This online course was offered by Michigan State University in collaboration with the MetroAg Innoversity, a network of metropolitan regions around the world utilizing the innovation practices of Metropolitan Agriculture, led by Dr. H Christopher (Chris) Peterson and Sander Mager.

Beginning in June 2012, monthly webinars relating to Metropolitan Agriculture may be offered. To receive notifications on upcoming webinars and courses please enter your contact information in the following form: MetroAg Contact Form.

Following you will find two great resources for Metropolitan Agriculture:

• Introducing the MetroAg Innoversity
• The Concept of Metropolitan Agriculture

The two new programs, which start in June, will be offered through the college’s new relationship with University Alliance, a division of Florida-based Bisk Education Inc.

“These new online programs will offer a major advantage to hundreds of managers who normally could not spare the time to attend our face-to-face workshops, but need the knowledge and skills to develop their careers and their organizations,” said David Frayer, director of executive development programs in the business college.

The Master Certificate in Strategic Organizational Management is comprised of three, eight-week online courses in competitive strategy, strategic decision making and strategic corporate management. Optional elective courses in strategic negotiation and strategic human resource management also will be available.

The Master Certificate in Supply Chain Management is comprised of two, eight-week online courses covering all aspects of leading-edge thinking in integrated supply chain. Participants then choose from a number of eight-week courses to complete the certificate in key subjects that include strategic sourcing, distribution fulfillment and manufacturing planning and control.

“This launch,” Frayer said, “enables the Broad College to provide managers and executives with the most up-to-date methods, processes and attributes of strategic organizational management and supply chain management.”

University Alliance will recruit participants for the master certificates.

The launch marks the start of an extensive program of new online master certificates from the business college and eventually will include additional topics in strategic leadership and management, supply chain management and hospitality business.

For more information or to enroll, call 800-605-5383 or visit www.michiganstateuniversityonline.com.

If your unit would be interested in exploring opportunities to offer online programs through Bisk Education Services — please contact Jerry Rhead, MSUglobal Director of Academic Entrepreneuriship  at rhead(dot)msu(dot)edu

Describing the concept as “very innovative,” Horse Family Magazine took notice and highlighted it as one of their favorites. See it for yourself at www.facebook.com/myhorseu!

The KKU is working with MSU to develop a long-term relationship, with a focus on e-learning (online content) for the growing population of young people. Half of their population is aged 30 and under, with high unemployment. More than 80% of Saudi nationals go to college (it is government supported), and the Kingdom is encouraging entrepreneurship as a strategy for job creation and economic diversification. Their intention is to scale this online entrepreneurship program to serve the entire Kingdom.

Click here for highlights and more details about the course.

To learn more about MSU’s partnership with KKU, be sure to read the article on “LPI’s Dr. Barb Fails, Other MSU Faculty Meet with King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia on Creation of Entrepreneurial Mindset Online Course.”

Example: Did you know that you can import your “Section Description” from the non-credit registration system directly into its connected ANGEL course site? Here’s how:

1. In the ANGEL course, select the “Edit Page” button
2. Select “Add Components”
3. Check “About this Course”
4. Click “Add Selected”
5. An “About This Section” field will appear
6. Drag it to position it in any of the columns
7. Click “Save” in the upper right corner

If you have a useful NCRS tip to share, click here.

Developing a solution to feeding metropolitan populations will take the creativity and collaboration of people across the world. Anyone can join the discussion by participating in Metropolitan Agriculture Value Creation, a non-credit online course about how we can address future needs by integrating agriculture back into metropolitan regions.

The MetroAg online course began March 12, and registration is free and open to anyone with an interest in learning about creating new, sustainable value propositions for agriculture in, around and for cities.  The course follows an open-dialogue approach and consists of a wide variety of content resources, speakers and activities. The course offers a weekly webcast, an interactive forum, videos, website links, a free e-book and articles. Weekly webcasts are recorded and available for later viewing. The course content is designed to make it freely available for use, reuse, translation and re-distribution through a Creative Commons copyright license, making it the first Open Educational Resource focused on metropolitan agriculture. With no limit to the number of participants and no geographic boundaries, the MetroAg course is part of a new trend in online learning called MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses.  Find out more at http://metroagcourse.com/ .

