Dear CALL-IS members,

By the time you read this it will be at least mid-July and two things will have happened. 1) All of the proposals for the 2014 TESOL convention will have been read, reviewed, scored, and selected. As of this date, we have had 522 submissions, and 497 have been graded. This is a gargantuan task that has involved scores of readers in our interest section; a tremendous pool of creative, sometimes ground-breaking, proposals; and the best administrative reviewing software money can buy. The last is not true, actually. Which explains 2) the missing hair on my head.

Joking aside, the annual process of managing the proposal process for the upcoming convention is a privilege reserved for the new chair each year. It’s a baptism of sorts into the academic fabric of our field and an opportunity to shape what every attendee comes to the conference for: real information, genuine experience, engaging delivery, and, above all, energy to bring back to the classroom. The challenge is divining those qualities within the few hundred characters allotted to each proposal. After reading through my batch and scanning the titles of a few hundred others, I think you are going to enjoy a fantastic program in Portland, Oregon, USA.

I joined the CALL-IS in 1996. In 1998, I volunteered to be the newsletter editor, and I’ve been on the Steering Committee ever since. Sometimes it has been a chore, a drudgery. (Just ask the current editor about getting writers to submit copy.) However, one thing I’ve learned in 17 years of service is that no matter what effort I put into the interest section, I receive at least double in return. It’s a crazy violation of Newton’s law of conservation of energy, but there it is.

This year, as the Cochair serving with my buddy, Roger Drury, I’ve had the privilege of serving the most involved, the most dynamic, and likely the most eccentric bunch of professionals I’ve ever had the chance to work with. This crazy bunch consistently, year after year, puts together the most organized events and resources found in the field of TESOL. From the EVO to the EV, from our webcasts (now entering their 7th year) to our program and member outreach, this IS is an innovator in TESOL and we’re still getting better.

Both of your Cochairs thank you for your support and encourage you to continue your involvement in the CALL-IS, and we look forward to seeing you in Portland next year.

All the best,

Chris Sauer and Roger Drury

Chris Sauer served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, taught high school English in Dinetah, and has worked in IEP and international program settings for the past 20 years. Currently he is the associate provost of international education at MCPHS University in Boston. Two of his passions are bees and bicycles. Chris rides his bike in Concord, Massachusetts, USA.

Roger Drury teaches in the IEP of Georgia Tech. He has also taught in France and Colombia, the latter as a Fulbright Scholar. He develops ESP courses with a CALL emphasis.