Please be reminded that there is a scheduled webinar for Friday, June 5 beginning at 2:00pm. Join VP McPheron as he shares updates, information, and decisions related to the status of reviews and implementation plans associated with college operations, Wooster campus integration, and facilities. A great deal of work will have been completed that positions our college for success, and the VP will to share this with you and answer questions you may have at that time.

Instructions on accessing the webinar will be sent out mid-week.

Important transition news from the Council on Agriculture Science and Technology and updates from around the country are found here.

Announcement from the Ohio Agricultural Council

Four Ohioans who have committed their lives to working in, promoting and advocating for Ohio’s farm community will be honored Friday, August 7, 2015, by the Ohio Agricultural Council, when they are inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees are William J Haddad of Danville, the late Don Loudenslager of Morral, Roy Loudenslager of Marion, and Gerald (Gary) Mast of Millersburg.

They will be honored during a special breakfast ceremony in the Celeste Center at the Ohio Expo Center. The 50th annual event will attract approximately 500 guests to honor these four professionals for their lifetime of service and dedication to Ohio’s agriculture community.

William J. Haddad of Danville, Ohio
William (Bill) Haddad, known to many as “No-Till Bill,” has worked tirelessly to help farmers understand and implement no-tillage farming practices ever since he first heard the term in 1969 at a Chevron Agricultural Chemical Co. meeting. His passion for no-tillage continues as a way to save and improve the soil by reducing erosion; improving water quality; saving time, labor and equipment investment; and conservation of fuel.

Throughout the years, Haddad has contributed to several articles on no-tillage crop production discussing the benefits of the systems. Additionally, he has conducted hundreds of on-farm demonstrations and grower meetings on the practice, including being an active exhibitor in the Ohio Farm Science Review for more than three decades. Furthermore, Haddad invested his own money in the state’s first Spray-Coupe to demonstrate effective weed control systems for no-tillage crops.

Haddad’s achievements have been recognized both at the state and national levels. Among the many recognitions include: Ohio No-Till Council AgriBusiness Award, the Goodyear/NACD Conservation Award of Merit for Outstanding Accomplishments in Resource Conservation, and being inducted into the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame.

Don Loudenslager of Morral, Ohio
The late Don Loudenslager dedicated his life to Ohio agriculture. Farming was his passion, and Loudenslager along with his brother, Roy, and father, operated a successful crop and livestock farm that was known for innovation and conversation stewardship.

Through the years, Loudenslager gave his time, service and leadership as a member and officer of several agricultural organizations, including the Ohio Pork Council, Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association, Ohio Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, and the American Farm Bureau Federation. For more than 45 years, he served as a district supervisor for the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District and served several years on the state Soil and Water Conservation Board. Additionally, Loudenslager was a strong supporter of youth leadership programs through both 4-H and FFA.

Loudenslager’s work ethic, leadership and pioneering spirit have inspired many students and professionals. His legacy will certainly continue to help shape Ohio agriculture for many years to come.

Roy Loudenslager of Marion, Ohio
Roy Loudenslager has made significant contributions to the agricultural industry as a lifelong farmer, inventor, innovator and engineer. As Ohio’s first FFA Star Farmer, Loudenslager started his path to success in the agriculture industry and service to community as a teen. He has also, with his family and late brother Don, been a model environmental steward since he began farming in high school.

Throughout the years, Loudenslager has offered his time and talents to state and national organizations. Loudenslager played a critical role in establishing the Ohio Soybean Council as one of the nation’s top producer-funded state promotion and research boards and is a past chairman of the Council’s Board. He has served on various boards, including the National City Bank Board of Directors, Marion General Hospital Board of Directors, United Soybean Board, and positions of leadership on The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute Advisory Committee and Lions Club International. In addition, he proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1959-1961 earning the rank of sergeant.

Loudenslager is characterized as a serious, yet benevolent, advocate for agriculture, and he exemplifies the strong family farming tradition of his generation.

