Scholarly Works, Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education
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Browsing Scholarly Works, Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education by Department "Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE)"
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- Accessing Virginia Market Sectors: Establishing a Market PerspectiveVallotton, Amber; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-27)Discusses marketing perspective, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the market, before investing lots of time, effort and money.
- Accessing Virginia's College & University Market Sector: Fresh Produce Food Safety ConsiderationsVallotton, Amber; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-27)Highlights from a 2015-2016 market assessment survey are discussed in this document.
- Accessing Virginia's Hospital Market Sector: Fresh Produce Food Safety ConsiderationsVallotton, Amber; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-27)Discusses hospitals as a potential market for locally grown foods and products. Identifies school purchasing priorities, and some of the likely barriers to purchasing.
- Accessing Virginia's Market Sectors: Fresh Produce Purchasing ConsiderationsVallotton, Amber; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-17)Discusses the results of a survey of colleges and universities, direct-to-consumer markets, hospitals, public schools, restaurants, retailers and regional wholesalers.
- Accessing Virginia's Public School (K-12) Market Sector: Fresh Produce Safety ConsiderationsVallotton, Amber; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-27)Discusses public schools as a potential market for locally grown foods and products. Identifies school purchasing priorities, and some of the likely barriers to purchasing.
- Accessing Virginia's Regional Wholesale Market Sector: Fresh Produce Safety ConsiderationsVallotton, Amber; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-17)Discusses wholesale market distributors and regional food hubs, and how to market locally grown food crops to them. Also notes the results of a 2015-2016 a Virginia statewide market assessment survey.
- Accessing Virginia’s Restaurant Market Sector: Fresh Produce Food Safety ConsiderationsVallotton, Amber D.; Battah, Alexandra; Knox, Ryan; Vargo, Adrianna; Archibald, Thomas G.; Boyer, Renee R.; Cook, Natalie E.; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2017-11-17)Despite the growing demand and support for local food, there can often be significant barriers for growers trying to tap into new markets, given specific food safety expectations, policies, and requirements. This trend is particularly true for institutional buyers, who are often constrained by far-reaching institutional and/or corporate policies. While there are lots of market opportunities in Virginia, navigating the landscape for growers can be daunting, since buyer food safety requirements are not a “one size fits all” standard for all markets. To better understand current expectations and perceptions across multiple market sectors in Virginia, and help producers better align their on-farm practices with these marketplaces, the Fresh Produce Food Safety Team conducted a state-wide market assessment survey in 2015-2016. The purpose of this factsheet is to provide you with the results of that work, especially if you are considering selling produce to restaurants.
- Adaptive Leadership: How to Prioritize and Align Emerging IssuesKaufman, Eric K. (2017-02-08)Adaptive leadership focuses on the adaptations required in response to changing environments, which essentially describes the role of the 21st Century Extension professional. This workshop will outline the model of adaptive leadership and introduce the leader behaviors associated with adaptive work. Participants will practice categorizing issues as either technical or adaptive challenges, and they will explore appropriate strategies for responding to both.
- Aligning the residential college model with priorities of large institutionsKaufman, Eric K. (2017-09-25)The Gallup-Purdue Index gives us valuable insight into the experiences in college that improve well-being in life after college, specifically highlighting things such as mentoring relationships, caring professors, and enthusiasm for learning. However, many colleges and universities struggle to create the environment for these high impact experiences to flourish. Some have suggested that small, liberal arts institutions are the answer, but what does that mean for large, public research universities? The “Oxbridge” residential college model provides an answer. Much of the literature on the residential college model is in the context of a “liberal arts” education, which emphasizes specific disciplines (e.g., the humanities), but the residential college model is more appropriately aligned with a “liberal education,” which the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) describes as “an approach to college learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change.” The AAC&U goes on to explain that a liberal education “helps students develop a sense of social responsibility; strong intellectual and practical skills that span all major fields of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills; and the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.” While some have reduced the residential college model to a liberal arts perspective, the model directly aligns with Abraham Lincoln’s priorities for public higher education that produced our nation’s land grant universities. The residential college model supports growth and development of the whole student, and it enhances and it expands the potential for learning and career preparation beyond conventional living-learning programs. This session will highlight key components of the residential college model, offer examples of implementation at large, public research universities, and connect the model to priorities for improving higher education as a whole. Participants will be able to: (1) align the residential college model with priorities identified by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U); (2) identify marketing messages that resonate with key stakeholders for large, public institutions; and (3) discuss specific strategies for expanding the breadth of support for the residential college model.
