May 2023: Monthly Director’s Letter

Dear Extension Family,

What a win for South Carolina 4-H with the announcement of a $150,000 grant from Google to expand access to computer science education in nearly every county in the state. Our 4-H Youth Development Program Team will support the increased efforts using the e-learning platform CLOVER by 4-H. The impact of our program teams serving youth is clear and encourages youth to give back to their communities. In March, nearly 200 FFA (Future Farmers of America) members packed more than 35,000 meals to be distributed to South Carolinians in need on the FFA Day of Service. A week later, our 4-H’ers visited the statehouse to hear from public officials and see the legislative process in action.

Recognition

Clemson Cooperative Extension has received abundant recognition recently for our team members’ various and talented efforts.

• The South Carolina Association of Extension Administrative Professionals (SCAEAP) recently held its annual meeting in Columbia, and over $1,000 was donated toward scholarships for high school students through their auction. Three retirees were presented with the Jefferson Cup: Ms. Kim Dillard (Spartanburg), Ms. Nancy Pitts (Newberry), and Ms. Joan Riddle (Greenville). Congratulations to the following award winners: Presidential Award for Leadership: Ms. Joan Riddle (Greenville), Shining Light Award: Ms. Victoria Cushman (Richland).
• Service and gratitude are important parts of leadership. The third cohort of the Extension Emerging Leadership Initiative (EELI) donated 1,278 pounds of food to the Midlands Harvest Hope Food Bank and sorted over 40 pallets of food for community distribution. Many thanks to our partners SCACAA, SCAE4-HA, Ingles, and other community groups that helped to make a difference.
• The South Carolina House of Representatives recognized the Extension Ag + Art Tour as a “national example” of a program emphasizing agritourism to showcase the state’s farms and farmers. Congratulations to Dr. Will Culler and his team.
• Dr. Kathy Coleman was awarded the Rowland P. Alston, Sr. ’42 Award for Excellence in Public Relations for bringing positive visibility to South Carolina’s primary land-grant institution.
• Congratulations to all 2023 award winners from the South Carolina Association of County Agricultural Agents (SCACAA) and the South Carolina Association of Extension 4-H Agents (SCAE4H-A). The award recipients are listed in the Awards Program.
• And thank you to those who came to Clemson Spring Dairy Show to volunteer their time and assist with logistics.

Workshops and Trainings

The County Agent Promotion Virtual Training (via Zoom) will be held on Tuesday, June 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Who Should Attend: County Agents eligible for promotion, District Directors, Program Team Directors, Appeal Committee, and External Review Committee members. Agents who are available for promotion will be provided with the Zoom link. The County Agent Promotion Work Session (in-person) will be held on Tuesday, July 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Lexington County Extension office. Who Should Attend: County Agents eligible for promotion and others with additional questions and/or need help with the promotion packet.

A new writing workshop has been developed for Extension employees. “Writing for an Extension Audience” will be held in three locations around the state in July. Two locations, Clemson and Sandhill REC, are already full, but space is still available at the Pee Dee REC location in Florence. Please read the Blog post  to learn about the workshop learning objectives and agenda and access the Florence registration link.

State Budget Update

Regarding the state budget, the budget conference committee met last week but has not yet reached a compromise on the House and Senate budget versions. You can read more about the status of the PSA requests in the Blog post. Because we do not have an approved budget at this time, it has not yet been determined how state employee salary increases will be allotted. Clemson University will release guidance on salary increases after the governor signs off on the state budget, and I will work with the Assistant Directors and District Extension Directors on how increases will be implemented across Extension.

Reminders

Please take the time to update your email signature. There is a new update as to how the civil rights statement is featured, and everyone needs to review the guidelines on the Blog post to ensure your email signature is correct. Every communication we send out shapes our audiences’ impression of Clemson Cooperative Extension—from direct mail to email—and it is important that our email signatures follow the updated Clemson University guidelines.

Every Extension Administrator, Associate, Specialist, Agent, and Staff member are asked to update their online employee profile with current information and a headshot photo. Since these profiles are used to filter into our directories, it’s very important they are accurate. Profiles can be created and edited at the create/edit your profile link. Pay special attention to the Department affiliation section and select all applicable options. (County Admins should only select their county, not the Extension Administration Office choice.)

The online employee profiles also allow new employees to read more about their colleagues’ backgrounds and specialties and find contact information. We have had nearly half a dozen new hires join us over the past two months, and I encourage you to visit the Blog post and view the list of our newest team members. 

Our next Drop-in With the Director session will be on June 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join on the Zoom link to share input and ask questions about Extension-related topics such as work responsibilities, employee relations, policies and operations.

Concerning policy, we have realigned our operations over the past year to function as we did before the impact of the pandemic. We are operating under our initial policies on how and where employees carry out their responsibilities during our regular business hours. It is important to stay home if you are sick or must care for an ill child or family member, and our policy is to take sick leave when these situations arise. We had to do a lot of pivoting over the past couple of years to keep Extension running and offices safe. I am grateful for how adaptable we became during such fluid circumstances. Now, we can continue our operations with a clear set of policies we were accustomed to before the pandemic.

In closing, I’d like to reflect on the impact that our dedicated Extension educator and friend to many, Dr. Steve Meadows, had across our state. I, with many others, attended his service the other week, and the room was full of friends and colleagues from many different walks of life, all with their own special memories. The Steve Meadows Scholarship Fund has been established to support the future careers of those who look to follow in his footsteps. Contributions in his memory may be made to: Steve Meadows Scholarship Fund, Attn: Heather Shultz, 275 B Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, S.C. 29634.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Memorial Day holiday weekend. As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.