My year as chair is winding down, and while I can’t say that I would want a whole additional year as chair—I’d make fewer mistakes and would know the timeline of when things should be done a little better—I can say that the year has been very rewarding. The EMTS Board is the most active, supportive, and responsive group of people I’ve worked with since becoming active in MLA. I want to thank them all for making the year far less uncertain than it could have been. For a change, I did not feel that filling out an Annual Report was a paean to the art of misdirection; I honestly feel that EMTS is an effective and active section that makes a difference in its member’s lives. And, if this is not true, then the EMTS board is truly interested in making appropriate changes.
I’d especially like to thank Jim Brucker (Chair-elect) for his hard work on the 2012 program (http://emts.mlanet.org/blog/?p=69) and Amy Blevins (Past-Chair) for her gentle nudges and always prompt responses to my inquiries about what I should be doing next. I also want to thank those who volunteered to run for office and those who accepted appointments without (much) complaint. Without you, EMTS would grind to a halt.
2011-2012 was a busy time for EMTS. We, like other sections, had to respond to the programming needs of the 2013 joint meeting in Boston. Fortunately, Jeanne Burke and Emily Hurst stepped to the fore, volunteering for programming planning, a duty that has traditionally fallen to someone else, but the accelerated planning for that meeting precluded the possibility of assigning it to a Chair-Elect. That position would not be filled for another 6 or 7 months after program planning began. For this reason, we had two program planning threads going at once. For the 2013-2014 period (and thereafter), we are taking a more proactive stance on MLA educational opportunities and have appointed Ryan Harris as CE Chair who will work with the MLA Continuing Education Committee to ensure that the educational needs of EMTS members is met. (Other 2011-2012 accomplishments may be found in the Annual Report: (http://emts.mlanet.org/business/reports/annual/annual1112.pdf))
EMTS also polled its membership to see how they would like to see money in the EMTS treasury being spent. In addition to our usual expenditure, EMTS will be giving a $125 travel stipend to EMTS officers attending the Annual Business Meeting and will be giving $25 thank you gift to those who moderate EMTS-led programs at the annual meeting. Neither of these outlays will have much of an effect upon the EMTS treasury.
In closing, I’d like to invite all of you to the EMTS Business Meeting at MLA Annual on 20 May 2012, Rm 204 of the Conference Center from 3:30 to 4:30PM. We will welcome people to their new roles (chair, chair-elect, and CE chair), give an overview of the past year, discuss what we will do in the next year, and have snacks. I will also have a list of current members so that appointments may be made in absentia, so keep that in mind.
Dale Prince
Chair
Educational Media and Technology Section