Dear
Colleagues:
The
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is pleased to announce two
webinars to discuss the upcoming evaluation of our Capacity Programs portfolio.
Funding provided under NIFA’s Capacity Programs represents nearly half of
NIFA’s budget. It is, therefore, imperative for us, in collaboration with our
partners, to develop an evidence-based analysis of the value and return on
investment of these programs.
Key to making the evaluation work well is engaging you in the process to
discuss data collection, the reciprocal value of the evaluation and hear your
concerns. Most importantly, this effort will enable all of us to showcase
to the taxpayers and the public the amazing impacts these programs have made on
the food, agriculture, natural resource, and human sciences enterprise in our
nation.
The
evaluation is to be undertaken by a contractor, TEConomy, in collaboration with
the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, and they will engage
with you as the study moves forward.
The
goals of the webinar to be offered by NIFA staff are:
- to introduce the intended goals and outcomes of the evaluation;
- to answer questions from you and/or your constituents;
- to determine who is best suited to complete the ultimate
evaluation instruments; and
- to brainstorm ways to reduce burden on respondents.
Two separate webinars will be held for your convenience:
1. Thursday, June 30, 1-2 p.m., EDT
2. Tuesday, July 7, 1-2 p.m., EDT
Webinar Link: http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/cesls
Dial-in: 1-888-8449904
Access Code: 6710407#
We hope the Land-Grant community
representatives will attend the webinars, as convenient.
To
register, e-mail Karl Maxwell,
NIFA Project Officer, with your preferred session, e-mail, and phone
number. You may also contact him if you have any additional
questions.
We
look forward to having you join us for an interactive discussion.
Best,
/s/ Sonny Ramaswamy
Sonny
Ramaswamy
Director
NIFA
invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and extension and
seeks to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges.
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