[NIFL-WORKPLACE:3542] AAACE Update

From: Heidi Watson (haw6@psu.edu)
Date: Tue May 23 2000 - 22:26:39 EDT


Return-Path: <nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov>
Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id WAA04504; Tue, 23 May 2000 22:26:39 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Tue, 23 May 2000 22:26:39 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <NDBBLOBOOLAPGLFICILHGEAPCHAA.haw6@psu.edu>
Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov
Reply-To: nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov
Originator: nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov
Sender: nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov
Precedence: bulk
From: "Heidi Watson" <haw6@psu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-WORKPLACE:3542] AAACE Update
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0)
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/plain;
Status: O
Content-Length: 7545
Lines: 129

To all AAACE Members, past AAACE Members and Potential AAACE Members

This message is an update of activities conducted by the American
Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) Board, the AAACE
Transition Committees, the Conference Committee, the National Office Staff
and me, your president. Regardless of what you might have heard to the
contrary, AAACE is alive and well and getting stronger every day.

The AAACE Membership Drive is currently underway. For those of you who
have not as yet renewed your membership for this year, regardless of the
reason, please renew when you receive the mailing.  Your new (and
Improved) AAACE will need dedicated members who will be willing to get
involved to make AAACE the Professional Association Of Choice For All
Adult Educators.

Earlier this year, I charged four committees with the impressive task of
planning the future of AAACE. Here is a report of their work to date and
expected outcomes.

Restructure Committee - Chaired by Hal Beder, is in the process of
preparing a proposal that would recommend that AAACE reduce the complexity
of the Board of Directors to a much smaller number consisting of a
President, President-Elect, Past-President, Treasurer, Secretary, members
representing Communications, Conference, the Academy, Membership, and
representation from Commissions of a certain minimum number of paid AAACE
members. In addition, there would be the creation of the AAACE Academy
that would be made up of invited individuals from a variety of both AAACE
entities and other professional associations. These Academy Fellows would
work on a variety of adult education related issues, problems and
enterprises.

Membership Committee - Chaired by Elaine Shelton is in the process of
preparing a proposal that would recommend the total overhaul of our
membership dues structure to a single rate (proposed $75) that would
include the choice of one publication (a second at a minimum additional
fee), AAACE Online and all other member benefits (low cost life, health
and professional liability insurance, reduced fees for Conference and
publications). In addition, the committee is recommending that we return
to individual anniversary dates for member renewal.

Finance Committee - Chaired by Jean Flemming is in the process of
preparing a proposal that would recommend the creation of a budget that
AAACE could operate on while not relying on expensive membership dues and
Conference registration fees. The committee is also recommending other
quite plausible avenues and enterprises through which AAACE might generate
new revenues, while providing needed and desired services to the entire
adult education community at large.

National Office Committee - Chaired by Carroll Londoner is in the process
of preparing a proposal that would recommend the establishment of a
national office and national office staff that would be located in the
vicinity of Washington, DC. There was a rather pronounced directive voiced
at the conference in San Antonio from the membership to move back to a
volunteer led and operated association. Therefore, the national office
staff would be minimal consisting of an executive director or association
manager and a second individual who would be responsible for member
relations.

It is my hope that the AAACE Board will be able to vote on these four
proposals in June and bring them to the general membership for formal vote
in the fall at the National Conference in Providence, RI.

Speaking of the National Conference, if you have not as yet heard, the
conference will be held in Providence, RI on November 13-16, 2000.
Pre-conference activities will occur on November 12 and 13. The Commission
of Professors Conference will be held on November 17 & 18. The General
Conference Chair, Mr. Henry Tarlian (401-732-7700) has negotiated
excellent room rates ($118 single/double; $138 junior suite) with the
Biltmore Hotel. There are also additional rooms set aside at the Holiday
Inn Downtown ($109), the Westin ($138) and the Courtyard by Marriott
($140). The conference registration fee will be under $200 for early
registering members. The national program chair (Dr. Kathy Guglielmi
(401-435-5288) has already received a large number of quality proposals
and has been recruiting a number of other presenters. The program should
include sessions attractive to both the novice and seasoned adult
education conference attendee. The Conference Brochure is in final draft
form and
should be released for general distribution within the next two weeks.
When you receive it, please seriously consider joining us in Providence.

AAACE Online is up and running as a listserv operating out of Florida
International University. Doug Smith has done a masterful job at both
setting up and maintaining this list as a place for AAACE members to
communicate with on another. On that note, Doug needs individuals to post
issues, announcements, questions, job openings, etc. to the list. Please
contact him directly at smithdh@fiu.edu. For those of you not yet members
of the list, he will be able to provide you with subscription information.
The publishing of the Two Major Journals of the AAACE is back on track.
Sage Publications, working with our new Editors, Arthur L. Wilson and
Elisabeth R. Hayes have produced two excellent issues of the Adult
Education Quarterly. I believe that you will continue to see this level of
excellence in the future. Dr. Cheryl Polson, has performed yeoman's work
in preparing the last two issues of Adult Learning. Both of these are in
pre-publication - one being prepared for mailing and the other ready to
follow shortly thereafter. Bill McVey is in the process of drafting an RFP
for the issuing of a contract to a publisher for the eventual publication
of Adult Learning, similar to the arrangement we now have with Sage for
AEQ.

Given that AAACE has been able to totally pay off the debt to
Smith-Bucklin, pay all past and pending bills, pay for the publishing of
our journals, pay Cle Anderson for keeping the National Office alive, and
"generally keeping the lights on" for the AAACE, we are still operating in
the black. The success of our Current Membership Drive and the National
Conference, will now dictate the future of your national professional
association. Please support both of these efforts.

Now for a couple of troublesome issues. I am an eternal optimist.
Therefore, I am calling on volunteers from the association for two matters
of extreme importance and urgency. First, I fully believe that AAACE will
exist beyond November's conference when I will take second fiddle to your
new President Peggy Mims. However, we now need individuals to both be on
the Nominations and Elections Committee and for individuals to run for the
open positions of President-Elect and Secretary.  Other positions will
also be open but we cannot know what they will be until the membership
votes on the new Restructure Proposal in November. Please contact me
directly (401-874-4159 or johnb@uriacc.uri.edu) if you are interested in
either the committee or a leadership position. Second, under our new
process of conferences based in locations where there are local affiliates
who are interested in performing the lion's share of the conference
preparation and management for a share of the revenues, AAACE needs
conference sites for 2001 and 2002. Again, if you are interested, please
contact me directly.

Well, that's it for now. You'll be hearing from me again soon.


John Boulmetis, President <johnb@uriacc.uri.edu>



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 16 2001 - 14:42:36 EST