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January Announcements

New Policy on Required Outreach Statements for Accessibility and Compliance

 

To comply with USDA guidelines, federal civil rights law, state law, and university policy—and to better serve all Indiana residents—we are implementing a new policy requiring the inclusion of three specific statements on all outreach materials. This effort ensures that our programs and initiatives are accessible and inclusive for everyone. By including these statements, we reaffirm our commitment to accessibility in serving all communities of Indiana. These measures align with USDA requirements and reflect our mission to ensure that all individuals have equal opportunities to participate in our programs and benefit from our services. Please review the new Required Statements on Outreach Materials Policy here.

 2024 Annual Impact Report

The 2024 Purdue Extension Annual Impact Report is available in both digital and hard copy formats. Explore the report here: Annual Impact Report.

Each week, a new article is featured on Purdue Extension’s social media.

We are so thankful for the hard work and dedication of the Purdue Extension team across the state of Indiana. Your efforts make a tremendous impact, and we’re excited to see the great accomplishments ahead in the coming year!

Please help amplify our reach by sharing posts on your social media, emails, and newsletters, and consider adding local details like contact information or event dates to highlight how these programs benefit your community.

Purdue day of giving is approaching

Purdue Day of Giving (PDOG) is fast approaching! Mark your calendars for April 30, 2025, and get ready for this 24-hour online fundraising event—an exciting opportunity for Purdue Extension to raise crucial funds for local programs and initiatives.

PDOG is an annual fundraising campaign where Purdue alumni, friends, and supporters contribute to various Purdue programs. Extension offices can participate in donation challenges to earn bonus funding for their counties. There will be hourly and full-day challenges, and every contribution helps improve your county’s position on the leaderboards.

Funds raised through PDOG are unrestricted, meaning counties can use them to support local needs without the constraints of grant funding. Additionally, counties performing well may receive bonus funds from the Director’s office.

An informational Purdue Day of Giving Webinar will be held on February 10 at 1:00 p.m. EST to help counties prepare. This session will cover key details and strategies to maximize participation.

Webinar Details:

Counties are encouraged to start planning how they will use the funds raised to support their local programs. All funds raised go directly to your county.

Youth Protection Training & Event Registration Updates

For any questions regarding youth protection policies, contact Malea Huffman at puextyouthprotection@purdue.edu or huffmanm@purdue.edu.

When registering an event in POMP-X that requires youth participant registration in 4-H Online, be sure to add Malea Huffman (huffmanm@purdue.edu) to the 4-H Online event, along with Deb Trice and Natasha Rodgers. Additionally, ensure that the POMP-X event name matches exactly with the 4-H Online event name to maintain consistency. For further guidance, refer to the updated 4-H Online Events info page on the 4-H Hub, as communicated by Cara Harbison.

The biannual Youth Protection Training for Extension Field Staff will be available in February as a recorded webinar, similar to the fall session. Upon completion, participants will need to submit a Qualtrics form to confirm their participation. This training is specifically for field Extension staff, with a separate training for campus programming to be announced soon. The training will need to be completed within a three-week window after its release.

Stay tuned for an email from Malea Huffman with further details. Your participation is essential in ensuring compliance with youth protection policies.

Launching the new Ed Store Website

The Purdue Extension Education Store has officially launched its revamped website! You can still access it at the same link: https://edustore.purdue.edu/.

Please Note:

  • It may take up to 24 hours for the new site to fully update across all IP addresses and resolve any bugs.
  • Items are still being added to the site, so your patience during this process is appreciated.
  • The previous site is now nonfunctional.

New Features:

The upgraded site includes enhanced functionality and a better user experience:

  • Tax-exempt request process for easier purchasing.
  • Calculated shipping rates and multiple shipping options.
  • In-store pickup available for all customers.
  • Expanded payment options for external customers and Purdue staff/faculty.
  • Customer Account Dashboard:
    • Access order history, refunds, shipping details, and downloaded products.
    • Counties can view past orders/packing slips without contacting the Ed Store.
  • Discounts and Promotions: Ability to apply percentage discounts, BOGO deals, and free shipping offers.

Product Categories:

The store now features seven main categories, with subcategories to come:

  1. Agriculture & Livestock
  2. Community
  3. Environment
  4. Family, Food, & Garden
  5. Pesticide Training
  6. Extension Merchandise and Promotional Items (new fleece added!)
  7. Extension-Only Publications (previously County-Only Pubs; still accessible only with a Purdue email login).

