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September 2002 |
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INSIDE President’s Message New Members/News Sutton Award Recipient ALAIR Annual Conference ALAIR at AIR Executive Committee Past President’s Farewell SAIR Annual Conference Enclosures ALAIR Business Meeting Minutes ALAIR Travel Grant to SAIR in Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
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I write this article for two purposes. First, I want to thank you, the ALAIR members, for selecting me to serve as your president this year, 2002-2003. Jim Eck hosted an excellent conference and program at Samford University as the program chair/vice president and was looking forward to the next year as the president that no doubt would have been equally successful. Unfortunately for ALAIR, though, Jim accepted a great opportunity to move to Rollins College in Florida. I will not be able to replace Jim, but I will endeavor to do my best for ALAIR during this year. Your support and confidence will help me achieve this goal. Secondly, I want to outline initiatives that I propose for this next year. When the Executive Board met this summer, I presented them briefly and asked the Board to start thinking about how we might proceed. Subsequently, another issue has arisen, and I will want to add this to my list for further consideration. In some respects, a few of the initiatives are not entirely new but rather a continuation with renewed efforts. Succinctly, the initiatives are as follows.
BTW, see the ALAIR Directory for the specifics in contacting me or anyone else on the Executive Board. |
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Welcome New Members:
 CONGRATULATIONS
 Todd Stanfield, Coordinator of Analytical Services at the University
of North Alabama, successfully defended his dissertation on August 7 at
the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Congratulations Dr. Stanfield! |
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Dr. Jim Eck recently received the Joseph T. Sutton Leadership Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Alabama Association for Institutional Research (ALAIR). The Sutton award was named for one of the state’s first institutional researchers, who served both as Director for Institutional Research at The University of Alabama and as Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. The purpose of the Joseph T. Sutton Award is to recognize Alabamians who have demonstrated leadership and outstanding accomplishment in the field of institutional research. It is given only to persons who possess leadership skills and have actively supported and enhanced the goals of ALAIR. Pictured with colleagues Jan Farmer (left) and Dea Mathews (right), Dr. Eck was presented with the Sutton award during the ALAIR annual conference that was held at Samford University in April 2002. Dr. Eck was selected for the award on the basis of his accomplishments and his service to the profession of institutional research. He has provided leadership in the state of Alabama, regional and national professional associations, and currently serves as Vice President/Program Chair of ALAIR. Also, noted was his work as Evaluation Committee Chair for the Southern Association for Institutional Research. Jim has shared his expertise on a national level through paper presentations at the annual forum for the Association for Institutional Research. He has further demonstrated his commitment to our profession by serving as a member of several SACS accreditation self-study teams and by publishing articles in professional journals. Robert Browning once said, “Our aspirations are our possibilities.” This quote is an appropriate reflection of our honoree. - Mimi McDaniel Johnson |
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Well, it won't be at the capitol, but it will be close. The 2003 ALAIR
Annual Conference will be held at Troy State University Montgomery (TSUM)
on April 3-4. Preconference workshops will take place on Thursday afternoon,
April 3, at the Rosa Parks Library and Museum on the TSUM campus. After
an evening welcoming reception and the opportunity to tour the Rosa Parks
Museum, we will take a short trip (walk if you desire) to the Montgomery Brewing
Company (Brew Pub) for dinner. Overnight lodging will be available at
the Guesthouse Convention Center or Embassy Suites-both located within walking
distance of TSUM. We will have a continental breakfast buffet on Friday,
April 4, at the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, followed by a keynote address
by Dr. Cameron Martindale, president of TSUM. After morning sessions,
we will have a buffet lunch and then afternoon sessions which will end by
3:00 p.m. This centrally located conference will be easy to get to and should prove to be a professionally rewarding and fun event. Please make plans to attend and spend springtime in the capitol. We will provide more information later, but we hope to see you in April. Bring a friend and consider making a presentation. If you have any ideas, thoughts or suggestions for the conference, please let me know. I can be contacted at: dtennimon@tsum.edu or 334-241-9536. - Dan Tennimon, Vice President |
