The Ag eDispatch

Fiscal constraints put kibosh on 2009 Extension conference

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:02:04 -0500

A memo was issued by the State Budget Director’s office on Sept. 26 that instructed state agency heads to cut their budgets for the current fiscal year by 2 percent — a belt-tightening precaution stemming from concern that the current economic downturns will lead to a shortfall in tax revenues in the coming months. In response to this directive, Drs. M. Ray McKinnie and Jon Ort, chief administrators for Cooperative Extension at A&T and N.C. State, respectively, have decided to cancel the State Extension Conference that was planned for Raleigh in February of 2009.

Gamma Sig to gather

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:01:14 -0500

A&T’s chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the national honor society of agriculture, will have its first meeting of the 2008-09 academic year on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The meeting will be in Room 262 Carver Hall, and it will get started at 3:30 PM. Atop the agenda is a discussion of plans for chapter activities for the academic year. Annual membership dues of $20 will also be welcome at the meeting.

Her Honor to honor Honors Convocation

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:00:28 -0500

A&T State University's Fall Convocation will get under way at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, at Harrison Auditorium. Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson will be the featured speaker.

Classes from 10 a.m. until noon are canceled so faculty and staff can join the friends and families of students at the ceremonies. Academic regalia is required for faculty members participating in the processional.

Huddle up

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:59:57 -0500

SAES alumni will be kicking off Homecoming Weekend with a meet ‘n’ greet barbecue on the lawn in front of Webb Hall on Friday, Oct. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Current SAES faculty, staff and students are invited to stop by the reception to say hello to returnees and bid a fond farewell to some pork barbecue and side dishes. Although an SAES corporate partner is picking up the tab for the barbeque, donations to the SAES scholarship fund will be accepted.

Pledge team

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:56:14 -0500

The North Carolina A&T State Employees Combined Campaign (SECC) is under way. Four members of the SAES are marshalling this year’s pledge drive. Pledge forms are available online, and when completed they should be passed along to one of the building reps:
• Cassaundra Dixon, Carver and Sockwell (336) 334-7779
• Elreta Isley, Benbow (336) 334-7933
• Sharon Mitchell, Webb (336) 334-7547
• Alice Pennix, Coltrane (336) 334-7691
• Angelia Williamson, C. H. Moore, (336) 334-7612
Faculty and staff who get their SECC pledges on file before Oct. 9 will be entered in a drawing for two tickets to the Ebony Fashion Show.

Enrollment under way for optional coverages

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:48:29 -0500

Annual enrollment for the NC FLEX benefit program is now under way, and the cutoff date for changes in optional insurance programs is Nov. 3. Optional coverage includes dental and vision care plans, cancer insurance, life insurance, and a supplemental medical plan that broadens coverage for visits to doctors’ offices and inpatient hospital stays. (Faculty and staff opting for the supplemental medical plan must re-enroll during each annual enrollment period.) If you’re taking advantage of the NC FLEX options, take note that this is the one time of the year to drop or add coverage for a dependent. The NC FLEX Plan has a synopsis of what’s new.

SAES Fall Faculty Meeting

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:41:06 -0500

Tuesday, Sept. 23 11 a.m.
Webb Hall Auditorium
Get information on P-Card use,
Capacity Building Grants procedures,
UNC Tomorrow, and the
Post-Tenure Review Process
All teaching faculty are expected to attend.

Three steps to guilt-free fun

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:31:29 -0500

The North Carolina A&T State Employees Combined Campaign (United Way) will have its kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 18 in Stallings Ballroom at the Memorial Student Union, beginning at 11:30 a.m. All SAES faculty and staff are invited to join the festivities as their work schedules permit. To spare yourself the guilty conscience of taking advantage of the refreshments and entertainment without first making your United Way pledge for 2009:

