Dear Extension Family,
The 2023 A. Frank Lever County Extension Agents Hall of Fame induction the other weekend was another memorable event. The Lever Hall of Fame honors the careers of “longtime, front-line county agents” whose service had an important economic impact on the communities they served. The members of the 2023 Class are Sharon Grice (Marion County), Amos Wells (Anderson), Jack Whetstone (Georgetown) and Powell Smith (Lexington County). You can read more about the event and the honorees in the Clemson News story.
We have been working with the University’s Pre-Collegiate Program Office (PcPO) to improve the process for keeping our programs compliant. The PcPO was formed to establish consolidated oversight of the policies and operating standards for programs and activities involving non-student minors. We will hold mandatory in-person PcPO work sessions in June, July and August for 4-H Agents, select EFNEP Agents, 4-H and Agricultural Education staff, District Extension Directors, Program Team Directors, the Extension Administration Team and others who may be deemed necessary to participate. For agents and staff, your DED or PTD will notify you if your participation is required. Please refer to the Blog post for session dates and registration information.
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 (605 West Main St., Suite F, Lexington). Who Should Attend: County Agents eligible for promotion and others with additional questions and/or need help with the promotion packet. Pre-registration is required by July 1 and should be confirmed with an email to Ms. Alivia Gunter at aliviag@clemson.edu.
I would like to recognize the Clemson Agricultural Safety Program and Agricultural Sciences Research and Fabrication Lab for their incredible efforts to design and construct a Grain Entrapment Simulator for trainings across the state. With only a few of these units in the country, this is a vital resource for South Carolina. The trailer allows an individual to be safely entrapped in grain while rescuers can simulate and train for the rescue process. Please read more about the simulator in the Blog post.
It’s always exciting to welcome new employees to our team, and we have welcomed several new employees in addition to a new South Carolina Botanical Garden director and Cooperative Extension Program Manager. Please review the list of new hires in the Blog post. Additionally, it’s rewarding to hear about our employees reaching milestones working for the state of South Carolina. Congratulations to our Extension IT Support Extraordinaire for the Upstate, Marty King, for 20 years of service! We are grateful to have your IT expertise on our team.
Although it’s still a season away, we have a few announcements for October. The 2023 SC State Fair will open on Wednesday, October 11, and close on Sunday, October 22. Our Extension booth set-up is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10. If you are interested in signing up to work a shift, please visit the Blog post for more information. The week of October 16, the University Office of Compliance and Ethics will hold in-person and virtual activities and talks. Topics will include ethical decision-making, privacy awareness (to include online activity), organizational citizenship and ethical implications of AI (artificial intelligence). For more information about compliance and ethics at Clemson University, please visit the Office of Compliance and Ethics website.
Our next Drop-in With the Director session will be on Wednesday, August 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join, share input and ask questions about Extension-related topics such as work responsibilities, employee relations and general administration and operations policies or just listen in. We covered several important topics in the last session, and I appreciate those who participated. The Zoom link and schedule for the remaining sessions are available in the Blog post.
The budget conference report was adopted by the House and Senate and ratified on June 14. The budget was sent to the Governor, who, as of June 19, has five days, excluding Sunday, to issue vetoes.
We are halfway through the year, and July 4 is approaching quickly. I hope everyone has some fun outings planned, whether on land or in the water, with safety in mind. Enjoy your time off with friends and family. 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.
