Attending: ACOP: Eric Hoiberg, Roger A. Lewis, Al J. Lingg; AHS: Patricia Jensen; ICOP: B. Onuma Okezie; ECOP: Richard D. Wootton, Lavon L. Bartel; ESCOP: D.C. Coston, Lee E. Sommers, H. Michael Harrington; CSREES: Saleia Afele-Fa'amuli, Henry Bahn, Gary Cunningham, Colien Hefferan, Mark Poth, Jane Schuchardt

• Jane Schuchardt convened the meeting. Jane and Henry Bahn facilitated discussion the first day. Mark and Saleia facilitated the second day.
• Members introduced themselves and described their expectations and outcomes for the Task Force.
• Initial efforts were aimed at identifying specific steps to improve working relationships between components of the Partnership. ACOP is hosting the COPs meeting in 2003 and will organize a pre-meeting workshop on team work with the chairs and chairs-elect of each of the COPs. Other items are listed below under Action Items.
• Mike Harrington will establish a list serve for the group.
• Additional representation will besought from the 1890 community.
• Pat Jensen, Gary Cunningham, and Mike Harrington were selected to serve as Co-chairs.
• The next meeting was scheduled for November 8-9, 2002, at the Palmer House, Chicago, convening mid-morning on Friday, including a Friday evening session, and concluding by noon on Saturday.

Key Discussion Items

Overall Vision
Address issues and set priorities across the function areas (discovery, learning, outreach).
(Additional comments: Our comparative advantage is to work across functional areas. What can we do that is collectively effective, to make our activities at the universities more than parallel play?)

Potential Roles of the Task Force

1. facilitate communication to understand and value what the others do and advocate for each other
2. provide a forum to showcase successful collaborative partnerships across function areas
3. increase understanding of the CSREES role, especially national program leadership
4. articulate the rationale for who we are and what we do
5. create a new way of working together to build social capital through discovery and lifelong learning
6. lay a good foundation for future groups to build on and not start over
7. build trust
8. develop a formal, joint, priority setting process

Barriers to Effective Partnerships across Functional Areas

1. restrictions on activities and processes
2. lack of understanding of the culture and value added by others
3. limited and sometimes dysfunctional communication

Target Audience for Work of Task Force

University faculty and staff

How Can We Make This Work

1. celebrate and learn from successes and shortcomings of projects at the interface of disciplines and functional areas
2. create a system that rewards a greater cause than independence
3. communicate the responsibility for seeking and achieving multi-functional outcomes

Action Items

• Create a forum to display examples of partnership success. Investigate using the 2003 COPs meeting as a forum. Hire a consultant to interview key personnel of successful partnerships and make a summary presentation highlighting the lessons learned, opportunities, and successes. CSREES offered to provide funding to support this effort consultant. Define the elements of a successful partnerships. Focus on "why" and "how," not "what." Who: Karen , Eric, Saleia
• Inventory and assessment of the mission/vision for each partner. Henry Bahn will lead. Also suggested management consultant or possible assignment for an ACOP/ESCOP Leadership Development or National Extension Leadership Development Program candidate.
• Recognize, appreciate and respect all partners. Involving other partners in routine activities. Be systematically inclusive. Example: involve extension in teaching workshops.
• Another expanded and inclusive "Baltimore" meeting focusing on the vision of the "system" across all function areas; defining our comparative advantage; re-visiting the rationale for our existence.
• COPS leadership meeting. Who: Gary, Mike, Patricia, Dick, Onuma, others?
• Increase understanding of the role of CSREES. Develop FAQs and distribute at departmental reviews, grants workshops, and professional meetings.