Message from the President
WOW!
What a great conference we had in Savannah!
What changes are happening to EERA!
What work has yet to be done!
I am excited!
The conference in Savannah was great, even with the snow making travel difficult for some. We had more professionals and graduate students sign up to attend than we have had for a long time in spite of the depressed economy, lack of travel money, and inclement weather. Most presentations were well attended and filled with new and exciting information. We had a session honoring one of our past members Michael Reed for all of his contributions to the ever-growing body of educational research and his many years of continued commitment to EERA. Our special thoughts of gratitude and respect also went to former active members who are no longer with us: Gus Douvanis and Gene Franks. The hotel was good for attendees and presenters alike. For those who had some extra time, the sights of the city made the trip a wonderful event. Receptions on Thursday and Friday nights left even our most ardent eaters barely able to walk away after so much good food.
Changes will include my stepping down from the presidency and Andy Shim taking over this February, which is sad for me but I also looked forward to being just a member again. We have a new non-profit status incorporated in Georgia, and national non-profit status soon. We have new By-Laws written and soon to be posted on the web-site. We have a wonderful web-site thanks to Peter Doolittle of Virginia Tech which he has handed over to Marty Bray of University of West Georgia. We are now in the process of cleaning up last’s year announcements and replacing outdated information. It is with great expectation that some of the bugs will be smoothed over and more information will be available to members. A new review procedure for paper proposal submissions and acceptance has been developed so notification of decisions information will be months earlier than in the past.
Work left to be done includes holding an election for Board of Directors to be held this year to place new members on the board and your input is needed. Please send suggestions and nominations for members to become the new face of an every changing EERA. We need members willing to spend a little effort to continuing to make this conference a “Place to Go” to present the results of one’s original educational research.
The 2011 annual conference will be in Sarasota, Florida, a site where we had have incredible conferences in the past. So gather your ideas and prepare a presentation. If you can influence any graduate student, EERA is a great place to start their professional careers with new ideas, new connections, and an idea of what their future professional life will include.
See you in Sarasota!!
Dr. Abbot L. Packard
apackard@westga.edu
