| <html> |
| <body> |
| <p><strong>NPA Diversity Task Force</strong></p> |
| <p><strong>Minute – July 24, 2007 Teleconference</strong></p> |
| <p><strong>Check-in and Welcome: Kevin</strong></p> |
| <p>Members/Locations participating:</p> |
| <p>Kevin Dahl, Sidney</p> |
| <p>Eduardo Casas, Clay Center</p> |
| <p>JoAnne Gresens, Manhattan</p> |
| <p>Bill Kemp, Fargo</p> |
| <p>Lori Dimmer, Fargo</p> |
| <p>Shannon Osborne, Brookings</p> |
| <p>Diona Austill, Miles City</p> |
| <p>Holly Johnson, Mandan</p> |
| <p>Beth Redlin, Sidney</p> |
| <p>Emily O’Hearn</p> |
| <p>Theresa Pitts-Singer, Logan</p> |
| <p>Members/Locations unable to participate:</p> |
| <p>Dana Blumenthal, FC/Cheyenne</p> |
| <p>Francisco Calderon, Akron</p> |
| <p>Sue Sorum, Grand Forks</p> |
| <p>Gautam Sarath, Lincoln</p> |
| <p>Area Office Advisory Members participating:</p> |
| <p>Heather Gossel</p> |
| <p>Garnet Francesca</p> |
| <p>Larry Chandler</p> |
| <p>Barbara King</p> |
| <p>Jan Jones</p> |
| <p><strong>Introduction of new Chair-Elect, New Members, Departing Members:</strong></p> |
| <p>Diona Austill – New Chair-Elect. Kevin will continue as Chair through June 2008, at which point Diona will take over. Diona will work closely with Kevin, Barbara and Larry for the next year. Diona is the Program Support Assistant for the Fort Keogh Livestock & Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, MT. </p> |
| <p>Emily O’Hearn – New Member, replaced Missy Stuart </p> |
| <p>Emily is a Biological Science Lab Technician with the Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit in Laramie, WY. Emily has been employed with ARS for 3 ½ years and is a part-time graduate student.</p> |
| <p>Shannon Osborne – New member, replaced Janet Fergen</p> |
| <p>Shannon is a Research Agronomist with the Integrated Cropping Systems Research Unit in Brookings, South Dakota. Shannon has been employed with ARS for 7 years, and has a husband (Larry) and two sons, who are 2 (Adam) and 6 (Sam).</p> |
| <p><strong>Survey Responses: Barbara</strong></p> |
| <p>The employee survey generated 435 responses. The response rate was about 54% and there were 9 nonfederal employees that responded. About 50% said they heard about their job by word of mouth, and 74% felt it was important to be involved in this type of exercise. The mentoring questions indicated that of those who had a mentor (formal or informal) that 94% found the mentoring useful, while about 76% of those who did not have any kind of mentor felt that they would have benefited from having had a mentor. Barbara will be working on this and results will be compiled into a report that will be shared with the Task Force and with the entire Area. Depending on when the report is completed, the next issue of “Voices” could be one method of delivering the report or at least an Executive Summary to the Area employees, or the report could be distributed via email or placed on the website. Dr. Blackburn’s column in the next issue of “Voices” briefly touches on some of the survey results and states that the results will be compiled into a report that will be shared with the entire Area. Everyone agreed that it is important that the results be shared with the Area employees in a timely manner. The Task Force should be able to identify some topics from the survey results for future activities.</p> |
| <p><strong>4. July Voices Update: Theresa and Beth</strong></p> |
| <p>The next issue is nearly ready for review by the Task Force before distributing to the entire Area. The final draft will be ready for review by the end of July or the first week in August. Beth developed a “teaser” list for the next issue of Voices. All employees will receive an email with a link to the entire issue, and the “teaser” list will include the page number for each story. The link will take readers to the entire issue; readers will have to either scroll to the page number or click on the story listed in the table of contents on the first page. Having a direct link from the teaser page to a specific article would require making each page a separate web page, rather than having one complete PDF file. This issue includes a Recipe Corner featuring an ethnic/regional recipe submitted by Alvin Harding (Lincoln), Best Place to Work, Workplace Changes, a follow-up to the generations article, “Where in the NPA?” and there is much more. The recipe corner and “where in the NPA” will be included in all future issues, provided there are submissions. Be sure and look at these!</p> |
| <p><strong>Dec/Jan/February issue of Voices </strong></p> |
| <p>The tentative dates for publication of Voices were set for December and July. However, those months are not especially good for either production (writing, layout) or readership, since many employees take leave during December and early January, and July is often busy with field work. The participants agreed that the more optimum months for publication would be February and September. The next issue then will be targeted for February, 2008. In addition to continuing the “where in the NPA” and “recipe corner,” it was also suggested that a standing column be included that would feature descriptions of diversity-related events held since the last issue of “Voices.” Examples could include film series, speakers, international pot lucks, etc. The Northeast and Northwest groups will take the lead in developing story lines for the next issue, and the two groups should designate a coordinator; Barbara will organize a teleconference with these two groups. </p> |
| <p><strong>Possible Projects for East and West Groups</strong></p> |
| <p>During the teleconference we talked about the roles for each of the working groups for the next six months or so. The East and West groups were asked to consider one or both of the following: 1) revisit the brochure idea; 2) develop a follow-up survey for selecting officials/supervisors. The East and West groups should designate a coordinator for the project(s) they will pursue, and Barbara will organize a teleconference with both groups. </p> |
| <p>Beth discussed the brochure that was first drafted with the previous task force as a tool for recruitment (career fairs and other outreach activities, as well as information for job applicants). The brochure/wrapper/folder could be printed up en masse and each location would then develop its own insert – copy locally so the information could easily and quickly be updated. Location inserts could include information on the research, contacts (who to contact for temporary jobs, research, LAO, task force representative, etc.), community information, mission statements, etc. The design of the brochure/wrapper/folder was to carry over to the website, where it would be billed “Online Career Fair” with links to job openings in the area, tips for filling out KSA’s etc., diversity resources, etc. along with write-ups promoting each location and its community. At the area level, the idea was that pdf files would be developed including information on all the labs that we could use for area-wide recruitment efforts, using the same outside folder. At the local level, they could just insert their info and not everyone else’s if their event was more targeted. Copies of the draft brochure/folder have been saved on the Sharepoint site.</p> |
| <p>Possibility of having a face to face meeting: Several members noted it would be good to have another face to face meeting, perhaps this fall after the new fiscal year begins. Dr. Chandler will look into the feasibility of scheduling a meeting this fall.</p> |
| <p><strong>Roundtable</strong></p> |
| <p>Sidney and Mandan both held their annual field days this summer, and Akron celebrated their 100th Birthday Celebration.</p> |
| <p><strong>8. Next Teleconference: Tuesday, October 23, 1:00 MT</strong></p> |
| <p>Minutes submitted by Garnet Francesca.</p> |
| </body> |
| </html> |
|
|
