NACAA Operations

Many NACAA programs are conducted by the committees of the association.  The committee structure and duties of the committees are found on the NACAA webpage under the “Committees” link found under the Leadership & Contacts heading – direct link is NACAA | Committees State officers should be aware of these committees and encourage members to apply for positions when openings occur in their region.

The structure offers much diversity in terms of content and professional opportunities for members along with enhanced flexibility for growth as NACAA strives to be an asset to its members.  The committees offer something for everyone; the new extension agent/educator, the mid-career Extension agent/educator, and the full-term Extension agent/educator. Any structure should be built using a strong, broad-based, and solid foundation. The structure for NACAA is built on three foundation blocks that are the basic components of NACAA’s professional enhancement areas: Program Recognition, Extension Development, and Professional Improvement.

PROGRAM RECOGNITION

This component contains the award based programs that have been a historic and traditional part of NACAA. Members can enter competitive contests that highlight the following areas: Communications, Extension Programs, 4-H & Youth, Professional Excellence, Public Relations, Recognition and Awards, and Scholarship. As new competitive awards programs are introduced they would be placed into this block. All programs in this component are expected to identify sponsors and secure adequate funding to operate each award activity. Where possible the sponsor’s funding should include all committee expenses.

Program Recognition Council Committees

1. Communications
2. Recognition & Awards
3. Scholarship
4. 4-H & Youth
5. Search for Excellence
6. Public Relations
7. Research and Education Posters

 

EXTENSION DEVELOPMENT

This component is designed to enhance our members in the area of general Extension training. One common thread among NACAA members is the fact that we are all Extension Agents/Educators. Therefore, it is imperative that our organization strengthen and continue to offer training on how to become a better extension professional. This is the one area that effectively separates NACAA from other subject specific professional organizations. The Extension Development committees are not subject matter specific, but rather cover broad, general extension related topics that focus on the following: Public Relations and Agriculture Issues, Early Career Development, Administration Skill Development, and Teaching and Communications Skills. Each of these broad headings is a Committee.

Extension Development Council Committees

1. Agricultural Issues and Public Relations
2. Early Career Development
3. Administrative Skills
4. Teaching and Educational Technologies

 

PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT

Over the history of NACAA its members indicated a need for more opportunities to present and receive specific subject matter information. This component of the NACAA committee structure was created and designed to better fulfill this need and the NACAA mission: “.. to further the professional improvement of our members...”,as written in the NACAA mission statement. This area is devoted to enhancing the opportunities for our members to become more knowledgeable and competent in subject matter areas in which they work. Examples of training activities that are included within this category include: discussion groups, seminars, refereed papers, demonstration sharing, study tours, and interstate/international exchanges. Six broad, fundamental subject matter areas were identified that encompass the vast majority of work done by Extension agents/educators across the country. That list includes: Agronomy & Pest Management; Agricultural Economics and Community Development; Animal Science; Natural Resources/Aquaculture; Horticulture & Turfgrass; and Sustainable Agriculture. Each of these six broad subject matter areas comprises a Committee. Additional committee categories can be added in the future or existing areas modified to better meet the needs of NACAA members. Each of these broad subject matter committees may have numerous advisory groups beneath it as are deemed necessary. Examples of advisory groups under the Animal Science Committee might include: Range/Pasture Management, Bio-Technology in Livestock, Beef Nutrition, Dairy Breeding, Swine Genetics, Rotational Grazing, and Animal Waste Management. This short list is not meant to be all inclusive.

Professional Improvement Committees: (may not exist in all states)

1. Agronomy & Pest Management
2. Agricultural Economics & Community Development
3. Animal Science
4. Natural Resources/Aquaculture
5. Horticulture & Turf grass
6. Sustainable Agriculture

These Council categories and their associated committees provide new opportunities for NACAA members to make regional and national presentations relative to their individual work experiences. This committee structure provides opportunities for NACAA members to develop and implement regional and even national programs within their discipline that meet objectives and goals contained in their annual Plan of Work (POW).

Chairs and Regional Vice-Chairs of most committees are appointed to serve two years.

A.  How to select members to recommend for appointments to National Committees.

1.   They should want to serve on the committee.

2.   They should answer correspondence and complete assignments promptly.

3.   They should have had experience as active and effective workers in their State Associations.

4.   Attendance at past AM/PIC's would be highly desirable and appointees should at least attend AM/PIC for two (2) years following appointment.

5.   National committees can function more smoothly, if the member you appoint is serving as Chair of the corresponding State Committee.

B.  Recommendations of State Presidents are very important as an aid to the NACAA Board in selecting Regional Vice-Chairs on committees. Provide the following information for the member being recommended.

1.   List the number of years served on the National Committee for which member is being recommended.

2.   Offices held in State Association.

3.   Committees served on in State Association and list of years served as Chair.

4.   National AM/PIC’s attended.

5.   General Extension program activities.

(State Associations might want to set up a reference file to record this information on the more active members, worthy of consideration as Regional Vice-Chairs or National Committee Chairs.)

 

STATEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AGENTS

AND NACAA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

 

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Scholarship Program is to maintain the high standards of Extension in public service and education by supporting the efforts of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (“NACAA”) in improving the professional knowledge and skills of Professional Cooperative Extension Service workers (hereinafter “Agents”) working in Extension. Such purpose is to be carried out by granting financial assistance to eligible Agents in the form of scholarships to be applied toward payment for costs incurred in undertaking an approved educational course, seminar, study tour, or similar educational program (all of which are hereinafter referred to as “approved educational course”). Such scholarships are intended: (1) to improve the knowledge and skills of Agents (individuals or groups) to whom grants are made in order to increase their ability to educate the public pursuant to the purposes of Extension; (2) to benefit the public by increased knowledge in agricultural and related matters, to be conveyed through professionally educated Agents; and (3) to maintain high educational standards in carrying out the Extension program of the USDA and the State Land Grant University Systems.

 

Criteria for Awarding Scholarships (june 1 cycle)

1. The application must be approved electronically by the State Scholarship Chair or their designee before proceeding to the next level for review.
2. Member vestment will be $100 to qualify for up to $1,500 scholarship and a vestment of $200 (an additional $100 contribution to the scholarship fund) to qualify for an additional scholarship award from $1,501 to $3,000 (no more than $1,500 in any one scholarship request will be awarded). Each participant must have made this contribution before the end of the previous year's AM/PIC. (Check with your State Scholarship Committee Chair to confirm this before applying. If one group member has not contributed $100 by the deadline, it disqualifies the entire group).
3. Study or training must start before the next scheduled AM/PIC. It cannot be initiated before the Scholarship Selection Committee and the Trustees of the NACAA Educational Foundation approve the application.
4. Applications will be judged and funded based on their completeness, training plan, how they will be used/ applied post-training, and the availability of funds.
5. The award includes advanced degrees, graduate credits, tours, seminars, research, or specialized training for individual or group professional improvement.  The scholarship may not be used to attend the NACAA AM/PIC.
6. A scholarship awardee may request advancement of up to two-thirds of the awarded amount 30 days before the activity for which they received the scholarship begins. The request for an advancement must be submitted in writing to the National Chair. The advancement will be for reimbursement of expenses that have occurred before the completion of the activity. The National Chair reserves the right to adjust the advanced amount.
7. A report must be made to the National Scholarship Chair within 30 days after training completion. The scholarship recipient submits an Educational Experience Report of 500 to 850 words along with expense documentation that follows the educational objectives NACAA and the Educational Foundation set forth.
8. The Scholarship Selection Committee will select recipients with the final approval of the Trustees, NACAA Educational Foundation.
9. The Scholarship Selection Committee reserves the right to recommend awarding less than requested.
10. No scholarship will be awarded to a person if, as a result of such grant, any member of the Scholarship Selection Committee, National Board of NACAA, or any Trustee of the Foundation shall derive a private benefit, either directly or indirectly.
11. Selection for Scholarships shall be made on an objective & nondiscriminatory basis, regardless of the race, creed, color, gender, or religion of the applicant.
12. Each applicant must be a NACAA member in good standing with their State Association for the past two years.
     

