Our temporary office in Panama is all set up. Phone and internet are go. Call the office in Maine, and the phone rings here, and if I'm not in the office, your message can be converted to an email and sent to me where ever I may be.

This is going to be a very busy few weeks - with preparations for our two upcoming meetings. Instead of having one large conference this winter, we are having two meetings - a focused workshop on digital libraries in Morocco for about 75 people and the annual conference in Panama for about 150 people.

The Morocco workshop is nearly settled. The attendees are registered, papers have been submitted papers, we know the speakers, the sponsors are set, and our partners in Morocco have organized the food and hotel.

The Panama conference still has some work to be done. I am meeting with the hotels on Wednesday to review the status for food, accommodations and meeting rooms. Registrations are coming in, and we are filling the panels with interesting speakers and the poster session with some fascinating research.

It is a new year - today I was working on the 4th Annual Report of the Fulbright Academy and also reviewed the reports from previous years. Our income has risen steadily - from under $20,000/year in 2003 and 2004 to nearly $100,000 in 2006, with over $50,000 in cash and in-kind services already committed for 2007.

We are hoping to double our income again in 2007, with new programs and initiatives. Some of these programs will be the result of work and research conducted by our 2006 fellows/interns. We supported seven young Fulbrighters and scientists, and some of their work is providing benefits to FAST. For example, one Fulbrighter in the field of communication was seeking a film project and produced a DVD about our 2006 conference. Another wanted to connect with other Fulbrighters in her field, and by working with FAST, we were able to quickly establish a network that benefited her and us. We are very grateful to Booz Allen Hamilton for sponsoring the Fall fellows/interns.

In looking at the old annual reports, I remembered some of the trips from these past four years, such as the International Fulbright Conference in Athens, Greece late in 2004 - at the time of my 40th birthday. That meeting provided the personal contacts that launched a series of international programs. Our Berlin conference earlier this year, the Morocco workshop later this month and the Panama conference in March all grew out of contacts that were made in Athens.

I am especially grateful to certain Fulbright families in Washington, Baltimore, Cold Spring Harbor Winston-Salem, St. Louis, Lincoln, Paris, Berlin, Leuven, Rabat and Panama City. These Fulbrighters hosted me in their homes and communities while I was visiting their fine cities during the past two years. I am looking forward to establishing contacts with other members and colleagues in the 12 months to come.