President’s Message

Bettie L. Goodman

Professor/Coordinator, Office Information Systems

Charles S. Mott Community College, Flint, Michigan

If I could use one word to sum up the 78^th SIEC/ISBE Conference in the Faroe Islands, I would say, Wow! No way in my wildest dream did I expect such an outstanding conference. The Faroe Islands Chapter put on an extraordinary performance. It was well organized. We enjoyed superb site visits, breathtaking excursions and the national holiday ceremonies were incomprehensible. To this chapter, I give a hardy salute and congratulate them on a job well done.

As I begin my term as ISBE president, I would like to thank all officers whose terms ended June 30, 2006, especially Tamra Davis for her outstanding leadership. Next, I would like to welcome aboard all new officers whose terms started on July 1, 2006. We can, through our cooperative support, make this organization an exciting venture for the next year. Many professional organizations are losing members and ISBE is no exception. However, ISBE has begun to rethink how we can expand our membership by electing a membership director who will do her utmost to attract new members and reconnect with lapsed ones.

Kudos

A special “thank you” to Marty McFarland for the superb job you do with the ISBE Network as our editor and publisher.

Congratulations to Brenda Ingram-Cotton for being our 2006 ISBE Outstanding Service Award recipient.

SIEC/ISBE NEWS:

The SIEC/ISBE Board decided that we will publish electronic issues of the SIEC Review and for those who prefer a document; we will print an annual issue. However, we realize that some members like the hard copy and hopefully the annual edition will meet their preference.

ISBE Executive Board voted electronically to accept SIEC recommendation to change the term of the Pedagogical and Network Committees representatives from two years to three years. It was a unanimous vote.

Austria Conference

The 79^th International SIEC/ISBE Conference will be held in Vienna, Austria July 29 – August 3, 2007. The conference theme will be “Innovation in Business Education”. A well-designed program has been planned and we are inviting more ISBE members to attend this conference. Both pre- and post-conference tours have been planned, including a tour to Budapest, Hungary. Austria is a beautiful country.

Membership Director

A membership director for ISBE has been appointed and she is off and running to increase membership. She is Tantyana Pashnyak from Georgia and is one of our young members to start participating in ISBE. Please give her your full support.

Regional Representatives:

Please set up an ISBE booth at both your state and region conferences. If you cannot attend both conferences, please appoint someone to be responsible for the booth. ISBE brochures and SIEC membership forms are available for use at these activities. Tamra Davis has initiated a contest to recruit new members and we want all regions to participate. Note the Newsletter for the specific instructions.

Outstanding Service Award

The nomination form for the 2007 Outstanding Service Award appears in this Newsletter. Please take the time to nominate a deserving member of ISBE.  Many members have served this organization unselfishly over the years with their talents, time, devotion, and even their money. Those are the ones who deserve this recognition.

2007 NBEA Convention

Please mark your calendar to attend the NBEA Convention in New York City, April 4-7, 2007. While you are at the Convention, be sure to attend the ISBE session, participate in our membership meeting, visit our ISBE booth and come to the ISBE Banquet. It will be a smash this year. ISBE will celebrate its 60^th anniversary at NBEA in the “Big Apple” and we are planning a gala affair. Some members have been around the entire time and have given their time and energy to the growth of this organization. We must recognize them and say “thank you” for all their support. Several SIEC friends have indicated an interest in attending the NBEA Convention in New York and I will pursue their interest by sending a special invitation to all chapters interested in coming.

ISBE Needs You

Communication is the key to a successful organization. Please make a greater commitment to ISBE in 2007. I hope your school year is off to a great start and trust none of you are experiencing what our fellow teachers are going through in Detroit.

 It is an honor to serve you this year as your president. As always, I appreciate the support, counsel, and insight from all members of this great organization. I am your humble servant and look forward to working for you and through you in 2007.