The 50th Forum in Chicago, themed “Charting Our Future in Higher Education,” was an off-the-charts success. Record-breaking attendance and exceptional plenary speakers William G. Bowen and Jamie P. Merisotis helped to create an unforgettable event. Kudos to all who presented at the Forum; your presentations made the 50th Forum a truly outstanding educational event.

The White Paper Discussions, which viewed the future of institutional research through eight topical lenses, provided the opportunity for members at various career stages to share ideas with leaders in our field. I am delighted that this new feature was a hit, and look forward to seeing the papers that come from these discussions. I was also pleased to receive enthusiastic feedback regarding the Targeted Affinity Groups (TAG), which allowed participants to focus on one of five broad topics for a full afternoon.

The Exhibit Hall was filled with information about products and services that support every aspect of institutional research, from data access and analysis to assessment. Institutional researchers and exhibitors alike benefit from the dialogue that takes place at the Forum, and I am grateful to our exhibitors for their support.

AIR members work hard at the Forum, but we play hard as well! Many thanks to our Local Arrangements Committee for their work in putting together dinner groups and providing information about all the wonderful cultural and recreational opportunities in Chicago. In addition to the annual baseball outing, members could choose to attend either The Taming of the Shrew or a performance by the comedy troupe at Second City. The 50th Forum Celebration featured the final performance of our very own Windbreakers. Congratulations to Elspeth Payne for winning the Windbreakers lyrics contest.

I’m extremely proud that our organization collected over 500 backpacks at the end of the conference to donate to Robert A. Black Magnet School. Robert A. Black is an elementary school on Chicago’s south side that affords a largely underprivileged student body access to a first-rate math and science education. View the PDF to learn more about the school, its students, and its programs. Thank you to all who contributed to this effort.

The Second Annual Duckwall Scholarship Celebration dinner raised $4,240.00. Thanks to Lu Phillips and her friend, quilter Liz Settles, AIR raffled a 50th Anniversary Quilt, featuring tee-shirts and logos from past Forums. The quilt raffle raised another $775 for the Duckwall Scholarship Fund.

For those who did not respond to the initial evaluation announcement, you should have received a reminder e-mail earlier today. If you did not recieve this message, please contact Robbie Estevez (restevez@airweb.org).

I look forward to a wonderful 51st Annual Forum in Toronto. Check your passport to make sure it is up to date, and I’ll see you there!

Julie Carpenter-Hubin
2010 Forum Chair

P.S. The Forum Program Book is available online and session presentations are being added each day. Be sure to check it out Jamie Merisotis’s and William Bowen’s plenary presentations online as well.