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Inside Outreach
National 4-H Council thanks President Spanier
	Don Floyd (left), president and chief executive officer of the National 4-H Council; Annina Burns, Penn State nutrition major working with the 4-H Food and Nutrition Program; and Dr. Marilyn Corbin (right), assistant director, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and state program leader for children, youth and families, present President Spanier with a plaque thanking him for his service as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National 4-H Council.
Thornton is honored with University’s Staff Excellence Award
Patricia Thornton, administrative assistant to the vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, is the recipient of the 2001 Penn State Staff Excellence Award.	Patricia Thornton, administrative assistant to the vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, is the recipient of the 2001 Penn State Staff Excellence Award.   Established in 1993, the Staff Excellence Award is made annually to a member of the University staff who has demonstrated and practiced the philosophy of continuous quality improvement, team spirit and managerial excellence, as well as provided leadership in establishing a quality service orientation in the performance of assigned duties.   Thornton has worked at Penn State for 19 years. She has served in her current position since 1991. During her tenure with Outreach and Cooperative Extension, she has earned the respect and trust of her colleagues.   “Pat Thornton is a consummate professional who has been indefatigable in her support of colleagues and in her work for the University,” Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, said. “Her professional skills are extraordinary. She is an effective project manager, supervisor and problem-solver. These skills are well-developed as a result of her senior-level experience.”   Among her many contributions to Outreach and Cooperative Extension, Thornton sponsored a major continuous quality improvement initiative for staff assistants in the organization. The CQI process resulted in streamlined office processes, increased efficiencies and enhanced communication in the central office.   Colleagues praised Thornton’s “rare, hands-on knowledge of shared authority on which the University operates, which contributes to her ability to achieve continuous improvement in the processes that guide the work of the Vice President’s Office and the broader leadership community of Outreach and Cooperative Extension.”   The staff assistants who work with Thornton said, “She is a respected and dedicated professional who is always available to listen and offer solutions for problems. She encourages, supports and is compassionate. Her sensitivity to situations and her extraordinary team spirit contribute to her success as a leader and a mentor in our organization. She provides good, sound advice, and she is always willing to give words of praise and encouragement on a job well done, which means so much in our sometimes highly stressful workday.”   O&CE directors supported Thornton’s nomination, noting, “It is clear that Pat Thornton has made a major impact in Outreach and Cooperative Extension. She has infused her enthusiasm into major planning retreats for the senior outreach leadership. She has added a touch of class to development dinners for major donors. She has assisted in planning the reward and recognition events for faculty engaged in outreach. She is a motivator, a counselor and a team leader.”   Thornton joined the Penn State staff in 1982. She served as secretary to the Assistant to the Dean in The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration for one year before becoming secretary to the Dean of The Smeal College (1983–91). In 1991, she was appointed administrative assistant to the Vice President for Outreach and Cooperative Extension. Previously, she was a secretary in the Office of the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh from 1966 to 1969.   At Penn State, she has served on many committees, including task forces and search committees. A State College resident, Thornton is co-founder of the Pennsylvania Centre Chamber Orchestra Society and served as the first board president from 1993 to 1994. She currently is serving a one-year term as president of the orchestra’s Volunteer Corps.
