Happy New Year! As we begin our work together this year, I’m pleased to update you on some important work the UEDA Board of Directors accomplished during December 2012.
First, the Board approved a solicitation process for the 2014 and 2015 UEDA Annual Summits. Let me encourage you to consider whether your institution, or a group of partnering institutions, would like to host a future UEDA Annual Summit. Be on the lookout for the Summit solicitation request later this month. As we all look forward to our 2013 Annual Summit this fall in Pittsburgh, PA, we are also planning for 2014 and 2015. UEDA members look forward to visiting locations throughout the U.S. during our Annual Summit, so please take full advantage of the opportunity to invite UEDA to your region in the coming years.
Another important item of business addressed by the Board last month was approval of our association’s annual operating budget for 2013. The UEDA budget is built on a calendar year basis, so we will be closing the books on 2012 and getting our annual audit completed during the weeks ahead. While it seems that 2012 was a financially successful year for our association, it is clearly important that we continue our efforts to retain and add new members and that each member institution stays actively involved with UEDA. So, thanks for being attentive to your institution’s 2013 annual membership invoice and please return payment as promptly as you can process it.
The Board also asked our executive director to make arrangements for a meeting in Washington, D.C., March 19-20, 2013. We are inviting all UEDA committees to meet on the afternoon of March 19 to review and refine our short-term and longer-term work plans, and then to update the entire UEDA Board at our monthly board meeting on March 20. Our colleagues with the Educational Association of University Centers (EAUC) will be meeting March 17-19, 2013, so interested UEDA members may want to arrive early and participate in both meetings. Please be watching for additional details regarding the UEDA spring meeting, March 19-20, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Also, if you haven’t already signed up for work on a UEDA committee, please do so as soon as possible. We need your best ideas and help in making UEDA an even more valuable asset to our members.
Finally, as we take a breath from the conclusion of this round of negotiations over federal budget priorities while awaiting the inauguration of President Obama’s second term and the convening of a new Congress, we understand the importance of university-based economic development initiatives to building a more successful future for our nation. Your work produces success stories that must be told and methods that should be shared to help our communities adapt to the economic challenges we face. Your active involvement and participation with UEDA has never been more important than it will be in 2013. I look forward to our work together in 2013!