Note: This newsletter was sent to NET subscribers on January 27, 2022. To subscribe to the NET mailing list, sign up here.
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Welcome to the Inaugural NET Newsletter!
Dear National Extension Tourism NETwork,
I’ll start by saying “Happy New Year” to all of you! As we enter 2022, NET and all of our members have a great deal to reflect on and to be proud of, too! NET has come a long way since reinvigorating in early 2020 at the onset of the (what seems to be the everlasting) pandemic. In less than two years, from our respective offices (and homes), we’ve successfully restored the NET Design Team comprised of Land Grant and Sea Grant representatives, strengthened existing and established new partnerships with federal agencies, launched several new committees to strengthen our mission, and, luckily, hosted our 2021 conference in-person. At the conference, we launched our inaugural awards recognizing tourism programs and faculty around the country. Additionally, this newsletter is another first for NET. It highlights these successes in greater depth and features opportunities for you to become more involved in the NETwork. These successes are just the beginning of what NET intends to build from moving forward in the coming months and years.
Your interest in the NET is something we value immensely. NET leadership welcomes your feedback and ideas. Feel free to connect with us via our LinkedIn page or by email. Thank you for reading our inaugural newsletter, and for your ongoing involvement with NET!
Wishing all of you a healthy and productive year ahead, and hope you’re able to get out and contribute to tourism!
Sincerely,
Andy Northrop
Michigan State University Extension
Chair, NET
“My Mind is Swirling with Ideas”: National Extension Tourism 2021 conference provided opportunity to “navigate the uncharted”
The NET Design Team held its 13th national conference in early November, hosted in Savannah, GA, by University of Georgia (UGA) Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. For many in attendance, it was their first in-person conference since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the fantastic networking opportunity for which the biennial conference is known. Read more.
NET Design Team elects Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary for two-year terms
On October 6, at its final meeting before the 2021 NET conference, the NET Design Team elected new officers. Michigan State University Extension’s Andy Northrop was named as Chair and University of Minnesota Extension’s Xinyi Qian was named as Vice Chair. University of Oklahoma’s Stacy Tomas was re-elected for a second term as Secretary. University of Vermont Extension’s Lisa Chase, who served as NET’s chair since 2020, will preside as Past Chair for a two-year term. The leadership transition formally took place at the NET Conference in Savannah, GA, and the officers’ terms will end at the 2023 NET Conference. Learn more about the NET Design Team here.
Congratulations to NET award winners!
Congratulations to the CREATE BRIDGES team and the Agritourism Multi-State Project Team, who were recipients of the inaugural NET awards. The NET Awards Committee presented the awards to the two teams during the 2021 NET Conference, which was held in Savannah, GA, and hosted by Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, University of Georgia. Learn more about the winning teams and the NET Awards program.
New Report Available: “Extension Tourism—Impacts and Opportunities of Land- and Sea-Grant Programming”
The NET Design Team and the Regional Rural Development Centers carried out a national survey process from 2017 to 2019 to catalog current tourism and recreation programming being conducted by U.S. Extension professionals. The findings are summarized in a new report, which documents the distribution, depth, and breadth of tourism and outdoor recreation programming offered by the Land- and Sea Grant Extension services; demonstrates the regional impacts of this programming; and, highlights opportunities for expanding this programming nationally. Check out the report and an interactive map that shows survey responses by state.
NET selected as New Technologies for Agricultural Extension accelerator project
The National Extension Tourism Design Team recently was selected to receive funding and technical support as a participant in the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) project accelerator program, aimed at helping NET pursue organizational growth that makes it more financially sustainable and increases the reach of tourism and recreation Extension programming and research. Learn more about what’s planned and opportunities for involvement.
NET 2023 Conference – Join us in Wisconsin!
The 2023 NET Conference will take place in Wisconsin! If you are interested in helping out with planning, please reach out to Natalie Chin (nchin5@aqua.wisc.edu).
Attention all NETwork members: Opportunities to get involved
There’s never been a better time to get involved with NET. Here are some of the ways you can plug in:
- Writing opportunities: Contribute to NET “one-pagers” on variety of topics
As part of the New Technologies for Agricultural Education project (see above), NET is developing a series of one-page documents aimed at demonstrating how Extension tourism programming can elevate other program areas. We are seeking people who want to author or co-author a one-pager in any of the following topic areas: Climate Mitigation, Resiliency, and Adaptation; Health Equity and Well-Being; Economic and Community Development; 4-H/Positive Youth Development; Broadband Access and Digital Skills; and Urban Programming. Other topic ideas also are welcome! If you’re interested, get in touch with Kristen Devlin (krd111@psu.edu) or Lisa Chase (Lisa.Chase@uvm.edu). - Submit your tourism resources to the NET Resource Library
Help make the online NET Resource Library the go-to destination for information on research and programming resources in sustainable tourism, outdoor recreation, and hospitality! We are seeking submissions for inclusion in the library that share knowledge on topics that are relevant to the NET community. Review our submission guidelines, then submit your resource here! - Connect with NET members on LinkedIn
Connect with colleagues and stay in the loop about all things tourism- and NET-related by joining our LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-extension-tourism-network