ELT Minutes, June 7, 2011
Extension Leadership Team Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Room 102B – Libby Hall
Facilitator: Fran
Note taker: Doug
Please note: Due to the confidentiality and sensitivity of some agenda items, these ELT minutes do not represent the full content of each meeting.
Present: Doug Babkirk (via Google Chat), Dennis Harrington, John Rebar and Fran Sulinski.
Absent: Lisa Phelps
4H Foundation Annual Meeting: The 4H Foundation Annual meeting was held on May 24th. At the meeting, Harold Brown “Brownie” was honored for his years of work in support of 4H and the Foundation.
Regional learning Center at Tidewater: Tidewater development initiatives continue including the building of partnerships with public and private sectors. The Center is open for use by all UMaine employees. Andrea Herr is the contact for scheduling the seminar and conference rooms in the Center.
Camps: Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove are currently focusing on staff and board development and greater linkage with local and state 4H programs. Bryant Pond – New Environmental Education Center opening is on July 9th. Staff transitions are underway relative to administrative and program leadership oversight.
PA Search Update: June 15th is the date for interviews and the public presentation by the candidate.
ELT meeting dates: August 3, August 19
County Extension Association (CEA) Bonding Insurance: The ELT agreed to ask each of the 14 CEA’s to absorb the cost of bonding their treasurers at a projected cost of $40/year per CEA effective 2010. The balance of funds generated by the defunct Maine Extension Association had been used to pay for past annual bonding premiums but that fund is now empty and we can not use federal or state funds to pay for another organization’s bonding. Dennis will send a memo to each CEA President and copy county coordinators.
Federal Budget Update: The US House of Representative Appropriations Committee is recommending significant cuts to Extension’s base funding. Smith –Lever 3(b) &(c) is cut by 11%, EFNEP 14% and IPM 15%. Cuts of this magnitude would have serious consequences for UMaine Extension and the programs we can offer to the people of Maine. John is working with the federal delegation to address the issue and will provide organizational updates or “calls for support” in the near future. While the exact cuts are unknown, we must assume some level of cuts and this reality coupled with cuts in state funding will influence our capacity to allocate base and one-time funds in FY 12 and beyond.
Announcements:
- Congratulations to Barbara Baker who has been awarded $25,000 by the National 4-H Council for the 4-H Maine Youth Community Action programs across the state.