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2005, Summer

ABA Establishes Fellow Program

2004 Founding Fellows and Committee

2005 Fellows of ABA

2006 Fellows Nominations Sought

2004-2005 SABA Donors

Behavior Analysis Expanding in China

Organizational Members

Seeking Funding for Behavior Research, Part II

Updates from ABA’s Boards and Committees

Updates from ABA’s Affiliated Chapters

Updates from ABA’s Special Interest Groups

Updates from the Behavioral Community

Calendar of Upcoming Behavioral Conferences

SABA Donations

Newsletter

Volume 28 | 2005 | Number 2

Updates from ABA’s Boards and Committees

Affiliated Chapters Board

Education Board

Membership Board

Program Committee

Publication Board

Science, Policy, and Research Board

Standards and Professional Affairs Board

Student Committee

Affiliated Chapters Board Update 2005

Gerald Bernicky, BST, Board Coordinator

The Affiliated Chapters Board coordinates the activities of ABA International affiliated chapters with the ABA Executive Council. The Board Coordinator, with the superb support of Maria Malott and Majda Seuss, assists with new chapter applications, which are forwarded to the ABA Executive Council for review, and supports existing chapters with many other requests (see How ABA Supports it’s Affiliate Chapters later in this submission). The Board Coordinator also chairs an annual Affiliated Chapters Business Meeting at the ABA convention to report on accomplishments and seek new directions, issues, and activities from members to address in the upcoming year. This is followed by making a report at the ABA Business Meeting on activities relating to affiliated chapters.

As of May 31, 2005, there are a total of 55 affiliated chapters of ABA International (29 domestic or US chapters and 26 international chapters).

Domestic (within the U.S.)

Alabama ABA Berkshire Association (BABAT)
California ABA Chicago ABA
Connecticut ABA Delaware Valley ABA
Florida ABA
Georgia ABA
Greater Boston ABA
 Hawaiian ABA
Illinois (BASIL) Kansas ABA
Maryland ABA Michigan (BAAM)
Mid-American ABA Missouri ABA
Nevada ABA New England (NESBAT)
New Jersey ABA New York State ABA
North Carolina ABA Northwestern ABA
Pennsylvania AB Southeastern ABA
Tennessee ABA Texas ABA
Vermont ABA* Virginia ABA
Wisconsin ABA*
International (Outside of the U.S.)
ABA of Argentina Australian ACBT
ABA of Brazil Chinese ABA
ABA Colombia Experimental Analysis of Behavior Group – UK
German Society Iceland ABA**
BA in Ireland Israel ABA*
Italian Association Japanese ABA
Korean ABA Latinoamericana (ALAMOC)
Sociedad Mexicana Middle East Arab ABA
New Zealand ABA Norwegian ABA
Ontario (Canada) ABA Philippines ABA
Polish ABA* Polish ABT*
Russian ABA Swedish ABA
Taiwan ABA** Venezuelan ABA

* New since the ABA 2004 convention.

** New since the ABA 2005 convention.

The number of ABA International affiliated chapters has shown somewhat steady growth each year in both the number of domestic and international chapters formed and approved by the ABA Executive Council, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: ABA international affiliated chapters per year.

Number of reported affiliated chapter members:

2002 2003 2004
Domestic (US) 4,447 4,250 4,561
International 5,190 5,696 5,360
TOTAL 9,637 9,946 9,921

Accomplishments in 2004-2005

How ABA Supports It’s Affiliated Chapters

This is a summary of the various ways that ABA International supports the growth and development of its affiliated chapters both domestically and internationally.

ABA Office

ABA Newsletter

ABA Web Site

ABA Annual Convention

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Education Board Update

Pamela G. Osnes, Ph.D., Board Coordinator

The Board has benefited from a diverse membership this year, representing faculty, doctoral students, Master’s students, and undergraduate students from three universities and behavior analysts from business and community agencies from all regions of the U.S. Five teleconferenced meetings were conducted between October, 2004 and April, 2005. Janet Ellis and Medea Rawls (University of North Texas) and John Borrero (University of the Pacific) participated in the teleconferences on behalf of the Council of Directors of Graduate Training Programs in Behavior Analysis (CDGTPBA); Janet Twyman (Chair, Accreditation Committee), Melinda Sota (FSU), and April Heimlich (all representatives of Headsprout, Inc.) participated on behalf of the Accreditation Committee; and Jamie Hughes (Behavior Analysts, Inc., Denver) and Ronnie Detrich (Wing Institute, Berkeley, CA) represented community agencies interested in the mission of the Education Board. Members participating at The Ohio State University were Judah Axe, Traci Cihon, Gwen Dwiggins, Nicole Reimer, Joel Vidovic, and Donna Villareal.

