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Extension News
Vol. 3 – No. 3
February 7, 2003
Current Events
OSU Regents Approve Early Retirement Incentive: The
OSU A&M Board of Regents approved an early retirement
incentive ($20,000 per person) for those Extension employees
eligible for optional early retirement through the federal civil
service retirement system. The incentive will be offered to those
eligible individuals electing to retire between June 1 and July
31, 2003.
We have applied to USDA for the authority to offer the early
retirement. Although we have not yet received approval, we have
communicated frequently with our federal contact and anticipate
that our request will be approved in the near future.
As soon as federal approval is received, each of you who are
eligible for early retirement will be notified by Sue Bonner's
office. That letter will ask that you formally indicate your
intent to retire under the incentive program on or before April
1, 2003. The early date is necessitated by our need for accurate
salary savings information as we make plans to deal with a very
tight budget for next year.
Cut Flower Workshop: A workshop geared
toward the production of cut flowers will be held Thursday,
February 27, at the Holiday Inn in Stillwater. The registration
deadline is Friday, February 21. Registration is $45 per person.
Extension Educators and Master Gardeners may attend for $30 per
person. The morning session will take place at the Holiday Inn,
followed by an afternoon tour of Bear Creek Farms, a cut flower
farm located in Stillwater. For more information, contact
Stephanie Larimer at 405-744-5404, or steph@okstate.edu .
Announcements
Mark Your Calendars:
The Fall FCS and 4-H Statewide In-Service will take place
December 3-5, 2003, at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU Campus
in Stillwater.
Still Time to Sign Up: Applications are
still being taken from volunteers who are interested in teaching
a workshop during the 82nd State 4-H Roundup. Roundup is schedule
for May 28-30, and the workshops will take place on Thursday, May
29. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, February 28.
The forms are available on the 4-H website at http://agweb.okstate.edu/fourh/4he&a/formsappl/index.htm
.
Park Receives Grant: Jan Park,
Extension Gerontology Specialist, received a grant from Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma. The grant, in the amount of
$6,910, will be used to produce the ALERT publication, which
highlights changes in Medicare, addresses commonly asked
questions, and gives an overview of basic Medicare coverage. The
ALERT and other Medicare information are distributed to all
county Cooperative Extension offices in Oklahoma.
Award Winner: Congratulations to
Kathleen Kelsey, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural
Education, Communications, and 4-H Youth Development, on
receiving the "Outstanding Young Agricultural Educator
Award" at the American Association for Agricultural
Education Southern Region Conference.
4-H Alumni and Cowgirl Basketball: All
4-H alumni are invited to the "4-H Day at the Cowgirls
Game" on Saturday, March 1. County Extension Educators are
asked to encourage alumni from their county to attend. The cost
of the event is $15 and includes a ticket to the ballgame, a
catered lunch, campus mini-tour, alumni group portrait, Game Day
t-shirt, and souvenir program. Activities begin at 10:00 a.m. For
more information, contact Gina Schutte at 405-744-7969. More
information also is available on the website at http://agweb.okstate.edu/fourh/rhfound02/gameday.htm
.
Reminder: Monday, March 31 is the date
for the Oklahoma Beef Inc., bull sale. For more information,
contact John Evans, Extension Animal Breeding Specialist at
405-744-6060, or jle@okstate.edu.
Condolences to: Sue Bonner, Division
Personnel Specialist, and her family, on the death of her
husband, Jim Netherton. He passed away Sunday, January 26. A
memorial service was held Wednesday, January 29 at University
Heights Baptist Church in Stillwater. Memorials may be made to
the William F. Taggart Scholarship Fund, Oklahoma State
University, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources, 139 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078. Please make checks
payable to the OSU Foundation, and note "Taggart Scholarship
in memory of Jim Netherton" in the memo line.
College Corner
Camp CASNR:
Sophomores and juniors enrolled in the College of Agricultural
Sciences and Natural Resources have the opportunity to attend a
two-day camp which will provide assistance with setting life and
career goals, as well as developing skills in decision-making,
exploring career options, and searching for internships. The camp
will take place Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1 at St.
Groves Campground east of Stillwater. Registration deadline is
February 14.
Brown Bag Teaching Discussion: Kim
Anderson, Extension Grain Marketing Specialist, will lead a
discussion on "Experiential Learning in the Classroom"
on Thursday, February 13. He will discuss experiences in his
Agricultural Product Marketing and Sales class. The event will
take place at 11:30 a.m. in 102 Ag Hall.
Personnel Actions
APPOINTMENTS
None to report
TITLE CHANGES
None to report
SEPARATION
Halldor Sigfusson, Assistant Research Professional, Food and Agricultural Products Center, effective 2-7-03
Coming Events
February 7-8: Southeast District Teen
Lock-In (McAlester)
February 8: Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program Training
(Stillwater)
February 8: Northwest District 4-H Winter Invitational Air Rifle,
Air Pistol, Archery Shoot (Woodward)
February 11: Southwest District "Ready,
Set…Volunteer!" – 4-H Volunteer Core Competency
Training Unit 3 (Lawton)
February 12: Managing for Success in Oklahoma Agriculture
(Stillwater)
February 12: Microsoft Excel Training (Enid)
February 13: Microsoft Excel Training (Woodward)
February 15: OSU Horse Judging Day (Stillwater)
February 18: An Exploration of Entrepreneurship (Oklahoma City)
February 19: Managing Public Controversy in Oklahoma (Stillwater)
February 20: Identification and Prevention of Child Abuse and
Neglect (Oklahoma City)
February 20: Estate Planning – Getting Your Household in
Order (Pushmataha, Choctaw, Atoka, and Coal counties)
February 24: Updated Resume by Michelle Overstreet (Woodward)
February 24: Updated Resume by Michelle Overstreet (Enid)
February 25: Women-Specific Health Issues (Altus)
February 25: Oklahoma Forests, Their Value and Management
(Idabell)
February 25: Standard Operating Procedures for Submitting Digital
Plant Images for Weed Identification and Crop Problem Diagnosis
(TBA)
February 26: Family Economic Well-Being Basic Training
(Weatherford)
February 27: Replenishing the Caregiver (Enid)
February 27: Family Economic Well-Being Basic Training (Okmulgee)
February 28: Snow Date for Updated Resume (Woodward)
February 28: Snow Date for Updated Resume (Enid)