- Balancing the Work / Life Equation: Loving Who You Are and Who You Are WithKaufman, Eric K. (2017-02-01)Presentation for the ALCE Graduate Student assembly.
- Better meetings through guerilla facilitation and humble inquiryI survived another meeting that should have been an email. You too?!? If you are tired of meetings that are simply reporting sessions or, worse yet, seem to have no point at all, this workshop is for you. We will apply Ed Schein's wisdom of "humble inquiry" to meeting planning and facilitation. While this session will explore considerations with simple strategies, like purpose-driven meeting agendas, we will also tackle the challenge of keeping a meeting on track when someone else is in charge.
- Double Play: The Need for 4-H to Partner in Youth SportsMartin, Perry D.; Kaufman, Eric K. (Extension Journal, Inc., 2017-10-19)Fewer children in the United States are playing team-based sports, and the trend is making national headlines. While there is no complete agreement as to the predominant reason for this trend, it is clear that a national conversation on this problem has begun, and Cooperative Extension holds the potential for getting kids back in the game. At its core, this conversation is about the healthful development of our children and their advancement as contributors to society. Cooperative Extension has decades of experience creating a "playbook" for youth development, and it is time to put that playbook into action.
- Early Career Extension Professional Development Needs Assessment ReportVines, Karen A.; Cletzer, David Adam; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Hunnings, Joseph; Vines, Neal T.; Johnson, Lonnie; Lambur, Michael Thomas; Sumner, Mark W. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2015)Introduction and Background: Virginia Cooperative Extension hired 100 new agents from 2011 to 2014. This study was initiated to determine professional development needs for these early career agents, many of whom are also members of the millennial generation. The hope was that by developing professional development programs to specifically meet the needs of these new agents we may contribute to their career longevity and success. The study consisted of a series of focus groups in which a representative sample of agents hired in the past three years provided information, initially for use in a system-wide electronic survey. However, as the research team reviewed the findings it was determined that there were significant improvements that could be identified and made based on the current findings without support from the system-wide survey. Therefore, the plan for the survey covering all topics was abandoned. What has evolved is a series of recommendations to support career longevity in a collaborative environment, taking into consideration the work-life integration and professional development needs of Extension professionals within Virginia Cooperative Extension. This document serves as a summary of findings and recommendations that have resulted from this process.
- Effective leadership through humble inquiryKaufman, Eric K. (Joint Council of Extension Professionals, 2018-04-09)Although the public generally looks to Cooperative Extension for answers, we also need to engage in leadership, and “leadership is not as much about knowing the right answers as it is knowing the right questions” (Tiede, 2013, p. 2). “People have the inherent capacity to solve their own problems and that social transformation is within the reach of all communities" (Kellogg Foundation, 2009). There is a need to prepare volunteers, civic leaders, and elected and appointed officials to be the force for positive change within their communities. Research supports this notion that community leaders need to be involved in the decision-making process and problem solving to help organize and develop their communities. Furthermore, Extension professionals want to explore the opportunities for collaborations and partnerships, yet they are unsure how. This session will highlight the practice of “Humble Inquiry” and connect it directly to the work of Extension. According to Ed Schein (2013), “Humble Inquiry is the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person” (p. 2). In addition to Schein’s (2013) book, “Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling,” this session will draw upon practical experience and related literature, such as Michael Marquardt's (2014) book, “Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask,” and David Marquet's (2012) book, “Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders.” Participants will engage in conversation about how the principles can be applied in their work with educational program participants, advisory groups, administrators, program partners, potential donors, and more.
