Number CLXXIII The Newsletter of Epsilon Sigma PhiMarch 2024

 President's Message

Travis West, National ESP President

It is that time of year when chapters have submitted their award winners for recognition at the National level and pieces are coming together for the 2024 National meeting in Virgina Beach. As I approach the midway point in my term as National President, I can cherish and appreciate the hard work that your National Board has done thus far and look forward to seeing many of those items be implemented after many hours of work to evaluate, scrutinize and hypothesis about those ideas! As an ESP organization, our membership is changing each and every year with new professionals entering the workforce across the country. To stay relevant the organization needs to be flexible and position itself to deliver our professional development opportunities to all members in a variety of formats and mediums.

I will be hosting the National Board in Ohio for our mid-year Board meeting in April, and we have 3 full days of work to get accomplished on behalf of your organization. We will be engaging in conversations around the board strategic action plan, treasurer position, membership system and website revamp and dissecting the excellent information members provided during regional breakfasts in Billings. April will bring our request for committee member applications, and I encourage you to consider applying to serve on a National Committee. Those applications will close May 1 so be watching your emails in April for that committee application announcement from the National Office. Not sure what our committees do at the National level, go to the application and read about each committee https://portal.espnational.org/Committee-Application. While you are there, if you find a committee that sounds like it relates to your skills set submit that application. No need to wait till the deadline of May 1 to apply!

Meaningful connections are all around us and we just need to stop and reflect upon them. As Extension professionals, everything we do involves some sort of connection with other humans. That might be a person you meet that has a skill you need for a programming idea, a like minded colleague that can ramp up that grant application, a mentor that connects you to a committee that expands your programming options (of course within reason, no need to overload your schedule). What meaningful connection have you made in the last week, month, year? Take time this week to send a quick appreciation note, text or e-mail to that person and let them know the result of that connection they made for you and your program.

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Nutrition Education in Cambodia

Submitted by: Dr. Kristen Johnson, Global Relations Committee Member

Nutritionally adequate diets are important for everyone and support our growth, development, health, and wellbeing at every stage of life. Despite the importance of nutrition, many people in communities worldwide experience food insecurity, meaning they cannot access the nutritious foods they need. Improving food insecurity requires making nutritious foods more available and accessible, and helping people choose and prepare nutritious foods. In Cambodia, half the population experiences food insecurity. Many organizations worldwide are engaged in projects to improve food insecurity in Cambodia. These efforts include interventions that incorporate nutrition and agriculture education in Cambodian school curricula.  During the summer in 2022 and 2023, Kristen Johnson, an Assistant Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist at the University of Tennessee, volunteered as a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer in Cambodia. During these assignments she collaborated with University faculty, Extension staff, school teachers, and students in Cambodia, to support efforts their efforts incorporate hands-on nutrition education in Cambodian schools.  Dr. Johnson developed nutrition education materials that incorporate agriculture and art education, trained Cambodian school teachers, and collaborated with Cambodian teachers to deliver nutrition education lessons to their students. This work increased Cambodian teachers’ knowledge, confidence, and capacity to teach nutrition education. After volunteering, Dr. Johnson continues to collaborate with Cambodian faculty to plan, develop and implement Extension projects in Cambodia and Tennessee.  

For any questions about this program, please contact:

Kristen Johnson, PhD, RDN

Assistant Professor

Nutrition Specialist

Department of Family & Consumer Sciences

kristen.johnson@utk.edu

What Scholarships and Grants Mean to Me

Submitted by: Barbara Dunn Swanson, Scholarship Grant, and Recognition Committee Chair

Scholarships and grants are a way to help individuals in Epsilon Sigma Phi meet a goal, learn a new skill, or even participate in professional development. I wanted to share some of the comments that several 2023 scholarship and grant award recipients revealed as they reported back to ESP! 

