News and Notes: February 24, 2023

As many of you are aware, Extension is conducting an organization-wide employee survey. We are conducting this survey to get a better understanding of employee morale, satisfaction, and engagement at OSU Extension. Your opinions are important to us, and this survey is your chance to express those opinions. We will use the survey results for three purposes:

• To recognize and build upon our organizational strengths.
• To identify areas where additional improvements are necessary.
• To continue enhancing our organizational culture, focusing on our Extension Keys and the eight pillars in Trusted Leader.

The survey is being managed by an independent survey company. This outside company will host the survey and collect your responses online. All responses will remain strictly anonymous. We will not be able to trace individual responses back to you. OSU Extension managers will only see aggregated data for groups of four or more respondents. If an individual manager has fewer than four direct reports, those responses will be combined and shared as part of the aggregated data for the group reporting to the next manager “up the org chart.” Please be thoughtful, honest, and candid when you complete the survey.

Once the report is made available to us (anticipated early to mid-April), we will share the results with the entire organization so you can see for yourself how we are doing. After the survey is completed, the Extension Leadership Team will meet with groups to discuss plans to continue our work to create a culture based on trust, inclusion, care, adaptability, and efficiency that positions us to be an employer of choice and a champion of the land-grant mission. As of Feb. 22, we have a 30% response rate. We would like to get 100% participation to ensure that each and every employee's voice is heard. When you receive the survey request, please give it your prompt attention.

Notes: People hired after November 2022 will not get the survey. The employee list had to be pulled in November, and adding new people is not possible now. The survey link in each email is unique to that individual; it should NOT be forwarded or used by someone else. When a question says “supervisor,” that means the employee’s direct supervisor/manager – the person who has management responsibility for that employee and performs the performance review. When a question says “Extension Administrative Cabinet,” that means the director, associate director, associate chair, assistant directors (4-H, FCS, ANR, CD), directors (LOD, Strategic Initiatives and Urban Engagement, Operations, Publishing), communication manager.

Bridget Britton, field specialist, behavioral health, will be presenting a webinar on March 1 (1-2 p.m.). Often when we talk about stress and mental health, professionals and others tend to focus on the farmer or agricultural worker. But what if you are a caregiver to someone? It is time to have a direct conversation with the caregiver to let them know just how important they are as well. Caregivers face many unique challenges that others never imagine.

During this webinar, topics addressed will include: ways to shift the focus solely on the caregiver for just a little while; acknowledging the barriers; reducing stress on the caregiver; and identifying and implementing a self-care routine specific to each caregiver.

In Bridget’s position, she works to bring awareness on suicide prevention, mental health wellness, and specifically farm stress. She has worked with OSU Extension for six years. Bridget is a licensed social worker in the state of Ohio and has more 10 years of experience in the field. Bridget is trained in a variety of mental health intervention strategies, including adult, youth, and teen Mental Health First Aid, QPR (question persuade, refer), and Trauma-Informed Care. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

To participate in this free webinar, click here to access the online registration form by Feb. 27. Instructions for accessing the session will be sent to registrants by Feb. 28. Contact AgrAbility at 800-825-4264 or email agrability@agrability.org if you have questions. The webinar is presented by the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center, supported by USDA-NIFA.

The eighth annual East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference will be held March 24 at the Shisler Event Center in Wooster. This year’s program will feature 15 breakout sessions in four tracks presented by OSU Extension educators, farmers, and partner agencies including: business and finance, plants and animals, home and family and special interest. Farm and Dairy editor-in-chief, Rebecca Miller, will deliver this year’s keynote presentation. New this year is a youth symposium opportunity for high school and college students to present their research, capstone, thesis, or other study projects. Thank you all for helping to spread the word.

Registration information can be found at: go.osu.edu/eowia2023. Please help promote the conference – courtesy of the planning team: Corinna Gromley, FCS educator, Carroll County;

Christine Kendle, FCS educator, Tuscarawas County; Emily Marrison, FCS educator, Coshocton County; Heather Neikirk, ANR educator, Stark County; Kate Shumaker, FCS educator, Holmes County; and Sandy Trushell, ANR educator, Carroll County.

The Office of Outreach and Engagement provides funding to faculty and/or faculty-led teams, and university staff that hold PI status with the annual Engagement Grants program. Grants are awarded at a maximum amount of $20,000 to support development of impact reports for programs, performances, or exhibits; development of a public policy document or impact report; development or implementation of a program, performance, exhibition, or initiative based upon previous research, assessment, or public input; or enhance or expand a program that extends community access to the university, broadly defined. Proposals are due March 6. Learn more online.

Cybersecurity is a hot topic this year, with recent data breaches compromising user security and new regulations proposed in Congress. Advancements in personal technology and confusing consumer privacy policies can make it seem exceedingly difficult to protect your digital life. Completing C4U activities will allow you to:

• Discover university technologies and learn about cybersecurity efforts in our “OSU & You” series. Topics include: discussing the importance of privacy and how our community is taking action to protect Ohio State; reporting and avoiding falling for phishing scams; sending documents securely utilizing Office 365’s tools; incident reporting and how to handle potential data loss; and how to safely use new cloud services.
• Understand what cookies are and what you allow when you accept cookies
• Be vigilant about social engineering scams
• Keep yourself (and your refund) secure this tax season
• Recognize which apps are tracking your location
• Learn how to keep your privacy with smart speakers in your home

Don’t forget that each activity you complete gets you one step closer to a variety of digital rewards! Ohio State is thinking of every way possible to keep you and other Buckeyes safe. Thank you for being part of the solution to reduce the risk of cyber threats by visiting Cybersecurity for You at cybersecurity4you.osu.edu.

