Here’s hoping that all of our members are surviving the unprecedented heatwave, smoke, and storms of this summer. Sometimes I’m reminded of the summer days in northern Wisconsin when we could hardly stand to get into the chilly waters of our rivers and lakes because they did not warm up until August! Of course, I also remember a few summers when it snowed on my birthday in June! Despite the travails of global warming, I sincerely hope that you are resting and rejuvenating as you contemplate the beginning of another academic year in the fall.
The new board has found time to gather this past week to get organized for the academic year as well. We welcomed new members, Will Ofstad and Christopher Sweeney to the group. We also re-welcomed several board members who have assumed new Board positions including, Chaya Jain as President Elect, Peter Smith as Finance Officer, Steve Spicklemire as Secretary, and Colleen Taylor as an At-Large member.
The Conference planning team held a post-mortem on our 2023 conference as a way of assessing the conference and focusing on lessons learned as we begin the next season of conference planning. The board has approved preliminary plans for the 2024 conference to be held at the UINDY (University of Indianapolis). We plan to offer a hybrid conference with both in-person and remote participation in early June. Specifics will emerge over the next couple of months as the team begins the process of crafting the theme and mix of experiences to be offered. We hope to open the call for proposals in the fall. The team is always recruiting and would appreciate adding some more Academy members to the process. If you are interested in helping out this year please send me a message and we will welcome you with open arms.
Summer planning to determine concrete annual goals for the board is also beginning to take shape. As board members consider what the “Big Rocks” are for this academic year we will engage our members in advising what matters most. We welcome your thoughts and ideas and will be opening avenues for you to share with us. All members are welcome to join board meetings any time. Board meeting dates, times, and Zoom links for the fall semester have been established and will be published on the member site as in the past.
Finally, I encourage you to stay aware of the programming that we offer our members via the website, newsletter, and other announcements. Our Professional Development program will get into full swing later in the fall, the Self-Growth community will be offered again, and we will be offering a Winter Board meeting that includes additional experiences for our members. As a membership of faculty, administrators, and staff members in both academic and business arenas we remain committed to and believe in the unlimited potential for all learners at every level. Let us marshal the power of Process Education toward that end goal and continue to demonstrate our commitment to learning.
In your service,
Wm. Patrick Barlow