“Engagement and Success of Land-Grant Universities and Colleges - Respecting Sovereignty, Serving the People and the Land”
On Sept. 22-23, 2016, the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture hosted a meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo., for 1994 and 1862
land-grant university (LGU) representatives. The meeting, themed “Engagement and
Success of Land-Grant Universities and Colleges - Respecting Sovereignty,
Serving the People and the Land,” was held for the purpose of having a candid
and productive conversation between the 1994s and 1862s, to discuss ways to
strengthen their relationship, and chart a course for a more collaborative and
productive future.
According to
the attendees, the meeting was positive, mutually respectful, and productive. A
major outcome of the meeting was a list of six action items to be championed by
various attendees. These action items include:
1. Pursue stable capacity funding for the 1994
institutions, which is similar to the Hatch/Smith Lever funding utilized by the
1862s and the Evans-Allen/1890 Extension funding utilized by the 1890s.
1994 LGU Champion: Steve Yanni, Bay Mills Community College; 1862 LGU
Champions: Barry Dunn, South Dakota State; Fred Schlutt, Alaska-Fairbanks
2. Instill a more positive tribal orientation in
NIFA. 1862 LGU Champion: Jeff Bader, Montana State; 1994 LGU
Champion: To Be Announced
3. Pilot a Land-Grant University
Multi/Pan-Jurisdictional Platform that provides a unique regional/multistate
governance structure that provides an equal voice for all member land-grant
universities. 1862 LGU Champion: Tom Coon, Oklahoma State; 1994 LGU
Champion: Gary Halvorson, Sitting Bull
4. Given the comparatively quick turnover of
1994 University Presidents, provide training and mentorship early in their
tenure regarding the land-grant university mission. 1994 LGU Champion:
Charlene Carr, Institute of American Indian Arts; 1862 LGU Champion: Bev
Durgan, Minnesota
5. Develop more opportunities for 1994s and
1862s to gather, plan, and coordinate. This could take the form of a
partnership conference at the multistate or multi-institutional level. 1862
LGU Champion: Chris Boerboom, North Dakota State; 1994 LGU Champion: Amanda
Sialofi, Illisagvik
6. Develop clearinghouse positions and/or duties
at the regional or state level to encourage linkages between the 1994s and 1862
positions. 1994 LGU Champion: Brian Kowalkowski, College of the Menominee
Nation; 1862 LGU Champion: Chuck Hibberd, Nebraska
A
more detailed report of the meeting can be found here.
New NIFA Division Director for Global Climate Change
Dr. George "Randy" Johnson has joined NIFA as the division director for Global Climate Change in the Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment. He was a lead developer and the first national lead of the USDA Climate Hubs before coming to NIFA. Johnson was the national program leader of genetics and climate change research for Forest Service's Research and Development. He was formerly a research geneticist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station and adjunct professor of forestry and forest genetics at Oregon State University. He was also a research geneticist at the U.S. National Arboretum (ARS), acting deputy director of the Pacific Southwest Research Station, and director of the New Zealand Radiata Pine Breeding Cooperative. Johnson received his Ph.D. in forest genetics from North Carolina State University. Johnson can be reached on 202-763-9036.
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Rural America at a Glance Report
Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack released Rural America at a Glance, 2016 Edition,
an annual report by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).This report highlights the most recent
indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas, focusing on the
U.S. rural economy, including employment, population, poverty, and income
trends. Key economic
indicators continue to show that rural America is rebounding. Rural
unemployment continued to decline in 2015, dropping below 6 percent for the
first time since 2007, and rural poverty rates have fallen. Median household
incomes in rural areas increased by 3.4 percent in 2015, and rural populations
have stabilized and are beginning to grow. Child food insecurity nationwide is
at an all-time low.
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