President's Message

Paul Kaiser

Gains, Gratitudes & Good-byes

Where has the time gone? It seems I've just gotten started and it's already time to pass the baton. Do not get me wrong--I'm looking forward to placing the gavel in Jeff Feuquay's capable hands.

1997 was a very good year. I am exceptionally pleased with IPMAAC's accomplishments during the past twelve months. Our core programs of conference delivery, professional development and communications among the membership continue to be highly successful and have grown during the year. We have also accomplished much in other areas. Since the Board of Directors has just held its fall meeting, this is an opportune time to summarize some of the year's activities and the board's discussions. Highlights follow.

Gains

Financially, the future's so bright we've got to wear shades. Income over expenses will be just about $10,000.00 for the 1997 fiscal year. This increases our capital reserve balance by 20% and results in a fund balance that is fifty percent of our annual operating expenses, a long-term target of the organization.

In 1997, we offered discounts on the training workshops for first-time conference attendees and group discounts for those organizations sending three or more individuals to the conference. These proved to be highly attractive with workshop attendance at the highest levels ever. The board has elected to continue this practice.

This year's conference presenters were asked if their presentation materials could be published on IPMAAC Online. Bill Waldron reports that we received a very good response from presenters--thus far, more than 25 presentations from the Newport Beach conference are now online. The response from site visitors has proved to be very positive with over 1400 downloads of these papers to date. The informal photo "slide show" of conference activities has also proven to be a very popular area on our web site.

The 1997 Membership/Resources Directory was distributed to the membership.

We have dedicated space on IPMAAC Online for the regional organizations to post their meeting notices, newsletters, membership information, etc. and where they can readily find out about the activities of their sister organizations. Thus far, MAPAC, WRIPAC, PTC/SC, PTC/MW and PTC/Arizona have joined the group.

We made remarkable progress in upgrading our efforts to attract student-paper submissions to the conference. Thanks to the efforts of T.R. Lin and the Student Paper Committee, we received a record-breaking number of high-quality student-paper submissions (a 300% increase over the previous high).

The board prepared, distributed and analyzed the IPMAAC Member Opinion Survey. The results were summarized in the last issue of the ACN. In general, the membership feels that IPMAAC is doing excellent work in most areas; the board is developing approaches to improving our programming in several dimensions.

The board made a technological breakthrough by conducting business via the internet. This allowed the board to be more responsive to issues as they arose and members to "keep in touch" between board meetings. It had the added benefit of making more time available during board meetings to discuss substantive issues.

The Training Committee held several workshops this year. The most exciting accomplishment was the debut of our new Oral Examination Workshop. In November we cosponsored the first-ever holding of this workshop with MAPAC.

Attendance at the 1997 Annual Conference in Newport Beach was outstanding! Program Co-Chairs Mike Willihnganz and Dave Dye toiled mightily to assemble an excellent program. As indicated above, we set a record on the number of pre-conference workshop attendees. Also, the success of the conference is the major contributing factor to our financial health.

At its fall meeting, the board reached several decisions related to IPMAAC's future. Our incoming president, Jeff Feuquay, presented his budget and strategic plan for next year. As expected, Jeff has a number of exciting plans and ideas; it should be another great year! About 70% of the web space available for IPMAAC Online is filled: we voted to fund an upgrade to increase the megabytes needed to continue the home page. Jean Tozer, the 1998 conference program chair, asked for suggestions and guidance on keynote and invited speakers; the board shared their thoughts with Jean. The board also agreed to continue to sponsor workshops and invited speakers at the IPMA regional conferences. Lastly, we selected the dates (the week of June 6) and the hotel for the 1999 conference in Florida and requested that IPMA staff explore sites in the Virginia Beach and Williamsburg area for the June 2000 conference.

Gratitudes

None of this year's success would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of each of the Committee Chairs and all the committee members. A year ago, I stated my approach to getting the work of IPMAAC done: "Find good people, point them in the right direction, and get out of the way!" The results far exceeded my expectations. Special recognition goes to Mike Willihnganz, David Dye and Mabel Miramon, whose efforts resulted in an absolutely outstanding conference! Under Beverly Waldron's editorship, the ACN has become one of IPMAAC's most valuable assets. Her guidance and patience (I always submit my articles just as the ACN is going to press) are much appreciated. Kristine Smith wore two hats: as Training Committee chair, Kristine brought the work on the Oral Examinations Workshop to closure and arranged for several successful cosponsored training efforts; as IPMAAC's Regional Relations Representative, she fostered closer and more cooperative associations between IPMAAC and our sister professional organizations across the nation. Bill Waldron's creativity and energy were boundless. Under his guidance, IPMAAC Online has evolved into one of our premier communications vehicles. Most of the gains cited above are directly attributable to Bill's innovations, efforts and commitment. T.R. Lin managed to make our Student Paper competition a showcase of emerging talent. Anne Soileau and Harry Brull ably shepherded IPMAAC's Bemis Award nominees. Perhaps most of all, Marianne Ernesto and the staff of IPMA deserve the entire organization's heartfelt thanks for their invaluable support and guidance throughout the year.

Good-byes

Since this will be my last message as president, I would like to share some parting thoughts. First of all, the membership has my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve the organization. These are exciting times for the assessment profession and my tenure has been both a pleasure and a learning experience. I will always look back over this year as one of challenge, accomplishment and reward. Secondly, the support of the Board, committee chairs and members, IPMA staff, and all those who worked so tirelessly to make IPMAAC the successful organization it is was absolutely wonderful. Nothing would have been accomplished without their help. And finally, let me repeat the familiar mantra of all outgoing presidents--Get Involved! The more you become involved with and contribute to organizations such as IPMAAC, the more you will receive in return. So join a committee, become a conference presenter, submit a newsletter article, or choose any of the other venues available for participation so that we can continue to grow together!