2004-2005 Goals and Progress Toward Their Achievement

Goal 1: Syllabi Bank

A total of 27 universities submitted syllabi in 2003-2004 (http://www.abainternational.org/sub/behaviorfield/
education/syllabi/). The syllabi were organized according to university and links to each syllabus were created. The 27 universities submitted approximately 110 syllabi to the bank. An additional 47 syllabi were collected in 2004-2005. All syllabi were organized according to a new organizational system, which arranges the syllabi both by university and by topic area. Topic areas were chosen based on the special interest groups (SIGs) already developed by ABA (see http://www.abainternational.org/ sub/membersvcs/sig/index.asp).

Goal 2: Identify Methods to Track and Increase Number of Student Vita in START

Tracking student vita involves many variables that may not be easy to control. Some of these variables include the identification of an applicant as a student, the frequency of applicants updating their postings, and the removal of postings upon achieving employment. An effective process may be the measurement of number of vita posted on START while systematically implementing advertising/promotion of START. Consistent with these suggestions, the Education Board has established a database that may serve as a baseline count of vita currently posted on the START network.

Goal 3: Analyze Data from Student Retention Questionnaire

Completion of the analysis of data from the questionnaire distributed in 2003-2004 occurred. The questionnaire had recruited information on the programs and degrees being sought by ABA’s student members. These data and future recommendations were presented in a poster at ABA in Chicago.

Goal 4: Contact Internship Sites and Employers for Potential Postings on START and Analyze Responses to Determine Methods to Increase Postings

Spreadsheets compiled from last year were updated to include all current employers currently on the START Web site. Last year’s ABA program was also cross-referenced to add other organizations that may not have posted employment opportunities on the Web site. These compiled lists were sent to the new Agency-Based Behavior Analysis Training (ABBAT) Committee to use as a reference for types of agencies that are currently hiring behavior analysts. Internships were also updated with recent postings to START.

Goal 5: Update the Graduate Training Directory (GTD)

In order to do this, a task analysis was completed in October, 2004-January, 2005 to analyze the information on the GTD. Following this analysis, the following recommendations were made to the ABA Executive Council: The GTD should be divided into four strands; programs that offer full degrees (MA/Ph.D.), traineeships, agency-based training, and internships; Programs should have designations of “ABA-Accredited programs”, programs whose coursework is sufficient to prepare students for the BCBA exam, and programs whose practical experience/mentorship opportunities are sufficient to prepare students for BCBA certification. Additionally, when people go into the GTD, the “default” organization of programs should be alphabetical.

In order to remain in the GTD, programs must complete the following fields on the profile page: Contact person; E-mail; Degrees offered; Tuition information or link to university Web page listing tuition schedules; Opportunities for financial support; GPA requirements; Courses offered; Faculty and their interests. Programs must list at least four behavioral courses; must list four faculty with research interests in behavior analysis; and must update their profile at least once per year.

Additional Activities

Development of Agency Based Behavior Analysis Training (ABBAT)

ABBAT is a new initiative for the Education Board. Its purpose is to develop a set of guidelines for agencies to use to influence the quality of their training for service providers. With the dramatic increase in the demand for behavioral service providers, there is a concomitant need to assure the ultimate consumers of behavior analysis services that these providers are well trained. No formal, standardized process has been developed to directly influence the training and indirectly the quality of the service. Such a process is seen as impacting three consumer groups: (1) the clients as ultimate consumer; (2) the organizations that are hiring and training these service providers; and (3) the trainee who will benefit from the quality training. Ronnie Detrich (Wing Institute, Berkeley) agreed to serve as Chair. At ABA in Chicago, a group of 10 field-based behavior analysts who were nominated by the Education Board held an organizational meeting to plan the 2004-2005 activities.

Development of a Behavior Analysis Council for Undergraduate Training Programs (BACUTP)

Ruth Anne Rehfeldt (Southern Illinois University) is developing the prototype for a Council of Directors of Undergraduate Training Programs in Behavior Analysis that would mirror the function of the Council of Directors of Graduate Training Programs in Behavior Analysis for undergraduate level of preparation. This activity will continue in 2004-2005.