New regional director named for South Central region of Cooperative Extension and Outreach
T. David Filson is the regional director for the South Central region of Penn State Cooperative Extension and Outreach.	T. David Filson has been appointed regional director for the South Central region of Penn State Cooperative Extension and Outreach. As regional director, he is providing programmatic and administrative leadership for Cooperative Extension and coordination for University outreach programs in the region’s nine counties: Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry and Somerset.   Filson replaces Harold Ott, who retired in December.   Dr. Theodore R. Alter, associate vice president for outreach, director of Cooperative Extension and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences, said Filson brings a 17-year record of dedicated and exemplary service as an extension educator, county extension director and director of Penn State’s Juniata Valley outreach center to his new position.   “I am very pleased that Dave has assumed this important leadership position for Penn State Cooperative Extension and Outreach,” Alter said.   Filson added, “I’m eager to forge new relationships between extension staff, extension clientele and extension board members over a larger region. The issues and questions may change, but our staff continue to be the greatest asset Penn State has to offer.”   He joined Penn State in 1984 as an agricultural agent in Mifflin County. In 1991–92, he served as county extension director for Mifflin County. From 1992 to 1998, he was county extension director for Juniata and Mifflin counties. In 1998, he was named director of Penn State’s first Center for Cooperative Extension and Outreach. Located in Lewistown, the center provides residents of Mifflin, Juniata and surrounding counties with one-stop access to all of the University’s outreach initiatives offered through Cooperative Extension, Continuing Education, Distance Education, Technology Transfer and other programs.   Filson received his bachelor of science degree in agronomy and master’s degree in extension education from Penn State. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) and the Pennsylvania Association of County Agricultural Agents. He has won several communications awards, and in 1999, he was honored with the NACAA Distinguished Service Award. In 1988–89, he was recognized as the County Farmers Association “Spokesman for Agriculture.”   His international agriculture experience includes participation in the Strengthening Grant Project in Guatemala, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as hosting a number of agricultural groups from other countries.   Before joining Penn State Cooperative Extension in 1984, Filson was self-employed, raising dairy heifers, beef, sheep, field crops, vegetables, tree fruit and Christmas trees on his farm in Lewistown.   Filson is based at the South Central Region Office in 215 Lubert Building, University Park. The office can be found on the Web at www.extension.psu.edu/scregion/.
PENNTAP wins two national awards for helping state businesses
	By Dana Bauer   The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PENNTAP) has won two Outstanding Project of the Year awards from the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers (NAMTAC).   Two PENNTAP technical specialists who helped businesses in central and southern Pennsylvania were honored at NAMTAC’s annual awards banquet in Norfolk, Va. NAMTAC is a nonprofit association that provides advocacy, information and a forum to enhance the performance of organizations providing business, economic development and technical assistance to businesses and communities.   John Pletcher, a forest products specialist at PENNTAP’s University Park office, assisted Appalachian Wood Products, a company in Clearfield that manufactures cabinet doors for the kitchen and bath industry. Appalachian Wood Products was experiencing a 22 percent rejection rate from its panel department, because the panels were coming apart at the joints. Working one-on-one with the company’s engineer, he recommended several process and environmental improvements that helped the company reduce its rejection rate to 8 percent.   “When you look at the cost of labor and materials, they saved $665,000,” Pletcher said. He estimated that the savings will increase to approximately $1 million a year. His project won in NAMTAC’s technology transfer category. “Most assistance centers have process engineers and computer people, but not someone who is focused on helping the wood industry,” said Pletcher, who holds degrees in forestry and forest products. “That’s what made this project unique.”   Senior technical specialist Warren Weaver, based at PENNTAP’s York office, worked with a food processing company in south central Pennsylvania. Weaver, along with a team of two professors and two graduate students from the Environmental Engineering Department at Penn State Harrisburg, evaluated the company’s processes and procedures and provided technical assistance as part of a pollution prevention grant program. The goal of the program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was to help firms become sustainable by minimizing their waste quantities and environmental impact. After spending $40,000 to implement some of the process improvements recommended by the PENNTAP team, the company saved $962,000 the first year.   “They were able to deal with their wastewater problems based on the advice we gave,” Weaver said. The company also reported that the team might have prevented a plant closure, possibly saving 250 jobs. His project was named outstanding in NAMTAC’s special assistance category.   For more information about PENNTAP, visit www.penntap.psu.edu or contact Jack Gido, director of PENNTAP, at 814-865-0427.
Medical schools share award
	Penn State’s College of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh and the medical schools’ Consortium for Academic Continuing Medical Education have been honored with the 2001 Award for Outstanding Continuing Medical Education Collaboration.   The Alliance for Continuing Medical Education, the international association of continuing medical education professionals, presented the award to medical school representatives and the consortium during its annual conference in San Francisco, Calif. The award included an invitation to the conference, a poster presentation, an invited publication to be highlighted in the alliance’s Almanac newsletter, a plaque and a cash prize of $2,500.   Honored were Dr. Luanne E. Thorndyke, assistant dean for continuing medical education, Penn State College of Medicine; Dr. Timothy Brigham, assistant dean for continuing medical education, Jefferson Medical College; Dr. Robert Smedley, associate dean for continuing medical education, Temple University; Dr. Barbara Barnes, associate dean for continuing medical education, University of Pittsburgh; and Dr. Murray Kopelow, executive director, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).   According to Thorndyke, the four medical schools formed the Consortium for Academic Continuing Medical Education in 1997, as a pilot project of the ACCME. The consortium united the medical schools under a single ACCME accreditation, creating the only multicollege accreditation in the United States. In July 2000, the consortium received a six-year reaccreditation with commendation.