- Establishing an effective Extension Leadership CouncilKaufman, Eric K. (2018-01-22)Webinar for Prince Edward County Extension Leadership Council, Farmville VA
- An examination of the relationships between leadership development approaches, networking ability, and social capital outcomesKaufman, Eric K.; Burbaugh, Bradley J. (Association of Leadership Educators, 2017-10-01)Participants in leadership development programs take part in multiple developmental experiences that can influence the composition of their social network and enhance social capital. However, further investment in such practices may be limited because little is known about the relationship between leadership development approaches, networking ability, and social capital. This study explores how common developmental approaches may contribute to social capital, taking into consideration the role networking ability plays in this relationship. This descriptive, correlational study included a sample of graduates (N= 231) from 15 statewide agricultural-based leadership development programs. Our findings reveal that: 1) Networking is an antecedent to social capital, 2) skill building and personal growth approaches to leadership development are significant predictors of networking ability, and 3) networking ability is a significant predictor of social capital.
- Geo Opportunity for Leadership in Diversity (GOLD): Hearts of goldMyles, LaToya; Brinkworth, Carolyn; Dixon, P. Grady; Kaufman, Eric K.; Quardokus Fisher, Kathleen; Simmons, Denise R. (The Geological Society Of America, 2017-10-24)Geosciences currently trails other STEM fields in the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups. However, we are testing a new professional-development program for established scientific leaders in the geosciences, to give them the content knowledge, tools, and skills needed to become champions of change for diversity. By targeting senior scientists who are already well-respected in the field, our project capitalizes on their reputations, networks, and social capital to build them into diversity champions with the power to make significant cultural change in their institutions and the wider field. The professional-learning sessions are called “GOLD Institutes,” where GOLD is an abbreviation for Geo Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity. These GOLD Institutes occur in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and are led by diversity-training experts from the Knapsack Institute. The first GOLD Institute was completed in July 2017 and hosted 25 participants. The second is scheduled for July 2018, and we anticipate a similar cohort, but a few will be repeat participants who will act as “mentors.” The 2017 participants included nominees who were recognized for their potential by peers, past students (mentees), and/or participants of the 2016 NSF GOLD Ideas Lab. Results of the GOLD Institute are currently being analyzed to determine the effects of the methods, but there are already positive insights gained from the experience of seeing who was nominated and the surprisingly high rate at which invitations were accepted. This presentation will act as a preliminary explanation of successes and setbacks with this effort.
- IMPACT: Virginia Potato Disease Advisory ImpactHerbert, D. Ames Jr.; Long, Theresa; Deitch, Ursula T.; Laub, Curtis A.; Rideout, Steven L.; Moore, David M.; Tucker, Lindy; Archibald, Thomas G. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2014-11-13)To help potato growers more efficiently manage disease problems, Virginia Cooperative Extension initiated the Virginia Potato Disease Advisory to provide growers with weather-based disease forecast information. Advisories not only alert growers to periods of risk, they also assist growers in making management decisions, such as when protective fungicide applications are needed.
- Innovation Through Leader Development Across the Life SpanKaufman, Eric K. (2016-04-12)Leadership development is a vested interest of Extension, which provides a multitude of programs for individuals of all ages. To properly position each program and meet the needs of participants, we must understand the progression of leader development across a leader’s entire life experiences. With a foundation that builds on three established frameworks, the proposed model of leader development across the life span suggests that when a leader encounters triggers, resulting from interactions and engagement with society, they initiate an inward-focused, meaning-making process that results in action. With this, a leader exerts a greater influence within the environment as he or she develops. This session further explores the implications of a life span model of leader development for leadership programs in a variety of contexts and provides an overview of possible applications for Extension professionals.
- Internationalizing the Land Grant Mission: Lessons from SenegalAbaye, Azenegashe Ozzie; Archibald, Thomas G.; Vaughan, Larry; Thompson, Thomas L.; Thomason, Wade E.; Mbaye, Demba F.; Mamadou, L. O.; Abdoulaye, S.Y.; Gueye, Fatou; Snyder, Glenda; Guiesse, Bineta; Jamison, Kathleen; Vashro, Taylor N. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2018-03-20)Discusses using the land grant university model on an international level, in this case program development in Senegal.