The 100-year signing anniversary of Smith-Lever Act, which officially created the national Cooperative Extension System, is this year 2014. ECOP established a Centennial Committee to coordinate and support activities nationwide (www.Extension100Years.net ). While celebrating Cooperative Extension’s heritage, the primary focus will be on contemporary efforts and launching Cooperative Extension for the next 100 years of educational programming that transforms behavior of individuals, families, youth, farmers, communities and businesses. The national efforts will be complemented by state and local activities.

Overview of CE100’s

At the national level, planning is underway to include advocacy efforts aligned with the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) and the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference. Together with Cooperative Extension’s federal partner, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), events in Washington, D.C., will wrap around and occur on the Centennial date of May 8, 2014. Additionally, the Centennial will be commemorated in a series of articles in the Journal of Extension throughout the year. The celebration launched at the Galaxy conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., on September 16, 2013.

2014 Cooperative Extension Centennial Convocation

Speakers for ECOP’s Centennial Convocation, May 7-8, 2014, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, include: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy, Dean Lowell Catlett, New Mexico State University; and LaJune Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the WK Kellogg Foundation.

The ECOP Centennial Task Force has put together an exciting panel for May 8. A panel composed of representatives from higher education, private industry, foundations, and the federal government will discuss their visions for the future of an engaged Cooperative Extension System. Panel participants include Jennifer Sirangelo, president and chief executive officer, National 4-H Council; Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist; Martha Bernadett, executive vice president for research and innovation, Molina Healthcare, Inc.; and Bruce McPheron, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Centennial Convocation Live Video

If you are unable to attend the Centennial Convocation you have the opportunity to join via live streaming video from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on May 8. Click here to connect. See the impressive parade of states. Gain insights from keynote speakers about where Cooperative Extension is headed for the next 100 years. The event will also be recorded and available for 3 months and then on Extension100years.net.

TREND #CE100 ON MAY 8, 2014 on Twitter

On May 8, 2014, we will attempt to trend the hashtag #CE100. We have picked this hashtag because it is short and new, making it more likely to trend. Short hashtags are easier to remember and use as they take up fewer characters. Please Note: Do Not Use #CE100 prior to May 8, 2014. Using it in advance will make it more difficult to trend on May 8.

TACTICS AND STEPS TO TRENDING #CE100

From the hours of 12 noon to 3:00pm ET on May 8, 2014, we ask all state CES members to Tweet with the hashtag #CE100, at the very least once every 5 minutes. That is 36 Tweets per state, spread out over a 3-hour period. Engage as many of your followers as possible in the #CE100 conversation during that 3-hour timeslot by tweeting them directly and requesting Retweets.

Thanks for helping make the national centennial a success.

Extension Centennial Task Force Members

Co-Chairs:

Frankie Gould, Louisiana State University AgCenter
Doug Steele, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Members:

Bill Woodrum, Cooperative Extension
Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky
Judy Rude, USDA-NIFA
Jane Schuchardt, Cooperative Extension
Chrystal Checketts, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension