As another year draws to a close, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on accomplishments of the past year and establish, or reestablish, goals for the coming year. One thing that stands out to me especially is the experience of being the chair for ALIS. I want to thank the entire ALIS community for allowing me this opportunity. As I transition to past chair, I would like all of you to know that being a part of the leadership team of ALIS has been a rewarding and meaningful experience for me. I would be remiss to not take a moment to thank Dilin Liu (University of Alabama), current past chair, for his guidance and leadership as I learned the ropes of this position. Thank you, Dilin.

I am very excited to be welcoming our current chair-elect, Eli Hinkel, as chair. Eli brings wisdom and experience that is of great benefit to our community. Additionally, I want to congratulate Dr. Hayriye Kayi-Aydar as she takes on the chair-elect position. I know we will all look forward to getting to know her at this year’s convention. Please know that if you are interested in being a part of the ALIS leadership team, we will soon start recruiting for a community manager because our current CM, Scott Phillabaum, is reaching the end of his term.

Soon I will be asking all of you to contribute your thoughts and ideas to the agenda of the annual ALIS business meeting that will be held at this year’s convention in Dallas on Thursday, March 21, in the evening. Please consult the TESOL convention program guide for the specific time and location. Any thoughts, ideas, or feedback that you have about the ALIS community would be most welcome. Certainly we want to discuss issues related to applied linguistics and how our community can continue to build a strong network of experts and professionals in our field. Beyond that, we want to know what is important to you as a member of the Applied Linguistics Interest Section.

Once again, I want to thank everyone who participated in the proposal review process for this year’s convention. Proposal reviewers invest a lot of time in not only reviewing, but providing feedback to all proposals, including those that are not accepted. This year, we received more than 135 submissions! With so many high-caliber proposals submitted, acceptance is very competitive. I hope the feedback that the reviewers took the time to give is helpful for those who wish to resubmit in the future.

Finally, please be sure to attend the Academic Session that is ALIS has coordinated as well as our InterSection with the Intensive English Programs Interest Section. Thank you, Eli, for organizing these great topics with an all-star line-up! Please see the details regarding these session below.

Academic Session

Practicalities of Teaching Academic Reading and Writing
Presenters: Marianne Celce-Murcia, Neil Anderson, Anne Burns, Eli Hinkel
Location, Date, and Time: Convention Center Ballroom C3, 3/21/2013, 1–3:45 pm

InterSection (with Intensive English Programs)

Applied Linguistics and IEP Teaching Essentials of Academic Skills
Presenters: Jim Bame, Gena Bennett, Jan Frodesen, Eli Hinkel
Location, Date, and Time: Convention Center D225, 3/23/2013, 10–11:45 am

I hope that all of you have a warm and peaceful winter, and I am looking forward to seeing you in Dallas!