Applications must be submitted by June 1. The The Scholarship Committee State Chair must approve the applications for their state by June 15. The Regional Vice Chair must approve the applications by July 1.
 

FOR GROUP APPLICATIONS - All tour members must meet criteria, including address, home and office phone, contribution of $100 to the NACAA Scholarship Fund by the end of the previous AM/PIC, whether they received a previous scholarship and if so, how much.

The scholarship committee will prioritize scholarship applications received in a calendar year. Applicants submitting only one scholarship in any given year will be given greater consideration for scholarship funding than those who have submitted an additional scholarship in a calendar year.

Criteria for Awarding Scholarships (december 1 cycle)

1. The State Scholarship Chair or their designee must approve an application electronically before it can proceed to the next level for review.
2. Member vestment will be $100 to qualify for up to $1,500 scholarship and a vestment of $200 (an additional $100 contribution to the scholarship fund) to qualify for additional scholarship awards from $1,501 to $3,000 (no more than $1,500 in any one scholarship request will be awarded). Each participant must have made this contribution before the end of the current year AM/PIC. (Check with your State Scholarship Committee Chair to confirm this before applying. If one group member has not contributed $100 by the deadline, it disqualifies the entire group).
3. Study or training must start before the next scheduled AM/PIC. It cannot be initiated before the Scholarship Selection Committee and the Trustees of the NACAA Educational Foundation approve the application.
4. Applications will be judged and funded based on their completeness, training plan, how they will be used/ applied post-training, and the availability of funds.
5. The award includes advanced degrees, graduate credits, tours, seminars, research, or specialized training for individual or group professional improvement.  The scholarship may not be used to attend the NACAA AM/PIC.
6. A scholarship awardee may request advancement of up to two-thirds of the awarded amount 30 days before the activity for which they received the scholarship begins. The request for receiving advancement must be submitted in writing to the National Chair. The advancement will be for reimbursement of expenses that have occurred before the completion of the activity. The National Chair reserves the right to adjust the advanced amount.
7. The report must be made to National Scholarship Chair within 30 days after completing the training. The scholarship recipient submits an Educational Experience Report of 500 to 850 words and expense documentation that follows the educational objectives NACAA and the Educational Foundation set forth.
8. The Scholarship Selection Committee will select recipients with final approval of the Trustees, NACAA Educational Foundation.
9. The Scholarship Selection Committee reserves the right to recommend awarding less than what was requested.
10. No scholarship will be awarded to a person if, as a result of such grant, any member of the Scholarship Selection Committee, National Board of NACAA, or any Trustee of the Foundation shall derive a private benefit, either directly or indirectly.
11. Selection for Scholarships shall be made on an objective & nondiscriminatory basis, regardless of the race, creed, color, gender, or religion of the applicant.
12. Each applicant must be a NACAA member in good standing with their State Association for the past two years.

Applications must be submitted by December 1. The State Scholarship Committee State Chair must approve the applications for their state by December 15, and the Regional Vice Chair must approve them by January 1.

The scholarship committee will prioritize scholarship applications received in a calendar year. Applicants submitting only one scholarship in any given year will be given greater consideration for scholarship funding than those who have submitted an additional scholarship in a calendar year.

For the December 1 applications, applicants will be notified by January 20 of the following year. With the exception of a formal educational class that begins in early January, no professional development activity can take place before notification by the National Chair.

The scholarship application can be found on the NACAA website – within the Dashboard – under the Applications section:

NOTE:

RECOGNITION AND AWARDS

 

The objective of the Recognition and Awards Committee shall be to provide leadership in the recognition of outstanding accomplishments by NACAA members including the selection and appropriate recognition awards programs. They shall administer, with the approval of the Board of Directors, the selection and presentation of the Distinguished Service Award, the Achievement Award and Hall of Fame Award.

