I am very excited to be hosting the PERK conference this year. This is Baker s first opportunity to host the conference, and I see it as a great opportunity for our students to get involved in the professional activities of their field. We have a terrific key-note speaker lined up. As president, I would like to call attention to three important issues. First, I hope to encourage greater participation and membership from colleagues in the education departments on our campuses.
Interdisciplinary contact provides an opportunity for growth in both fields.
Also, the inclusion of education departments will make for a stronger membership base the key to a successful conference. Second, I wish to remind you all about the PERK paper competition. For the past few years, PERK has had a paper competition in conjunction with the conference submissions. Unfortunately, submissions for the paper competition have been sparse. I would like you to encourage your best students to submit their work for the paper competition as well as for conference presentation.