Gerald (Gary) Mast of Millersburg, Ohio
A sixth-generation farmer, Gary Mast and his brother farm more than 1,200 acres in Holmes County and provide custom manure management and forage harvesting to other farmers. As a seasoned veteran of agriculture and conservation issues, his passion is demonstrated through his unwavering efforts and leadership to the industry and his community.

Mast has been an advocate for agriculture at the local, state and national levels for many years. He has served on the leadership team for the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, as well as a board member with the Holmes County Soil and Water Conservation District and Holmes County Farm Bureau. On a national level, Mast served as deputy undersecretary for natural resources and environment, one of the top positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mast regularly hosts tours and events on his farm to demonstrate how sound agriculture practices build strong communities. He has also given speeches to local civic organizations, county leadership classes, soil and water conservation groups, and 4-H and FFA chapters on the value of soil stewardship and animal care practices, as well as the value of the community working together.

Mast is widely known for his love of the land and commitment to the betterment of agriculture. Among his many achievements include: Ohio Supervisor Hall of Fame inductee by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Environmental Protection Agency District 5 Distinguished Service Award, and International Honor Award for Conversation Activities by the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

Invitations will be sent in mid-June. For information about sponsorship in honor of the inductees, contact the Ohio Agricultural Council at 614-794-8970 or via email at info@ohioagcouncil.org.

The Spring 2015 issue of Continuum is due to hit mailboxes very soon, if not already.  You may view the most recent (and past) issue here: http://cfaes.osu.edu/about/continuum

Request for Application – TDA@OhioState Faculty in Residence

Translational Data Analytics @ Ohio State (TDA@OhioState) seeks your assistance encouraging faculty members to apply for the Faculty in Residence opportunity described below. Please forward to those you feel would be qualified and interested in this endeavor.

TDA@OhioState (formerly Data Analytics Collaborative) is seeking up to two Faculty in Residence to participate in creating a strategic plan for the development of comprehensive and interdisciplinary data analytics educational programming at The Ohio State University.

TDA@OhioState serves as the university’s professional and scholarly home for the creation and application of data analytic solutions to relevant problems of global importance. This emerging entity will harness the full scale and scope of Ohio State data assets – integrating and enabling greater access to them, while transforming the ways in which the university develops and partners with regional, national, and international stakeholders in research, education and problem solving. TDA@OhioState will also enable the continued development and delivery of academic programming that advances translational data analytics scholarship, while grounding our students in data science methods and theories at all levels of practice and innovation. Educational programming is expected to be multi-modal and could include undergraduate minors, graduate specializations, on-line and hybrid curricula, and practitioner-oriented certifications.

Faculty in Residence engaged via this request for applications will serve as members of the TDA@OhioState leadership. They will undertake one or more of the following activities to deliver the strategic plan for comprehensive, interdisciplinary data analytics educational programming:

· Engaging key stakeholders at the university, regional campus, college, and academic support unit levels to identify current data analytics relevant programming and gaps.
· Recommending new curriculum and training programs, with the ultimate objective of enhancing core data analytics scholarship at Ohio State, while also expanding the data analytics workforce capable of delivering high impact translational data analytics solutions.
· Seeking external community input about current and recommended educational programming to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of community members.
· Implementing components of the plan.

Applicants must be tenure track faculty member with five or more years of data analytics relevant teaching, research, and service-related experience at Ohio State. Experience in the conduct of systematic environmental surveys, the development of strategic plans, and the design of educational curricula is preferred. Faculty in Residence appointments within TDA@OhioState provide support for up to 20% effort for a duration of 9 to 12 months.

Interested faculty members should submit the following: (1) a letter of intent describing relevant experience and interest relative to the described role and activities (no more than two pages); (2) a current CV; and (3) a letter of support from the individual’s TIU chair or equivalent supervisor, indicating that the faculty member submitting the application has the support of their organizational unit to participate in such a role. Please submit these items via email by June 5, 2015, to Roberta Houser, Administrative Manager, Office of Academic Affairs, at houser.73@osu.edu.

