IPMAAC's Progress: An Update From Your President

Paul Kaiser

The annual conference is IPMAAC's premier event. By now you should have received your copy of the 1997 conference brochure. Conference Co-Chairs, Mike Willihnganz and David Dye, have done a wonderful job of assembling an excellent program of pre-conference workshops, invited speakers, paper sessions and symposia. This year's call for proposals met with unprecedented interest and a record number of submissions. The volume and quality of presentations planned reflect the level of interest assessment professionals have in sharing their work, research and experiences. Highlights include addresses by Anne Howard, Paul Sackett, Linda Gottfredson, and Sheldon Zedeck. Training workshops run the gamut from the basics of personnel selection through legal guidelines to using the Internet to administer examinations. The conference program also features a "foundations" track for those attendees newer to the profession, as well as a "managerial" track for those who supervise (or aspire to supervise) the assessment function in their organization. Over 25 concurrent sessions featuring more than 75 speakers are scheduled. These represent a diverse mixture of the latest research in the profession, innovative approaches to selection, and a sharing of the results of work in progress. The Conference Program Committee provides a more complete update on conference activities in this issue of the ACN.

Mabel Miramon and her Conference Host Committee have put together an exciting set of social programs which will allow participants to network and talk business with their colleagues while enjoying the facilities of the Hyatt Newporter. Check out Newport Beach on the web by searching for 'Newport Beach California' using your provider's search engine. A wide variety of dining, recreational and events of interest in Southern California are displayed. Click on the Hyatt Newporter's homepage to find out more about the hotel's amenities--golf, tennis, pools, guest accommodations, etc. You will see that their facilities are perfect for enjoying the weather and activities of southern California. This is clearly one of the best venues IPMAAC has ever used for a conference! Preliminary indications are that the conference will be very well attended--so make your travel arrangements and book your accommodations now. If you haven't yet received a copy of your brochure, contact Marianne Ernesto at IPMA.

When you complete your conference registration form note that, for the first time, IPMAAC is offering discounts. If your organization sends three or more participants to the conference it can do so at a rate that's cheaper than ever. Also, first-time conference attendees get a great break on the pre-conference workshops. To welcome new members, IPMAAC is offering "two-fers." Take advantage of the opportunity.

I would like to thank those members who have completed the IPMAAC Organizational Survey that was enclosed with the last issue of the ACN. If you have not yet shared your insights and observations with IPMAAC's Board of Directors, please do so. The deadline date for completing the survey is May 1. If you have misplaced your copy of the survey, contact Marianne Ernesto or I and we will see that another one gets to you immediately. Alternatively, the survey can be completed on-line using IPMAAC's home page. The internet address is http://www.ipmaac.org.

Although we have not yet formally analyzed the survey results, a quick scan of the comments indicates that most of the membership feels that IPMAAC does a pretty good job in fulfilling its mission. Clearly, support for Beverly Waldron and the Assessment Council News is very strong; unsolicited comments about the ACN all reflect high praise for our newsletter. This, of course, is a tribute to Beverly and ACN's editorial staff; they work very hard at soliciting articles of interest to the membership. I urge you to share your reflections, experiences and comments with the rest of us--submit an article or editorial comment to Beverly today!

Other frequent comments concerned training. A number of individuals would like to see IPMAAC offer training workshops at a site close to their work place. IPMAAC stands ready and anxious to do so. The best way to make this happen is to contact Marianne Ernesto or Kristine Smith, IPMAAC's Training Chair and let them know of your interest. We are quite flexible and are willing to work with the membership to bring quality training to a venue near you--at a very affordable rate!

Another area of interest to our membership is the monograph program. At present, a small group of IPMAAC leaders are considering topics which may develop into appropriate monographs. If you have a topic you believe would benefit you and the membership, please give me a call, send me a note or drop an e-mail message letting me know your ideas.

A special site on IPMAAC's homepage has been reserved for the regional assessment councils and consortia (MAPAC, WRIPAC, and the PTC's) throughout the country. Kristine Smith has contacted representatives from each of these organizations and asked if they would like to share information about their organization via IPMAAC On-line. Our hope is that members of regional assessment organizations, as well as selection professionals who are not currently members, will be able to quickly access meeting, membership, program and newsletter information.

On a related note, I recently had an opportunity to attend a wonderful conference sponsored by the Personnel Testing Council of Northern California. The keynote address, "My Own Views of the Bridge" was presented by Dr. Robert M. Guion, Professor Emeritus, Bowling Green State University. PTC/NC has arranged to make a copy of Dr. Guion's address available on the internet. The paper can be accessed at http://www.cps.ca.gov.

I look forward to seeing you this June in California. I promise you a great conference and a great time.