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.

Chris, MSUglobal celebrates your continued leadership in our field. Congratulations!

MSUglobal’s Executive Director, Dr. Christine Geith, was awarded the Nofflet Williams Service Award at the 2011 NUTN Network Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Nofflet Williams Service Award
In 2001, the NUTN Advisory Board established the Nofflet Williams Service Award in honor of the contributions and memory of Dr. Nofflet Williams as a founding member. Dr. Williams provided service to hundreds of individuals in the area of distance education at the local, regional and national levels.

This award recognizes an individual who exhibits, over a sustained period and in a consistent manner, the commitment to providing service to those in the field. It signifies the individual is acknowledged to be a contributor, a mentor, a do-er, and a leader of national and international note. Since the central core of NUTN is to provide service in the exchange of experience, practice and theory to all in the organization in a free manner, the award is doubly significant.

The Nofflet Williams Service Award is presented on an annual basis (as appropriate) by the NUTN Board to an individual who is seen as providing an outstanding example of service to the organization and to others in our field. All professionals in the field are eligible for this award regardless of NUTN membership.
2011 (Fort Worth, TX) Dr. Chris Geith
2010 (Colorado Springs, CO) Ann Marie Vaughan, Press release
2009 (Saratoga Springs, NY) Joeann Humbert and Frank Mayadas
2008 (Park City, UT) Ted Christensen
2007 (Philadelphia, PA) Steve Crow
2006 (Minneapolis, MN) Monica Pilkey
2005 no award given
2004 (Kennebunkport, ME) Pam Quinn
2003 (San Antonio, TX) Mel Muchnik
2002 (Washington, D.C.) Anne Raymond Savage
2001 (Denver, CO) Jerry Hargis (first recipient)

Since January 2010 the system has also helped organizations:

-support approximately 55,000 free and for-fee registrations in the system, an average of about 2,600 registrations per month.

-support registration for approximately 1,400 sections/courses.

-generate nearly $750,000 in revenue, an average of of about $35,000 per month.

-manage and collect key demographic data on approximately 3,500 off-campus (community-id) users.

If you are wondering if the NCRS can help you grow your non-credit enterprise please contact Jerry Rhead, MSUglobal Director of Academic Entrepreneurship for more information at rhead(at)msu(dot)edu.

Through successful collaboration with top national experts, the eXtension HorseQuest leadership team has developed and maintained www.extension.org/horses, an innovative educational resource for extension personnel and clientele. Using interactive and engaging methods, the website provides valuable information related to horse health, care, management, and training.

Other members of the eXtension HorseQuest team recognized include Betsy Greene, University of Vermont; Kathy Anderson, University of Nebraska; Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota; and Elaine Bailey, University of Maryland.