President's Message
by Paul Kaiser
A little over two weeks ago, my sojourn as IPMAAC's President officially began. Fortunately, I inherited a strong and well-run organization. At this point, my role is to ensure that those programs that provide value to IPMAAC members continue to grow and prosper. Although the tenure is brief, a number of activities have been initiated. We are all busy, so as an executive summary, I offer the following bit of whimsy.
IPMAAC's Progress
Based on a theme of John Bunyan
Presidents,
Came and went.
My turn now,
Holy cow!
Once elected,
Chairs selected.
Lots to do,
Toiling crew.
Mike/Dave chair,
Conference pair.
Call sent out,
Response is stout.
Speaking group,
Quite the coup.
Howard's in.
So's Gottfredson.
Other speeches,
At the beaches?
Zedeck, Sackett,
In the packet.
Host is Mabel.
Very able.
Sun and sand,
Newport's grand!
Student paper?
T. R.'s caper.
Interest up?
Sure enough.
ACN?
Bev again.
Get on-line,
For Bill's good time.
Training's moving,
Kris is grooving.
Workshops planned,
Text is scanned.
Monograph?
On the path.
Bemis too,
Almost through.
Members drafted,
Survey crafted.
Opinions sought,
Not for naught.
Work's begun,
Not yet done.
No rest,
In progress quest.
I'm an avid enough reader to recognize bad poesy when I write it. Apologies to any who treasure the lyric quality of Bunyan's masterwork (undoubtedly a null set). For those who crave details, a prose version (Cliff notes, if you will) follows.
IPMAAC's challenge for the coming year is to build on our many accomplishments, to increase our value and service to our membership, to continue our contribution to professional practice. As your new President, I look forward to the challenge. Abstracts from the 1997 Strategic Plan are included in the ACN (The full version is on the ECN This document outlines our objectives and charts our course for achieving them. Our committee chairs have striven mightily towards meeting these goals -- on behalf of IPMAAC, I thank them for their countless hours of service and ask for their continued support. IPMAAC's progress is dependent upon the ideas and participation of its members. Since God helps those who help others, I urge members who have not yet taken the opportunity to become actively involved to do so.
And now, just the facts.
This year's Annual Conference will be held June 22-26 in Newport Beach, California. Mike Willihnganz and David Dye (conference program co-chairs) are putting together a wonderful program. The response to our call for proposals met with unprecedented interest. To date, we have received more session concepts than we can possibly accommodate. Ann Howard will give the keynote address. Shelley Zedeck has agreed to be our closing speaker. The contributions of regional organizations round out the invited speaker program. WRIPAC will sponsor Paul Sackett, who will discuss the revised APA standards. MAPAC has invited Linda Gottfredson. She will discuss the future of G. A solid array of pre-conference workshops are planned. Mike and David have also assembled a "management" track. Their goal is to combine the practical, theoretical and managerial elements of our field. I am confident that a program of substance will be available to newcomers as well as those of us with extensive tenure. Look for your conference brochure in March.
Mabel Miramon chairs the Conference Host committee. I had the good fortune to visit Newport Beach this fall -- it is undoubtedly one of the best spots in the nation in which to host a conference. The hotel is a true resort and offers all of the amenities we could desire (tennis, golf, pools, etc.). Mabel plans a beach party as well as a cruise around beautiful Balboa Bay. Look for additional details in her report in this issue of the ACN.
T. R. Lin is coordinating our Student Paper Competition. He proposed a number of initiatives to increase both the number and quality of submissions. I found the moneys in the budget to effectuate these initiatives, and they seem to have worked. The number of papers under review has increased dramatically -- those received thus far represent a 300% increase over recent years. Clearly, the 1997 the award winner's paper will be one of the best ever!
Harry Brull is attempting to arrange for a forum on the Nassau County Police Officer situation. He has contacted the principals, and, if he can pull it off, we can look forward to a lively discussion of this important topic.
