submit to USDA NIFA by April 1. Sometime next June, USDA will approve our report.

We report so we can share the value and impact of ISU Extension and Outreach – whether we’re reporting to USDA, the university, the Board of Regents, state government, our partners and stakeholders, or directly to Iowans. We strive to be intentional and consistent. Every data point you provide is used in at least one report and often several, as well as staff success stories, research journal articles and grant applications. Reporting helps us tell our story to make sure our stakeholders, partners, funders and all Iowans will continue to support our work for a strong Iowa. Thank you for all you do.

More notes

  • Please join me in congratulating Lesia Oesterreich, adjunct assistant professor and family life extension specialist, who will receive the 2018 Excellence in Extension Award from USDA NIFA, Cooperative Extension, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The award is given annually to one Cooperative Extension professional in the nation who excels at programming, provides visionary leadership and makes a positive impact on constituents served.
  • We’re looking for Rising Star interns for summer 2019. This cooperative program involves ISU Extension and Outreach, County Extension Districts, and the colleges of Design, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Sciences, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. If you know any Iowa State students who would be a good fit for the program, direct them to the Rising Star Internship website for more information and to apply.
  • Interim Vice President and Chief Information Officer Kristen Constant shares this message: FEMA will conduct its first test of a national wireless emergency alert system Oct. 3 at 1:18 p.m. The alert, with the headline “Presidential Alert,” is scheduled to pop up on every cell phone in the nation (similar to AMBER alerts). Cell towers are scheduled to broadcast for 30 minutes and cell phones may receive these texts over that entire time (and possibly beyond). This test is not associated with the university, nor is it associated with our “ISU Alert” service. No action will be required when cell phone owners receive the test message. ITS will monitor effects on our local systems.
  • The study committee I wrote about in the Sept. 4 update met for the first time Saturday, Sept. 29. This is the first of many meetings the committee will have over the coming year as it studies how ISU Extension and Outreach is organized in the counties and the county-to-campus connection. The committee soon will have a webpage for sharing meeting summaries and other information. I’ll share the link when it’s available.

Members of the committee are:

  • Jamie David (Taylor County Council) jamie.david1421@gmail.com
  • Lori Donahoe (Johnson County Council) ldonahoe11@hotmail.com
  • Paul Gieselman (Louisa County Council) herr_giesel@louisacomm.net
  • Molly Hewitt (Woodbury County Director) hewittm@iastate.edu
  • Katharinna Bain (Keokuk County Director) kbain@iastate.edu
  • Cheryl Heronemus (Region 1 Director) hero@iastate.edu
  • Larry Tranel (Field Specialist, NE Iowa) tranel@iastate.edu
  • Terry Maloy (IECA Executive Director) maloy@iastate.edu
  • Bob Dodds (Assistant VP for County Services) redodds@iastate.edu
  • John Lawrence (VP for Extension and Outreach) jdlaw@iastate.edu

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

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Everybody’s job

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John Lawrence’s message from Sept. 25, 2017

Say what you’ll do, do what you say and prove it with numbers. That’s a basic premise of quality management, and it is top of mind as we strive to maintain and improve the quality of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. It’s everybody’s job, in every part of our organization, to create and share the value and impact of our work. So we’re taking action to get better at sharing our story. Did you know?

  • Our updated ISU Extension and Outreach strategic plan will be ready sometime this fall.
  • A steering committee is working on developing one reporting system for our entire organization.
  • We’re developing resources for public value training.

Learn more in this video message about our strategic plan, our reporting system and our public value.

still image from John Lawrence video

County Stakeholder Reports

Each fall we ask county offices to create county stakeholder reports highlighting programs with significant local impact. These reports are a good way to help citizens, stakeholders and decision makers understand how we connect the needs of Iowans with Iowa State University research and resources. Our goal is to have all the 2017 reports completed by Jan. 1, 2018, before the start of the next legislative session. In the meantime, you can review the 2016 county stakeholder reports online.

