PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Greetings! This will be my final communication to you as your president. My term officially ended at the conclusion of our conference last Saturday. However, there are a few items I would like to discuss with you before I sail off into the sunset. First of all, our annual conference held last weekend was, in my opinion, extremely successful. Most of you are aware of the serious complications we had due to our supposed “co-sponsorship” with the SFAA. This caused us serious delays and unnecessary expenses to the point that tremendous efforts were required to get our conference organized once we realized there would be no cooperative effort with SFAA. The general consensus was that our program was excellent, allowed for wide range of interests and attracted adequate representation given our limitations.  Participants included not just the large presence of Metro State University and Colorado State University but presenters and participants from New Mexico State University (who gave an excellent program and we hope will continue participating in our activities), University of Michigan, University of Queensland, Australia and East Timor, Indonesia, among others. 

Secondly, thanks to the Herculean efforts of editor, Peter Van Arsdale, associate editor, Andrea Akers and others, our journal is not completely digitalized and current. Full operation of your journal is now transferred to Metro State University of Denver and will be housed there for the foreseeable future.  Space and work study assistance has been provided by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.  Steven Stewart will now assume the role of editor and Ed Knop has organized a publications committee to assist Steve in maintaining the momentum Peter has so aptly managed.  I think our journal continues to have a great reputation professionally and looks as if this will continue. 

Third, election time is upon us and nominations for several positions are encouraged. We presently have nominations for president-elect, members of the election committee, members-at-large, etc. However, if there is someone you wish to nominate, please contact one of the Board members. Ballots are scheduled to be sent to you by the end of April. 

Lastly, at the conclusion of my term, Shawn Kelley will now assume the presidency. He is young (thank God), bright, energetic, and experienced. I have no doubt he will lead our organization well over the next two years.  Please provide him all of the support you can. It is with a degree of sadness and relief that my term is ending.  It has been an honor and a pleasure to be an integral part of such a professional and wonderful organization. If I can be of help to any of you in the future, please let me know – and thank you for all of you efforts and support this past two years.

Jack