My responsibilities over the past few years have increasingly engaged me in both planning and participating in the Institute's conferences. What I remember most about these meetingsþand what I look forward toþare their excellence. These forums provide an opportunity for sharing and strengthening research and teaching initiatives, strengthening collegial ties with members around the world, and simply enjoying the gathering and nurturing of old and new friends.

Annual Meetings

Our largest meeting is the annual meeting--a hallmark of the Institute since its inception. Annual meetings in the recent past have been held in New Orleans, San Francisco, Miami Beach, San Diego, Washington D.C. and Hawaii, with events scheduled either the Friday through Tuesday, or the Saturday through Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. Last year's annual meeting, with Mike Showalter (Florida State University) as program chair was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. This year's upcoming annual meeting, with Program Chair Ernie Houck, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. Next year's annual meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida, and chaired by Lori Franz, University of Missouri-Columbia. Future meeting locations will include San Diego in 1997, and New Orleans in 1999. The location for the 1998 meeting is in the process of being finalized.

Plan to attend the upcoming annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. It promises to continue the history of excellence. Conference activities are scheduled for Sunday, November 19, through Wednesday, November 22, 1995. Sunday's activities will include the Doctoral Student Consortium, coordinated by Bob Jacobs, Indiana University; the New Faculty Workshop, coordinated by Belva Cooley, Indiana State University; the Professional Development Workshop coordinated by Bob Parsons, Northeastern University; and a new þConference within a Conferenceþ on the topic of ``Redesigning the MBA Curriculum,'' coordinated by Chuck Bonini of Stanford University and Rodger Collons, Drexel University.

The annual meeting will continue with approximately 1,000 paper presentations, workshops, and seminars. This year's breakfast speaker will be Stuart Kazin, Vice President for Operations and Information Systems, Lotus Development Corporation. In addition, there will be a number of special invited sessions by experts and leading researchers on particular topics of interest.

Conference within a Conference: ``Redesigning the MBA Curriculum''

Please take special note of the newly planned conference within a conference on the ``Integrative MBA Curriculum'' to be held on Sunday, November 19, 1995, at the Boston Marriott-Copley Place Hotel, the site of the annual meeting. The program promises timely and informative sessions, sharing of recent experience and accomplishments in curricular development, as well as suggestions about future challenges.

Many, if not all, business schools are actively engaged in curricular revision toward a more coordinated and integrated program of study across particular disciplines and functional areas. This program will provide current perspective and experience in this regard. Dean Scott S. Cowen of the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, and president, American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, will provide a keynote address for the program and speak on Case Western's management of change in their academic curriculum. Following this keynote address, several other schools' experience will be presented: David Reibstein, Wharton School; Leonard Schlesinger, Harvard Business School; Brian Talbot, University of Michigan; Chris Albright, Indiana; and Tom Howard, University of Denver.

The program will also include a panel of deans from Bentley College, Boston College, Robert Morris College, Rollins College, and West Virginia University who will report on initiatives with regard to curriculum revision. In addition, the program will cross-list other sessions throughout the annual meeting that will build upon the issues involved in curriculum development. I encourage your attendance at this ``Conference Within a Conference.'' Pass the word along to a colleague at your school. The registration fee for the annual meeting entitles you to admission to this special conference.

Regional Meetings

The Institute has six regions: Asia-Pacific, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Western. Regional meetings are typically held some time in the February to June timeframe. With attendance in the range of 200 to 400 participants, the meetings follow a somewhat similar format as the annual meeting, with plenary speakers, workshops, special invited sessions, and paper presentations. Our newest region, the Asia-Pacific Region, is planning to hold its first regional meeting in Hong Kong (June, 1996). For a complete listing of the places and dates of other regional meetings, see page 27.

These regional meetings offer many activities and benefits similar to the annual meeting, but at a more regional level. They offer the opportunity to strengthen collegial and institutional relationships with more local accessibility. Plan to participate in these regional meetings. Mark your calendars, and get involved.

International Meetings

The Institute has held three international meetings: the first in Brussels, Belgium, 1991; the second in Seoul, Korea, 1993, and the third just recently in Puebla, Mexico. Each of these meetings has provided a unique international experience, an increased realization of the global community of scholars, and confirm that international meetings should continue to be a part of the Institute.

The most recent international meeting was held June 12-14, 1995, in Puebla, Mexico. Benito Flores of Texas A&M University and Manuel Mancebo of the University of the Americas-Puebla served as program co-chairs. The conference included a keynote address by Dr. Luis Rubio, president of the Center for Development Research in Mexico City; a luncheon address by Dr. Jose A. Echenique-Garcia, President of the National Association of Faculties and Schools of Business in Mexico; and over 100 contributed papers. Special thanks go to Benito Flores, Manuel Mancebo and the Program Committee for an excellent meeting. The presentations, discussions, and experience of Mexican culture combined to make this meeting memorable for all. This was the first chance for my wife and I to attend an international meeting. Based on this experience, we plan to be regular participants in future meetings.

Currently the Institute is planning the next international meeting to be held, hopefully, in 1997. More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.

Plan to attend...