The 2023 Extension faculty meetings will be held on the following dates, all via Zoom. Links for the meetings will be sent separately to the faculty listserv closer to each date; and faculty can contact Greg Davis, assistant dean and associate chair, at davis.1081@osu.edu or Terri Fisher, administrative associate, at fisher.456@osu.edu with questions or to send agenda items.

• March 30 – 9-10:30 a.m. (Tracy Kitchel presenting)
• June 13 – 1-2:30 p.m.
• Sept. 6 – 1:30-3 p.m.
• Dec. 7 – 10:30 a.m.-noon

The Ohio State University’s institutional data is important to protect. That data comes in different forms, and not all staff members deal with the same types. To inform you what kinds of data you may control and how to best protect it, we ask individuals to complete only the activity that applies to their specific role. As of Feb. 1, Ohio State offers three educational options, all due by April 28 for non-Medical Center staff. You will receive an email describing which educational activity applies to you, containing instructions on how to complete the task. Learn more online.

As Jackie mentioned on the last director’s video update, Jan. 27 was National Fun at Work Day, and she encouraged everyone to find a way to intentionally introduce fun into the workplace. Several offices shared their ideas and photos of their Fun at Work activities; and Noble County was chosen in a random drawing for some follow-up fun at work support in the near future. Check out these photos of how the Noble County staff celebrated Fun at Work Day with a potluck lunch, games, and foot massages during lunch.

Join this two-part webinar series on Conducting Extension Outreach on Controversial Topics – to be held on Feb. 28 and March 7. Click here to register. The sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. Overview: Extension work is taking the university to the public. This means that occasionally Extension professionals must engage in programming on topics that address controversial public issues. This applies to all program areas. Some of us find it difficult to know what to say or how to say it. We don’t want to say the wrong thing or be labeled as biased. This webinar will help take the uncertainty out of identifying precise roles for Extension in addressing controversial public issues. It will help Extension professionals identify approaches based on specific criteria surrounding the public issue and the Extension professional’s area of specialization.

Part 1: Learn how to identify what problems underlie controversial issues. This part rather quickly allows the Extension professional to develop a rationale as to why the issue is controversial, what the parameters are and so forth. Part 2: Take a deep dive into all the possible roles the Extension professional can take in engaging in this type of education, based on their own preferences, expertise, and scope of the controversial issue. Tom Blaine, associate professor, community development, is the main presenter, and Brian Raison is host and will provide commentary. Brian is an Extension field specialist, organizational and community leadership development; and he teaches courses in Dept. of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL).

This year in celebration of Women’s History Month, the Leadership Center has invited guest speakers each Wednesday in March to share their path to leadership and the people who helped them along the way. These stories will empower those in attendance to take the next step in rising by lifting others. For more information and to register, visit leadershipcenter.osu.edu/workshops/wonder-woman-wednesday.

Register by March 24 for the Ohio Compost Operator Education Course to be held April 4-5 at the Ohio State Wooster Campus. Learn composting from researchers, facility operators, and other compost professionals who will share what they know and why it’s important. Click here for program and registration details.

The Beginner and Small Farm program is developing a new curriculum for small farm colleges to meet the Beginner Farmer Certificate requirements and allow this program to be offered by any county educator in their own county. The curriculum will consist of PowerPoints, handouts, hands-on activities, and videos. The colleges will consist of 10 hours of training using a four-session format. This “train the trainer” in-service to be held on April 27 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) will be taught by our farm management specialists and will walk educators through the workshops that can be taught by county educators during a college program. The only thing missing from this session will be the legal sessions taught by Peggy Hall and Robert Moore. This will be an in-person training with no option for Zoom. This in-service is designed to make educators more comfortable talking to clients and teaching farm management classes in your county. A full agenda and registration information will be available in the near future.

Who should attend? Any ANR educator who wants more tools for talking about and teaching farm management in your county; ANR educators with less than five years of experience on the job. You are expected to attend to build your educational capacity in farm management; anyone who would like to host a Small Farm College in your county in the next 18 months. The training is a requirement to host a program in 2023 or 2024. Direct questions to Greg Meyer, ANR educator in Warren County at meyer.213@osu.edu.

The 2023 African American Behavioral Health Conference will be held on April 6 (9 .am.-5 p.m. at the Fawcett Center). Nicole King Cotton, M.D. of the Morehouse School of Medicine, will be the keynote speaker addressing "Social Injustice and Mental Health."

About the conference: What must be done to help shape policies that impact behavioral health disparities in the African American community? From social stigma surrounding mental health to the effects of healthcare policy, this conference will bring together attendees from a variety of backgrounds to discuss interdisciplinary approaches to tackling these issues. More information to follow, including how to register. Contact Assistant Vice Provost Nicole Nieto at nieto.12@osu.edu with questions. This event is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Ohio State's Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and Ohio State’s Office of Outreach and Engagement. Learn more at cph.osu.edu/events/african-american-behavioral-health-conference.