| January
2004 |
From the Directors
The Northeastern IPM Center’s Advisory Council (AC) made some significant strides during its annual meeting in October. The two-day meeting was the group’s first since we learned of the Center’s funding boost over the next four years. We ironed out details of the new IPM Partnership Grants program, set AC membership guidelines, began work on a new biennial regional conference, and initiated a strategic planning process.
Two of our meeting topics were especially important in helping to define the Center’s role in the regional IPM landscape. The first was the creation of a mission statement that tells who we are and conveys our organizational values. Prior to the AC meeting, the Center Steering Committee and staff worked over several months to prepare a draft mission statement. In October, the AC had a full discussion on the topic, and the Steering Committee ratified the mission statement the following week. Our mission statement is as follows:
The Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center fosters the development and adoption of IPM, a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that generate economic, environmental, and human health benefits to all citizens. We work in partnership with stakeholders from agricultural, urban, and rural settings to identify and address regional priorities for research, education, and outreach.
The AC also addressed an important question about the relationship between the Center and a group called the Northeast Research, Extension and Academic Program Committee for IPM (NEREAP-IPM). With a focus on cooperative IPM programming in the region, NEREAP’s members include state IPM Coordinators and other regional figures such as representatives of EPA and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. The AC discussed how the two groups fit together and the role of the IPM Coordinators in the context of the Center. We developed a statement about the relationship that we distributed to Northeast research and extension directors, the national IPM Program Leader, and NEREAP members:
The Northeastern IPM Center depends on NEREAP-IPM for crucial research and outreach support of IPM programs that benefit all stakeholders in the region. Individually, the IPM coordinators offer state-level focus and accountability for programmatic initiatives. As a group, NEREAP acts as a conduit for specialized expertise, technical capability, and historical perspectives that are unique to land grant universities and essential to the success of the Center.
The Center is fortunate to have an Advisory Council that brings fresh ideas and tremendous energy to the table each time it convenes. We’re grateful for the contributions that this thoughtful and committed group is making to the Center.
–– Jim VanKirk and John Ayers, Directors of the Northeastern IPM Center
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In the States
A publication
of the
For more information on IPM in the Northeast or for printed copies of this newsletter, contact Jim VanKirk (315.787.2378; jrv1@cornell.edu) or information specialist Liz Thomas (315.787.2626; egt3@cornell.edu), NYS IPM Program Office, NYSAES, 630 W. North Street, Geneva, NY 14456. Writing and design by Elizabeth Myers (315-251-0713; ebm24@cornell.edu).
