ANR's Associate Vice President Rick Standiford hosted the conference. Rick believes strongly in the value of an orientation for new academics in ANR's campus and county-based units that have been hired since 2001. The Orientation Conference program included:
Overview of statewide units that make up our land grant institution including a profile of AES and CE members;
Deans' and Vice President's vision for the future and actions to strengthen the research/extension continuum;
Panel on how the research-extension continuum works - "bench to ground",
History of our land grant system;
Insights into statewide program planning and resource allocation systems (Executive and Program Councils, PPACS, Workgroups, Coordinating Conferences, Core Issue Grants, etc.);
Future directions for state and national land grant extension and research funding;
Several professional developmentsessions to help develop and hone research, extension and instruction skills;
Opportunities for informal networking and learning about campus, statewide and other resources and academic support units.