August 2021 Director's Message
Colleagues,
As we welcomed some of the newest members of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at last week’s statewide new employee orientation, I was inspired by the energy, motivation and dedication that I saw. Welcoming new employees makes it a great time for us, both those new to Extension and those who have been here for decades, to reflect upon the concept of ‘service’ and what it means to our growing agency.
I truly believe that through our dedication to selfless service, we are building an agency culture deeply rooted in and reflective of our original charge as defined in the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. We are unified by our mission to serve Texans in impactful and lasting ways, and I could not be more proud of this organization and its people, programs and partnerships within it that strive to serve every day.
In an increasingly populated and diverse state like Texas, we are all working to accomplish our charge, which has certainly evolved since our inception in 1915. And it will continue evolving as Texas and the nation continue to change. I encourage anyone who missed last Friday’s agency webinar to watch the recording, because our panelists explored some of the challenges and successes that we, as an agency, face every day as we try to serve all Texans. I am eager to see the impact that we will make in the many years to come due to our unwavering dedication to our original mission.
Whether you serve rural or urban areas, small towns or cities, in person or virtually, I could not be more inspired by the humility and hunger to serve that so many of you exemplify. If we have learned anything from the past year, it's that the world around us constantly changes. As we head into the fall with some uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, let's not forget what we have learned along the way. Our agency is resilient, and embracing change allows us to see Texas as it is: evolving.
|
|
|
|
Best,
Jeffrey Hyde
Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
|
|
|
|
Thank you to everyone that completed the issue identification survey. Close to 700 issues were gathered. This is a critical step in planning for the future of Extension educational programming as it relates to the seven Coordinated Program Areas that are part of the pilot, so your input was valuable.
The next step is for the issues to be discussed, aggregated and prioritized at the regional level. This will be done in regional forums that kick off this week and are being held in conjunction with annual program planning conferences.
State forums will be held in the latter part of October, with the goal of aggregating the data from each of the regional forums. More information about the state forums will be shared very soon.
All of these steps are leading up to each Coordinated Program Area developing a master plan, which will occur later this fall and outline the future direction of the program area, including resource development personnel training, strategies for program evaluation and measuring the agency’s collective impact.
|
|
COVID-19 Resource Reminder |
|
The safety of our employees, volunteers and clientele continue to be in the forefront of our decision-making. Although some areas of the state are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 positivity rates, others are seeing a rise. In addition, positive cases have been found at some Extension programming venues. Decision-making around specific guidance and protocol occurs at the local level, and some state measures and protocols are still in place. Although we distribute separate guidance for internal and external events, our focus is still on the following core competencies:
-
Continued use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (face masks if not vaccinated, proper hygiene and distancing) that keep you and others safe.
- Frequent cleaning of high touch areas, including door handles, surfaces and handrails.
- Practicing social distancing when we interact with the public.
- Encouraging the COVID-19 vaccination, a safe and effective way to prevent the disease, severe illness and death.
|
|
|
|
Employee Development Updates |
On August 9-13, we formally welcomed 75 new employees at Discover Extension, the state orientation for new employees of Extension.
|
|
-
To learn more about these talented and passionate individuals that have joined our Extension family and see who they are including some fun facts, click here.
- We encourage you to reach out to those in your region or those that serve in similar roles and send them a note of encouragement as they strive to adapt and engage key strategies for success in their first two years.
-
At Discover Extension, these new colleagues learned about the heart of Extension, identified best practices, explored our shared values of people, programs, and partnerships, reflected on their purpose and impact, and so much more. We are thankful to all those who served as speakers or discussion group leaders.
-
Headshots taken by our Marketing and Communications team can be found on the AgriLife photoshelter photo repository (will require a login).
|
|
|
|
Val Verde County Agent Raquel Rodriguez receives Stand Up for Texas Public Schools award |
Rodriguez received the award in recognition for her work in implementing AgriLife Extension’s Walk Across Texas! program and Take A Stand! anti-bullying program, in addition to her work promoting youth nutrition and supporting the Head Start program.
|
|
Enter for a chance to win Aggie football tickets!
We have a limited number of tickets available for two home games this year and want to share them with you! (see view from section 126)
- September 18: New Mexico - 11 a.m. kickoff (4 tickets available)
- November 6: Auburn - Kickoff TBD (6 tickets available)
The prize includes the tickets only. Winners will be responsible for all other expenses. We look forward to celebrating Aggie victories with you on Kyle Field!
|
|
|
|
Looking for some a-maize-ing AgriLife photos? Check the newest additions to the AgriLife PhotoShelter image repository! These collections are getting updated regularly.
|
|
|
|
Program planning season is fast approaching! Make sure you keep your marketing strategist in the know so they can help you maximize your promotional efforts for next years' big events.
|
|
Pro tip: The more time they have, the better they can help (Ex: two-week minimum advance notice needed for AgriLife Today coverage of events)!
|
|
|
|
Did you know... Since launch, AgriLife Learn has served approximately 44,545 users?
In other news, the AgriLife Bookstore platform is being migrated on Aug. 31. Publications and educational merchandise are slated to launch on AgriLife Learn by Sept 1.
|
|
As always, the Customer Support Team is available Monday-Friday, 8-5 pm Central Time to assist all clients. Contact us at learnonline@ag.tamu.edu.
|
|
|
|
Why do IT professionals keep asking users to leave their devices on? Contrary to popular belief, it is not to annoy users - we have a good reason!
|
|
You might also think that when your device is off, it isn’t vulnerable to security flaws. However, being turned off prevents your device from receiving patches or Antivirus updates. If your device misses enough updates and patches, the next time you power on your device, it:
- is vulnerable until it gets caught up
- first must download and patch software
- may need multiple reboots to apply missing patches
- is more susceptible to update failures (resulting in the machine needing to be rebuilt)
Leave the device on and connected 24/7 to ensure your computer:
- is updated with the latest antivirus updates and software patches
- runs updates during the maintenance periods after work hours
- provides a safe and secure platform for usage and good network hygiene
If keeping your computer on 24/7 is not practical, turn the device on and connect it to the internet for a few hours each week.
|
|
Keep your pond or lake beautiful! This course is designed for landowners and pesticide applicators in Texas looking to:
- identify common emergent aquatic species
- determine effective control options
- one hour of CEU credits
|
|
- literature connections
- weekly featured songs
- classroom garden kitchen recipes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