If the above isn't enough, IPMAAC is now offering conference registration discounts (that's right, discounts). At its last meeting, the IPMAAC Board slipped into its customer service mode. Now, organizations that send three or more individuals to the conference will receive a 10% discount on the already low conference registration fee. Additionally, first time attendees can participate in a pre-conference workshop at half price.
Between the conference program, the location and the fun events that Mabel has planned, IPMAAC participants can look forward to the most informative and enjoyable conference ever.
Beverly Waldron has again agreed to be the Perry White of the Assessment Council News. This represents her second year as IPMAAC's Editor-in-Chief. The results of her efforts have been outstanding. The quality of our newsletter relies wholly on the willingness of members to submit articles of interest to the membership. So become a Lois Lane or a Clark Kent. I urge each of you to report on 'works in progress' and to share your reflections and observations on the profession with your colleagues.
For those of you who have not yet accessed IPMAAC On-Line, I strongly urge you to do so. Bill Waldron and the ECN work group have developed a valuable resource that allows IPMAAC members to keep in touch with current events in the profession. It is one of the best home pages on the net and the premier site for practicing assessment professionals. Once on-line, I suggest you access the plethora of correspondence that has been generated in reaction to the Nassau County Police Officer situation. The activities there portend major changes for public sector selection practice throughout the nation.
The ECN is such a valuable resource that we felt compelled to share it with the regional assessment councils and consortia throughout the country. Bill Waldron is designing a site within IPMAAC On-line specifically for the use of the PTCs, WRIPAC, MAPAC and other assessment organizations. The concept is to provide a location where these organizations can post meeting notices, leadership and membership information, newsletters, etc. (or hyperlink with their home site). We will be contacting these organizations shortly to determine their interest in the concept and how IPMAAC can best assist them in maintaining contact with their membership.
Kristine Smith, IPMAAC's Training Chair is, as usual, full of exciting ideas and her committee stands ready to implement them. Three co-sponsored training workshops are already in the works. The first is a joint venture with WRIB on the west coast; the second and third have IPMAAC enjoining with MAPAC in the East. Look forward to the debut of IPMAAC's newly developed Oral Examination Workshop sometime in October! Also, the training committee has undertaken a project to update the design and format of our workshop training materials.
Ann Soileau, chair of IPMAAC's Bemis Award Nominating Committee, has forwarded our organization's nominee for this important award to the Bemis Board.
A select group of experts (Doris Maye and Jim Johnson) has agreed to spearhead an effort to revitalize IPMAAC's Monograph series. We are currently targeting the development of publications that will be valuable to individuals new to assessment practice and serve as an adjunct to our training and workshop programs. We believe this strategy will make a long-standing contribution to solid, professional development. If you have ideas or suggestions, or would like to participant in this venture, please contact Doris, Jim or myself.
Reports on technical matters and issues will be developed by the Professional/Scientific Affairs Committee coordinated by Bill Waldron. If there are topics of current interest that you believe IPMAAC should take a position on, please let us know. We will try to develop articles and position papers that reflect the interests and values of IPMAAC's membership.
An updated edition of the IPMAAC Membership Directory is in production. Look for your new copy within the next few months.
Finally, IPMAAC has not queried its membership in several years. A small group has compiled a Member Opinion Survey. If our timing is right (i.e., we can get it printed quickly) a copy will be enclosed with this issue of the ACN. We need your feedback. Your responses will help decide IPMAAC's direction for the remainder of this year as well as the immediate future. As assessment professionals we routinely send out questionnaires and are just as routinely disappointed at the low response rate. Let's practice what we preach; take a few minutes and tell us ways IPMAAC can continue to provide value to its members.
I look forward to reporting on IPMAAC's "Pilgrim's Progress" in the next issue of the ACN. In the meantime, circle the conference dates on your calendars and start making plans to join us in Newport Beach.
© Copyright 1997 by the IPMA Assessment Council. All rights reserved.