Kane resident is ambassador for Penn State Public Broadcasting
Julie Cleland of Kane, Pa., serves as vice chair of the Penn State Public Broadcasting Board of Representatives. She and other board members help the Public Broadcasting staff share information about the wealth of programs and services within their communities. Dick Ackley—Penn State Image Resource Center	By Karen L. Trimbath   Kane, Pennsylvania, is a town of 5,000 located high in the Allegheny Mountains, along the Pennsylvania– New York border, but don’t let its small size or rural location fool you, said longtime resident Julie Cleland. When she describes Kane, she not only brings up the beauty of the surrounding forests, mountain streams and open pastures, but also its strong connection to the outside world, made possible partly through programs and services provided by Penn State Public Broadcasting.   As the vice chair of the Penn State Public Broadcasting Board of Representatives, Cleland has spent the last six years linking the residents of Kane and north central Pennsylvania with WPSX-TV and WPSU-FM. It’s a mission she says sustains her community in many ways.   “Public broadcasting is vital to our area,” Cleland said. “Although we choose to live in the country, we rely on public television and radio to make us feel less isolated. We’re kept abreast of what’s current, and we feel a part of what’s going on in the world.”   She brings energy, community spirit and organizational skills to this task, according to Ted Krichels, assistant vice president for outreach and general manager of Penn State Public Broadcasting.   “She’s a true believer in the value of public broadcasting,” Krichels added. “For many viewers and listeners in McKean County, Julie Cleland is a goodwill ambassador for both public radio and television.”   Penn State Public Broadcasting serves a wide swath across northern and central Pennsylvania. WPSX-TV provides more than 6,500 annual hours of public television programming to more than 1.2 million households in 29 counties, and WPSU-FM public radio reaches 430,000 listeners in north central Pennsylvania with 6,570 hours of programming. By 2003, Penn State Public Broadcasting will offer digital television programming, broadcasting multiple digital channels and increasing programming opportunities for its viewing audiences.   Cleland and other members of the Board of Representatives help the Public Broadcasting staff share information about the wealth of programs and services within their communities. Board members also raise funds, share local programming needs with Public Broadcasting staff and establish connections between producers and local residents.   Cleland has also helped put a personal face on Penn State Public Broadcasting, bringing in television and radio staff to speak in the Kane area and influencing programming that reflects the town’s rich history.   Examples of her influence include The History of Kane, a half-hour documentary about Thomas L. Kane, the town’s founder, and the growth of this community, and an upcoming documentary, Our Town: Kane — The Kids’ Cut, in which middle-school students film, script and edit footage taken of Kane’s buildings and people. The documentary, which aired in March, was made possible, because Cleland volunteered to have Kane pilot this new project. The Pennsylvania State Teachers Association also contributed funds for digital cameras and two iMAC computers, complete with video editing software, which will follow the project to the next communities.   Each summer, Cleland has also organized a group of residents to staff an information booth at the Black Cherry Festival held in Kane in July. The booth makes available program guides, kids’ activities, program and outreach information, tapes and CDs.   She also helped identify an area coordinator for the Ready-to-Learn program, a joint effort between Penn State Cooperative Extension and WPSX-TV that instructs parents, educators and child care givers on ways to use television as a constructive tool for children. This service distributes outreach materials and training workshops in the communities of northern and central Pennsylvania.   Cleland and her husband John, the president judge of McKean County, live on a 35-acre farm with plenty of room for their horses, P.T. Barnum (a big golden retriever) and Big Ben (a chocolate Labrador retriever). They find living in the country fulfilling, especially since their two daughters live and work in the area.   Although neither she nor her husband attended Penn State, she enjoys connecting with the University alumni in her area, and she has also enjoyed the numerous opportunities to make friends for Penn State Public Broadcasting.   “Serving on the Board of Representatives is an energizing job, which I love,” Cleland said. “I get to work with creative and fun people, helping to provide services to our communities that are educational, enriching and entertaining. I know all of the advisory board members want to maintain the quality and diversity of programming as we enter the digital age, and we are all committed to doing what we can to make that possible.”
