Tuesday, October 29, 2013

President's Farewell Message

As we begin our 2013 AECT International Convention in Anaheim, the end of my term as president of AECT approaches. This has been an eventful year for our association, its leadership, and most importantly its members. AECT could not exist without its many dedicated members who faithfully serve AECT each year.

In an effort to update you on all the work that was carried out this year, I have compiled a list of the things YOU accomplished during the past year. And please forgive me, if I fail to mention some of your accomplishments, as there are so many:
  1. Formed a Strategic Planning committee, conducted town hall meetings and (with input from our divisions and members) drafted a new AECT Strategic Plan that members will have a chance to further vet at our Anaheim convention.
  2. Initiated a web site partnership with MultiView that generates $1,000 per month in revenue.
  3. Established a credit card convenience fee and encouraged members to use checks and other methods to pay for membership/convention registration, creating potential savings of $16,000 for AECT.
  4. Celebrated a productive 1You/New2 member drive adding over 350 new members to AECT.
  5. ectFoundation sponsored another successful auction and continued its support of AECT convention interns, scholarships, and other activities.
  6. Developed a new AECT Leadership Intern policy manual.
  7. Updated the AECT Division Officers Handbook.
  8. Updated the AECT Policy and Procedures Manual.
  9. Revised the AECT Employee Handbook
  10. Hosted a successful 2012 International Convention in Louisville, KY
  11. Discontinued sponsorship of the International Student Media Festival (ISMF), saving AECT approximately $35,000 per year. 
  12. Drafted and approved a Certificate Endorsement Plan.
  13. Facilitated numerous GSA and division webinars.
  14. Formed a new partnership with Wiley Learning Institute to produce and deliver webinars highlighting AECT members/authors.
  15. Created the new division, Culture, Learning and Technology (formerly MIM affiliate).
  16. Created a web editor position, providing support for the AECT web page and increasing AECT's social media presence.
  17. Appointed a Special International Affiliate Emissary.
  18. Modified accounting from a fiscal year to a calendar year.
  19. Relocated the AECT office to a new and improved office.
  20. Created a monthly consolidated budget report.
  21. Conducted a successful Summer Leadership Conference and Leadership Development Day in Bloomington, IN.
  22. Sponsored AECT's first overseas conference - AECT-ICFER Conference in Taiwan.
  23. Created a partnership with ASTD to trade publicity for each others' conferences in newsletters and web sites.
  24. Approved ICEM as an affiliate of AECT.
  25. Created our first Convention mobile app with Crescerance, saving $8,500 in printing costs.
  26. Introduced the use of Google Hangouts for our 2013 Convention.
  27. Developed a new title, procedure, and application for selecting AECT convention interns.
  28. Announced the AECT book and briefs series "Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations" with Springer.
  29. Conducted a member survey.
  30. Accepted proposals for the 2015 AECT Summer International Symposium.
  31. Accepted a proposal for the 2014 AECT Summer Research Symposium.
  32. Welcomed META (Malaysian Educational Technology Association) as an international affiliate.
  33. Composed a Procedure for Investigation of Allegation of Violation - AECT Code of Ethics.
  34. Transformed ETR&D's International Review section into Cultural and Regional Perspectives.
  35. Approved the ICEM convention internship.
  36. Crafted an Affiliate Sponsored Convention Intern Policy.
  37. ETR&D, TechTrends, IJDL, and JAID maintained their reputation as high-quality, high-impact journals. (TechTrends topped 100 pages).
  38. Published the 2012 AECT International Convention Proceedings.
  39. Announced the publication of the 2013 Media Yearbook and a new book by the Division of Distance Learning.
  40. Published the Fourth Edition of the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, Proceedings for the 2010 and 2012 Research Symposia, 2013 Media Yearbook, and
    Encyclopedia of Terminology for Educational Communications and Technology.
  41. Four AECT past-presidents edited Learning, Problem Solving, and Mind Tools:Essays in Honor of David H. Jonassen.
  42. AECT past-presidents and members traveled the world, representing AECT and extending AECT's international presence.
  43. Documented 13 new interviews for the AECT History Makers project.
  44. Approved a $10 dues increase for regular and retired members (effective January 2014) that will help fund AECT initiatives and member benefits.
  45. Increased convention University Reception participation to 18 universities.
  46. Introduced the AECT Member Book project providing space in AECT publications for promotion of member-authored books.
  47. Introduced the AECT Position Paper project.
  48. Introduced the AECT Member Video project.
Indeed, an impressive list. You are to be congratulated for yet another exceptional year! Normally, I would mention your accomplishments at our general membership meeting in Anaheim.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you for that meeting, as I will be leaving LAX for Beijing on Tuesday evening (October 29) to represent AECT at the 10th Anniversary of the Beijing Forum, hosted by Peking University. As much as I looked forward to enjoying our convention in Anaheim as past-president and as difficult as it was for me to make this decision, the opportunity to represent AECT at such a prominent international forum outweighed all other options. I will surely miss seeing my many AECT friends and colleagues Wednesday through Saturday. However, I hope that I can return from Beijing with some new opportunities for AECT and its members. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as president of the finest association of its kind. It has been an honor to serve and work side by side with such amazing individuals.  President-Elect Steve Harmon, convention co-planner Zeni Colorado, division/committee planners, and AECT staff have organized another outstanding convention. I wish you all a great time in Anaheim and a successful year under the capable leadership of President Harmon.

With appreciation,
Marc


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