Need Input on County Fair MOU template

A couple of weeks ago I shared that a committee representing ISU Extension and Outreach, county fairs and FFA is drafting a template/checklist to help local leaders develop their own county fair MOU. We’re sharing one video message with the three groups at the same time about the process underway and we’re asking everyone for input on what the template/checklist should include. If you have input for the committee, please contact one of these ISU Extension and Outreach representatives before Nov. 1:

  • Bryan Whaley, Region 2 Director, bwhaley@iastate.edu, 515-341-6967
  • Joe Sellers, Beef Field Specialist, sellers@iastate.edu, 641-774-2016
  • Nancy Adrian, Washington County Extension Director, nadrian@iastate.edu, 319-653-4811
  • Mandy Maher, Fremont County Program Coordinator, mmaher@iastate.edu, 712-374-2351
  • Annette Brown, 4-H Youth Program Specialist, annbrown@iastate.edu, 515-432-3882
  • Bob Dodds, Assistant VP, County Services, redodds@iastate.edu, 515-294-0013
  • John Lawrence, Interim VP for Extension and Outreach, jdlaw@iastate.edu, 515-294-6675

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

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Our Rising Stars

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John Lawrence’s message from Aug. 28, 2017

2017 Rising Star interns

Iowa State students returned to campus last week to begin the fall semester – including 15 who now have a better understanding of ISU Extension and Outreach than they did a few months ago. These students, our 2017 Rising Star Interns, spent their summer learning about local food systems, exploring Iowa communities and considering careers as extension professionals.

I first met the interns in the spring. Over dinner at the Gateway, we talked about the exciting work they planned to do. I also had a chance to meet up with a few of the teams this summer as I was out touring the state. A few weeks ago, they all presented their final projects to the extension leadership team, their college deans and regional directors. Did you know?

  • The Rising Stars in Region 1, Leah Brooke, Ruby Hotchkiss and Madison Lapke, developed “Grow! Know! Whoa!” This program for children covered three aspects of local food: how to grow it, the health benefits and how to prepare it.
  • Region 3 interns Erin McDonald, Josephina Matteson and Rui Xie developed strategic plans for Ackley and Latimer, a master plan for the Worth County fairground, a strategic implementation plan for the historic Winifred Hotel, and a strategic plan for educating and serving local foods producers in the region.
  • The interns in Region 5, Emily Bormann, Madison Hemer and Izzy Worrall, focused on serving people “from ages 6 to 80.” They made connections and built relationships with community members through youth programming, food demonstrations and special events.
  • Region 7 interns Rachel Ulven, Shana Hilgerson and Yuanhao “Rory” Wang evaluated Rising Star media platforms, developed intergenerational activities to promote local foods, and promoted Spanish language inclusion at farmers markets.
  • In Region 20, interns Kaitlin Brake, Breanna Burnett-Larkins and Thomata Doe introduced children to new fruits and vegetables during summer lunch programs and rated the effectiveness of visual merchandising and branding on farmers markets. They also worked to increase awareness of local foods as a whole, as well as the role Eat Fresh Southeast Iowa plays in promoting local growers.

From what I can tell, the interns had a fun and rewarding experience this summer. They all deserve our thanks for a job well done. At least a few of them are thinking seriously about a career in ISU Extension and Outreach. Keep that in mind the next time you’re hiring, and encourage them to apply.

One more thing: County fair season is almost over (hang in there, Guthrie and Clay), and it’s time to report county 4-H data. We need to fulfill our state and federal reporting requirements, as well as make our data available to extension councils and the public through Data for 4-H Decision Makers. And we need your help. State 4-H Leader John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas says fewer than half of our county 4-H programs have entered their data, and half of those have entered only partial data. The Oct. 1 deadline will be here soon, so let’s pick up the pace and get that data entered. It’s important for your county, for 4-H, and for all of ISU Extension and Outreach.

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

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