A. Visit the State Employees Combined Campaign website for a pledge form.

B. Fill it out.

C. Return the completed pledge form to your SAES building representative for the 2008 State Employees Combined Campaign:

* Cassaundra Dixon, Carver and Sockwell (336) 334-7779

* Elreta Isley, Benbow (336) 334-7933

* Sharon Mitchell, Webb (336) 334-7547

* Alice Pennix, Coltrane (336) 334-7691

* Angelia Williamson, C. H. Moore, (336) 334-7612

In the news and on the record

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:27:14 -0500

The Sept. 11 issue of the Greensboro News & Record ran an article about SAES Web developer Stephen Charles' photography: the training, equipment and career that led to a book of photos that "features many well-known city landmarks including the February One statue in front of the Dudley Memorial Building, an iridescent bird's eye view of the downtown skyline at night as well as the now demolished Pomona Cotton Mill." Earlier in the week, Dr. Marihelen Glass of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design was one of the sources interviewed for a News & Record feature on Cove Creek Gardens, which promote horticulture and natural resources management by giving the public a series of model gardens for study and recreation. Glass uses field trips to Cove Creek Gardens to supplement classroom instruction.

Midway point of midway season

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:25:50 -0500

Agricultural fair season in North Carolina runs from late August until late October. County and regional agricultural fairs across the state and the State Fair in Raleigh will host about three million visitors during fair season. Many of the fairs depend heavily on county Extension centers for everything from leadership to elbow grease as they showcase agriculture and support local 4-H.

The first agricultural fairs, in the early 1800s, played a major role in publicizing advances in farm equipment. There was also a strong educational component to agricultural fairs from the outset, as they gave many visitors their first-ever experience in a gallery or museum. That educational tradition has evolved but remains staunchly at the core of these fairs, as educational exhibits and demonstrations that demystify technology or enrich life skills are as much a part of the fairs as Ferris wheels and cotton candy.

SAES faculty, staff and students who are among the visitors to one of North Carolina's agricultural fairs in the next few weeks are encouraged to make time for a tour of the educational exhibits. If you come across an exhibit or demonstration that's the handiwork of a member of The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T's field staff and get a chance to compliment them on their work, please take advantage of the opportunity.

Restaurant Association has scholarship program

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:17:45 -0500

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has a scholarship program for college undergraduates who "have completed at least one semester in a restaurant and/or food service-related program." Students in SAES nutrition and dietetics programs qualify. Applicants must also have 750 hours of work experience in restaurant or food service industries, and minimum GPAs of 2.75 on the 4.0 scale. The application deadline for the next round of scholarship awards is Oct. 31. Details on this program as well as scholarship programs for high school students are available at the NRAEF website.

ADEC has funding for HBCU scholars with distance education inclinations

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:13:55 -0500

The American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) has funding support for scholars from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other minority-serving institutions that will provide up to $1,000 per individual to cover travel, lodging and conference fees for the Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning in Orlando, Nov. 5-7. The five conference tracks this year are learning effectiveness; student services and learner support; technology and emerging learning environments; faculty development and support; professional development and workforce training; and leadership, values and society.

The overarching goal of the ADEC funding program is to nurture additional participation from minority-serving institutions in the world of online learning _ the scope and scale in online programs and courses offered by minority serving institutions _ through support for strengthening individual and institutional involvement. Applications for the Sloan Conference scholarships must be returned to the ADEC office by 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22. Those selected will be notified during the first week of October.

Marching orders

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:07:22 -0500

SAES corporate partners or collaborating agencies interested in parading their Aggie Pride have until Sept. 24 to enter floats and decorated vehicles in the 2008 A&T Homecoming Parade. The entry fee is $150 . The Homecoming parade will start at 8 a.m. on Murrow Boulevard on Saturday, Oct. 11. The parade route runs from Murrow onto Lindsay, and then culminates at Lindsay and Laurel.

News of SAES interest elsewhere on ncat.edu

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:10:14 -0500

The Division of Research and Economic Development has three items of immediate interest to SAES faculty and staff on its website. A one-hour workshop on developing proposal budgets is scheduled to begin at noon on Nov. 11. Another one-hour workshop that will begin at noon, on Nov. 18, will cover the new Research Administration Management System & eSubmission (RAMSeS) proposal submission process. And Dr. Guochen Yang, an SAES associate professor, has been selected by the Division of Research and Economic Development for its “Researcher Profile” Web page.

Know of a community-based organization that’s reading up?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:59:25 -0500

The Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants program was established to provide funding up to $3,000 to schools, public libraries and local nonprofits working with students reading below their grade levels, literacy programs for new readers, and readers with learning disabilities. The next deadline for applications is Sept. 24. Organizations applying must be located within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store.