This year I spent Valentine's Day with the UCCE County Directors. Not that there is any day I wouldn't want to spend with the County Directors, but it definitely surpassed the year I was dragged around for 4 hours looking for the perfect rototiller that turned out to be my Valentine gift. The day-long meeting meant a tremendous amount of information sharing and I am still wrapping my brain around most of it. One thing that has gelled though is a deep respect for those that champion UCCE in so many ways across the state and work with county partners to bring UCCE programs and services to their local communities. We spent quite a bit of time talking about balancing programmatic and academic scholarship with administrative responsibilities, a juggling act that is familiar to others beyond county leadership. As a division that values continuous improvement, there's opportunity to take a look at how we evaluate administrative contributions in concert with academic achievement. I also think there are opportunities to better convey administrative accomplishments. A few County Directors spoke about their role in helping others achieve more; precisely the reason some accept leadership responsibilities but often overlooked when one thinks about what they have accomplished as a leader or overlooked by others when considering the benefits of being a leader or even of having a leader. And the support, encouragement and development of others that our county leaders provide is in addition to the accomplishment of securing a county budget! I suspect a few more thoughts will crystallize after my head cold clears.
Speaking of leaders, tomorrow and Friday are interviews for the Vice Provost- Statewide Programs/Strategic Initiatives position. Sometime next week the links will be out so be sure to look for that email if you are unable to attend in person. Your feedback on the candidates is highly valued so please, take the time to weigh in.
If you happen to see Amanda Crump, be sure to congratulate her for her invitation to serve on the Western Governors' Association Invasive Species Advisory Committee. An outstanding recognition of her work!