Vancouver has come and gone, and I am now home to catch my breath for a moment before the school year comes to a close. While the conference is still fresh in our minds I’d like to offer a request and invitation:
Send us ten sentences. Write five sentences about what you liked at the conference. Write five sentences on what you didn’t like. (Let’s try to be realistic so not liking the rain may be honest, but I can’t do much about that one!)
The annual conference can be a bit like turning a ship; we end up with close to 14,000 attendees so doing what may seem simple, is a bit more complex. But what I don’t want is a “culture of no” simply saying we can’t change anything because we can’t change everything. I also don’t think all changes need to be revolutionary to improve one’s experience. Sometimes small-scale improvements can lead to significant overall enhancements.
The first task of the President-elect is to choose your program chair. If my first decision is any indication of the sort of year we are going to have, then everything will be smooth sailing. Kris Renn, Professor of Higher Education at Michigan State University, will be the program chair. She has been involved in AERA for a great many years and has been a Division J program chair, so she knows the ropes. She’s also an out-of-the-box thinker with a great sense of humor.
So here’s your chance: let us know what we should keep, what we should think about ditching, and what might be a good replacement. And remember: short, tweet-length suggestions, not a long-winded lament about long-winded speakers on long-winded panels.
I’ll send along the program theme
