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Providence Biltmore, Providence, RI June 22-24, 2006 Sometimes in life you just have to take a chance, and for the 23rd Annual SFARN conference, we did just that by trying out a city we had never been to—Providence, RI. We took the gamble, and we were so pleased to see it pay off, as the 23rd annual conference was a rousing success! Nearly 120 researchers, analysts, and policy experts attended the two- and a half-day conference at the lovely Biltmore Hotel. In one of the best venues we have ever met in, the presentations and discussions were as lively as ever and a good time was had by all. Once again, I was excited to see a great mixture of new and old faces among the attendees. I firmly believe that year in and year out, this conference draws the nation’s premier researchers on issues of access and affordability – it’s a real pleasure to get to work on this conference. In addition to the great presentations, I particularly relish the opportunity to learn about the projects that you are working on, as well as the issues you are grappling with. Certainly, one of the highlights of this year’s conference for me was the Forum discussion about how states and systems are dealing with the challenges of the new federal Academic Competitiveness and SMART grants. I hope that we can continue to provide these kinds of opportunities for discussion, both at the conference and throughout the year. We were very fortunate to have a Rhode Island fixture join us as our luncheon speaker. Brenda Dann-Messier, President, Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center, and Member of the Rhode Island Board of Governor's for Higher Education, spoke to the group. She shared her experiences and those of her students, which helped to remind us all of the ultimate purpose for conducting the research we do – to improve the ability of low-income students to participate and succeed in postsecondary education. Brenda offered some potent insights to the challenges of providing adult education services, and suggested some topics for research that would improve efforts for this growing population. I encourage you to review her presentation, as well as visit the Dorcas Place website (http://www.dorcasplace.org/). One other highlight I want to mention from our time in Providence. Many of you may recall that when Jerry Davis retired a few years ago as the Guru of the SFARN conference, we established the Jerry S. Davis Scholarship with the American Indian College Fund (http://www.collegefund.org/). During the conference, we held a raffle to raise more funds for this wonderful scholarship, which helps needy American Indian students attend college. Through the generosity of those who attended, we raised nearly $2,500. Congrats to our winners, especially Kristen Venegas and Bill Sadler, who won the big prizes - the beautiful commemorative American Indian College Fund blankets - and thanks again for reaching into your pockets. We hope to continue the raffle at next year’s conference, and we will certainly extend it to those of you who may want to contribute but who can’t make it in person. On behalf of the planning committee, I would like to thank all of the participants, most especially our presenters. Thank you for your thoughtful presentations and willingness to engage the audience. Copies of most of the presentations can be found here. We are currently working to secure a site and a date for the 24th Annual Conference. As soon as the details are finalized, we will post that information, with a call for proposals to follow in December. We have moved exclusively to email and web-based dissemination of the conference information, so be sure to sign up for the mailing list to receive the latest news. Finally, one last word of gratitude to my colleagues on the conference planning committee and here at the Pell Institute – I couldn’t do this conference without you and I wouldn’t even want to try! Hope we see you next year -  |
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