TUESDAY MORNING NOTES - FEBRUARY 25, 2014

Tue Feb 25 11:54:48 MST 2014

TMN submittal:
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/tuesday/form/submittal_form.html 

Tuesday Morning Notes 

February 25, 2014

FROM THE DIRECTOR:

Well, it's that time of year again when the annual review process begins.
By now the faculty annual performance reports (APRs) have been completed and
the peer review committees are starting their work.  

The position description (PD) for each employee serves as the primary point
of reference for annual reviews.  We are all accountable for work-related
responsibilities that are outlined in our PDs and this annual review process
should be based on the expectations for performance based on the
responsibilities described in the individual's PD.  Accountability is the
basic purpose of faculty APRs and the annual review process.  To put it very
simply, we regularly take a paycheck from the University of Arizona and we
are all accountable to our work assignments as outlined in our PDs.  The
objectives of the peer review process are equally simple and
straightforward: to provide a fair, objective, and reasonable review of a
faculty member's productivity over the course of a calendar year by a group
of professional peers based on the PD and evidence provided in the APR.
This internal review process is a fundamental mechanism for maintaining
accountability and integrity across the organization.  

The information summarized in the APRs provides us with valuable information
to demonstrate to our stakeholders how CALS Cooperative Extension (CE)
faculty, staff, and volunteers are improving lives, communities and the
economy in Arizona.  So it is important to know that the annual review
process is used not only for any merit pay increases that could potentially
be available for faculty and staff but it is also used for a wide range of
reporting requirements that we have in the college to substantiate the use
of public funds that are allocated to us from federal, state, and county
sources.  Thus, we are not only accountable at the individual level but we
are held accountable at the individual unit and college levels as well.

I know that the peer review represents a lot of hard work and places a heavy
time demand on tight schedules.  I very much appreciate all of the work that
goes into the preparation of the APRs, particularly this year with the brand
new UAVitae system, and the entire review process.  This is an important
process and we should always participate in all aspects of the annual
reviews in an objective, professional, and responsible manner.  

4-H VOLUNTEER RECEIVES RECOGNITION:

John Whiteside, a Pima County 4-H Volunteer and statewide 4-H Shooting
Sports Coordinator and formerly an employee of Raytheon, was selected from
nominees in the West at the "4-H Volunteer of the Year."  This award is
given to one volunteer in each of the 4 regions who has less than 10 years
of involvement with 4-H.  As a result of this award, John and his wife,
Laurel, will be invited to Billings, Montana for the Western Regional
Leaders' Forum and be recognized.  In addition, he will receive a plaque and
a check for $200.

We are very proud of John (and Laurel) and the leadership he has given to
our shooting sports program and lots of other endeavors.  John will now
advance to national competition with winners from the other 3 Extension
regions and the final award winners will be announced in April 2014 during
National Volunteer Week.  We are confident John will do well as a national
nominee and are anxious to hear the results in April.

Along with our winning Science Experiment entry which John assisted on, this
award is continued good news for Arizona 4-H and University of Arizona
Cooperative Extension.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDS POLICY CHANGE - ADDENDUM:

Professional Development is an important aspect in the career of every
faculty and staff member in CALS. Extension Administration annually makes
support funds available to support the professional career development
through attendance or training for specific educational experiences or
materials or professional meetings/events. To request professional
development funds, Extension faculty should submit this form
<https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/resources/P
D_RequestForm.pdf>  to the appropriate Program Leader (Associate Director)
via pattiB. a minimum of 30 days prior to the conference/meeting or purchase
of materials. The relevant Program Leader, working in consultation with the
Director of Extension and the Extension Administrative Team, is the line of
authority for approval for professional development funds. Effective January
2014, funds are still available based on FTE.  

FINAL CALL FOR O'BRIEN ENDOWMENT AWARD PROPOSALS:

The deadline to submit proposals for the College of Agriculture & Life
Sciences (CALS) James P. & Shirley J. O'Brien Endowment is the end of this
week - Friday, February 28.  For detailed information, go to the Proposal
Submission Guidelines
<https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/resources/O
brien-endowment-guidelines.pdf>  and/or the Endowment Gift Agreement
<https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/resources/O
Brien_Gift_Agreement.pdf>  or view previous award proposals and winners
<https://extension.arizona.edu/james-p-shirley-j-obrien-endowment-award> .
Please note that this award differs from the "Shirley O'Brien Diversity
Award" that was designed to honor individuals who have contributed
significantly to promoting diversity and an inclusive environment within
CALS and across campus.  If you have any questions, contact Steven Crofts
<mailto:scrofts at cals.arizona.edu>  (520.621.7145).