Accreditation Board Update, Janet Twyman, Chair

Twelve universities have 16 accredited programs. Two site visits were conducted in the past year. Site visitors were Dr. Sigrid Glenn, University of North Texas; Dr. Jack Marr, Georgia Tech (retired; Dr. David Palmer, Smith College; and Dr. Deirdre Fitzgerald, Eastern Connecticut State University. Six behavior analysts were nominated to serve on the Accreditation Committee, which will oversee the site-visit process. There was one request for accreditation materials, and it was from a behavioral organization and not a university-based program. The Board began revising the Accreditation Manual, and this process will be completed in 2005.

Council of Directors of Graduate Training Programs in Behavior Analysis, Janet Ellis, Chair

The Council currently has 24 members, including two international programs. The term of Janet Ellis (UNT) as Chair expired, and Jennifer Austin (California State University-Fresno) was elected Chair for 2005-2008. The Council held its annual meeting at ABA in Chicago with 13 members present, and discussed the strategic planning process which will be completed in 2005. Additionally, plans were made to establish a liaison between the Council and the Accreditation Board and the Behavior Analysis Certification Board.

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What is the Membership Board of ABA

Rachel S. F. Tarbox, Ph.D., Board Coordinator

There are a number of Boards and Committees that are a part of the Association for Behavior Analysis. These groups work together to support ABA’s mission “to develop, enhance, and support the growth and vitality of behavior analysis through research, education and practice.” As ABA grows, both long-standing and newer members of the Association may not be familiar with the activities of these various Boards and Committees. The purpose of this ABA newsletter article is to describe and provide an update on the Membership Board of the Association for Behavior Analysis.

The mission of the Membership Board is “to recruit and retain membership.” The Board oversees the activities of the Committees under it. The Coordinator’s main responsibilities are to communicate with Committee Chairs, facilitate the accomplishments of Committees’ goals and serve as a liaison between Committees and the ABA Executive Council. The Recruitment and Retention Committee determines and implements strategies to increase membership; the Fellows Committee reviews nominations for Fellows and makes recommendations to the ABA Council for designation of that category of members; the Student Committee is very active in its mission to support the student membership of ABA; and the Application Review Committee reviews the vitae of members applying for Full membership status. The formal Mission Statement and Chair for each committee are as follows:

Fellows Committee

Mission: To recognize outstanding contributors to behavior analysis in one of the primary areas of (a) scholarly research, (b) professional practice, or (c) teaching/administration/service.

Chair: M. Jackson Marr (2005-2007)

Application Review Committee

Mission: To ensure that applicants for full membership qualify.

Chair: Jack Michael (1989-2006)

Recruitment and Retention Committee

Mission: To design strategies to recruit and retain members

Chair: SungWoo Khang (2005-2007)

Student Committee

Mission: To provide organizational support enabling student members to develop professionally and contribute to behavior analysis.

Chair: Christy Alligood (2005-2006)

Each year, the Membership Board submits an annual report for the Executive Council regarding activities of the past year and goals and projects for the upcoming year. Boards are assessed on their development and implementation of such strategic plans. Also, Board Coordinators present a short summary of their activities at the ABA Business Meeting at the annual convention.

To summarize some of the highlights of the past year; M. Jackson Marr accepted the position as chair of the Fellows Committee and has since been collaborating with committee members to review nominations for ABA Fellows. With respect to the Application Review Committee, in 2004, Jack Michael reviewed 212 applications for full membership, of which 205 were approved for full membership, 1 for affiliate status, and 6 are still pending. The student committee has had an incredibly productive year, marked by an increase in student membership and student attendance at the annual convention. Moreover, the student committee continues to purse a multitude of development activities all of which are updated on their link on the ABA Web page.

In an on-going effort to contribute to the vitality of behavior analysis, the ABA Membership Board looks forward to the coming year. With the continued support of ABA’s amazing administrative staff, there are a number of goals that the Membership Board will pursue, including evaluation of growing membership and changing demographics, retention of current members; identification of geographic areas with ABA members that would be appropriate for creation of new affiliate chapters; and assisting the Student Committee to design strategies for continued professional development of ABA student members. Most importantly, as ABA grows it becomes increasingly necessary for all members to have access to information regarding the organizational structure of the Association, and the Membership Board will maintain its dedication to the dissemination of all relevant activities.

