Here comes the rain. And, here comes the start of the holidays. You would think the week would be slow. Not so. There's much to be completed before the long weekend. I won't finish it all by Wednesday. But in many cases, I would prefer to do some work over the weekend when I have a devoted block time to spend on a task than rush through elements of the job in between meetings.
This morning I spent some time with a staffer for the Western Governors Association. We focused on some of the WGA priorities where there should be substantial opportunities for Cooperative Extension and university research to plug into WGA efforts. I learned of WGA's plan to launch an invasive species data initiative in April that will focus on gathering data across the Western region using a common platform developed by Google. Another focus, in partnership with USDA, seeks to identify key areas in the West to control cheatgrass using a tool developed by NRCS. And, fire resiliency remains of keen interest to the WGA.
Next week, I spend some time at UCB, meeting with CE Specialists and the Berkeley Food Institute. Tuesday is the ANR Governing Council meeting. On Wednesday, the Program Council meets. The rest of the week slows down a bit to catch up on emails and other work.
I need to develop a presentation between now and the Governing Council meeting. I have two topics to cover. The first is about the public value of our work. That topic is a carryover from the last meeting, so the presentation is ready; I need to remind myself what messages I wanted to convey. The second presentation is about how we partner to achieve our impacts. My goal is to leave the Council members thinking about how their campuses can partner with UC ANR to translate campus research to broader impacts in communities throughout California. Mark Bell will provide the Council with an overview of our statewide programs and institutes. While the last meeting focused on fund sources and uses for UC ANR and our partner campuses, this meeting will focus on the programmatic side of our work. In sum, the Council should have a pretty thorough understanding of UC ANR though nothing compares to seeing our programs in action and hearing from clientele the difference our work makes.
Safe travels to all those on the road this week. Enjoy the time away, time with family, and the onset of winter weather.