Maureen
Burns, Chair
Education Committee (EdComm)
January 31, 2006
Annual Year Report
Current Charge
To engage in
research, build accessible resources, and share information about educational
and professional development opportunities for VRA membership by remaining in
contact with appropriate members of related professional organizations and educational
institutions. To regularly solicit information from the VRA membership about
interests and educational concerns in order to develop supportive programming
at the annual conference and as other opportunities arise.
Accomplishments
The VRA Education Committee (EdComm) successfully followed up on many of the
goals it set for itself at their 2005 meeting at the Miami conference.
The EdComm Chairperson also Co-Chaired the 2005 Summer Educational Institute's (SEI) Implementation Team, which insured good communication between the two, but required much of her time. EdComm member, Karin Whalen, is now serving as SEI Co-Chair and will continue this tradition of collaboration.
The VRA Executive Board approved four of the six EdComm sponsored workshops for the Baltimore Conference: "Cataloging Cultural Objects: Practical Applications" moderated by Elisa Lanzi; "Cataloging Medieval Art" with instructors Ransom, Noel, Kersting, and Kessler; "Educating the Educators: Teaching Faculty to Teach with Digital Images" with instructors Fry, Jacoby, Mills, and Rodda; and, "The Who, What, and When of Strategic Planning" organized by Trudy Levy. At the time of this report's posting, two of these four workshops were filled to capacity-CCO and Educating the Educators. Interestingly, the two EdComm workshops that were not accepted this year appear in the program with other organizers and instructors indicating that digital copystand information and copyright issues are of central interest to the membership.
The Chapter stipend program
for the 2006 conference was promoted as usual by EdComm. Each of the Chapter
Chairs were contacted (by e-mail and by post) in early December and the EdComm
Chapter liaisons are presently trying to insure that each region has ample opportunity
to take advantage of the stipend. In February, the Chapter liaisons will continue
to highlight the benefits of the program as well as encouraging leaders of the
Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, Southern California, and Texas Chapters,
who do not want to take advantage of the program themselves, to find or appoint
a stipend recipient. Much positive feedback has been received about this program
and it has been informally reported that stipend recipients presented what they
learned as part of Regional Chapter meetings after the conference. The 2006
stipend recipients so far, and the workshops they will attend, include, in alphabetical
order by Chapter:
Great Lakes: Michelle Maguire, Digital Copystand;
Greater New York: Polly Giragosian, workshop TBD;
Northern California: Marika Wolfe, Educating the Educators;
Pacific Rim: Margo Ballantyne, Digital Copystand;
Upstate New York: Marcia Focht, XML, VRA Core, & Images.
The Chapter liaison tradition, which assigns a member of EdComm to communicate with Regional Chapters regarding their programming interests, continues to develop. Our liaisons are asked to communicate quarterly with Chapter Chairs, and report any relevant comments to the EdComm via the listserv. This contact has been helpful in developing workshop programming ideas for conferences and for finalizing the workshop stipends. EdComm continues to consider ways to expand this outreach and further develop liaison responsibilities.
Nicole Finzer is leading the research into Visual Resources intern programs. She did research this past summer on formal VR internships offered involving reviewing many academic sites and trying to find information on established programs. Such postings were slim, but she will be sending out an e-mail to the listservs soon requesting information about both formal and informal VR internship programs to further expand on the search. This information will be compiled and shared before the Baltimore conference.
Macie Hall was recently contacted about possibly getting some questions about distance learning on to the professional status survey.
Jeannete Mills continues
to provide technical support for the EdComm listserv at the University of Washington.
EdComm continues to encourage VRA members to fill out the feedback form on the
EdComm Web site in order to gauge programming interests. Leah Theis manages
this Web site and the data at UC Davis, adding links to relevant educational
programming as they become available and compiling the results of the feedback
forms for evaluation by EdComm. We are extremely grateful to Leah and Jeannette
for their efforts.
EdComm and the VRA Membership Committee, chaired by Trudy Levy, have improved
their communication in order to better serve the VRA membership. This communication
includes e-mail dialogue and attending each other's committee meetings at VRA
conferences when possible. Trudy shared the list they compiled of related professional
organizations that EdComm might consider strengthening ties to in order to better
develop complementary educational programming. EdComm looks forward to continuing
to communicate with this committee and to strengthen ties as well as to develop
new connections with related organizations.
Goals
With EdComm member, Karin Whalen, Co-Chairing the 2006-2007 SEIs, we look forward
to continuing good communication between the two committees. EdComm will discuss
this committee relationship more in Baltimore and determine if extended collaboration
may be warranted.
Continue to solicit ideas from the membership and determine VRA educational
needs resulting in ideas, recommendations, and preparations for 2007 national
conference workshop proposals.
Continue to improve communication with Chapter Chairs about the stipend program and other educational opportunities. Fine tune the process of obtaining responses about who will be attending which workshops every year. Continue to develop the role of the Chapter liaisons in communicating with Chapter Chairs.
Complete compilation of information about formal and informal VR internships presently available.
Follow up with Macie Hall about adding questions about distance learning to the professional status survey.
The Chair was informed by Margo Ballantyne of the VRA Tax Status Committee that EdComm may need to select a representative to serve on the future Non-Profit Board of Directors. If so, EdComm should discuss this further including recommending whether the Chair or an EdComm member designate might be selected.
Continue to communicate on the EdComm listserv as well as to enhance the information on and increase the membership's awareness of the EdComm Web site.
Further discuss and strategize about strengthening burgeoning ties with related organizations and improving ongoing communication about educational opportunities.
Further refine the EdComm activities timeline and put it into practice.
A few EdComm members have
informed the Chair that they will be retiring from EdComm service in Baltimore,
therefore some reorganization and the opening up of the committee to new members
will need to take place there. The Chair sincerely thanks retiring and current
members for their service and spirit of volunteerism.
Leadership
Maureen Burns is ready
to step down from the EdComm Chair position in order to allow for new leadership.
EdComm was unable to identify a replacement. Since Maureen was unable to accomplish
as much as hoped due to SEI responsibilities this year, she is willing to Chair,
Co-Chair, or remain on EdComm for one more year, if necessary, to ease the transition.
Board Action Requested
Advise about whether EdComm should revisit and update its charge that is several
years old.
Continue the existing process for providing stipends to Regional Chapter leaders for workshops at the annual VRA conferences.
Advise about the necessity of discussing EdComm participation on the future Non-Profit Board at this time.
Assist with finding a new
Chair, or Co-Chair who might transition to the sole Chair after a year, and
either replace Maureen Burns or extend her appointment for one more year.
List of Committee Members
Maureen Burns, University
of California, Irvine
Nicole Finzer, Bryn Mawr
Wendy Holden, retired University of Michigan
Carolyn Lucarelli, The Pennsylvania State University
Madelyn Millen, University of California, Riverside
Joy Robinson, Winthrop University
Jenni Rodda, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
Susan Sanders, University of Memphis
Leah Theis, University of California, Davis
Karin Whalen, Reed College
Jodie Walz, University of Minnesota
Betha Whitlow, Washington University, Liaison to the VRA Board
Ann Woodward, Johns Hopkins University
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Burns
Chair