For additional information, please feel free to contact Philip Payne, TDA@OhioState Faculty Director, at payne341@osu.edu or David Mongeau, Senior Program Manager, at mongeau.1@osu.edu.

To receive the most up-to-date information from OSU Extension, please follow their newsletter at: http://extension.osu.edu/communique

College Communications has added additional resources to the template site, specifically email newsletter templates that allow you to easily incorporate into your email client and link to existing sites and resources.  Detailed instructions are provided on how best to use this new resource.

http://cfaes.osu.edu/brand/email-newsletter-templates

Originally sent by Steve Slack on Friday, May 29th

After more than 40 years of faculty and administrative service, the last 16 years as Associate Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at The Ohio State University, the time is right to move onto the next phase of my life.

I will be stepping down from my current role at the end of the 2015 calendar year.

Importantly, I have had the privilege to work with many committed and talented administrative, faculty and staff colleagues. Nothing is ever accomplished alone. I thank all of you for the rich experiences that Susie and I have enjoyed in Ohio. I continue to be amazed and invigorated by the resiliency shown by this group as we gathered and rebuilt following the 2010 tornado.

Faculty, staff and administrators attending the Ohio State ATI graduation.  Photo by Drew Wang

Researchers from any department and discipline affiliated with The Ohio State University and the Higher Education Research Institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, are invited to submit proposals for the support of research projects involving the exchange of researchers between the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and Ohio State University.

This Call for Proposals offers two funding opportunities:

Mobility Grants will provide up to $20,000 for a period of up to one year. FAPESP and Ohio State will each provide 50% of the funded amount. Funds can be used for travel, health insurance and living expenses related to the exchange of researchers between the two countries.

Regular Research Awards will provide up to $100,000 for a period of two years. FAPESP and Ohio State will each provide 50% of the funded amount. Funds can be used for research-related expenses related directly to the project as well as travel, health insurance and living expenses related to the exchange of researchers between the two countries.

Applicants may submit only one proposal (either a Mobility or Regular Research Award proposal). The deadline for submission of proposals is July 13, 2015. Additional information is available on the Office of Research website.

As of Monday, May 11, the university implemented summer work hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until the fall semester begins in late August. Regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume on Tuesday, August 25. Some areas may have additional hours, outside of this core, to meet customer and student needs. Offices are responsible for communicating extended hours and any schedule changes to their customers.

VP & Dean McPheron sent the following note to ACEL faculty and staff:

I’m pleased to share with you that Graham Cochran has accepted my offer to serve as the Interim Department Chair, effective July 1 and pending approval of the Board of Trustees. He will begin working immediately with Dr. Straquadine to ensure a smooth transition.

As you know, Graham has served as an Associate Professor since 2011 with appointments in the Department of Extension and Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership. Graham began his career at The Ohio State University in 1996 as a county director and Extension Agent in Sandusky County. Since that initial appointment, Graham has accepted increasing responsibilities including Center Director at Adventure Central in Dayton and in the OSU Extension Human Resources unit. Graham’s scholarship has focused on organizational and workforce development, including a leadership role with the development of an online Master’s program. Graham’s work in organizational and workforce development provided the type of experience necessary for him to successfully co-lead the Vice Presidents Conversation on the Future of Extension.

In the coming weeks and months we will have additional conversation on the future leadership of the department and the process we’ll use to seek out and identify the next leader.

Please join me in congratulating Graham and supporting him in his new leadership opportunity.

Weekly update/news from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. Read about news from across the country, here.

If you were unable to view the monthly webinar, you may watch the recording, here.

Previous monthly webinar recordings may be found, here.

Finally, please be reminded that there is a scheduled webinar for Friday, June 5 beginning at 2:00pm. Join VP McPheron as he shares updates, information, and decisions related to the status of reviews and implementation plans associated with college operations, Wooster campus integration, and facilities. A great deal of work will have been completed that positions our college for success, and I want to share this with you and answer questions you may have at that time.

Last month, the inaugural issue of CFAES Connect, an electronic newsletter for CFAES alumni was distributed.  You may view issues of CFAES Connect, here.