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ABA 2005 Program Committee Report

Ramona Houmanfar, Ph.D., Senior Co-Chair
Our 31st ABA convention was a successful event. As always, this great accomplishment was a product of the incredible contribution and support provided by the ABA administration staff, ABA Council and the Program Committee. The following is a data based outline of the ABA 2005 program and the associated discussions and changes that will affect next year’s program structure.

As shown in Table 1 and Figure 1, the total number of submissions was 1,408, a 0.4% decrease from 2004. AUT (22%), EAB (18%), EDC (14%), and DDA (13%) continued to be the largest areas and together accounted for 67% of all submissions. As well, workshops increased 10% from 2004, Special events decreased 52%, and tutorials decreased 8%. In addition, seven of 14 areas experienced a decrease in the number of submissions from 2004. Overall, we experienced a maintained level of performance in terms of number of presentations which allows for a healthy pattern of growth over time (see Figure 1).

Table 1: Ten-year overview of types of submissions (1996-2005).

Figure 1: Number of presentations by year.

Program Committee

The Program Co-Chairs and Area Coordinators held a business meeting during the convention to review issues associated with the program. The process included an update regarding the Program Committee Report that was submitted to the ABA Council prior to the convention and further discussion of ways to improve the quality of the program. The following are the topics that were discussed and approved for implementation in the next year’s program.

Area Coordinators

Many Area Coordinators’ terms end at the conclusion of the 2005 convention. Accordingly, we coordinated the following replacements: Amy Odum (Coordinator of Behavioral Pharmacology) was replaced by John Roll (Washington State University). John Austin (Coordinator of Organizational Behavior Management) was replaced by Timothy Ludwig (Appalachian State University). Thomas Brigham (Coordinator of Teaching Behavior Analysis) was replaced by Pamela Osnes (The Ohio State University). Genae Hall (Coordinator of Verbal Behavior) was replaced by William Potter (California State University, Stanislaus). We welcome the involvement of our new Program Coordinators. In addition, we are grateful to those who are moving on for all of their hard work and contribution to the ABA Program.

Program Structure

In order to provide a more descriptive grouping of events, the ABA Council instituted a new matrix that would allow for all 14 areas to acquire 4 categories for submissions which are as follows: a) Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB); b) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA); c) Service Delivery, Technology (SDT); d) Theoretical, Philosophical, Conceptual (TPC). By using the matrix, each submission was identified by one area and one content category (e.g., AUT & SDT) in this year’s ABA Program.

We recommended a change in the policy associated with the maximum number of presentations which would allow Program Coordinators and Co-Chairs to provide their support to the ABA Program without jeopardizing their opportunity to present their scientific work to colleagues and students. This suggestion also applied to the ABA Student Representatives and their conference related activities. The ABA Council agreed with the recommendations and approved the addition of an extra two submissions by Program Coordinators, Co-Chairs and ABA Student Representatives that would relate to their chairing of invited and special events. This change resulted in a substantial contribution of Program Coordinators, Co-Chairs and Student Representatives to chairing of invited and special events in ABA 2005. We also received positive feedback from many Program Committee members regarding this change.

As was indicated in our last year’s report, the number of tutorials increased 100% from 2003. This substantial increase was due to the coordinated effort and extra support provided by the Program Coordinators. To maintain high quantity and quality for tutorials, we recommended Program Coordinators’ direct control and coordination of the submission process. The ABA Council approved our suggestion and allowed the inclusion of “tutorial” as the third invited presentation in the Invited Presentation category and hence promoted the direct involvement of Program Coordinators in the submission process. The ABA Program data demonstrate the achievement of our goal in terms of maintenance of high number of quality tutorials.

