I would like to take this opportunity to say that it is for me a real honor and privilege to be serving the Teaching and Curriculum Section as its 2003-04 Chair-elect. I look forward to serving as Chair during 2004-05 and would like to encourage members to continue their support of the Section and their involvement in its activities. During the coming year, I will continue to emphasize the Section's strong presence in the regions and engage our membership in a small number of strategic projects. I have already appointed some key members of the T&C community to serve as Regional Directors and project leaders.
During 2003–04, the Section focused on the AAA regional meetings and had a strong portfolio of activities in each region. Members presented approximately 106 papers at the seven AAA regional meetings. That's an average of about 15 T&C papers per region. Nineteen papers were presented at the Western Regional meeting alone. The Section presented a Best Paper Award in each region, and we sponsored an ice cream social in most regions. In addition, Regional Directors, committee chairs, and members organized several panel sessions and workshops at each regional meeting. Examples include “taking back the classroom” and “continuous learning” panel sessions as well as “best practices in assessment” workshops. Section members can expect a similar level of activity at next year's regional meetings. The Section's executive will continue to focus much of its attention on playing a leading role at all AAA regional meetings.
I thank the Regional Directors, Associate Regional Directors, Committee Chairs, and all other members and friends who contributed to our active presence at AAA regional meetings during 2003–04. Regional Directors and their Associates are the key people who help in executing our plan to create strong and engaging regional programs for our members and friends. Several members have already agreed to volunteer as Directors and Associate Directors for 2004–05. The Section will rely heavily on these members. They are vital to our success at serving our membership at the regional level and to our overall effectiveness as a Section.
During the coming year, several committees will work on projects that are valued by the members and executive of the Section. These projects include: (a) Assessment chaired by Paul Bayles (bayes@etsu.edu); (b) Reflections on the Domain of Accounting Education chaired by Tim Fogarty (tjf@cwru.edu); (c) Reflections on Accounting Education Research chaired by L. Murphy Smith (LMSmith@cgsb.tamu.edu); (d) Advisory Boards and the Accounting Curriculum chaired by Tom Tyson (ttyson@sjfc.edu); (e) Continuous Learning chaired by Bob Dean (Bob.Dean@GT.com); (f) Shared Experiences chaired by Paul Solomon (nau@esedona.net); (g) T&C Bylaws Revision co-chaired by Brian Green (bpgreen@umd.umich.edu) and D. Rama (ramad@fiu.edu); and (h) Outstanding Research in Accounting Education Award chaired by Mahendra Gujarathi (mgujarathi@bentley.edu). Each project will produce a deliverable that will be shared with members at regional and national meetings, through the web site and other appropriate media. We are still trying to identify volunteers to serve on some of these committees. Please send an e-mail to the committee chair if you are interested in serving on a committee or contributing to a project. Alternatively, you may send me an e-mail at tcalderon@uakron.edu.
Gail Cook (gcook@taro.bus.brocku.ca) has agreed to continue serving as the Web Master. She is currently updating the web site and expects it to be up-to-date by the end of August. When finished, the site will contain much of the information you need to keep informed of the Section's activities and events. We need volunteers to serve as Associate Web Masters. Associates will assist Gail in maintaining the web site and in assuring the site's quality and integrity. I also expect future Web Masters to come from the pool of Associates. Pleas contact me if you would like to volunteer.
Wendy Tietz (wtietz@bsa3.kent.edu) will serve as the Newsletter Editor for 2004–05. She has agreed to publish three issues of the newsletter during 2004–05 (Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer). Each issue will focus on a specific theme and will contain articles that speak to issues related to that theme. As you can see from the following table, Wendy has already identified a theme for each newsletter issue, submission deadlines, and expected publication dates:
| Issue |
Theme |
Submission Deadline |
Expected Publication Date |
| Fall 2004 |
Innovation in the Classroom: Technology & More |
9/30/04 |
10/15/04 |
| Winter 2005 |
Reflecting on What We Teach |
1/30/05 |
2/15/05 |
| Spring/Summer 2005 |
Assessment Techniques for Programs and Courses |
5/30/05 |
6/15/05 |
I encourage members and friends to send Wendy articles and vignettes on the themes she identified, as well as on other topics that might be of interest to members. I also encourage members to volunteer as Associate Newsletter Editors. Each Associate is responsible for contributing a column to the newsletter and for providing general assistance in assuring the newsletter's quality and integrity. I expect future newsletter editors to come from the pool of Associate Editors.
Membership engagement is vital for the Section's effectiveness. Therefore, I encourage members to be involved and engaged in the Section's activities and programs. Look out for information about T&C sponsored activities and events in this newsletter and on our web site. Additionally, I invite you to volunteer to serve on a committee and to send me any ideas you may have for enhancing the Section's effectiveness.
I look forward to serving and working with you during the coming year. I also thank the many members who have already agreed to volunteer and serve the Section during the coming year.
Thomas G. Calderon
Professor of Accounting
The University of Akron
Akron, OH 44325-4802
tcalderon@uakron.edu
Phone: (330) 972-6099
Fax: (330) 972-8597