Plugged In: For UMaine Extension Staff and Volunteers

ELT Minutes, April 2, 2014

Extension Leadership Team Minutes
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Location: 102B Libby Hall
9:00 – 3:30

Facilitator:  Lisa Phelps  

Note taker:  John Rebar

Present: Lisa, Jon, Fran, Dennis, & John

The ELT met with representatives of the Personal Sustainability Project Team, Aileen Fortune and Leslie Forstadt.  The team has developed draft recommendations regarding personal and organizational sustainability.  There are two important tasks that remain to be addressed.  The Team is eager to support the “role-out” of the recommendations and the creation of a journal article to be submitted with the intention of sharing the action research process and outcomes with the national Extension community.  The ELT asked questions for clarification regarding the recommendations.  The Team wants to see the personal sustainability conversation continuing within Cooperative Extension after the recommendations are shared.  The ELT asked the group to review their recommendations and identify which recommendations can/should be implemented by the Team, the ELT, a new entity or a combination of the three.  The Team will consider how they can roll out their recommendations.

The 4-H Foundation Annual Meeting is on May 15^th at the McIntyre Room of the Buchannan Alumni House.

The public hearing for the Animal and Plant Diagnostic bond was held before the Appropriations and Financial Affairs committee of the legislature on March 27.

Professional performance goals:  The ELT will be having the following goal in the performance evaluation of all program professionals: Educational programming must be grounded in clearly defined needs that are used to design audience appropriate outreach that is evaluated with documented results (economic, environmental and social) that are reported upon through the online reporting system.  This goal will add continuity to program professionals and greatly improve the focus and quality of the information that is entered into the online reporting system.

Budget Reduction Decisions and Next Steps:

Charging for programming: The responsibility for establishing the fee for a program rests with the ELT.  The aspiration is for the charge to customers to reflect a portion of the actual cost of developing and delivering the programming.  However, having input from programming staff is essential in making the decisions involved with the fee for programming.  Dennis is taking the lead to recruit faculty and staff to serve on a short-term committee that will make recommendations to the ELT on a framework for developing the fees for a program.  The Master Gardener Program, Master Food Preserver Program, and the Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove Camping programs will end their sliding scale charges.  Faculty and staff working in these programs will be engaged in the process that will develop recommendations to the ELT for the customer cost for these offerings.  Jim McConnon is willing to serve as a resource to faculty, staff and the ELT as we engage this issue.

For previously committed ELT discretionary funding allocations, Renae Byard and Dennis need to be informed when one of these purchases/expenses is being put forward.

The ELT set meeting dates and locations for meetings through the end of 2014.

Meetings are from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm – unless otherwise noted