In addition, the following ideas were discussed and approved for inclusion in next year’s program:

a. An invited “connections” address which would be scheduled and conducted by a preeminent scholar or practitioner from some field other than one typically associated with behavior analysis will be instituted next year. Last fall, Clinton Anderson, an internationally recognized horse trainer of “Downunder Horsemanship” was invited. Due to a prior commitment, he was unable to accept. However, he is interested in presenting in 2006 and would like to coordinate the videotaping of his presentation and tape some informal conversations with a few behavior analysts for use on his RFD-TV television program. This is a tremendous opportunity for horse training to be seen as an applied exemplar of behavior analysis.

b. The inclusion of a “road map” session was discussed at the Program Committee meeting last year (ABA 2004). The idea included the scheduling of an hour session before the opening event that would target the first time attendees such as students and parents. The session would offer a brief review of a target program area (e.g., autism), the associated presentations, their times, locations, and notable papers that would match the interest of the audience. The scheduling of the “road map” session required the commitment of one or two members of the Program Committee in terms of its coordination and implementation. We clarified the role of this session and its categorization as a business meeting this year (ABA 2005). Accordingly, the participation of Program Committee members in the implementation of the session would not adversely affect their maximum number of conference presentations.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank my co-chair, Bill Palya, for his invaluable collaboration, and all of the Program Coordinators and other members of the Program Committee for their outstanding efforts this year. In addition, on behalf of the ABA program committee, I would like to thank Maria Malott and her exemplary staff for their incredible support and guidance.

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Publication Board Update

Nancy A. Neef, Ph.D., Board Coordinator

ABA members have available stimulating summertime reading with the publication of the Spring 2005 issue of The Behavior Analyst (TBA) and the 2005 issue of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (TAVB). With the capable leadership of the journals’ distinguished Editors (Marc Branch and Jack Michael, respectively), the issues were processed in a timely manner.

Submitting authors can expect to receive expert, constructive, and prompt feedback on their manuscripts. Both journals continued the excellent record from the previous year for manuscripts submitted in 2004. The mean lag time from manuscript receipt to the initial editorial decision for TBA was 2 months (median = 2 months, range, 1 week to 5 months). Fifty eight percent of the manuscripts submitted to TBA were accepted for publication. The editorial members of TAVB were similarly diligent in handling manuscripts. Sixty seven percent of the manuscripts submitted to TAVB were accepted for publication. Short lag times were aided by electronic submission and processing of manuscripts for both journals. We trust that authors will find this a convenient option.

There was a healthy increase in submissions for both journals, and that remains an important goal for the next year. The presentations at the 2005 ABA convention suggest a rich source of material that would be of interest. We encourage interested persons to view the journals’ web pages on the ABA International web site for information regarding the preparation of manuscripts, the editorial board, the current and previous table of contents, search capabilities for abstracts, and other information.

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Science Policy and Research Board

By Kathryn Saunders, Ph.D., Board Coordinator

This year’s greatest achievement for the promotion of the research of ABA members was the Federal Funding Workshop that was conducted in Chicago in February. I can unselfishly laud this event because it was planned by Maria Malott before I was appointed to the Board (in the fall of 2004). This two-day workshop involved presentations by eight prominent behavior analysts who have obtained federal funding and/or served on grant review panels. Sixty registrants braved the Chicago winter to attend! The board plans to make this a regular part of the ABA convention, by including funding workshops within the ABA preconvention workshops every year. Suggestions for specific topics are welcome!

ABA is a member of the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological, and Cognitive Sciences, which advocates for research in the behavioral sciences at the federal level, monitors and communicates law and policy changes of importance to behavioral scientists, and coordinates several congressional briefings per year. The briefings are meant to show congressional staff the value of research in the social and behavioral sciences. As the Science Board Coordinator, I attended my first annual meeting (as the ABA delegate, in December, 2004). Many of you now receive the weekly newsletter, written by Federation-director Barbara Wanchisen, an ABA member. Those who don’t receive the newsletter can sign up on the Federation Web page (www.thefederationonline.org/welcome.html) which also provides a review of Federation activities

ABA became a member organization in The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) during the 2003-2004 academic year. AAALAC accredits animal care and use programs. Over 600 programs in 21 countries have been accredited by AAALAC. Steve Dworkin accepted a formal appointment as ABA’s representative in the fall of 2004. We are very fortunate that Steve is serving in this capacity, because he was active in the organization prior to his appointment.

