Our congratulations and appreciation to Jack Armul and the 2003 Host Committee and Kevan Buck and the 2003 Program committee for all their work in planning and delivering a great annual meeting experience.

The annual meeting began on Sunday with caucus sessions that were designed with two key objectives: 1) to provide attendees with the opportunity to meet and interact with peers from similar institutions and 2) to provide an opportunity to raise issues and engage in discussions with colleagues on real life challenges that we encounter on our campuses today. Based on feedback from the attendees the objectives were met and this type of forum should be included in future programs.

Myles Brand, President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association addressed the group about "Athletics' Role in Higher Education." He also discussed the report recently released from the NCAA on "Empirical Effects on Collegiate Athletics". Sunday evening attendees at the annual meeting were transported via bus to COSI (Center of Science and Industry), for the opening reception where an evening of creative cuisine, hands-on learning experiments, and socializing with professional colleagues was enjoyed by all.

ECCI once again provided phone service and no charge calling for attendees; a very popular service that is greatly appreciated by the membership. Added to the program this year was the Cyber Café. Members were free to visit this area at any time and access web services and email accounts via a room set up with 10 individual cyber stations.

Barbie Tootle, back by popular demand, brought entertainment and laughter to the group as she introduced the general session speakers in her own creative, powerful, and lively way.

Monday morning, an Investment Panel of four investment industry professionals discussed the current environment for University endowments and the general market outlook. Monday morning also brought concurrent sessions on Funding at the State Level, HIPPA Compliance, Exploring Workplace Issues through Theatre and Dialogue, and Winning Investment Strategies in an Unpredictable World.

Monday also provided ample opportunity to communicate with our business partners, get lots of helpful information on areas of interest, make new contacts, and renew old acquaintances. The exhibit hall was a bustling arena.

Monday afternoon Bob Woodward, author of President Bush and War on Terrorism, shared his views on President Bush; his leadership style and political agenda. He answered questions and got great reviews from the attendees.

Steven McDonald’s presentation on Internet Legal Issues provided timely information, easily understood, by a great speaker. A key point of the presentation was that education concerning Internet usage (legal issues and user responsibilities) is crucial. - Mary Herrin, Wichita State University.

In our Tuesday morning general session, David Gergen, author of The Essence of Leadership reviewed leadership traits, behavior, strategies, and performance from the Nixon years in the White House to our present leadership under George W. Bush. He discussed each of the Presidents' strengths, weaknesses, and character traits. It was an excellent session, which received extremely high ratings.

Among the topics covered in the concurrent sessions on Tuesday were Best Practices in Cash/Treasury Management, Achieving Sustainable Design within Your Budget, SEVIS Regulations, Emergency Management Planning, Hedge Fund Investing, IRS Higher Education Issues, Using Workflow to Process Personnel Action Forms, Current Issues in Risk & Insurance Management, and Bond Rating Environment.

Tom Gimbel of Credit Suisse/First Boston, presented insightful information to help select the right hedge fund manager. He noted funds (less than 2 years old) have outperformed older funds since 1994. - Julee Sherman, Central Methodist College, Fayette, MO

Connie Podesta, author of Life Would Be Easier If It Weren't for Other People, entertained those attending the annual meeting while teaching us about understanding our good and bad habits, and how they influence our communications with those we are around every day. It was a great message wrapped in comedy and a wonderful way to end the annual meeting program.

The final evening in Columbus began with receptions sponsored by some of our business partners and ended with an Oktoberfest banquet. A true German style meal, wonderful entertainment, comments by Morgan Olsen, and shared camaraderie with colleagues was a great way to end our stay in Columbus.

Overall, the annual meeting was a great success. There was truly something for everyone, with many great professional development opportunities and valuable information, as well as opportunities for personal growth, networking, renewing professional acquaintances and making new ones.