“This was my first ESP conference, and I was so impressed.  Not only did I make great connections, but I also learned more about the importance of ESP membership in my state.  Our state has not had a group for years and now, with a strong group of agents, we have a promising start to getting it up and running again.  I have shared what I brought back with the new president and look forward to working with him this year to create the best ESP group in the country.”

“As a newly appointed national Membership and Recruitment Committee Member and President-Elect for Idaho's state association, this was an invaluable conference to attend to learn more about ESP, it's policies, and professional development opportunities. I had a great time meeting others from around the nation in ESP and how we can utilize cross-disciplinary collaboration in our local, state, and national programming. I also enjoyed learning about impactful programming in other states, which is giving me ideas for my own programming. I returned from my trip energized about Extension and being involved in ESP and am eager to apply my knowledge with our state ESP chapter. Thank you for the opportunity!”

“As an Accredited Financial Counselor certification candidate, I have completed 532 hours of approved experience towards the 1,000 required hours. I am currently enrolled in the required online courses and on pace to be able to sit for the certification examination in December 2023. 

From this experience, my knowledge has greatly expanded in the areas of military essentials, college financing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. I look forward to the additional classes on financial inclusion and money management essentials.”

“I really appreciated the session on Building Authentic Connections. While I am not currently in a management role, these are effective and useful skills for volunteer management. The presenters provided tools and techniques for all levels of management/supervision/leadership. Our extension district has been through some turmoil in the last 18 months and as a leader and mentor, I want to best support our new district director and our team members, in addition to better managing my volunteers. The team of presenters were very good and engaging throughout. Overall, the Capnote presentation by Dr. Hannah Carter was the highlight! She is a plain-spoken and down to earth presenter. Her reference to the book "Love + Work" was impetus to download and listen to most of the book on my 4-hour drive home with many valuable lessons. As a follow-up to Dr. Carter's presentation, I am intentional about where to make JOY a priority at work and at home.”

As an ESP member, you too are eligible to apply for scholarships, grants, and award recognition. Review these pages and be sure to share with your chapter members! We thank everyone who contributes to the ESP Development Fund, so that revenue is available for award distribution.  

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Development Fund Update

Submitted by the Resource Development and Management Committee

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Thanks to generous donors throughout the years, and excellent portfolio management by our investment advisors Patten & Patten, Inc., National Epsilon Sigma Phi has robust investment funds.  As depicted in the graphic, the organization’s investments finished 2023 strong.

Your continued support helps to ensure ESP can continue to support membership through professional development scholarships, grants, and stipends, and provide recognition of members’ outstanding work.  

There is still time to make your contribution count in the 2024 campaign year which ends May 31, 2024. Donors who achieve new key giving levels will be recognized at the 2024 conference in Virginia Beach.  Members can find their donation history in their member profile by logging into your membership profile on the national website and clicking on Donations.  Key giving levels are:

  • ESP Key: $250 to $499

  • ESP Bronze Key: $500 to $999

  • ESP Silver Key: $1,000 to $4,999

  • ESP Gold Key: $5,000 to $ $14,999

  • ESP Platinum Key: $15,000 to $24,999

  • ESP Diamond Key: $25,000 or more

All donations to ESP are tax-deductible.  Thanks for your support!

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National Board Applications

If you have ever thought about being involved on the national level, now is the time! National ESP Board Member applications are open and will close on April 1st. This year the following positions are open for applications:

  • National 2nd Vice President (from the Southern Region)
  • North Central Region Vice President
  • Southern Region Vice President

Visit the National Board Member Application webpage for more information.

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Save the Date

2024 ESP National Conference October 27-31 Virginia Beach, Virginia

2025 ESP National Conference October 6-9 Fort Worth, Texas

JCEP PILD Conference April 15-17 2024 Arlington, VA

Deadlines

April 1 National Board Member Application

May 1 New Committee Member Applications Due

This newsletter is a publication of Epsilon Sigma Phi, Inc. - The Extension Professionals' Organization

espnational.org