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Dr. Anna Waggener presented her paper "Principles of Graphical Excellence " at AIR in Toronto, Canada in June. There were over 65 people who attended and the response was excellent. Thanks Anna, and good luck in your new position. As always ALAIR's presence was very much alive at the AIR Forum and we are expecting excellent representation at the 2002 SAIR Conference in Baton Rouge in October. Don't forget to submit a travel grant for SAIR (see SAIR Travel Grant Form insert). - Priscilla Holland |
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I hope that the summer has been a great one so far! Your ALAIR Executive Board has been very busy as you can see by the President's letter. I would like to extend a word of thanks to the many people who made my term as president a delight. Particularly, I would like to thank Cara Mia Pugh…with her constant reminders and thorough very diplomatic pushing, deadlines were met! Thanks for all your hard work Cara Mia! Jim Eck was a super Program Chair. He and his staff were efficient, effective and still very personable in setting up and running the annual conference. We had a great time and the food was "too much"! A special thanks goes to the "hard working" special Executive Committee. One of the goals for past term was to increase the membership by recruiting new members and convincing old ones to return to the fold. We went from 49 to 93. But as you know this is always something we have to work on…. so please encourage new people in your office to join. Another goal was to increase our financial base; at both the 2001 and 2002 Conference the host institutions saved us money by providing rooms for workshops, free keynote speakers, breakout rooms and equipment at no cost. The finances are in excellent shape. I enjoyed and thank you for the privilege of serving as your President during 2001-2002 Check out the ALAIR website (www.alair.org) for the new officers and old ones! Looking forward hearing from you over the next year on the Sutton Award, nominations for the officers and travel grants! - Priscilla Holland, University of North Alabama |
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Come rediscover the warm hospitality of the South October 12-15 in historic
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the 2002 Southern Association for Institutional
Research Conference. Held at the beautiful Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention
Center Hotel in the heart of downtown, this year's conference center is adjacent
to Riverboat gaming and only two miles from Louisiana State University. Beyond
the hotel, Baton Rouge is famous for its rich history, spicy food, eclectic
night life, and incredible music. With the creative juices flowing, we tackle this year's theme, Setting the Right Tone for Institutional Research, and attempt to address many of the most important issues in IR and Assessment today. Pre-conference workshops begin on Saturday, October 12 and offer in-depth exposure to topics such as records management, relational databases, and SAS skills. Sunday workshops bring us subjects such as two SPSS training sessions and a Newcomer's workshop that promises to ease the transition of those new to IR and Assessment. In addition to workshops, guests can participate in a multitude of presentations, panels, roundtables, and discussions ranging in topics from the most effective IR practices and meeting the new SACS criteria to the importance of emerging technologies and undergraduate learning trends and what they tell us about retention. The SAIR 2002 Conference is also proud to announce the addition of a new Community College track that addresses many pertinent issues such as traditional educational practices, two-year college student trends, and student satisfaction. So bring your dynamic ideas and plan to interact and participate with your colleagues. Don't forget about the special event: "A Capitol Affair" held this year at the Louisiana Old State Capitol Building. This is your opportunity to unwind on Monday night and meet your contemporaries. The SAIR 2002 conference has something for everyone so don't waste any time! Register for your workshops today. For additional information visit the conference website at www.sair.org/batonrouge_2002.htm or call 404.385.1420. - Joseph Hoey, SAIR 2002 Program Chair |
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Welcome and Introductions
The ALAIR Annual Business Meeting was called
to order at ll:35 by President, Dr. Priscilla Holland at Samford University.
Dr. Holland began by thanking Dr. Corts and the Samford Institutional Research
staff for offering the wonderful facilities to ALAIR. The setting was
described as perfect environment for professionals learning to present the
truth yet make our institutions stand out with distinctive qualities.
