Welcome Luca Carmignani! Luca started this week as a CE Advisor, specializing in Wildland-Urban Interference. Luca is based at the South Coast REC. Please reach out to Luca and give a warm welcome!
Program Council met this week at Elkus Ranch. This was our first in-person meeting in over 2 years and the first ever in-person meeting for some of our Program Council members. Program Council took a tour of Elkus and heard from Frank and Keith about their vision to build urban programs for Cooperative Extension. While many think that Cooperative Extension is about agriculture, the intent of the Smith-Lever act was to build an evidence-based program to lift all the peoples of a state, hence the nutrition program being one of the first efforts by Cooperative Extension. It makes sense, then, that we seek opportunities to expand the footprint and impact in urban and inner city areas.
Earlier in the week I met virtually with the Academic Assembly Council. They have been working on a few big items. We talked about mentoring for new academics. During a call earlier today, the AAC Personnel Committee, in particular, came up as a key group that can help shape ideas for a multi-dimensional program that includes formal and informal mentoring components as well as peer mentoring and task training. Vice Provost Obrist will be a key contributor and leader of these conversations. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Obrist joining in mid-August.
The IPM team met in person this week in Davis! It was nice to see the Valley Rooms in use again. We didn't run short of things to discuss. As a result, I didn't have a chance to speak directly to some of the newer members of the team before I had to head to my next meeting. Hopefully there will be additional opportunities in the near future.
I have made my way through the first review of dossiers submitted for advancement actions. My next step is to begin reading supervisor, ad hoc committee, and peer review committee comments. I will start on those tomorrow. I have just over a month to complete decisions in early June. Time flies!