This is the last chance to renew for the incoming membership term. Thank you to those 59% of you who have renewed. While we see a decrease in numbers at the end of our renewal period, many members reactivate their memberships as we move closer to conference. Total membership surpassed 4500 during our 2010 - 2011 membership term. Regionally, the number of members in the Americas (not including Canada and the US) is 85, followed by Canada at 110. Another 142 members reside in Africa/Oceania, 486 in East and West Asia and 906 in Europe. The US has 2,748 members. Our efforts to increase membership in countries outside the US include cosponsoring regional conferences. As you may know, last year we cosponsored conferences in Shanghai, China as well as Koblenz, Germany. Next year we cosponsor events in Lille, France and in Santiago, Chile.

Another way we introduce ourselves to potential members is through complimentary 3-year institutional memberships. Few people know that we offer three institutional memberships annually to universities from B- and C-tier countries. If you know of any institution that might be interested in this opportunity, help us spread the word. A university representative, usually the department Chair, should fill out the application in the membership section found on our website. There are a few additional requirements. Details and instructions are also available there. If you would rather have us approach a particular university, just tell us! We will be happy to send them an invitation on your behalf.

Nominations Underway

September marks the beginning of our busy season. ICA elections take place. (We offer our congratulations to President Elect-Select Francois Heinderyckx and to all the newly elected officers!) At the same time, our conference planners are busily preparing their respective submission sites, others (the Conference Coordinator and the Conference Secretariat on staff) put it all together, and still others prepare their paper and panel proposals. As soon as paper submissions are in, award nominations begin. ICA offers several prestigious awards. If you think someone deserves recognition for their work, consider nominating them for an award. Details on the 11 ICA awards and the various sectional awards are on our website under the "About ICA" menu item. While nominations take place, our conference paper reviewers are evaluating submissions. At the start of the year, we move in to our conference registration phase. More about that in my next article!