In particular, the use of the computer lab was mentioned was being facilitative
to hands on training required for our pre-conference workshop. The ALAIR executive
committee members were introduced.Minutes from 2001 Business Meeting
Dr. Cara Mia Braswell, Secretary,
presented the minutes of the Annual Business Meeting held in Gulf Shores,
April 2001. A motion was made by Carol Chenault and seconded by Janis
Lowther that the minutes be approved as read. The motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report
The treasurer’s report was given by Stephen
Fancher. As attached, it was reported that there is $6,945.86 balance
in the bank at this point. Mr. Fancher reported, however, that there
were some outstanding conference expenses. A motion was made by Jane
Mathis-Hopson and seconded by Carol Chenault that the treasurer’s report
be approved as read. The motion was carried. Conference Update
Dr. Jim Eck, program chair, expressed appreciation
to Dea Mathews and Jan Farmer for their efforts in making this a quality
conference. A total of 60 people showed out of the 93 current members.
Thirty-one people attended dinner at East City Grill, the night before.
Twenty, members attended the ACCESS pre-conference workshop which was described
as a follow-up to a previous session requested by popular demand.
Jim described the remainder of the conference which convenes in Beeson Hall
on campus. Dr. Eck closed with farewell remarks as he begins a new
position at Rollins College. Reports from the Nominating/Awards Committees
Mimi Johnson, chair of the nominating/awards
committee first introduced committee members: Kelly D’Eath and Marvelene Freeman.
Ms. Johnson first submitted the following 2002-2003 slate of officers for
ALAIR for consideration by the membership:President: Dr. William R. Fendley, Jr. Vice-President/President Elect: Mr. Dan Tennimon Secretary: Mrs. Cathy Tanner Nominating Committee: Mr. Frank Hurley Mr. Robert Gottesman There were no further nominations from the floor. A motion to accept the slate of nominations was made by Ruthie Jackson-Osborne and seconded by Hanne Delbridge. The motion was carried. Mimi Johnson also gave a report the awards committee report announcing that the ALAIR Best Presentation recipient is Dr. Anna T. Waggener for her paper “Principles of Graphical Excellence.” Dr. Waggener will represent ALAIR at the 2002 AIR Conference in Canada. The 2002 ALAIR Travel Grant to AIR goes to Ms. Brenda L. Bryant from Alabama State University. A grant of $300 will be given to Ms. Bryant to assist her with travel expenses to the AIR Forum in Canada. Ms. McDaniel also had the pleasure of presenting Dr. Priscilla Holland with an outgoing President’s award. Dr. Holland received a personalized box as an expression of appreciation from all members of ALAIR for her unique contributions to the successful administration to ALAIR. Dr. Holland’s secret to success was described as her ability to make people laugh and not realize how hard the work is. It was acknowledged that during Dr. Holland’s tenure as President, the financial viability of our association was strengthened with an increase of funds by 24%. Additionally, that in spite of proration, membership remained steady at 93 members with excellent attendance at both the regional and annual conference. The Sutton award was created to recognize Alabamians who have demonstrated leadership and outstanding accomplishment in the field of institutional research. Examples of leadership were first described for this year’s recipient as: Serving diligently as a member of the ALAIR Executive Board,
New Business
Bill Fendley discussed the upcoming AIR conference in Toronto noting that
ALAIR always has a strong presence at the annual conference. Sam Lowther
expressed appreciation to all members that helped with the SAIR conference
in Panama City. Members were reminded to pick up a copy of the ALAIR
directory. Without further business, the ALAIR business meeting was
adjourned.Respectfully submitted, Cara Mia Braswell Secretary |
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ALAIR
TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION
for the 2002 SAIR CONFERENCE The Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center Hotel Baton Rouge, Louisiana October 12-15, 2002 Name: Institution: Address: Telephone: E-Mail: Please provide a brief statement describing your financial need for the travel grant. Describe the ways in which this conference will contribute to your professional development, in general, and to your participation in ALAIR. Return this form by September 15 to: William (Bill) Fendley, Ph.D. bill@oir.ua.edu Director of Institutional Research and Assessment The University of Alabama P. O. Box 870166 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0166 |
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GUIDELINES FOR THE ALAIR TRAVEL GRANT
FOR SAIR ($200) Introduction The ALAIR travel grant is awarded to a member in order to promote the three major purposes of ALAIR:
The Executive Committee of ALAIR, based upon the recommendation of the Awards Committee, will select a travel grant recipient from among applications received. Guidelines for application are as follows:
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President’s
Message