New Extension Programs & Events Tab:
This tab highlights Extension program areas, offering descriptions of workshops and training courses. It includes direct links to Cvent for event registration, making programming more accessible to the public.

  • A programming flyer will be distributed for use at Extension events.
  • Cvent confirmation emails will now include links to the Education Store’s programming section.

County Office Login Details:

  • Each county office has a pre-created customer profile. Do not create duplicate accounts.
  • Login email: Your shared CES county email (e.g., tippecanoeces@purdue.edu).
  • Password: Use the previously provided password (recommended to leave unchanged for now).
  • First-time users will need to set up shipping addresses during their initial order.

Note: Automatic discounts for county orders are no longer offered but may return through future promotions.

Campus/Field Staff Login Details:

  • Staff with a purdue.edu email are automatically part of the Internal Customer Group.
  • Features include internal payments via IO or WBSE, in-store pickup, and Campus Mail options, all managed on the new storefront.

This upgrade enhances collaboration, cross-promotion, and customer convenience — creating a more efficient and engaging online shopping experience. Explore the new site today!

Updated civil rights posters available for display

We are happy to inform you that USDA NIFA has revised the current "And Justice For All" poster (AD-475A) to include the correct link to the program discrimination complaint form. This ensures that program beneficiaries have appropriate access to program compliant information for USDA. The revised posters are located on the NIFA website here, Inclusive Excellence website, and the Extension Civil Rights website. Staff should have received 3 copies at PDC or made arrangements to get copies sent to them.

The updated “And Justice for All” poster is to be prominently displayed in all offices where there is a USDA presence and where it may be read by customers. Please note that institutions participating in or administering USDA NIFA programs are required to display the appropriate “And Justice for All” poster (AD 475-A) in their facilities where it can be viewed by customers. All “And Justice for All” posters must be displayed in a specific size: 11” width x 17” height. This size requirement relates to a problem where the poster's text becomes small and almost unreadable when printed in a typical printer's print size of 8.5" x 11".

Questions can be directed to Cassandra Salazar, Extension community and staff engagement administrator, at salaza14@purdue.edu.

Purdue CARET at the Indiana Statehouse

Despite the frigid temperatures on January 22, we had an outstanding day at the Indiana Statehouse! With 84 registered Purdue CARET members in attendance, meaningful connections were made with legislators, highlighting the impactful work of Purdue Extension and the College of Agriculture.

Our members had the opportunity to explore various locations within the Statehouse, observe bill proposals, and even attend committee meetings. These experiences provided valuable insight into the legislative process and strengthened our collective voice.

Initial feedback suggests that both members and legislators appreciated hosting the event directly at the Statehouse. As we plan for next year, we look forward to building on this success and refining the event to more effectively share our story.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to our county Extension directors and Extension staff who ensured that the day ran smoothly by transporting members and playing an integral role in the event's success. Your dedication and support are deeply appreciated!

Thank you all for your continued commitment to our mission.

Showcase Purdue Extension at the 2025 Indiana State Fair

The 2025 Indiana State Fair will once again offer the opportunity for Purdue Extension professionals to showcase the vast work being done across the state. Extension professionals are encouraged to be a part of the interactive presentations that will be offered in the Purdue Extension Building from 11:00 a.m. EST to 3:00 p.m. EST and/or 3:00 p.m. EST to 7:00 p.m. EST daily during the Indiana State Fair that runs from Aug. 1 – 17, 2025. If you have an interest, please complete this Qualtrics.  Questions can be sent to Atina Rozhon, arozhon@purdue.edu. Thank you for your consideration to be a part of the exhibits in the Purdue Extension Building at the 2025 Indiana State Fair.

2024 PDC Wrap-Up

A couple of items to wrap up the 2024 Professional Development Conference:

  • Resources that the presenters have shared with us have been posted to the PDC website: https://extension.purdue.edu/pdc/, under the “2024 Presentations & Roundtable Discussion Resources”.
  • Photos taken during the awards program and elsewhere at PDC have been posted at the same location.
  • Professional headshot photos that were taken by Joshua Clark on the first morning of PDC are available at this link.

As we look ahead to PDC 2025, please reserve Dec. 3-4 on your calendars. We will once again be at the Tippecanoe County 4-H Fairgrounds. The committee will start meeting in February to plan this event.

Many thanks to each of you who participated in the 2024 Purdue Extension Professional Development Conference!

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