The Distinguished Service Award shall be presented to members who have served at least 10 years as a member of the Cooperative Extension Service, who have conducted outstanding programs, are held in high esteem by their fellow workers, and are approved by the State Director of Extension. They must be members of their State and National Associations the year that they are selected. States are allocated DSA's based on each state’s membership as of February 15 of the previous year. Each state is entitled to DSA's based on 2% of its membership or major fraction thereof. No unfilled quotas can be carried over and applied to future quotas. Recipient must attend Annual Meeting to receive award, unless exempted by Committee Chair because of extenuating circumstances. (Established by Board action, August, 1993.)

Members                    DSA’s

1 - 75                           1

76 - 125                       2

126 - 175                     3

176 - 225                     4

226 - 275                     5

276 - 325                     6

326 - 375                     7

 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

FOR NACAA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

 

The Nominee:

 

1. Shall have served a total of at least 10 years with outstanding service as a member of the Cooperative Extension Service. Must be a member of the NACAA when selected. The cut-off date for determining years of service is February 15 of the current year. Exception: Specialists or others who have only recently been accepted by their State Association must have 10 years or more Extension work experience and been a state member since membership became available in this person’s state.
2. Should have worked out and put into effect an effective Extension program which includes carrying to completion some constructive and outstanding work. Be specific. Military duties, church work, and civic activities do not apply.
3. Shall be actively interested in the improvement of the Cooperative Extension profession. Should participate in the affairs of the State Association and constructively support its program.
4. Should have studied some specific Extension subject by group study, correspondence, university residence study, or should have pursued some other means to improve his abilities.
5. Must have the recommendation of the State Extension Director.
6. Recipient must attend Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference to receive award, unless exempted by Committee Chair because of extenuating circumstances. (Established by Board action, August, 1993.)

 

General Requirements:

 

1. Nominations are limited to 2% and/or major fraction thereof, of the membership of each state. This will be based on the membership paid the NACAA Treasurer on February 15 of the previous year.
2. Each State (or district) Association may nominate one nominee, irrespective of the number of Agents.
3. A State Association is not required to make a nomination.
4. Recognition and Awards Committee of the NACAA must give the final approval on all nominees for awards to be made at the Annual Meeting each year. No publicity should be given until this approval is given to state Extension Directors.
5. All information should be in the hands of the National Chair Recognition and Awards Committee not later than the deadline date set by National Committee Chair each year.

(Revised 10/1994)

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

FOR

NACAA ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

 

Purpose: The purpose of the Achievement Award Program is to encourage and recognize excellence in the field of professional Extension for members with less than ten years of service.

Selection: Each year, each State Recognition and Awards Committee may submit the names of 1% or fraction thereof of the state’s membership based on each state’s membership as of February 15 of the previous year, with a minimum of one agent per state.  The application form is on the NACAA website – within the member Dashboard – along with other Award Applications.

All winners must be approved by their State Director. Winners will be submitted at the same time as DSA nominees. Recipient must be a member of NACAA when selected and must attend Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference to receive award, unless exempted by Committee Chair because of extenuating circumstances. (Established by Board action, August, 1993.)

Recognition: A Certificate of Achievement will be presented by NACAA to each state winner during the Regional Meetings and the Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of NACAA. All names will also be listed in the DSA Brochure.

 

Members	AAs
1-75	1
76-125	2
126-175	3
176-225	4
226-275	5

 

Note: NACAA urges State Associations to recognize their state winners at the State Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference and encourage winner (financially, if possible) to attend the National Meeting. Please forward winner’s nomination through the awards submission process to the National Chair Recognition and Awards Committee along with DSA nominees.

The Achievement Award shall be awarded to Agents with less than 10 years of service in the Cooperative Extension Service who have exhibited excellence in the field of professional Extension. Nominees must be members of the State and National Association the year that they receive the award and have the approval of their state Extension Director. A quota (established by Board action April, 1992 to begin in 1993) shall be 1% or fraction thereof of the state’s membership based on each state’s membership as of February 15 of the previous year with a minimum of one agent per state. No unfilled quotas can be carried over and applied to future quotas. Recipient must attend Annual Meeting to receive award, unless exempted by Committee Chair because of extenuating circumstances. (Established by Board action, August, 1993.)