Friday, November 4, 2011
Military Families Financial Security for All project
Friday, December 4, 2009
Online Financial Education Resource Wins Award
The eXtension Financial Security for All community of practice has received the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman’s Award for Innovation in Financial Education.
North Dakota State University Extension Service family economics specialist Debra Pankow led the multistate effort to develop Financial Security for All, one of eXtension’s first communities of practice, or resource areas.
NDSU is among 74 land-grant universities throughout the U.S. that were involved in creating eXtension (pronounced E-extension). It is an online portal to an interactive learning environment that provides reliable information based on solid research and trustworthy, field-tested data. It complements and enhances the Extension Service’s community-based programming.
Financial Security for All includes learning tools, interactive financial calculators and answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions. It also has an Ask an Expert feature, which allows people to ask a question and an Extension professional will respond within 48 hours.
This community of practice provides people with virtual access to more than 300 personal financial educators.
“I was honored to accept this award for the Financial Security for All community of practice,” Pankow says. “Recognition by our financial education peers and partners is particularly meaningful as we continue to develop unbiased and timely educational resources to reach consumers with just-in-time, quality education to help them make important financial decisions.”
The nonmonetary FDIC Chairman’s Award recognizes excellence and innovation in financial education and highlights potentially replicable programs. Recipients were selected on factors such as whether they used creative or novel approaches and captured new or nontraditional audiences, and the measures they used to determine effectiveness.
Financial Security for All was one of six organizations or individuals selected to receive a Chairman’s Award.
Pankow, Jane Schuchardt (NIFA) and Deb Gebeke, the NDSU Extension Service’s assistant director of family and consumer sciences, were in Washington, D.C., to receive the award at the National Press Club on Thursday.
For more information about the Financial Security for All community of practice, visit http://www.extension.org/personal%20finance.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Financial Security for All CoP Wins National Awards
eXtension Honors Outstanding Educators and Teams
eXtension recently announced its first national awards recognizing outstanding partners, as well as individual and team achievement.
Partner Award
My Horse University, a collaborator with eXtension’s HorseQuest community of practice, received the partnership award. Based at Michigan State University, staff from My Horse University worked with equine experts from other land-grant universities creating information, educational programs, national presentations and promotions as well as securing financing. The two organizations created monthly Web casts and an electronic newsletter of horse tips, developed a module for youth leaders, published and presented joint abstracts and papers, worked on federal grant proposals and secured Purina Mills as a sponsor.
Vermont and North Dakota educators honored
Elizabeth (Betsy) Greene, associate professor and Extension equine specialist at the University of Vermont, and Debra Pankow, associate professor and Extension family economics specialist at North Dakota State University, received awards for their individual contributions and leadership.
Greene is a contributor, collaborator, mentor and member of the HorseQuest community of practice. She has served as vice chair and chair of the equine eXtension group, delivered presentations at national and regional meetings, hosted web chats and webinars and mentored others on how to start and sustain a community of practice. Greene played a pivotal role in establishing HorseQuest and set high standards for other eXtension groups.
Pankow was honored for her achievement working with the Financial Security for All community of practice. As the first leader for the eXtension content on personal finance, Pankow motivated colleagues from across the country as well as devoted time and expertise to eXtension. She promoted the work of her community at workshops and conferences nationwide.
Communities of practice receive awards
HorseQuest and Financial Security for All were recognized for innovation and leadership in their respective areas of expertise. eXtension started in 2005 with eight content areas formed as communities of practice. These two were among the eight pioneer communities.
The equine group helped develop some of the initial eXtension processes and mentored other university experts in ways to reach the general public. The HorseQuest experts created information for the entire equine industry from new horse owners to professionals working to support the equine industry. Members of the leadership group included Kathy Anderson (University of Nebraska), Clint Depew (Louisiana State University), Betsy Greene (University of Vermont), Ashley Griffin (University of Kentucky), Nancy Valentine (National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA), Jennifer Whittle (University of Kentucky) and Carey Williams (Rutgers University).
As the financial crisis hit the United States, the land-grant experts in personal finance found their work on eXtension in high demand. The group focuses their research-based information on financial stability, financial literacy for children through young adults and information on achieving financial security for those close to retirement. Members of the group receiving awards included Erik Anderson (University of Idaho), Janet Bechman (Purdue University), Judy Branch (formerly with University of Vermont), Michael Gutter (University of Florida), Linda Kirk-Fox (Washington State University), Elizabeth Kiss (formerly with Purdue University), Jacque Miller (Colorado State University), Megan O’Neil-Haight (University of Maryland), Barbara O’Neill (Rutgers University), Debra Pankow (North Dakota State University), Nancy Porter (Clemson University), Jane Schuchardt (National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA), Sharon Seiling (Ohio State University) and Pat Swanson (Iowa State University).
“We are thrilled to be able to recognize these outstanding individuals and groups,” said Dan Cotton, eXtension director. “While eXtension represents the ‘best of the best’ in land-grant university content and informal education, the people we honor today represent the ‘best of the best’ working to achieve these high standards.”
Awards were presented on the final day of eXtension’s first national conference Oct. 20-23 in St. Louis.
