PRESIDENT'S LETTER

The new year always brings a time of reflection and anticipation. It's a time to look back over the year and consider what we've accomplished together, and then to look forward to our plans and organization for the new year. In my remaining ``President's Letters'' I plan to focus on this theme. In this issue I'd like to reflect on the annual meeting in Boston and the contributions people have made to the Institute, and then share some of our plans for the upcoming year in the hopes of engaging you in the Institute's activities. In the March column, I will speak more specifically of the Institute's accomplishments and challenges that resulted from the charges to the Board. The past year of the Institute was hallmarked by the contributions of people, the success of our meetings, and new beginnings. The Institute is stronger than ever, positioned well in a time of extraordinary change.

First, let me once again congratulate K. Roscoe Davis for his recognition as the 1995 recipient of the Dennis E. Grawoig Distinguished Service Award. He has provided many years of service to the Institute as president, Executive Committee and Board member, vice president, program chair, editor of Decision Line, committee chair and member; in addition to a similar record of leadership positions within the Southeast Region. Roscoe's friendly demeanor and collegial spirit hallmark the heart of the Institute.

Second, I want to say a word of thanks for the vision, energy and professionalism of our annual meeting program chairs, past, present, and future. I see ever more clearly the annual meeting as the hub of activity for the Institute. Ernie Houck and his team deserve a special thanks for the super job of organizing and overseeing the 1995 meeting in Boston. By so many measures it was a very successful meeting. I think that we've reaffirmed and advanced the vision of what our annual meetings should encompass.

Scholarly presentations and discussions organized within regular sessions and topic tables are valuable opportunities for sharing and enriching our research and educational activities. We've learned that we need to stabilize the date for the Call for Papers. Earlier dates just don't work and are not in keeping with the prevailing spirit of shortened lead times. Consequently, the Board has resolved that the due date for the Call for Papers will be fixed at the first of March, as you will note in our Call for Papers for the 1996 Annual Meeting in Orlando.

For the record.... The Board is also committed to scheduling our annual meetings to end on the Tuesday before the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. This approach will provide the benefit of reduced airfares with a Saturday night stayover, and participants will avoid travel on the busiest Wednesdays of the year for the airline industry.

The Boston meeting program included a larger number of invited sessions, several with standing-room-only attendance. I continue to believe that this kind of session is an important part of our program. Many of these sessions highlight leading research and educational initiatives presented by panels, research teams and individuals. These sessions allow a more in-depth exposure of these initiatives for our membership. Please be thinking about sessions like this for our upcoming program in Orlando and forward your suggestions to Lori Franz or the appropriate track chair.

The Boston program continued to demonstrate the Institute's commitment to interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives. A number of invited sessions, competitive paper sessions, consortiums and workshops focused on interdisciplinary topics. In keeping with this focus, next year's program will be organized with traditional tracks crosslisted with interdisciplinary themes (see page 28 for listings). This design for the 1996 Orlando program, developed by Program Chair Lori Franz, provides the best of both worlds: participants can organize their participation along disciplinary focus or interdisciplinary themes.

The Boston Annual Meeting also continued the legacy of very successful workshops and consortia. A number of people must be commended for their organizational leadership in this regard: F. Robert Jacobs, Indiana University, for the 13th Annual Doctoral Student Consortium, Belva Cooley and Constance H. McLaren, both of Indiana State University, for the New Faculty Development Consortium, Robert A. Parsons, Northeastern University, for the Professional Development Program, Anne B. Koehler, Miami University, for the Academic Administration Program, Charles P. Bonini, Stanford University, and Rodger D. Collons, Drexel University, for the ``MBA ProgramsūCurriculum in Transition'' conference-within-a-conference program. These programs combine to set the Institute as a leader in this regard. Each of these programs will be continued or expanded at the 1996 Orlando Annual Meeting.

The Boston Annual Meeting continued the Institute's commitment to nurture and reward excellence in research and teaching. Special recognition should be given to those individuals leading our award processes: Vicki L. Smith-Daniels, Arizona State University, for the Elwood S. Buffa Doctoral Dissertation Award Competition, and David M. Dilts, University of Waterloo, for the Instructional Innovation Award Competition. These award competitions will continue to provide well-deserved recognition at our programs.

The annual meeting in Boston demonstrated a commitment to excellence in instruction in a variety of ways that will be continued and expanded. Innovation Education sessions will be organized as an interdisciplinary theme with possible connections to or focus on a variety of functional and methodological tracks. The ``MBA ProgramsūCurriculum in Transition'' conference at our 1995 Annual Meeting was very successful under Lori Franz's leadership as Innovative Education track chair. This is the first time that we have organized a conference-within-a-conference focusing on a specific educational degree. We plan to expand this type of program at the 1996 Orlando Annual Meeting by offering similar programs, each focusing on a specific degree objective: the undergraduate degree, MBA degree, and Ph.D. degree. The preliminary plans for these 1996 programs sound engagingūspread the word. While the MBA conference-within-a-conference was rewarding in 1995, the three programs planned in 1996 promise to be even better. Plan to be there! Lori has an included an article about the 1996 Annual Meeting in this issue of Decision Line; look it over and think about ways that you can be a part of its success.

Another new, and somewhat experimental, activity involved the Teaching Exchange Roundtables at the 1995 Annual Meeting. This program provided an opportunity for participants to meet with some of the best teachers in their disciplines; to gather together and share ideas, teaching techniques, problems and solutions. I understand that those participating found this to be a very valuable experience. This program will be continued next yearūplan early to make this a part of your agenda. It's well worth the time, and the sharing is typical of the Institute's collegiality.

So far I've focused at the Institute level. There are also a number of excellent regional meetings that will be held during 1996. Plan now to attend one of the following regional meetings:

-- Asia-Pacific Region, June 21-22, Hong Kong

-- Midwest Region, April 19-21, South Bend, Indiana

-- Northeast Region, April 17-19, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

-- Southeast Region, February 21-23, Charleston, South Carolina

-- Southwest Region, March 6-9, 1996, San Antonio, Texas

-- Western Region, April 2-6, 1996, Seattle, Washington

My reflections of the past calendar year come together to create a vivid and lasting memory of advances in research and scholarship, advances in instructional excellence, and the progress of the Institute.

Plan now to be engaged in next year's programs at the Institute annual meeting and regional meeting levels. It's well worth the effort.