The month of May flew past - I was hoping to put a posting up once a week. That obviously did not happen.

The Board of Directors meets once a month via conference call. The June meeting is tomorrow. In preparation for each meeting, I send out a 5-7 page agenda, with information about our programs, our plans, the finances, etc. This makes it easier for us to focus on a few important issues - they have already seen all of the general information. Some board members have been involved for three years, others are newer. We also get together at least once a year for a day-long retreat.

Topics for tomorrow's board meeting are (1) interns; (2) meetings; and (3) volunteers.

(1) As noted in the April 14 Blog, we have several interns with the Academy this summer. They are assisting the Chairs of our existing Study Committees and also may help establish new ones. They also will help with outreach to partners and institutional members. Only one will be based in Maine - her first day was today. The others are based in various cities around the US. (When we select the next group of interns this Fall, I hope to add some based in other countries). The topic for the board is who will supply the funds to pay their stipends - we need one or two sponsors. Some of the interns are already covered, but I am short several thousand dollars.

(2) The May 4 Blog mentions my trip to Panama. The visit was a success, and yesterday we formally announced that Panama will be the site for our March 2007 Conference. We had 140 registered attendees for the March 2006 Conference in Berlin, and we are hoping to double that number in Panama. The 3.5-day conference will have panels and discussions on topics such as ecology, sustainable economic development, chemistry, education, engineering, geography, medicine, and digital learning. Alumni from the region and around the world are involved in the planning. As with the interns (above), sponsors will play a key role in making the program a success - through cash contributions so that we can subsidize participation from low-income Fulbrighters and through in-kind contributions so that we do not need to pay for certain services. Work begins in earnest this month.

(3) In addition to announcing the conference, yesterday's newsletter also included a call for volunteers to advise the Academy and to assist with committees and boards. Within 24 hours, we already had over 40 new volunteers on the roster. Aneta, the new intern at the office, will be taking the lead on contacting them and helping determine how they can best serve the Academy and its members.

I am always impressed by my fellow Fulbrighters - when you ask them to serve, the answer the calling. I am looking forward to getting to know them.