Greetings everyone and Happy Holidays. This is the first of which is intended to be a bi-monthly update. Its primary function is to communicate to all the members of our society information on upcoming events, activities and important issues in which we are involved.
To begin, the Annual Ghost Ranch Retreat was very successful. The comment from some attendees was that it was “the best one ever.” This was true in several ways. The papers, panels and roundtable discussions were timely, vibrant and well received. Also, student attendance and participation was our largest group ever. Students from Metropolitan State College, the University of Arizona, Colorado State University, and the University of Colorado at Denver all participated. Clearly, a productive and good time was had by all.
The important upcoming events should be particularly noted. First, the Annual Spring Conference (April 19th to the 22nd) will be held on the Colorado State University campus this year. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Northern Colorado Intertribal “Pow Wow” Association (NCIPA) which will offer a number of exciting activities for conference participants. The conference theme this year, “Artistic Expressions and Community Connection,” is a departure from those of the past few years, but represents an important and exciting avenue for participants to explore.
Another important recent development has been the request from the Society for Applied Anthropology to jointly sponsor the 2013 National Conference in Denver. Although there are many details to work out, this clearly shows the respect for our regional group at the national level and, I think, promises to have several positive long term benefits to our organization. Mr. Tom May, Executive Director for SFAA has visited with some of the board members once already and is scheduled to return to Denver in the next month or so to begin work on selecting the conference theme, arranging tours and special events, etc. I should have much more in the way of details to share with you in my next communication.
For now, let me wish you all the very best and happiest of holidays.
Jack Schultz, HPSfAA President