TECH TIP - BE SURE TO UPDATE ADOBE FLASH:

Adobe has just updated its Flash product
<http://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb14-07.html>  for
the second time this February, pushing out an emergency patch for an RCE
exploit that has been seen in the wild.

To clarify the bolded jargon above:

*	RCE means "remote code execution", and it refers to an attack that
runs a program on your computer without producing pop-ups, dialogs or
warnings. Just by visiting a web page, viewing a document, listening to an
audio file, or similar, you might invisibly get infected with malware. Your
browser, or word processor, or whatever it is, might crash in the process,
but that's an unreliable indicator that you have just been attacked. (Also,
it's usually too late by then: it is by crashing your browser that the
attackers jump over the security warnings.) 
*	Usually, when triggering an RCE, the attackers will deliver a
booby-trapped file. This is deliberately crafted so that when it is
processed on your computer, for example by the Flash plugin in your browser,
the program is led astray so that unauthorized and unexpected execution of
remotely-supplied code takes place. The bug that permits the program to be
led astray is called vulnerability; the trick that makes use of the
vulnerability is called an exploit. 
*	In the wild means simply that a real-world attack is known, so this
is not merely a risk that has been spotted and contained inside a security
lab. If an in-the-wild attack happens before a patch is ready, it is known
as a zero-day, meaning that you had zero days of advance warning about a
patch, because there wasn't one. 

Please be sure to update Adobe Flash.  Use the following webpage
<http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html>  to download
and install the latest version (12.0.0.70) of Flash for your browsers.
Internet Explorer (IE) needs the ActiveX type of Flash while Firefox needs
the plug-in type of Flash. The Windows 8/8.1 version of IE has Flash
built-in and is updated by Microsoft Updates. Chrome uses its own version of
Flash and is updated by updating Chrome.

NEW PUBLICATION:

Saving Water and Money at Home in Arizona Step 1:
<http://www.cals.arizona.edu/pubs/consumer/az1614.pdf>   Understanding
Residential Water Rates by  Summer Waters, Ronald Klawitter, Haley Paul,
Jillian Hamilton (pub #az1614)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 1, Caribbean/African Cultural festival at Garden Kitchen, 10am-2:00pm,
2205 S. 4th Avenue, South Tucson:  the Garden Kitchen is hosting this free
event as a part of South Tucson's Fit 1st Saturdays, where, on every first
Saturday of the month, a wellness event takes place.  Visitors are welcome
to taste Caribbean and African dishes such as Jamaican Chicken Curry, learn
how to cook with yams, listen to a performance by local musicians Key
Ingredients of African Soul, and learn some traditional African dances.
This event is made possible through a generous grant from the O'Brien
Diversity Endowment, donations from the departments of Africana Studies and
Nutritional Sciences, as well as support from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman
College of Public Health. 

March 6-7 - Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed 60th Anniversary, Tombstone:
The 58 square mile Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed will celebrate its
60th Anniversary with a Thursday and Friday morning event on the watershed
near Tombstone.  Sessions will include tours, field and computer sessions
devoted to the new Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM), as well as
sessions on upland erosion control measures.  CEUs are available through the
Society for Range Management.  There is no registration fee, but
participants will have to provide or purchase lunch.  To review the agenda
and register online (by February 28), go to the Walnut Gulch 60th
Anniversary Celebration website
<http://apps.tucson.ars.ag.gov/swrc60thanniversary/> .  For questions,
contact Phil Heilman <mailto:phil.heilman at ars.usda.gov> . 

March 29 - Dragonfly Day 2014, Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area (near
downtown Phoenix).  This event, in its second year, celebrates the
environmental, cultural, and artistic aspects of water.  There are still a
few spaces for educational booths as well as art and food vendors.  Deadline
to request a FREE booth space is February 28.  For more information, contact
Summer Waters <mailto:swaters at cals.arizona.edu> .

Jeffrey C. Silvertooth
Associate Dean & Director, Extension & Economic Development 

Associate Director, Arizona Experiment Station

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
PO Box 210036
Tucson, AZ  85721-0036
520.621.7205
520.621.1314 (fax) 

To submit tips, suggestions, ideas for changes and anything that could help
us be more effective, use the "Director
<http://extension.arizona.edu/state/directors-suggestion-box> 's Suggestion
Box" - all submissions are anonymous.  

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