Continued support for National Assemblies is requested. The theme for an annual Assembly picks up on a contextual issue to be addressed by leaders in the educational and scientific communities, and reflects opportunities available at the host site. The selected theme serves as a catalyst for discussions throughout the year, as well as for the annual F21 statements. We hope this process of imagining will also play some part in helping F21 members shape their future. Part of helping F21 members shape their future is connecting them to village elders, persons chosen for their visible national leadership roles in educational, scientific, and public policy communities.
Village elders model the different ways that agents of change can make a difference.
Although the growing maturity of F21 members means they are increasingly gaining the stature of village elders, it is our sense that continuing connections to senior colleagues is a critical dimension of the network, and thus of the Assembly. Dr. Bruce Alberts, President of the National Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Shirley Malcom of the American Association for the Advancement of Science are two 1999 village elders. As the F21 network expands and matures, the work of planning, implementing, and hosting the National Assembly is becoming the primary responsibility of an F21 Task Force. This was the case for the 1998 event in Chicago, and a cadre of F21 members have been involved over the past several months in planning the October 1999 weekend. Planning is already underway for the 2000 National Assembly, which will be held at BioSphere2, the Columbia University site in Arizona.