by Marty Sullivan
Welcome to the latest edition of NASJE News! Special thanks go to the new co-editors, Jo Deyo and John Newell. They, along with the members of the newsletter committee, will follow the trail of excellence that Phil Schopick blazed for many years. The committee has a long history of keeping NASJE members informed of issues and trends that affect our profession. I have no doubt in the coming year, they will add to that legacy.
Marty Sullivan
In the coming weeks, your regional directors will be announcing various webcasts, conference calls, and perhaps a mid-year meeting in one or two regions. Their goal is to give you tips, tools, resources, and a place for discussion to help make your job easier and more fulfilling. You also will be hearing from various committees soon that continue to work toward our goal of year-round membership education. I urge all newer NASJE members to get involved as much as possible. The NASJE network is truly a giving one.
Christy Tull and the Curriculum Committee continue to do an outstanding job developing and promoting the model curriculum project. NASJE is deeply grateful for the financial support provided by SJI for this important work. NASJE members who attended the annual conference in Boston have received a copy of the second installment of the Curriculum design. For members unable to attend the conference, a copy will be mailed to you soon. It will also be available for download on our NASJE members only portion of the website.
I’m proud to announce the creation of the Fairness and Diversity Education Core Competency Ad Hoc Committee. This committee of truly remarkable individuals will be led by Joseph Sawyer. I have asked the committee to develop a model curriculum for a twelfth NASJE core competency area on the issue of access, fairness, and diversity issues. Hopefully, this twelfth core competency can be unveiled at our upcoming 2013 annual conference, which will be held in my home city of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Fundraising Committee was overwhelmed by the show of support for our newly announced Endowment Fund. We received a great number of contributions and pledges from our membership at the annual conference in Boston. Expect to hear more from the Fundraising Committee soon.
It is important to stress that NASJE is an all-volunteer organization. We depend and rely on each other to come up with creative solutions to common problems. It is remarkable the amount of work done by the various committees which keeps NASJE at the cutting edge of judicial branch education issues. For all of you, I am thankful and humbled to serve as your president for the coming year.