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Standards and Professional Affairs Board Update

Keith Allen, Ph.D., Board Coordinator

The Standards and Professional Affairs Board has as its focus the practice of behavior analysis, including certification, continuing education, codes of ethics, practice standards, legislation and public policy, and third party payments. It currently is served by one committee, the Professional Affairs Committee, which is chaired Tom Zane. Tom has recruited an able group of committed volunteers that include Saul Axelrod, James Mulick, Kim Schreck, and Jennifer Zarcone. The Committee has been active in three primary areas over the past year:

1) The Committee has worked on the development of a “road map” of strategies and activities for use by state affiliates in pursuing state level recognition of the BCBA and BCABA credentials. The Committee has been working to identify where individual states are in this process and to determine their individual needs, including contacts and resources at the state level that could facilitate recognition. The Committee has begun identifying state chapter persons who are working on these efforts and may develop a system for communication across the state chapters to pool their information, resources, and strategies.

2) The Committee has also been working to solicit concerns and ideas from ABA members about professional issues in behavior analysis. A forum was held this year at the ABA convention, providing an opportunity for members to voice interests and concerns about professional issues facing behavior analysts. For example, concerns were raised about individuals hired as “behavior specialists” with little or no training in behavior analysis and how best to address this as an Association. Related concerns were expressed about certification and what “certification” means. Attendees also raised important issues regarding the struggles between guild interests and “learned society” interests and the role of the Professional Affairs Committee in acknowledging and addressing these issues. Finally, questions were raised about ABA ethical standards (adopted from APA) and whether these can accurately guide behavior analysts.

3) The Committee has also initiated efforts to explore how best to track federal legislation that may impact behavior analysts and toward this end has established a collaborative relationship with the ABA workgroup on professional recognition. In addition, the Committee is pursuing involvement in the “IDEA Collaborative Partnerships”, which are funded by the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education (OSEP). These partnerships involve the affiliation of 105 organizations (e.g., Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, Division for Early Childhood, National Association of School Psychologists) whose general mission is reportedly to make changes to improve special education; an undertaking that clearly has the potential to impact the practice of behavior analysis.

Members are encouraged to address concerns about professional issues to the Chair of the Committee (Tom Zane) or to the Board Coordinator (Keith Allen).

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News from the ABA Student Committee

Christy Alligood, M.A., Student Representative to the ABA Executive Council

Your Student Representatives

Current: Christy Alligood, West Virginia University

Elect: Marianne Jackson, University of Nevada, Reno

Past: Shawn Charlton, University of California, San Diego

The Student Committee welcomes Student Representative-Elect Marianne Jackson. We also thank Rachel S. F. Tarbox for her outstanding service on the Committee.

Mission of the ABA Student Committee

Currently ABA student members constitute over 35% of the total membership. The ABA Student Committee’s mission is to provide organizational support for ABA student members that will promote participation in ABA, professional growth, and enable members to contribute to the science of behavior analysis.

Student Members and ABA 2005 Chicago

The ABA annual convention in Chicago was a great success for the student membership. 1,342 student members attended the convention, accounting for 35% of the total number of attendees. The Student Committee thanks all student members who contributed to the success of the convention by attending or by presenting. We also thank the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA), whose generous donors provided registration for 202 student presenters at this year’s conference.

The Student Committee sponsored ten Professional Development Series events at the convention, with topics ranging from the graduate school application process to entering the job market. We thank all who participated in these events by planning, chairing, presenting, or attending. In addition to organizing the Professional Development Series, the Student Committee conducted its annual business meeting, presented a poster on the Student Committee at the ABA Expo, and collected data to be used in the planning of future convention events.

New Initiative: Program Representatives

The Student Committee is pleased to announce the creation of new leadership positions for student members of ABA. Program Representatives will function as an advisory board to the three Student Representatives who serve on ABA’s Executive Council. All student members of ABA are eligible to serve as representatives of their training program to the Student Committee, with representation limited to one student per program. Individual programs will be responsible for the selection of representatives. Program Representatives will attend the annual Student Committee meeting at the ABA convention, communicate with Student Representatives regarding convention event planning and other student issues, and encourage participation in the nomination and election process for Student Representatives. It is our hope that the creation of these new positions will provide opportunities for students from a wide variety of programs and locations to become involved in Student Committee activities. Student members will receive more detailed information about the Program Representative initiative in the coming months.

Future Goals

Going forward, the ABA Student Committee is committed to serving the student membership through activities that support our mission statement. In the coming year, these activities will include planning events for the ABA 2006 convention in Atlanta, implementing the Program Representative initiative, and holding the election for the next Student Representative. We encourage student members to become involved in Student Committee activities. Please direct your questions and comments to your Student Representative, Christy Alligood.

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