ELT Minutes, November 9, 2011

Extension Leadership Team Meeting Minutes
November 9, 2012

Facilitator: John Rebar

Note taker: Jon Prichard

Please note: Due to the confidentiality and sensitivity of some agenda items, these ELT minutes do not represent the full content of each meeting.

Fort Kent: With the Aroostook County Government decision that the Fort Kent Extension Office will need to relocate at the end of 2012, this situation continues to unfold. The office will indeed need to move and John is working with staff to explore alternative office space.

Caribou Hall: The agreement for the transition of Caribou Hall from UMA to UMaine has been signed and the transfer is official.

4H Camps Financial Management: Dennis continues to make progress with the 4-H Camp staffs with their financial and operational management, and orientations are being scheduled for Tanglewood and Bryant Pond staff.

Registration Fees for online non-credit courses: The ELT approved a policy for the disposition of registration fees for online non-credit courses. The policy will be added to the policy manual and on resource pages controlled by Jennifer O’Leary. The draft policy is:

Registration Fees and Disposition of Revenue from Online non-credit Extension Courses

Registration Fee

A registration fee will be charged to participants of online non-credit Extension courses. The fee per course will be determined by agreement between the course developer, Extension’s Marketing Manager, Extension’s financial office, and the appropriate Program Administrator.

Disposition of Revenue

Revenue generated from registration fees for online non-credit Extension courses will be distributed as follows:

  • 60% will offset the expense of creating the online course, managing course registration, and managing revenue; and
  • 40% will benefit the staff member(s) responsible for developing the online course through credits for future program and staff development related expenses

Professional Dues: The goal of Flexible Staff Development (FSD) funds is to support activities that provide educational benefit. In regard to professional associations, we are reaffirming the policy that FSD funds may be used to support staff membership dues for national associations. FSD funds may not be used for membership dues for state associations.

Announcements:

  • Congratulations to Ellen Mallory who has been awarded $34,253 by the USDA to fund fostering new ways of communicating, engaging new types of farmers, social media training, reading the farm, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) outreach in Maine.
  • Congratulations to Bruce Watt who has been awarded $21,500 by Cornell University to fund the Northeast Pest Diagnostic Network (NPDN) 2011-2012 Diagnostic Lab.