Harvard professor addresses Extension Annual Conference Dede encourages use of information technologies for distributed learning
Dr. Chris Dede, Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard University, presents the McDowell Lecture on “Integrating Learning Technologies into Educational Outreach” during the Extension Annual Conference. Dave Shelly—Penn State Image Resource Center	By Deborah A. Benedetti   Dr. Chris Dede, Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard University, presented the McDowell Lecture during the Extension Annual Conference. Dede, who also is co-director of the Technology in Education Program in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, discussed “Integrating Learning Technologies into Educational Outreach.”   The McDowell Lecture series was created through a gift from the Penn State class of 1929 and subsequent gifts from the McDowell family and the Ag Alumni Council to honor Milton “Mickey” S. McDowell. He was the first director of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension Service (1912–42). In this role, he emphasized local participation in Cooperative Extension planning and programming, and he also helped to develop 4-H clubs and establish the Pennsylvania Farm Products Show.   The Extension Annual Conference brought together 370 Penn State Cooperative Extension regional directors, county extension directors and field-based extension educators; Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program nutrition advisers; and College of Agricultural Sciences faculty members with extension appointments, outreach administrators and staff members. The conference theme was “e-XTENSION: Imagining Beyond 2000.” Penn State Cooperative Extension sponsors this annual conference.   During his presentation, Dede said, “Real outreach is reaching out into people’s lives and packaging information that they need. Real outreach is learning by doing, with guidance. We’re taking new kinds of media to make possible old kinds of pedagogy. It’s not an either/or situation between classroom-based and distance-based education. It’s a continuum. When I think about distributed learning, I think about using different media for different purposes at different stages of learning. This is learning distributed across space, time and media.”   He elaborated on distributed learning, describing it as learning that is guided; learning that involves apprenticeships and mentoring; learning that is orchestrated across classrooms, homes, workplaces and community settings; learning that is on-demand and just-in-time; and learning that is collaborative. Distributed learning also involves teaching that is infused by research.   Dede noted he did not learn collaborative skills when he was growing up. Rather, he was prepared for a mature industrial society, where to solve a problem, you study it and use existing solutions.   “The rate of change today is so fast that we have to act on the basis of incomplete information. We’re thriving on chaos. This will be true of the whole first part of the 21st century,” he predicted. “Teamwork is the key now. But collaboration isn’t an innate skill. Lone Ranger types don’t survive well in today’s environment. Deeper skills are needed for knowledge networking.”   He is preparing his students to adapt to the emerging information technologies. Because learning styles are complex, Dede said, learners need to find what works best for them: face-to-face interaction; videoconferencing; graphical presentation with audio; small-group collaboration; synchronous interaction in a virtual environment; asynchronous, threaded discussion; or access to archival information. He exposes his students to all seven learning options and has found that a mixture of media provide a richer, deeper learning environment for students. His course syllabus is on the Web at www.virtual.gmu.edu/EDIT611/syllabus.htm.   He encouraged Extension Annual Conference participants to learn more about information technologies through professional development opportunities and to begin incorporating these learning technologies into their educational outreach programs.   Information technologies are leading to changes in higher education, he said. Some of the strategic implications include a facilities shift from the physical toward the distributed and virtual; distributed partnerships and collaborations that alter both teaching and service; and a movement from a mission based on providing courses and degrees to a mission based on providing insight and community.   “It’s a very interesting time to be involved in these media,” Dede said.   The Extension Annual Conference also included a panel discussion on “How Can Penn State Cooperative Extension and Outreach Capture Opportunities in Information Technology?” by panelists Dr. Theodore R. Alter, associate vice president for outreach, director of Cooperative Extension and associate dean, College of Agricultural Sciences; Ted Krichels, assistant vice president for outreach and general manager, Penn State Public Broadcasting; Dr. Gary E. Miller, associate vice president for Distance Education and executive director of the Penn State World Campus; and Dr. Marilyn Corbin, state program leader for children, youth and families and assistant director, Penn State Cooperative Extension. In addition, the conference included a demonstration of digital television and an exhibit showcasing the use of information technology for Outreach and Cooperative Extension initiatives, as well as other sessions.