The course will be instructed by Dr. H. Christopher (Chris) Peterson, an agribusiness economist, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, and Homer Nowlin Chair of Consumer-Responsive Agriculture at Michigan State University. Co-teaching with Dr. Peterson are Dr. Henk C. van Latesteijn and Sander Mager, both trained biologists and experienced sustainable business strategists. 

 “In this course, you are going to see some very significant and very successful real-life examples of metropolitan agriculture,” says Peterson.  “You will also work with us to understand that the values created have to be more than just the profits of a business – it has to be about how we impact people and how we impact the planet.”

This online course has been developed by Michigan State University in collaboration with the MetroAg Innoversity, a network of metropolitan regions around the world utilizing the innovation practices of Metropolitan Agriculture, led by Dr. Peterson and Sander Mager.
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. Drawing upon its land-grant values, Michigan State University applies its vast capabilities, knowledge, willingness to engage, and collaborative approach to create opportunity and to help find solutions to the world’s most challenging problems.

2008* = $5,952

2009 = $87,885

2010 = $199,792

2011 = $678,345

2012 (YTD) = $41,773

*Revenue is only based on last two quarters of 2008

NCRS currently serves over 150 MSU units and in the last year has processed over 8,000 registrations.

To learn more about the NCRS at MSU please contact Gerald Rhead rhead@msu(dot)edu

Each year, Jenzabar hosts meetings bringing together Higher Reach clients who have agreed to serve on the advisory board.  The meetings provide an excellent opportunity for clients to learn from each other and help shape future development of the software product that we all use.

The advisory board will meet on January 24 and 25th at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University.

The Higher Reach Advisory Board members are listed below:
Lynda Rogers
Dean
UCSC Silicon Valley Extension
Santa Clara, CA

Rhonda Bethea
Departmental Manager
Rice University
Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
Houston, TX

Mike Schroder
Dean of Extended Learning
Cal State University San Marcos
San Marcos, CA

David Sheppard
Account Manager
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

Thad M. Laiche
Manager, Learner Services
Louisiana State University Continuing Education
Baton Rouge, LA

Colleen Slattery
Associate Dean of Continuing Education
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY

Christine Skelly and Karen Waite, both equine extension specialists in MSU’s Department of Animal Science, were presented with Michigan State University Extension’s (MSUE) 2011 Technology in Programs Award for innovative use of technology in the My Horse University online equine education program. This award recognizes an individual or team that has creatively incorporated technology into their educational programming and has documented positive responses from participants.

Since launching its first online horse management course in 2006, My Horse University has continued to incorporate innovative approaches to delivering valuable information to equine enthusiasts through online courses, live Webcasts, e-newsletters and social media.

“Their collective experiences in building a reputation for providing research-based information, developing engaging learning products, and creating an online community have created models for other programs to follow,” says MSUglobal Executive Director, Dr. Christine Geith.

As part of the MSUE Equine Team, Skelly and Waite also received the 2011 MSUE CoP (Community of Practice) Award for their collaborative efforts with eXtension HorseQuest. For more than five years, My Horse University and eXtension have successfully collaborated on a monthly electronic newsletter, national presentations, an online learning lesson for youth working with horses, sponsorships and grants, and an award-winning free monthly webcast series.  The resources are created with the help of top equine experts from across the country and address topics such as horse health, farm management and environmental practices.

The project receiving recognition, the Food Safety Knowledge Network (FSKN), is part of an effort at Michigan State University to innovate ways in which to address global issues in agriculture, specifically in the area of food safety, and to increase access to markets in developing countries.

This team developed a model centered around open educational resources (OER) and the use of mainly open software tools that focuses on solving issues critical to consumers, industry, and higher education.  As a result, it has provided a way to make resources and training more affordable for food safety workers in developing countries.

The award will recognize Karen Vignare, Gwyn Shelle and Sunnie Kim from MSUglobal; Dan Clay, Director of Global Programs in Sustainable Agri-food Systems; Deepa Thiagarajan, Assistant Professor in the Institute of International Agriculture; and Leslie Bourquin, Associate Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition.