Dear Colleagues:

Already it is that time of year when we send out our first Branch mailing. This year, it is my somewhat dubious privilege, as Branch President, to write the write the covering letter. First, I will use this privilege to thank you for your support. I am truly touched, and proud in the best sense of that word, to have been accorded this opportunity to serve the Branch. I've personally known more than 40 of my predecessors in this office. It is distinguished company.

Plans are underway for the 54^th Annual meeting of our Branch. This meeting will be held 28-31 March, in Des Moines, Iowa. Donald Lewis is Local Arrangements Chair. The meeting site will be the Des Moines Marriott. This is a beautiful hotel and provides what should prove almost ideal facilities for our conference. Room rates will be $92.00, single or double. Bill Hutchison is already hard at work on the program. We intend to increase the number of symposia and submitted papers. If you have suggestions for the program, please contact Bill or me. One theme we are planning to address in the program is change (senu lato) and the response of our profession and Branch.

This mailing includes a list of NCB-ESA officers and committee members. These are the individuals who make the Branch work. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of these busy people, who so readily volunteered to serve the Branch. Please join with me in expressing our appreciation of their efforts. This provides the perfect lead-in for the call for nominations for the C.V. Riley Achievement Award, the NCB-ESA Award of Merit, the J. H. Comstock Graduate Student Award, the various Branch graduate and undergraduate student awards, the National ESA awards, and the Educational Project Awards of the BCE of Mid-America. Don't pass on this opportunity to nominate deserving friends or colleagues for these prestigious awards. And, please note that this is the first year for the undergraduate awards. Let's make this initiative a great success!

The Branch annual meeting webpage is again being maintained by webmaster John VanDyk. This is a tremendous innovation that promises to enhance membership service and cut Branch costs. We plan to use our website to post Branch news including this and future presidential letters, program information including a forms for submitting program suggestions, electronic submission of nominations for awards, meeting registration, submission of abstracts, and much more. By moving to electronic communication we should be able to reduce the weight and possibly the frequency of post office mailings and save considerably on printing and mailing costs. These savings can be redirected to program enhancements or otherwise benefit the membership.

One last note, I have appointed an ad-hoc "Council of Elders" chaired by Larry Larson to revisit the 1994 Strategic Planning Document. That document is posted on our website. We invite your comments or suggestions for possible updating of the document. The members of this committee were selected with a view to assuring both institutional memory within the Branch and commitment of the Executive to implementation.

I am sure it will be a busy summer for most of you. I know it will for me. But, do not hestitate to contact me, our program chair Bill Hutchison, or other members of the Executive or Branch committees. This is your organization. It is a great one. We intend to keep it that way!

Sincerely,

Ted Radcliffe, President
North Central Branch, ESA